| Age of Empires | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Ensemble Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Microsoft Game Studios |
| Designer(s) | Rick Goodman, Bruce Shelley, Brian Sullivan |
| Engine | Genie |
| Latest version | 1.0c |
| Release date(s) |  October 26, 1997 (Windows) |
| Genre(s) | Real-time strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer (IPX, TCP/IP, Modem, Serial cable connection, GameSpy Arcade (and related websites) |
| Rating(s) | America ESRB: Teen
(T) Australia: G8+ (Rating may subject to change) |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Pocket PC (2002), Apple Macintosh, Gizmondo |
| Media | CD (1) |
| System requirements | 90 MHz CPU, 16MB RAM, 80MB Hard disk space, 1MB GPU |
| Input | Keyboard, mouse |
Age of Empires (often abbreviated to AoE or AofE), is a history-based real-time strategy computer game released in 1997. Developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft, the game uses the
Genie Game Engine, a 2D sprite
based game engine. The game allows the user to play as the leader of a historical
tribe or
Originally touted as "Civilization" meets "Warcraft", many thought that it failed to live up to these expectations when it was released. [1] However, it did receive generally good reviews,[2] and an expansion pack for the game was released in 1998 named Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome Expansion. Both the original Age of Empires and the expansion pack were later released as "the Gold Edition". Subsequently, several games have been released in the Age of Empires series, including two sequels (Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, Age of Empires III), expansions for the above-mentioned sequels and a turn-based version for the Nintendo DS (Age of Empires: The Age of Kings), as well as one spinoff game (Age of Mythology).
Gameplay
Setting
Age of Empires requires the player to develop a civilization from a handful of hunter-gatherers to an expansive Iron Age empire. To assure victory, the player must gather resources in order to pay for new units, buildings and more advanced technology. While it is possible to configure the game so that winning is based on specific economic/technological achievements, in practice most players focus on developing military strength to conquer their opponents, before the opponents conquer them.
Civilizations
In AoE, twelve
| Asian[3] | Babylonian | Egyptian[3] | Greek[3] |
Ages
A major component of the game is the advancement through the ages. There are four ages: the Stone
Age (
Game modes
Single player
Age of Empires consists of various single-player scenarios in which the player is required to complete specific objectives. Campaigns are a collection of scenarios which are completed in a linear fashion. The original Age of Empires included 4 campaigns, based on the history of the Egyptian, Greek, Babylonian Yamato and Hittite civilizations. Besides the campaigns, the other main type of single player gameplay is the 'random map' mode (where the map is generated randomly). These are scenarios in which the human and CPU players begin with only a small settlement and must utilize the available resources to build a powerful civilization and claim victory over their adversaries. The random map game (abbreviated to RM) is the heart of the game's gameplay, while the 'death match' (abbreviated to DM) game offers a variant of random map play where all players start with very large resource stockpiles.
Multiplayer
Age of Empires features online and network play with 8 people simultaneously. A mix of random map and death match games have been popular among online players, including some death match variants where players only use specific units (e.g. 'Legions') or a combination of restrictions. Because the network play is less sophisticated than that of modern games, lag and disconnections often occur.
Multiplayer gameplay has been supported by the Zone for most of the game's lifespan, but was terminated by Microsoft in June 2006 along with most other CD-ROM games like Age of Empires II. Today, Age of Empires and its expansions are commonly played on IGZones or GameSpy for PC, or GameRanger for Mac. World tournaments are played regularly to establish the best players. Despite the graphics becoming outdated, the gameplay still attracts players.
There is one unique aspect of Multiplayer in Age of Empires: the player is able to create a multiplayer game without other human players, which is not possible on Age of Empires II and future Age of Empires games.
Custom scenarios
Age of Empires allows for the creation of user-made scenarios or series of scenarios (campaigns) using the Scenario Builder. This tool is simpler and easier to learn than comparable editors used in more modern games, but it has fewer capabilities as a result. Ensemble Studios used the Scenario Builder to make the single-player campaigns which shipped with the retail game. Various sites exist where custom scenarios can be submitted and downloaded. The popularity of custom scenarios is still high, for example the campaign Memories of the Gupta Dynasty has received several thousand downloads[5]
In late 2005, it was discovered that by modifying various data files, units present in the beta versions of the game could be made available in the editor. Some obscure units include a spaceship and a hero that changes ownership when units move near it. Through data editing, the rules of placing units can also be modified. This allows units to be placed on any terrain and on top of other units, which creates new possibilities for designing. Other significant discoveries include new terrain templates, a 'triple hitpoint' mode and map size editing.
Game components
Technology
Technology is researched at specific buildings. The possible technologies are generally related to the building from which they are conducted (e.g. religious research in temples, armor research at the storage pit etc). Technological advances come in many categories, such as military upgrades (better armed and armored units), economic upgrades (e.g. increasing the rate of gathering resources etc), religious upgrades (e.g. faster conversion rates for priests etc.) and infrastructure upgrades (e.g. stronger fortifications). As basic technology research is completed, more advanced technologies may become available. Some technologies are not available to certain civilizations.
Technology plays a very important role in the strategy of the game. As a civilization progresses through the ages, technology becomes more and more expensive. Hence collecting the necessary resources to research them becomes difficult. As a result, balancing the workforce across the various resources can make the difference between victory and defeat. Take the following example: Suppose player A is a cavalry civilization. In other words, there are restrictions on several infantry and archer class units. In order to get the best out of a cavalry army, player A will have little need for infantry and archer based technologies. Cavalry is dependent on food and gold resources, so therefore the majority of the workforce should concentrate on these requirements (rather than having a significant portion of villagers woodcutting and stone mining).
Units
Players control a variety of civilian and military units. Most units can be upgraded through research (e.g. faster gathering for villagers, stronger armor for military units, longer range for archers etc).
Villagers are the most basic units in Age of Empires. Their primary function is to collect resources. Food is acquired by hunting, foraging, farming, and fishing. Villagers can also construct buildings and repair both buildings and naval vessels. Villagers are capable of engaging in hand-to-hand combat when necessary. Villagers can also cut down trees for wood, and mine stone or gold.
Land-based units are the most prevalent in gameplay. Priests are non-combat units which can heal allied units or "convert" enemy units (in which case the target unit changes allegiance). Infantry units, such as clubmen, swordsmen, and hoplites use melee combat to attack at short range. Mounted units include chariots, cavalry, and war elephants. Archers, mounted or on foot, attack at range. Siege units are of two types: catapults and ballista. Catapults hurl stones which generate blast damage, affecting all units in a small area, and are especially effective against buildings and groups of units. The ballista is less damaging against buildings and units, but are cheaper and faster.
Nautical units often play a secondary role, but can be essential to victory. Fishing boats are similar to villagers in that they can gather fish. Merchant ships trade resources from the stockpile and exchanges it for gold at another player's dock. The amount of gold is relative to the distance between both docks. Transport ships carry land units from one area of land to another. As well as attacking enemy ships, warships can be very effective in attacking land-based units close to the shoreline (because melee units cannot fight back). Warships come either as galleys which fire arrows or triremes which launch bolts or boulders (very effective against buildings near the shoreline).
Buildings
The Town Center is one of the most important buildings in the game. Here villagers are created, and age advancement is researched. Most scenarios have each player begin with a single Town Center. Building the Government Center during the Bronze Age allows a player to build multiple Town Centers. The Town Center provides population support for four units. In order to build more units, houses must be constructed. Each house supports four units, for a maximum of 50 units, although any number of houses can be built (a concept which was not maintained in later games like Age of Mythology).
Military units are created at specific buildings relevant to their discipline (e.g. archers are created at an archery range). All sea units are created at the docks. Walls and towers are defensive fortifications (Age of Empires was one of the first real-time strategy games to include walls strong enough to form a feasible means of defence). Farms are used to produce food. Granaries, storage pits, and the Town Center are used to store resources (deposited by the villagers).
Wonders
Wonders are enormous monuments representing the architectural achievements of the time. They require huge amounts of resources
to build and are constructed very slowly. Wonders do not produce units or allow research. In scenarios with Standard
Victory conditions, a player can win by constructing a wonder and keeping it from being destroyed for 2,000 years (15 minutes
under standard game timing). Building a wonder also greatly increases a player's score, which is beneficial in "score" games.
Other players typically make it their top priority to destroy enemy wonders, especially under Standard Victory conditions. For
this reason and because a wonder is relatively easy to destroy, a wonder must be sufficiently guarded at all times. Wonders
cannot be converted by priests (even when equipped with the technology to convert buildings).
| Asian[3] | Babylonian | Egyptian[3] | Greek[3] |
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Development
Age of Empires was the first game developed by Ensemble Studios. Its purely historical setting was chosen to be more plausible and accessible, particularly to casual gamers.[6] At the time, other real-time strategy games were sci-fi and fantasy, so the historical setting enabled Age of Empires to stand out from similar games.[7] The designers received much of their inspiration from the game Civilization as it is a proven history-based system; this was noted among reviewers, and as something positive. [8]
The game was designed by Bruce Shelley[9], Tony Goodman (in charge of the game's artwork) [10], and Dave Pottinger (in charge of the game's AI)[11].
Reception
Upon its release, Age of Empires received generally positive reviews averaging 87/100 on gamesranking. The game was praised for its graphics and historical feel, while its main points of criticism were the high levels of micromanagement, as well as its almost sole focus on warfare.
Game-Revolution categorized the game as "a cross between Civilization 2 and Warcraft II",[12] while Gamespot lamented that "AOE is a simple combat game rather than a glorious empire-builder", and found the game as being "Warcraft with a hint of Civilization."[1] GameVortex also wanted less of a combat-oriented gameplay, but praised the modes of play, especially finding that "the random map generation [...] really keeps the game spiced up."[13]
The level of micromanagement necessary to control the game, due to no possibility of production queues and low AI of the player's units, GameSpot perceived "a poor idea", which " seriously diminishes AOE's enjoyability."[1] GameVortex echoed this criticism,[13] while PC Gameworld pointed out the subsequently released patches improving some of the faulty AI programming.[14]
While noting the similarities with Warcraft II, PC Gameworld praised the uniqueness of each playable civilization, and noted that the "graphics are extremely detailed and have a hand-painted feel to them. It's rare to see a game this beautiful with such detailed unit movements.".[14] Game-Revolution was impressed by the amount of different units of the game, and noted that the developers "obviously did [their] research here, and the result is a well rounded, historically accurate product (at least for a game)"[12] The soundscape of the game was also critizised, with GameVortex stating that "the aureal clues just aren't enough to let you differentiate just what's going on."[13]
With a view to the future of the game, Game-Revolution accented the scenario editor, which "allows you total control in the design of scenarios and campaigns," a "tool at your disposal to create a scenario exactly to your liking."[12]
Awards
- 1997 Gamecenter Game of the Year
- 1998 AIAS Computer Strategy Game of the Year[15]
- Wargamer Award for Excellence[16]
References
- ^ a b c
- ^ Age of Empires - PC, a collection of reviews at GameRankings
- ^ a b c d e f Historical Richness at Microsoft Games
- ^ A non-historical period, defined and named by Ensemble Studios.
- ^ "Age of Empires Heaven :: Top Rated". Age of Empires Heaven. Accessed April 23, 2006
- ^ Carless, Simon. "Interview: Bruce Shelley— The Mythology Of Empires". Gamasutra. November 26, 2003. Accessed March 24, 2006
- ^ "Behind the Scenes: Bruce Shelly". Microsoft Games. Accessed April 18, 2006
- ^ http://www.microsoft.com/games/empires/behind.htm
- ^ http://www.microsoft.com/games/empires/behind_bruce.htm
- ^ http://www.microsoft.com/games/empires/behind_tony.htm
- ^ http://www.microsoft.com/games/empires/behind_dave.htm
- ^ a b c Daniel Gies, Build an Empire to Surpass Microsoft's, Game-Revolution, November 1, 1997
- ^ a b c Phil Bordelon, Age of Empires at GameVortex
- ^ a b James Holland, Age of Empires at PC Gameworld
- ^ 1st Annual Interactive Achievement Awards at Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
- ^ Review of Age of Empires and Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome Expansion, The Wargamer, April 30, 1999
External links
- Official Microsoft page
- Ensemble Studios page
- IGZones.com, Age of Empires Game Server
- Age of Empires Heaven
- Age of Empires Wiki in Wikia
|
Age of Empires • The Rise of Rome |
| Ensemble Studios | Age of Empires (1997) | Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome (1998) |
|---|---|
| Stainless Steel Studios | Empire Earth (2001) | Empires: Dawn of the Modern World (2003) | Rise and Fall: Civilizations at War (2006) |
| Tilted Mill Entertainment | Immortal Cities: Children of the Nile (2004) | Caesar IV (2006) |
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