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Difference between revisions of "Age of Empires"

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
(→‎Where to Buy: Changed game listing to bullets, for consistency)
 
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−
{{infobox
+
{{disambig|the original game|the 2018 re-release|[[Age of Empires: Definitive Edition]]}}
−
|title          = Age of Empires
+
{{Infobox game
−
|cover         = Age_of_Empires_Box.jpg
+
|cover       = Age of Empires Box.jpg
−
|developer     = Ensemble Studios
+
|developers  =
−
|publisher      = Microsoft Game Studios
+
{{Infobox game/row/developer|Ensemble Studios}}
−
|engine        = Genie
+
{{Infobox game/row/porter|MacSoft|Mac OS}}
−
|release dates = October 15, 1997
+
|publishers  =
−
|genre          = Real-time Strategy
+
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Microsoft}}
−
|mode          = Singleplayer, Multiplayer
+
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|Ubisoft|Re-releases}}
−
|rating         = ESRB: Teen (T)<br />OFLC: G8+
+
{{Infobox game/row/publisher|MacSoft|Mac OS}}
−
|steam          =  
+
|engines     =  
−
|gog            =
+
{{Infobox game/row/engine|Genie}}
 +
|release dates=  
 +
{{Infobox game/row/date|Windows|October 15, 1997}}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/date|Mac OS|July 1, 1999}}
 +
|reception    =
 +
{{Infobox game/row/reception|Metacritic|age-of-empires|83}}
 +
|taxonomy    =
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/monetization      | One-time game purchase, Expansion pack }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/microtransactions | None }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/modes            | Singleplayer, Multiplayer }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/pacing            | Real-time }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/perspectives      | Bird's-eye view, Isometric }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/controls          | Multiple select, Point and select }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/genres            | RTS }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/sports            | }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/vehicles          | }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/art styles        | }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/themes            | Africa, Europe, Classical }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/series            | Age of Empires }}
 +
|steam appid  =
 +
|gogcom id    =
 +
|official site= https://web.archive.org/web/20011110043103/http://www.microsoft.com/games/age/
 +
|hltb         = 266
 +
|lutris      = age-of-empires
 +
|strategywiki = Age of Empires
 +
|mobygames    = 384
 +
|wikipedia    = Age of Empires (video game)
 +
|winehq      = 762
 +
|license      = commercial
 
}}
 
}}
  
−
== Save Games ==
+
{{Introduction
−
=== Save Game Location ===
+
|introduction      =  
−
<pre>\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Age of Empires\savegame\</pre>
 
  
−
=== [[Save_Folder_Cloud_Syncing|Save Game Cloud Syncing]] ===
+
|release history  = The game received '''''The Rise of Rome''''' expansion pack in October 1998 with new civilizations and campaigns. Both titles received [[#Patches|a single patch]] applied from the same installer.
−
* Dropbox: Yes
 
−
* Windows Live Mesh 2011: Yes
 
−
* GameSave Manager: No
 
  
−
==Where to Buy==
+
|current state    = On modern systems, the unofficial patch [[#UPatch|UPatch]] is needed to resolve color palette issues caused by a broken  [[Glossary:DirectX/DirectDraw troubleshooting|DirectDraw]] renderer, as well as resolving save corruption problems, adding widescreen support and balance changes which would later be the basis for the ''[[Age of Empires: Definitive Edition|Definitive Edition]]''. The [https://www.voobly.com/ Voobly] community multiplayer service is the ''de facto'' option after the official servers were shut down.
−
Can often still be found on store shelves as "Age of Empires Collector's Editon", which contains the following games on one DVD-disk:
+
}}
−
* Age of Empires
+
 
−
* Age of Empires : Rise of Rome Expansion
+
'''General information'''
−
* Age of Empires II : Age of Kings
+
{{mm}} [https://discordapp.com/invite/ageofempires Official Discord server] for the series
−
* Age of Empires II : The Conquerors
+
{{mm}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20090220032645/http://microsoft.com/games/empires/default.htm Microsoft's Official game page (archived)]
 +
{{mm}} [https://aoe.heavengames.com Age of Empires Heaven] is an active fan website and forum that offers support and extra game content.
 +
 
 +
==Availability==
 +
{{Availability|
 +
{{Availability/row| Retail | | Disc |  |  | Windows, Mac OS }}
 +
{{Availability/row| Retail | | DRM-free | Collector's Edition re-releases. |  | Windows }}
 +
}}
 +
{{ii}} Free demos are available for the [https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/274-age-of-empires-demo/ base game] and [https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/275-age-of-empires-the-rise-of-rome-demo/ The Rise of Rome]
 +
 
 +
===Version differences===
 +
{{ii}} '''Age of Empires: Gold Edition''' contains the base game and The Rise of Rome expansion, first released in 1999.
 +
{{ii}} '''Age of Empires: Collector's Edition''' contains [[Age of Empires]] and Age of Empires II with their respective expansion packs. The later DVD-ROM releases include the latest patches and are DRM-free, but are missing Red Book CD audio.
 +
 
 +
==Monetization==
 +
{{Monetization
 +
|ad-supported          =
 +
|dlc                    =
 +
|expansion pack        = The expansion pack includes new civilizations, units, technologies and campaigns.
 +
|freeware              =
 +
|free-to-play          =
 +
|one-time game purchase = The game requires an upfront purchase to access.
 +
|sponsored              =
 +
|subscription          =
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
{{DLC|
 +
{{DLC/row| The Rise of Rome |  | Windows }}
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
==Essential improvements==
 +
===Patches===
 +
{{ii}} This patch updates both Age of Empires (to 1.0c) and The Rise of Rome (to 1.0a): [https://web.archive.org/web/20150619114323/https://download.microsoft.com/download/aoe/Patch/1.0c/W9X/EN-US/AOEPATCH.exe English, German, and French] or [https://web.archive.org/web/20160809023805/http://download.microsoft.com/download/aoe/Patch/1.0c/W9X/PT-BR/AOEPATCH.exe Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese].
 +
{{ii}} Alternately, the latest official patch is available at [https://soggi.org/misc/game-patches.htm soggi.org].
 +
{{--}} The Rise of Rome 1.0a suffers from a serious bug in saved games. If a projectile (arrow from archers, ships, towers, siege weapons) is flying through the air while saving a game, the saved game becomes corrupted; loading it will crash the game. This can be fixed however with the use of RockNRor or UPatch HD.
 +
 
 +
===[https://aoe.heavengames.com/dl-php/showfile.php?fileid=2464 RockNRor]===
 +
{{ii}} Allows for numerous fixes and quality-of-life tweaks for the Rise of Rome executable, and some of the base game as well.
 +
{{++}} Has fixes for the save game corruption bug for both the base game (1.0c) and Rise of Rome (1.0a)
 +
{{--}} "Unfixed" saves will not be compatible with the "Fixed" executables.<ref>https://aoe.heavengames.com/cgi-bin/aoecgi/display.cgi?action=st&fn=4&tn=6576&st=227#post228</ref>
 +
 
 +
 
 +
===[https://upatch-hd.weebly.com/ UPatch HD]===
 +
{{ii}} Requires The Rise of Rome expansion
 +
{{++}} Unofficial patch that contains bug fixes and improvements for modern operating systems. Does not require any previous patches.
 +
{{++}} Fixes the color problem caused in newer systems
 +
{{++}} Fixes the save game corruption bug of version 1.0a
 +
{{--}} UPatch installer requires Age of Empires' installation to be noted in Windows' registry; if the game's installation fails to run or you're using a portable install of the game, a [https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/2902-age-of-empires-the-rise-of-rome-registry-fix/ registry patch] is required.
 +
 
 +
===Skip intro videos===
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Use the <code>NoStartup</code> [[Glossary:Command line arguments|command line argument]].|ref=<ref>Available from the game's readme file; alternatively viewable at http://aoe.heavengames.com/academy/hotkeysandcommands/cmdline.shtml</ref>|fix=}}
 +
 
 +
==Game data==
 +
===Configuration file(s) location===
 +
{{Game data|
 +
{{Game data/config|Windows|{{p|hkcu}}\Software\Microsoft\Games\Age of Empires\1.00\}}
 +
{{Game data/config|Mac OS|}}
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
===Save game data location===
 +
{{Game data|
 +
{{Game data/saves|Windows|{{p|game}}\savegame|{{p|game}}\game0.nfo}}
 +
{{Game data/saves|Mac OS|}}
 +
}}
 +
{{ii}} Campaign progress is stored in {{file|{{p|game}}\game0.nfo}}
 +
{{ii}} Custom scenarios are stored in {{file|{{p|game}}\scenario|folder}}
 +
{{ii}} Custom campaigns are stored in {{file|{{p|game}}\campaign|folder}}
 +
 
 +
==Video==
 +
{{Image|Age Of Empires Options.png|In-game options menu.}}
 +
{{Video
 +
|wsgf link                  = https://www.wsgf.org/dr/age-empires
 +
|widescreen wsgf award      = limited
 +
|multimonitor wsgf award    = unsupported
 +
|ultrawidescreen wsgf award = unsupported
 +
|4k ultra hd wsgf award    = unsupported
 +
|widescreen resolution      = hackable
 +
|widescreen resolution notes= Use [[#UPatch|UPatch]].
 +
|multimonitor              = false
 +
|multimonitor notes        =
 +
|ultrawidescreen            = false
 +
|ultrawidescreen notes      =
 +
|4k ultra hd                = false
 +
|4k ultra hd notes          =
 +
|fov                        = n/a
 +
|fov notes                  =
 +
|windowed                  = hackable
 +
|windowed notes            = Use [[#UPatch|UPatch]].
 +
|borderless windowed        = false
 +
|borderless windowed notes  =
 +
|anisotropic                = n/a
 +
|anisotropic notes          =
 +
|antialiasing              = n/a
 +
|antialiasing notes        =
 +
|upscaling                  = unknown
 +
|upscaling tech            =
 +
|upscaling notes            =
 +
|vsync                      = false
 +
|vsync notes                =
 +
|60 fps                    = true
 +
|60 fps notes              = Animations play at 20 FPS
 +
|120 fps                    = true
 +
|120 fps notes              =
 +
|hdr                        = unknown
 +
|hdr notes                  =
 +
|color blind                = unknown
 +
|color blind notes          =
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
==Input==
 +
{{Input
 +
|key remap                = true
 +
|key remap notes          = The only option available is to use one or both mouse buttons.
 +
|acceleration option      = false
 +
|acceleration option notes =
 +
|mouse sensitivity        = true
 +
|mouse sensitivity notes  = For scroll speed.
 +
|mouse menu                = true
 +
|mouse menu notes          =
 +
|invert mouse y-axis      = false
 +
|invert mouse y-axis notes =
 +
|touchscreen              = unknown
 +
|touchscreen notes        =
 +
|controller support        = false
 +
|controller support notes  =
 +
|full controller          = unknown
 +
|full controller notes    =
 +
|controller remap          = unknown
 +
|controller remap notes    =
 +
|controller sensitivity    = unknown
 +
|controller sensitivity notes=
 +
|invert controller y-axis  = unknown
 +
|invert controller y-axis notes=
 +
|xinput controllers        = unknown
 +
|xinput controllers notes  =
 +
|xbox prompts              = unknown
 +
|xbox prompts notes        =
 +
|impulse triggers          = unknown
 +
|impulse triggers notes    =
 +
|dualshock 4              = unknown
 +
|dualshock 4 notes        =
 +
|dualshock prompts        = unknown
 +
|dualshock prompts notes  =
 +
|light bar support        = unknown
 +
|light bar support notes  =
 +
|dualshock 4 modes        = unknown
 +
|dualshock 4 modes notes  =
 +
|tracked motion controllers= unknown
 +
|tracked motion controllers notes =
 +
|tracked motion prompts    = unknown
 +
|tracked motion prompts notes =
 +
|other controllers        = unknown
 +
|other controllers notes  =
 +
|other button prompts      = unknown
 +
|other button prompts notes=
 +
|controller hotplug        = unknown
 +
|controller hotplug notes  =
 +
|haptic feedback          = unknown
 +
|haptic feedback notes    =
 +
|simultaneous input        = unknown
 +
|simultaneous input notes  =
 +
|steam input api          = unknown
 +
|steam input api notes    =
 +
|steam hook input          = unknown
 +
|steam hook input notes    =
 +
|steam input presets      = unknown
 +
|steam input presets notes =
 +
|steam controller prompts  = unknown
 +
|steam controller prompts notes =
 +
|steam cursor detection    = unknown
 +
|steam cursor detection notes =
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
==Audio==
 +
{{Audio
 +
|separate volume          = true
 +
|separate volume notes    =
 +
|surround sound          = false
 +
|surround sound notes    =
 +
|subtitles                = n/a
 +
|subtitles notes          =
 +
|closed captions          = false
 +
|closed captions notes    =
 +
|mute on focus lost      = always on
 +
|mute on focus lost notes =
 +
|eax support              =
 +
|eax support notes        =
 +
|royalty free audio      = always on
 +
|royalty free audio notes =
 +
|red book cd audio        = true
 +
|red book cd audio notes  =
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
{{L10n|content=
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = English
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = n/a
 +
|subtitles = n/a
 +
|notes    =
 +
|fan      =
 +
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = French
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = n/a
 +
|subtitles = n/a
 +
|notes    =
 +
|fan      =
 +
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = German
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = n/a
 +
|subtitles = n/a
 +
|notes    =
 +
|fan      =
 +
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = Hungarian
 +
|interface = hackable
 +
|audio    = n/a
 +
|subtitles = n/a
 +
|notes    = Fan translation by .:i2k:. [https://magyaritasok.hu/magyaritasok/age-of-empires/age-of-empires-rise-of-rome/292 link #1], [http://users.atw.hu/jatekhonositas/hun_aoe1.html link #2]
 +
|fan      = true
 +
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = Italian
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = n/a
 +
|subtitles = n/a
 +
|notes    =
 +
|fan      =
 +
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = Portuguese
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = n/a
 +
|subtitles = n/a
 +
|notes    =
 +
|fan      =
 +
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = Brazilian Portuguese
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = n/a
 +
|subtitles = n/a
 +
|notes    = [https://web.archive.org/web/20011030014724/http://www.microsoft.com/brasil/games/empires/ Microsoft Brasil.]
 +
|fan      =
 +
}}
 +
{{L10n/switch
 +
|language  = Spanish
 +
|interface = true
 +
|audio    = n/a
 +
|subtitles = n/a
 +
|notes    =
 +
|fan      =
 +
}}
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
==Network==
 +
{{Network/Multiplayer
 +
|local play          =
 +
|local play players  =
 +
|local play modes    =
 +
|local play notes    =
 +
|lan play            = true
 +
|lan play players    = 8
 +
|lan play modes      = Versus
 +
|lan play notes      =
 +
|online play          = hackable
 +
|online play players  = 8
 +
|online play modes    = Versus
 +
|online play notes    = The official MSN Gaming Zone service has been shut down; use [https://www.voobly.com Voobly].
 +
|asynchronous        =
 +
|asynchronous notes  =
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
{{Network/Connections
 +
|matchmaking        = false
 +
|matchmaking notes  = MSN Gaming Zone support has been discontinued.<ref>{{Refurl|url=http://zone.msn.com/en/general/article/aoferetiring|title=Age of Empires matchmaking has been retired from MSN Games - MSN Games - Free Online Games|date=May 2023}}</ref>
 +
|p2p                = true
 +
|p2p notes          =
 +
|dedicated          = false
 +
|dedicated notes    =
 +
|self-hosting      = true
 +
|self-hosting notes =
 +
|direct ip          = true
 +
|direct ip notes    =
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
{{Network/Ports
 +
|tcp  = 2300-2400, 47624
 +
|udp  = 6073, 2300-2400
 +
|upnp = unknown
 +
}}
  
−
Due to faulty file management on the DVD-disk, problems can be encountered:
+
==Issues fixed==
 +
===Color issues===
 +
{{ii}}Playing the game on modern versions of Windows may cause it to use strange colors. Repetitive red and purple specks in water and marsh areas are the common issue.
 +
{{ii}} See [[Glossary:DirectX/DirectDraw troubleshooting|DirectDraw troubleshooting]] for further information.
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Install [[#UPatch|UPatch]] (The Rise of Rome only)|fix=
 +
}}
  
−
While playing Age of Empires (and Expansion) the games freezes for a second, every time the background music track changes. Disabling the music via settings is the only solution.
+
{{Fixbox|description=Legacy fix|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
 +
# Download and extract the [https://aok.heavengames.com/blacksmith/showfile.php?fileid=11108 DirectDrawFix] zip file.
 +
# Run {{file|DirectDrawFix.exe}}.
 +
# Use the browse button to locate and select {{file|EMPIRES.exe}}.
 +
# Press the apply button.
 +
# Repeat for {{file|EMPIRESX.exe}}.
 +
}}
  
−
==Ingame color looks odd==
+
{{Fixbox|description=Could not initialize graphics system error<ref name="CNIgraphs">[https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_other-gaming/age-of-empires-ii-could-not-initialize-graphics/06569ca3-7e06-4fd9-a378-714c7f756176 Age of Empires II - "could not initialize graphics system. make sure that your video card and driver are compatible with DirectDraw"]</ref>|fix=
−
For solution see: [[Colors Fixes]]
+
#Run the game in Compatibility mode for Windows XP Service Pack 2
 +
#Disable Visual Themes
 +
#Disable Desktop Composition
 +
#Run this program as an Administrator
 +
}}
  
−
== Latest Patches==
+
===Wrong in-game music - Gold Edition===
−
For Age Empires: 1.0c
+
{{ii}} On the Gold Edition of the game, all of Age Of Empires soundtrack is replaced by Rise Of Rome soundtrack.
 +
{{ii}} This is due to the disc check DRM and the Gold Edition disc having redbook CD-Audio data for Rise Of Rome but none for Age Of Empires.
 +
{{ii}} Both games use CD-Audio for the soundtrack by default
 +
{{Fixbox|description=Force the game to use music from the game files instead of CD-Audio|ref=<ref>Reference</ref>|fix=
 +
Launch Age Of Empires with the <code>/midimusic</code> [[Glossary:Command line arguments|command line arguments]].
 +
}}
  
−
For Age of Empires: Rise of Rome: 1.0a
 
  
−
''Note:'' Age of Empires: Rise of Rome 1.0a suffers from a serious savegame related bug: If a projectile (arrow from archers, ships, towers, siege weapons) is "flying" through the air while saving a game, the savegame becomes corrupted. Loading the savegame will crash the game.
+
==Other information==
 +
===API===
 +
{{API
 +
|direct3d versions      =
 +
|direct3d notes        =
 +
|directdraw versions    = 5
 +
|directdraw notes      =
 +
|opengl versions        =
 +
|opengl notes          =
 +
|glide versions        =
 +
|glide notes            =
 +
|software mode          =
 +
|software mode notes    =
 +
|mantle support        =
 +
|mantle support notes  =
 +
|vulkan versions        =
 +
|vulkan notes          =
 +
|dos modes              =
 +
|dos modes notes        =
 +
|shader model versions  =
 +
|shader model notes    =
 +
|windows 32-bit exe    = true
 +
|windows 64-bit exe    = false
 +
|windows arm app        = false
 +
|windows exe notes      =
 +
|mac os x powerpc app  = unknown
 +
|macos intel 32-bit app =
 +
|macos intel 64-bit app =
 +
|macos arm app          = unknown
 +
|macos app notes        =
 +
|linux 32-bit executable=
 +
|linux 64-bit executable=
 +
|linux arm app          = unknown
 +
|linux executable notes =
 +
|mac os powerpc app    = true
 +
|mac os 68k app        = true
 +
|mac os executable notes=
 +
}}
  
−
==Links==
+
===Middleware===
−
[http://www.microsoft.com/games/empires/default.htm Age of Empires Official Microsoft Site] Download Trial Version and Patch available
+
{{Middleware
 +
|physics          =
 +
|physics notes    =
 +
|audio            =
 +
|audio notes      =
 +
|interface        =
 +
|interface notes  =
 +
|input            =
 +
|input notes      =
 +
|cutscenes        =
 +
|cutscenes notes  =
 +
|multiplayer      = MSN Gaming Zone
 +
|multiplayer notes= Discontinued.<ref>{{Refurl|url=http://zone.msn.com/en/general/article/aoferetiring.htm|title=Age of Empires matchmaking has been retired from MSN Games - MSN Games - Free Online Games|date=May 2023}}</ref>
 +
}}
  
−
[http://www.microsoft.com/games/aoeexpansion/ Age of Empires: Rise of Rome Expansion Official Microsoft Site] Download Trial Version and Patch available
+
===[[Glossary:Command line arguments|Command line arguments]]===
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|-
 +
! Command<ref>{{Refurl|url=https://aoe.heavengames.com/academy/hotkeysandcommands/cmdline.shtml|title=Age of Empires Command Line Parameters - Age of Empires Heaven|date=May 2023}}</ref> !! Description
 +
|-
 +
| NoStartup || Skips the intro
 +
|-
 +
| 640 || Forces the 640x480 resolution
 +
|-
 +
| 800 || Forces the 800x600 resolution
 +
|-
 +
| 1024 || Forces the 1024x768 resolution
 +
|-
 +
| Mfill || Fixes horizontal line issue related to contemporary Matrox video adapters
 +
|-
 +
| NormalMouse || Replaces the ingame cursor with the standard Windows one
 +
|-
 +
| NoSound || Disables game audio with the exception of cinematics
 +
|-
 +
| NoTerrainSound || Disables ambient audio
 +
|-
 +
| NoMusic || Disables music
 +
|-
 +
| MidiMusic || Forces the use of MIDI music instead of the Red Book CD music
 +
|-
 +
| Msync || Fixes lockups related to contemporary SoundBlaster AWE configurations
 +
|}
  
−
[http://ageofempires.wikia.com/wiki/Age_of_Empires_Series_Wiki Wikia for the entire series]
+
==System requirements==
 +
{{System requirements
 +
|OSfamily = Windows
  
−
[http://aoe.heavengames.com/ Age of Empires Heaven (Community site)]
+
|minOS    = 95, NT 4.0 SP3
 +
|minCPU  = Intel Pentium 90 or higher
 +
|minRAM  = 16 MB
 +
|minHD    = 80 MB
 +
|minGPU  = Local SVGA bus video display
 +
|minVRAM  = 1 MB
 +
|minDX    = 5
 +
 
 +
|recOS    =
 +
|recRAM  = 32 MB
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
{{System requirements
 +
|OSfamily = Mac OS
 +
 
 +
|minOS    = 7.5.3
 +
|minCPU  = 120 MHz 604
 +
|minCPU2  = 150 MHz 603
 +
|minRAM  = 32 MB
 +
|minHD    = 70 MB
 +
 
 +
|recCPU  = 150 MHz 604
 +
}}
  
−
[[Category:Game]]
+
{{References}}

Latest revision as of 02:18, 23 April 2024

This page is for the original game. For the 2018 re-release, see Age of Empires: Definitive Edition.

Age of Empires
Age of Empires cover
Developers
Ensemble Studios
Mac OS (Classic) MacSoft
Publishers
Microsoft
Re-releases Ubisoft
Mac OS MacSoft
Engines
Genie
Release dates
Windows October 15, 1997
Mac OS (Classic) July 1, 1999
Reception
Metacritic 83
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase, Expansion pack
Microtransactions None
Modes Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives Bird's-eye view, Isometric
Controls Multiple select, Point and select
Genres RTS
Themes Africa, Europe, Classical
Series Age of Empires
Icon overlay.png
Age of Empires on HowLongToBeat
Icon overlay.png
Age of Empires guide on StrategyWiki
Age of Empires on MobyGames
Age of Empires on Wikipedia
Icon overlay.png
Icon overlay.png
⤏ Go to series page
Age of Empires 1997
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings 1999
Age of Mythology 2002
Age of Empires III 2005
Age of Empires Online 2011
Age of Empires II: HD Edition 2013
Age of Mythology: Extended Edition 2014
Age of Empires: Castle Siege 2014
Age of Empires: Definitive Edition 2018
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition 2019
Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition 2020
Age of Empires IV 2021
Age of Mythology: Retold 2024

Age of Empires is a singleplayer and multiplayer bird's-eye view and isometric RTS game in the Age of Empires series.

The game received The Rise of Rome expansion pack in October 1998 with new civilizations and campaigns. Both titles received a single patch applied from the same installer.

On modern systems, the unofficial patch UPatch is needed to resolve color palette issues caused by a broken DirectDraw renderer, as well as resolving save corruption problems, adding widescreen support and balance changes which would later be the basis for the Definitive Edition. The Voobly community multiplayer service is the de facto option after the official servers were shut down.

General information

Official Discord server for the series
Microsoft's Official game page (archived)
Age of Empires Heaven is an active fan website and forum that offers support and extra game content.

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
Windows
Mac OS
Retail
DRM-free
 Collector's Edition re-releases.
Windows
Free demos are available for the base game and The Rise of Rome

Version differences

Age of Empires: Gold Edition contains the base game and The Rise of Rome expansion, first released in 1999.
Age of Empires: Collector's Edition contains Age of Empires and Age of Empires II with their respective expansion packs. The later DVD-ROM releases include the latest patches and are DRM-free, but are missing Red Book CD audio.

Monetization

Type Notes
Expansion pack The expansion pack includes new civilizations, units, technologies and campaigns.
One-time game purchase The game requires an upfront purchase to access.

DLC and expansion packs

Name Notes
The Rise of Rome
Windows

Essential improvements

Patches

This patch updates both Age of Empires (to 1.0c) and The Rise of Rome (to 1.0a): English, German, and French or Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.
Alternately, the latest official patch is available at soggi.org.
The Rise of Rome 1.0a suffers from a serious bug in saved games. If a projectile (arrow from archers, ships, towers, siege weapons) is flying through the air while saving a game, the saved game becomes corrupted; loading it will crash the game. This can be fixed however with the use of RockNRor or UPatch HD.

RockNRor

Allows for numerous fixes and quality-of-life tweaks for the Rise of Rome executable, and some of the base game as well.
Has fixes for the save game corruption bug for both the base game (1.0c) and Rise of Rome (1.0a)
"Unfixed" saves will not be compatible with the "Fixed" executables.[1]


UPatch HD

Requires The Rise of Rome expansion
Unofficial patch that contains bug fixes and improvements for modern operating systems. Does not require any previous patches.
Fixes the color problem caused in newer systems
Fixes the save game corruption bug of version 1.0a
UPatch installer requires Age of Empires' installation to be noted in Windows' registry; if the game's installation fails to run or you're using a portable install of the game, a registry patch is required.

Skip intro videos

Use the NoStartup command line argument.[2]

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Games\Age of Empires\1.00\
Mac OS (Classic)

Save game data location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\savegame[Note 1]
<path-to-game>\game0.nfo[Note 1]
Mac OS (Classic)
Campaign progress is stored in <path-to-game>\game0.nfo
Custom scenarios are stored in <path-to-game>\scenario
Custom campaigns are stored in <path-to-game>\campaign

Video

In-game options menu.
In-game options menu.

Graphics feature State WSGF Notes
Widescreen resolution
 
 Use UPatch.
Multi-monitor
 
Ultra-widescreen
 
4K Ultra HD
 
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed
Use UPatch.
Borderless fullscreen windowed
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Vertical sync (Vsync)
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
60 FPS and 120+ FPS
Animations play at 20 FPS

Input

Keyboard and mouse State Notes
Remapping
The only option available is to use one or both mouse buttons.
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
For scroll speed.
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Controller types

Audio

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio
Red Book CD audio
On Windows, CD music might not play correctly; see the troubleshooting guide for solutions.

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
French
German
Hungarian
Fan translation by .:i2k:. link #1, link #2
Italian
Portuguese
Brazilian Portuguese
Microsoft Brasil.
Spanish

Network

Multiplayer types

Type Native Players Notes
LAN play
8 Versus
Online play
8 Versus
The official MSN Gaming Zone service has been shut down; use Voobly.

Connection types

Type Native Notes
Matchmaking
MSN Gaming Zone support has been discontinued.[3]
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Direct IP

Ports

Protocol Port(s) and/or port range(s)
TCP 2300-2400, 47624
UDP 6073, 2300-2400
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.

Issues fixed

Color issues

Playing the game on modern versions of Windows may cause it to use strange colors. Repetitive red and purple specks in water and marsh areas are the common issue.
See DirectDraw troubleshooting for further information.
Install UPatch (The Rise of Rome only)
Legacy fix[citation needed]
  1. Download and extract the DirectDrawFix zip file.
  2. Run DirectDrawFix.exe.
  3. Use the browse button to locate and select EMPIRES.exe.
  4. Press the apply button.
  5. Repeat for EMPIRESX.exe.
Could not initialize graphics system error[4]
  1. Run the game in Compatibility mode for Windows XP Service Pack 2
  2. Disable Visual Themes
  3. Disable Desktop Composition
  4. Run this program as an Administrator

Wrong in-game music - Gold Edition

On the Gold Edition of the game, all of Age Of Empires soundtrack is replaced by Rise Of Rome soundtrack.
This is due to the disc check DRM and the Gold Edition disc having redbook CD-Audio data for Rise Of Rome but none for Age Of Empires.
Both games use CD-Audio for the soundtrack by default
Force the game to use music from the game files instead of CD-Audio[5]

Launch Age Of Empires with the /midimusic command line arguments.


Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
DirectDraw 5
ExecutablePPC16-bit 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows
Mac OS (Classic)

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Multiplayer MSN Gaming Zone Discontinued.[6]

Command line arguments

Command[7] Description
NoStartup Skips the intro
640 Forces the 640x480 resolution
800 Forces the 800x600 resolution
1024 Forces the 1024x768 resolution
Mfill Fixes horizontal line issue related to contemporary Matrox video adapters
NormalMouse Replaces the ingame cursor with the standard Windows one
NoSound Disables game audio with the exception of cinematics
NoTerrainSound Disables ambient audio
NoMusic Disables music
MidiMusic Forces the use of MIDI music instead of the Red Book CD music
Msync Fixes lockups related to contemporary SoundBlaster AWE configurations

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 95, NT 4.0 SP3
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium 90 or higher
System memory (RAM) 16 MB 32 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 80 MB
Video card (GPU) Local SVGA bus video display
1 MB of VRAM
DirectX 5 compatible
Mac OS
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 7.5.3
Processor (CPU) 120 MHz 604
150 MHz 603		 150 MHz 604
System memory (RAM) 32 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 70 MB


Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).

References