Fort Wars Overview
The single most played custom map in Age of Empires 3, reaching over 18000 downloads on just AOE3 Heaven alone - not counting ESO (Game Server) distribution and downloads from other fansites. It was even featured in PC Gamer magazine at one point. With Age of Empires III Definitive Edition on Steam now for just $7, new players can basially buy AOE3 just to play Fort Wars itself.
Started in December 19 2005, Fort Wars is an AOE3 adaptation of the popular Norse Wars game by Matei, which was originally a mod for Age of Mythology. It features a unique genre of gameplay, dubbed "bloodsport," where players gain resource by killing enemies and focus entirely on the combat aspect of RTS. It was the AOE counterpart to Warcraft's DotA and one of the precursors to MOBA-type gameplay seen in later games such as League of Legends, but to this day, it remains distinct in offering that with armies instead of just a single champion (essentially MOBA with armies).
Fort Wars is primarily developed by pftq, with initial guidance and support from Matei, Elpea, and TBMike at the start. A big thanks to those three, as this game never would have existed without them. It has been refined and balanced for over three years since its inception and maintained now for over 16 years.
