Much to Ensemble Studios' disappointment, numerous incomplete versions of the game were leaked. It featured the learning campaign, a sample of a random map game, and the ability to play via the MSN Gaming Zone. Age of Empires 2 retains all these elements with new civilizations to choose from with new units, sounds, and a graphical overhaul as well. If you were a fan of the first game, Age of Empires, or missed it but love real time strategy games, I highly recommend Age of Empires 2." - (1999) Collector's corner:Ī demo of The Age of Kings was released on October 16, 1999. It offered a unique view to real time strategy with the ability to choose from different civilizations with varied unit and technology advancement. "Microsoft jumped into real time strategy games with the well-received Age of Empires. A fun single-player and multiplayer experience with plenty of fresh gameplay and original ideas, despite its adherence to the original Age of Empires formula." - GameSpy (2001)
The changelog for this patch is still present in the files of every version of Age of Empires II from this patch onward, including the Definitive Edition."A very strong and well-themed real-time strategy title that shouldn't be missed.Scenario Editor Bugs - A number of Scenario Editor bugs have been fixed.Computer Player Bugs - The behavior of the computer player in multiplayer games has been improved.Single-Player Campaign After Regicide Bug - A single-player game will no longer automatically end immediately after a multiplayer game of Regicide was played.Trebuchet Firing Bug - Trebuchets no longer miss targets that are on a different elevation.Foundation Outline Bug - Building foundations now have outlines, so you can now click on them when they are behind trees or other objects.Multiplayer Restore From Zone Bug - The ability to save and restore a disconnected or out of sync multiplayer game on the Zone has been improved.Unit Ignoring Orders Bug - Units no longer ignore orders under some circumstances.Farming on Forest Bug - You can no longer build a Farm or Wall on top of a partially cut section of forest.Cooperative Farming Bug - When you take over a Farm foundation built by an ally, you can no longer extract more than the standard amount of food from that Farm.Flare and Waypoint Bug - The game no longer crashes when you set a flare or waypoint location at the very Southern-most point on the map.Fishing Ship Bug - You can no longer use a Fishing Ship to construct buildings other than a Fish Trap.Fish Trap Bug - You can no longer build a Fish Trap on top of an existing fish resource.Computer Player Resigning Bug - The computer player will no longer resign after a few minutes of play (Previously available in the AI Update).Stability Improvements - A number of crashes and multiplayer out of sync bugs have been fixed, resulting in improved game stability.Display Name of Out of Sync Player - In a multiplayer game with three or more players, if a player goes out of sync, that player's name is displayed in the out of sync message on all computers.The total number of pauses remaining is displayed each time the game is paused. Limited Pauses - The total number of pauses available to each player in a multiplayer game is now limited.Single-Player Performance Improvements - The performance of single-player campaign games has been improved, especially on lower-end computers.For the Britons, the 50% decrease in the cost to build a Town Center now applies only to wood, and this reduction in wood cost is not available until the Castle Age.For the Teutons, the Town Center no longer has increased range.Missile technologies available at the Blacksmith (Fletching, Bodkin Arrow, and Bracer) no longer increase the range of the Town Center.The time to build a Town Center has been increased.The resource cost to build a Town Center has been increased by 100 stone.Town Center changes - The following changes have been made to the Town Center: