Age of Empires

This article covers the first part of the series of the same name; for the Age of Empires series, see Age of Empires (game series) .

Age of Empires
Studio	Ensemble Studios
Publisher	Microsoft
Erstveröffent- lichung	October 1997
platform	Windows , Mac OS , Windows Mobile
Game engine	Genie Engine
genre	Real time strategy game
Game mode	Single player ; Multiplayer via IPX , TCP / IP or modem
control	Mouse , keyboard
system advantages preconditions	CPU : 90 MHz; RAM : 16 MB; HDD : 80 MB
medium	1 CD
language	German
Current version	1.0c (main game), 1.0a (expansion)
Age rating	USK

Age of Empires is a real-time strategy game developed by Ensemble Studios for Microsoft Game Studios.

context

The time of the game is set in ancient times, before the rise of Rome. In the foreground of the game are twelve different civilizations, which are characterized by different weaknesses and strengths. Four of these civilizations are presented in " campaigns ", which the player plays through in the course of several "scenarios". A simple sample campaign introduces the newbie to the game. In addition, a "normal" game on different, randomly generated cards against computer or human opponents (in the network or via the Internet) is possible.

In all games the player experiences the Paleolithic , Neolithic , Bronze and Iron Ages (in some scenarios, however, certain times are left out). At the beginning of the game the aim is to let the nomadic villagers find a good place for a village center, which is the starting point for building up the further economy. In the village center, more villagers are created, who can erect buildings and grow and mine four different resources: food, wood, stone and gold. Combat units can be created in some buildings, while technologies can be researched in others. Towers and walls can be built for defense.

There are twelve races to choose from, each lacking different units or technologies from the universal “ technology tree ”. In addition, the individual races have specific bonuses. As a result, the civilizations have individual strengths and weaknesses, which make certain tactics possible or have a detrimental effect. The twelve available races are: Egyptians , Assyrians , Babylonians , Chosons (as a Korean culture), Greeks , Hittites , Minoans , Persians , Phoenicians , Shang , Sumerians, and Yamato .

Game flow

A game is won by default by defeating all opponents or conquering all artifacts or all ruins or building a wonder of the world and holding it for a certain time without it being destroyed. There are four campaigns, the individual scenarios of which have different victory conditions.

The demo version of the game contains a learning campaign from five scenarios on the rise of the Hittites, which ends with the Battle of Kadesh . This campaign, as well as the additional simulation of a Bronze Age battle, is not included in the original game.

A crucial part of the entire series is the included editor. There are now a large number of campaigns and single player scenarios that have been created by fans.

Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome

Age of Empires: Rise of Rome

The expansion Rise of Rome (German: "Der Aufstieg Roms") offers, among other things, more peoples, more warlike possibilities and four new campaigns to choose from, which deal with the Roman Empire. In terms of playing technology, some things are also being improved, for example the population limit has been increased from 50 to 200. The new peoples are the Carthaginians , the Macedonians , the Palmyrians and the eponymous Romans . As with the predecessor, the demo version also contains maps (Carthaginian campaign that deals with the Punic wars ) that are not included in the original game.

In 1999 a last patch was published by the developers to version 1.0a, which contained some further game balance adjustments. After the last official patch, the game community took over the further support of the game with self-made unofficial patches ; For example, the unofficial patch v1.1b2 released in 2014 fixed around 150 bugs and compatibility issues , e.g. As with larger screen resolutions or in support of Windows 7 / 8 . The latest unofficial patch, which now supports screen resolutions of up to 2560 × 1440 or 3840 × 2160 pixels and Windows 10 , was released on January 27, 2017 as "UPatch HD 1.1 - Release 4".

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition

At the game fair E3 2017 on June 12, 2017, the new edition for the 20th anniversary of Age of Empires for Windows 10 was announced and registration for the closed beta was made possible at the same time . In terms of gaming experience, the revised version should not differ significantly from its predecessor from 1997, but should come up with considerable graphic improvements and control optimizations.

The game was originally announced for October 19, 2017, but was postponed to early 2018 on October 13, 2017. This caused a lot of criticism from the fans. The game finally appeared exclusively in the Microsoft Store on February 20, 2018. A release on Steam was confirmed on May 30, 2019 . The Definitive Edition of Age of Empires has also been available on Steam since August 19, 2019.

Web links

Commons : Age of Empires  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website ( Memento of December 18, 2000 in the Internet Archive ) ( Extension ( Memento of March 4, 2000 in the Internet Archive )) (English)
• Age of Empires Official Website

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Age of Empires Update v1.0c ( Memento from December 9, 2000 in the Internet Archive )
2. ↑ ^{a b} Microsoft Age of Empires Expansion Update 1.0a ( English ) Microsoft.com. 1999. Archived from the original on March 4, 2000. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
3. ↑ aoe_scout: UPatch - unofficial patch for Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome ( English ) aoe.heavengames.com. September 17, 2014. Retrieved September 21, 2014: “ UPatch is unofficial update (user patch) for Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome. A solid improvement over the original game, UPatch includes custom game resolutions (up to 1920x1200), over 150 bug fixes, new gameplay options and other enhancements. "
4. ↑ aoe_scout: UPatch HD 1.1 - Release 4 (unofficial patch for Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome) ( English ) aoe_scout via upatch-hd.weebly.com. January 27, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
5. ↑ Age of Empires: Definitive Edition - Official E3 2017 Trailer (PC Gaming Show) . June 12, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
6. ↑ Age of Empires: Definitive Edition - The legendary real-time strategy game that began it all 20 years ago returns, remastered, in the all new Age of Empires: Definitive Edition! Sign up for the beta today! . June 12, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
7. ↑ pcgames.de - Age of Empires: Definitive Edition - Release date and Gamescom trailer (August 21, 2017)
8. ↑ Age of Empires: DE Release Update - Age of Empires . In: Age of Empires . October 13, 2017 ( ageofempires.com [accessed October 14, 2017]).
9. ↑ Age of Empires: Definitive Edition - Release date February 2018, Beta open to everyone from January 29th
10. ↑ Our Approach to PC Gaming. Retrieved May 30, 2019 . 
11. ↑ Pre-orders now open for 'Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition,' coming November 14; 'Age of Empires: Definitive Edition' available now on Xbox Gamepass for PC and Steam. August 19, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2019 (American English).