Yes, we who live in Russia remember and greatly appreciate what was accomplished at that time by a studio that was not yet well known to the world and had just debuted as an independent developer after several attempts by GCS and its founder Sergei Grigorovich (then they will make the world-famous Stalker), who created their talented and original variation of Age of Empires well before the third part was released, set in the 17th-18th centuries with sailing ships, cannons and unusual variations.

This was Cossacks. It began in 2000 year (a lot of decent games came out that year, I like it) under the name European Wars, and a year later the add-on The Art of War (in Russian "Последний Довод Королей" (The Last Argument of Kings) appeared, and the second last in this part in 2002 The War to Back, where they fixed their mistakes and blunders, and added several new nations to the game, new units, and a map editor, which was originally missing from the original version.

The main action of the RTS takes place in the 17th-18th centuries, with the transition to the latter occurring in the city centre (as in AOE), but with differences, it's more complicated here. Oh yes, this ship, which looks magnificent and luxurious, as if it were made of gold, is a 17th-century ‘battleship’ (as it is called in the game, although this type of ship was not yet designated in that century and most likely refers to the most powerful ship of the 17th century that could have existed at that time. This ship is the most expensive and powerful (it fires almost endlessly and rapidly with cannonballs until it was replaced in the add-on by the most powerful battleship of the 18th century, similar to Nelson's Victoria, but that's a different story.

And so, as someone who received his first computer in Russia, I dedicate my creation to one of these magnificent and chic games, which means that the 25th anniversary of this game is not just words, but a sign of gratitude for the wonderful childhood that we were given during that amazing time.

P.S. Please, do not attack me with anger. I do not like hostility between nations, especially between Russia and Ukraine, and I dream that the time will come again, as it did in 2000, when everything was fine and no one thought badly of each other, which is what this game embodies. Peace be with you.