Wars of Liberty

Wars of Liberty is a Game Mod for Age of Empires III that overhauls and expands on much of the game itself, and then some. Originally known as The War of the Triple Alliance mod, which centered on Latin America on the titular conflict between Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil in particular, it has over time grown to encompass virtually the entire New World as well as a number of African, European and colonial cultures. As such the mod features several new, unique factions (including significant revamps of existing ones), various gameplay mechanics, and graphical improvements.

Officially released under its current title on September 2015, it's also one of the handful of mods for the game that not only remain active but continue to be in development.

Its present version can be found online.

Tropes used in Wars of Liberty include:

Amazon Brigade:
- Mexico's more powerful musketeer units are all female.
- China can also deploy their army of female sharpshooters.
Anachronism Stew: The mod aims to downplay this. Although some still have access to archaic units in earlier ages, every faction is more synchronized in their units and aesthetics to match the timeframe being covered, with a greater emphasis on the 18th-19th Centuries.
- The Chinese for instance are now more accurately depicted as they were around the Qing/Manchu Dynasty, with clear nods to both the Opium Wars and Boxer Rebellion.
- Japan, compared to the base game, is more reminiscent of the Boshin War, Meiji Restoration and Satsuma Rebellion than the Sengoku Jidai.
- Deliberately invoked by the Knights of Malta, however. As according to Word of God, their units and general playstyle are more in line with Age of Empires II.
Artifact Title: The mod has long since gone beyond the titular War of the Triple Alliance. To the point of launching the official "Delta" edition of War of the Triple Alliance as Wars of Liberty according to Word of God.
Badass Preacher: Brazil's Jesuit Priests come with guns of their own and double as explorer units.
Banana Republic: The Colonel units for the Latin American nations have some shades of this, given how many of their abilities and upgrades are tied to corruption.
But Not Too Foreign: The Latin American nations in general, as many of them are "mestizo" or mixed-race in one way or another, as in real life.
Canada, Eh?: Very much represented. The Canadians come in Dominion ("New England") and Quebecois ("New France") flavors, depending on how you age them up. In an added touch, their structures even come with free maple trees.
Clap Your Hands If You Believe: Religion takes up a role similar to earlier Age of Empires games. A priest/imam/monk could boost morale, heal and condemn people to death with faith. This is averted though should you take up no religion at all.
Cosmetically Different Sides: Goes even further than the base game, as each individual nation and wider cultural group is made to have more unique units, distinct gameplay mechanics and even more varied aesthetics.
- Latin American nations like Brazil and Argentina can send in various immigrant groups, each with their own unique touches.
- The Anglo nations (Americans, Canadians, Australians) can choose their own socio-political route as they age up, each with their own particular units and upgrades. As a consequence, it's possible to have a Quebecois "New France" Canada, a Confederate America and Aborigine Australia.
- The Italians have to rely on separate architect units in order to have buildings constructed.
- Unlike the base game, the Ottomans have their own unique textures to more emphasize their Islamic influences.
Cowboy: The Argentinians have Gaucho settler units, who all ride on horseback.
A Day in the Limelight: The mod is notable as well for putting a spotlight on nations that don't normally show up in an RTS game, like the Canadians, Argentinians and Brazilians among others. This extends as well to many of the other African, European and indigenous factions, be it the Ethiopians, Austria, the Knights of Malta or the Tupi.
Eagleland: The Americans come across as a mix of Type 1 and 2, whether you choose the Union path or follow the Confederate route.
Elite Mooks: In addition to late-game units, some nations can ship in groups of powerful regiments or warriors from their Home City.
Fan Sequel: With all the work already done and in development, the mod is this in all but name. Further underscored by the more concerted attention placed around the Napoleonic and Victorian eras.
Fighting For a Homeland:
- The "American" Immigrants that are available to the Latin American factions are a nod to the real-life Confederados: refugees from the former Confederate States of America who fled to Brazil after the Civil War, whose descendants still retain elements of their origins.
Going Native:
- The Aborigine route for the Australians has many signs of this, most notably in the indigenous units that are made available.
- In the "New France" route for the Canadians, not only do they embrace their French/Quebecois culture, but also allows access to Metis infantry.
Made a Slave: The Brazilians rely on slaves, can buy them in bulk and even whip them up for faster productivity at the expense of health, though it is possible to abolish slavery in later ages. It's also a potential option for a Confederate-route American player.
The Mafia: A late-game espionage option for the Italians, granting them much more in the way of subterfuge and underhanded tactics...for a hefty price.
Mega Corp: The Americans can establish powerful companies by the late-game, which grant significant economic and military benefits.
Multinational Team:
- In addition to the main game's foreign mercenaries and Asian consulates, the Latin American nations can bring in immigrants (such as Germans, Japanese and even Confederate!Americans), who provide both tech bonuses and foreign units.
- Austria's unit roundout is nothing but this, reflecting the Habsburg monarchy's domains.
Obvious Beta: The mod still has a number of graphical, gameplay and balancing bugs as well as a handful of unfinished assets. Which isn't counting the stuff the modders plan on adding, such as unique audio tracks and additional factions. Justified in that it's still in development, if very much playable.
Rock Beats Laser: Some of the indigenous nations, like the Aztecs or Tupi don't even have access to gunpowder weapons or more sophisticated technologies, but can still hold their own against more powerful foes.
Saved From Development Hell: Sort of. In addition to the mod still being in development over 10 years on, some elements like certain gameplay features or even playable nations are mentioned by Word of God as having been adopted and salvaged from other abandoned mods that the team had involvement in.
Shown Their Work: The modders had evidently done their research in how each faction not only looks but also plays.
Salt the Earth: The Serbians can burn their own structures to deny enemies any satisfaction of victory.
Thanksgiving Day: The basic Anglo worker units are Pilgrims straight out of the Mayflower.