Number 18 in AoE III Heaven's Screenshot Gallery, it has no title, but it's a seacoast scene and the ship looks pretty basic - oceangoing, but not much else. It has nothing and no one obviously on board.

IF (big IF) this is an in-game shot, rather than an editor setup, it suggests several things to me.

First and foremost, it looks like this almost has to be the initial landing in the new world of a party of colonists. If that is so, your initial strength for AoE3 may be one ship and 5 or 6 colonists.

Your initial party of colonists may have a mix of skills/roles. I see eight human figures, of whom I believe two are Native American (Huron, or some other Northeastern tribe, by their dress). Of the six probable Europeans, two appear to be soldiers (perhaps musketeers, who perhaps can both fight and hunt), two appear to be basic civilians {woodchoppers/builders/farmers - one man, one woman - in the two small boats (Yay!!)}, one is possibly a specialized working civilian (a Coureur, for hunting/scouting, I think - although he might be a third Native American), and one leader/merchant/trader type (in a dressy coat and snazzy white hat, nearest the boxes).

It looks as if this type of ship may carry/spawn one or two smaller boats for ship-to-shore movement where there is no dock, and which can perhaps also be used for fishing.

It looks as if colonists, trade goods, and/or your initial supplies/tools, may have to be physically brought ashore - not just ejected/teleported from the ships (because of the boxes and the small boats in this supposed "First Landfall" scene).

Trade/communication with the natives may be permissible (and perhaps even required) before you start a colony.

Or, of course, my imagination could be out of control. What do you think?

[This message has been edited by OldGrex (edited 03-12-2005 @ 06:05 PM).]