Age of Mythology

Age of Mythology
Studio	Ensemble Studios
Publisher	Microsoft
Erstveröffent- lichung	Windows / OS X October 30, 2002 November 11, 2002
platform	Windows , Mac OS X
Game engine	Bang! Engine
genre	Real time strategy game
Game mode	Single player ; Multiplayer via IPX , TCP / IP , modem or Ensemble Studios Online (ESO) (the latter has been removed.)
control	Mouse , keyboard
system advantages preconditions	CPU : 450 MHz; RAM : 128 MB; HDD : 1.5 GB; Graphics : 3D card, 16 MB
medium	2 CDs
language	German
Current version	1.10 (main game), 1.07 (expansion)
Age rating	USK PEGI

Age of Mythology is a real-time strategy game basedon ancient mythology . It wasdeveloped by Ensemble Studios in the USAand published by Microsoft Game Studios for Windows and Mac OS computers. The game was released on October 30, 2002 in North America and November 11, 2002 in Europe.

Game setup

Despite the significant differences in the game scenario (mythology instead of story) to Age of Empires and Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings , Age of Mythology belongs to the Age-of-Empires series because this game is also developed by Ensemble Studios and by Microsoft has been published. In addition, the game mechanics are similar.

In contrast to the previous series, you fight with real units as well as characters from the myths of the Greeks , Vikings , Chinese and Egyptians . In the single player campaign , the player slips into the role of Arkantos, an Atlantean who gets caught between the fronts of the gods. In 32 missions he takes over the leadership of the three peoples. Apart from the mythical units such as Cyclops , Minotaur and Phoenix , the player can also acquire up to four divine spells, which he gets when he worships different gods. These spells are often decisive for the game. Zeus, for example, grants a bolt of lightning, with which you can damage any enemy unit, provided it is in sight. In addition, every god gives special technologies that are important for the people (compare the Prometheus legend). In Age of Mythology , the individual civilizations thus achieve an individuality that is much more important than the differences between the peoples in Age of Empires or Age of Kings .

At the beginning of a normal game (i.e. no mission) the player chooses one of the races and one of the three main gods, e.g. B. With the Greeks this is Zeus, Poseidon or Hades . As the player progresses in the game, he can enter further ages and must choose one of the minor gods.

people	Main gods
Greeks	Zeus , Poseidon , Hades
Vikings	Odin , Thor , Loki
Egyptians	Isis , Re , Seth
Atlanteans (from The Titans)	Gaia , Uranos , Kronos
Chinese (from Tale of the Dragon)	Fu Xi , Nu Wa , Shennong

For the first time, the graphics are completely three-dimensional .

Like its predecessors, the game has a multiplayer mode over the Internet and network as well as an editor.

Age of Mythology: The Titans

Age of Mythology: The Titans logo

The expansion was released on September 30, 2003 and contains a new campaign with 12 missions. In addition, you can now play the Atlanteans, already known from the main campaign.

The missions are about Arkantos 'son Kastor , who leads the Atlanteans after Arkantos' ascent to the gods. Initially deceived by Kronos, he begins to destroy the other races and to free the titans from Tartaros . But his father puts him on the right track, and together with Gaia, Kastor can finally defeat Kronos and lock him back in the Tartaros.

Hardly anything changes in the races known from the basic game. Every people can now rise into a fifth age, that of the titans, and free an overpowering colossus from Tartarus in order to defeat their opponents.

Extended Edition

Age of Mythology Extended Edition
Studio	SkyBox Labs Ensemble Studios (Original)
Publisher	Microsoft Studios
Erstveröffent- lichung	May 8, 2014
platform	Windows
Game engine	Bang! Engine
genre	Real time strategy game
Game mode	Single player , multiplayer
control	Mouse , keyboard
system advantages preconditions	1.6 GHz processor, 1 GB RAM, DirectX 10 compatible graphics card (Nvidia GeForce 8600 GT or comparable), 3 GB storage space, Windows Vista or newer
medium	Download
language	German
Current version	2.7
copy protection	Steamworks
Age rating	USK PEGI

At the end of February 2014, a developer live stream from Microsoft revealed that there would soon be a so-called extended version of the game. From the beginning of March 2014 this could be pre-ordered from Valve's sales platform Steam . It was released for download on May 8, 2014.

In addition to the familiar content of the previous versions, the Extended Edition includes a. Animated day-night cycles, shadow effects of the sun on the map, different map views and a co-op and online mode supported and regulated by Steam . Support for DirectX 10 is also new, which is why the new edition can only run from Windows Vista .

As with the Age of Empires II: HD Edition, the response to the new edition was rather restrained. The German computer game magazine GameStar gave it a rating of 76% (the original received 87%) and criticized the few innovations and the graphics. Eurogamer rated the Extended Edition with 6 out of 10 possible points. The metascore is 66.

Age of Mythology: Tale of the Dragon

After twelve years, the add-on Age of Mythology: Tale of the Dragon was released on January 29, 2016 .

In terms of content, the add-on deals with Asian mythology and adds the Chinese people, three new main gods and a new campaign with nine missions.

Web links

• Age of Mythology Official Website

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Age of Mythology: the Titans year of publication. In: www.google.de. Retrieved January 6, 2017 . 
2. ^ Age of Mythology on Steam , accessed July 10, 2014.
3. ↑ "Unnecessary, hardly improved new edition" on GameStar , accessed on July 10, 2014.
4. ^ Age of Mythology: Extended Edition review on Eurogamer , accessed July 10, 2014.
5. ↑ Age of Mythology: Extended Edition on Metacritic , accessed July 10, 2014.
6. ↑ Game Star: Age of Mythology - New addon after twelve years, Tale of the Dragon released