Europa Universalis III, which delves deeply into the areas of exploration, trade, warfare and diplomacy, is an epic strategy game where players take control of a nation and guide it through the ages to become a great global empire. Unparalleled in its depth and historical accuracy, Europa Universalis gives players freedom to rule their nation from an impressive choice of over 250 historically accurate countries. The Europa Universalis series put Paradox Interactive on the map as a leading strategy games publisher and developer and fans worldwide are eagerly anticipating Europa Universalis III.

Europa Universalis III includes many different unit types that are based upon both regional and technological differ­ences around the world during the eras covered by the game. All types will all have slightly different combat characteristics and appearances, and this variation will ensure players keep gameplay fresh and diverse.

Each unit type belongs to one of seven categories: land-based units all fall under the classification of infantry, cavalry, or artil­lery, while naval units will either be transport vessels or one of three distinct sizes of combat vessel.

Land forces are used to defend your provinces, fight battles, put down rebellion, lay siege to enemy cities, and conduct any other military opera­tions that occur on solid ground.

Infantry Regiments
The infantry regiment is the basic foot soldier. In the early stages of the game, they are armed with swords or spears, or sometimes with bows or javelins. Infantry move fairly slowly, and are not terribly effective in combat. As the game progresses and you advance in land technol­ogy, these will be replaced with increasingly powerful forms of gunpowder-based weaponry and will become more and more dangerous to encounter.

Cavalry Regiments
These mounted warriors are the most powerful regiment available for field combat at the begin­ning of the game. Their mobility and fearsome charges will often cause an enemy to break and run from battle. They lose much of this advan­tage when the terrain or weather inhibits their speed, and they are utterly unsuited for siege warfare.

Artillery Regiments
Early forms of artillery were heavy and un­wieldy, making them highly unsuited to field combat. For the most part, this weapon’s func­tion was limited to siege work where the con­stant bombardment of an enemy’s walls would eventually create a large enough breach for the infantry to pour through. By the beginning of the Napoleonic era, artillery had undergone a drastic technological change and was becom­ing devastating on the field of combat. This is reflected in the game by the ever-increasing damage caused by these regiments.

Naval forces will be made up of ships that are usu­ally assembled into fleets, each of which will be commanded by an admiral.

Transport Vessels
This is the most basic form of ship. As the name suggests, a transport ship is used to trans­port land forces across the seas, allowing you to conduct military operations far away from home.

Combat Vessels
Galleys, the smallest class of combat vessel, carry somewhat limited armaments and cannot withstand very much damage be­fore being sunk. Their advantage is that they are quite inexpensive and quick to build, and are cheap to maintain on a monthly basis.

Light Ships are larger ships than a galley, carrying a more powerful armament and able to with­stand considerably more damage.

Big Ships carry the greatest possible armament and are able to with­stand tremendous amounts of damage while still remaining afloat. They tend to move quite slowly at sea, and are extremely expensive to build and maintain.

[tags]Europa Universalis III, civilization, strategy game, Paradox Interactive[/tags]