Age of Empires
Release Date: June 30, 1997
Strategy, RTS, ancient history, multiplayer, singleplayer, internet, LAN
A real time strategy developed by Ensemble Studios. The players take control of one of twelve ancient civilizations, including, among others, Babylon, Egypt, Greece, or Korea, with the task to lead them through four advancement stages spanning across 10 thousand years.
Age of Empires was a debut of Ensemble Studios. Its founders – Bruce Shelley, Brian Sullivan, and brothers Rick and Tony Goodman have decided to create a strategy game that does something new rather than reiterate known solutions. The project caught the eye of Microsoft, which quickly recognized its potential. Age of Empires was a beginning of a series widely recognized as a part of canon of real time strategy games.
Plot
The action of the game takes place in Antiquity, over the span of 10 thousand years. The players can choose from 12 ancient civilizations (Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Babilonian, Hetic, Persian, Asirian, Egypt, Sumerian, Greek, Minoan, Phoenician), divided into four architectural styles: Asian, Middle Eastern, Egyptian, or Greek. Our job is to lead the chosen civilization throughout four eras – Stone Age, Neolythic Age (Tool Age), Bronze Age, and Iron Age.
Mechanics
Each game sees us acquiring resources, exploring the area, and recruiting an army. We can construct new buildings by spending certain amounts of wood, food, stone, and gold, research technologies, and build units. The key is to find a balance between economical expansion and military actions. Each nation has its strengths and weaknesses, which forces us to agree upon a strategy and keep up the pace.
The singleplayer mode offers four campaigns – Greek, Egyptian, Babilionian, and Japanese, a number of single scenarios, or a random map or a deathmatch versus AI-controlled enemies.
Technical Aspects
During its heyday, Age of Empires was known for its detailed graphics. Genie, the employed engine, generates 2D graphics with a characteristic, late 90s fixed isometric view, but handdrawn graphics and animations are appealing up to this day. However, the audio is mediocre, with certain sounds leaving much room for improvement.
Game Modes
Aside from singleplayer campaigns and scenarios, Age of Empires has a considerable multiplayer mode for up to 8 players. It requires a LAN or an Internet connection. Unfortunately, dedicated servers are not very efficient, with games often being haunted by stuttering animation and lags.
Last updated on January 19, 2017
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Game Series
Age of Empires Series
The bestselling series of real-time strategy (RTS) games, which is under the publishing supervision of Microsoft. Over the years, the development of the series has been handled by various development studios. Its first three installments were developed by the now-defunct Ensemble Studios, while the fourth part of the series was the work of the Relic Entertainment and World's Edge teams (which in 2019 was entrusted with the care of the series). In addition, such studios as Forgotten Empires, Griptonite Games, Gas Powered Games, Hidden Path Entertainment, Smoking Gun Interactive and TiMi Studios made their mark on the brand.
16 video games
Age of Empires Summary
Platforms:
PC / Windows
Developer: Ensemble Studios
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios / Microsoft Studios
Age restrictions: 12+
Age of Empires System Requirements
PC / Windows
Recommended: Pentium 166MHz, 32MB RAM
Age of Empires Sales Remain Great
Across 20 years of its history, various games from the Age of Empires series have sold 25 million copies. The franchise has made a billion dollars in total. Such information can be found in the CV of Brian Sullivan, co-founder of Ensemble Studios.
video games
Milosz Szubert
February 12, 2020