Age of Empires Online

Interested in knowing a little more about our Summer Update coming in the next 3 to 4 weeks and how it might affect your gameplay? Read on!

Looking for a little Vanity to spruce up your empire? We can do that. Here is a sneak peek at some of the things we have in store for you when our Summer Update releases in 3 to 4 weeks.

Picking your Alliance can be a difficult choice! Each Alliance has unique passive bonuses, leaders, and gear that will affect the way you play. Ultimately, you’ll want to pick the Alliance that will most benefit your play style.

Before you choose your Alliance, you can visit each region and see what they have to offer. Additionally, you can preview the Alliance’s passive bonuses in the Alliance overview screen. If you’re still unsure, ask around. In the end, which Alliance is best? The one used to crush your enemies and see them driven before you!

Here are some additional details on each Alliance:

Ever since the launch of Age of Empires Online, we’ve wanted to make some major changes to the way the technology tree works. Today, we’re announcing a complete rethink of how it impacts the game, and the result is a full review and redesign of each civilization’s tree.

We know many of you have unanswered questions when it comes to our upcoming “Alliance Wars” feature due out with our Summer Update. To help clear things up for you we have put together an FAQ. We hope this will help answer some of the questions you may have.

Thank you all for taking the time to post your questions and concerns in our very first “Ask a Dev” thread. We have gathered our forces, investigated your inquiries and put together a list of responses.

“In the name of Transparency” we bring you the information you seek:

After a short delay and a lot of testing, we are very glad to bring you the Balance Patch!

Overview

The Alliance Wars are a brand new, team-based competition for level 40 players. It revolves around three Alliances: The Delian League, The Council of Imhotep, and The Legion of Carthage. Each Alliance is fighting for dominance, and only one can come out on top! Choose your Alliance wisely - the benefits of each are unique.

Welcome to our very first installment of “Ask a Dev!”

How it works: We have started a forum thread for our players to post the questions they would like to see answered by our design/dev team.

Ave, all! 

When the Summer Update launches (no set date, but 5-7 weeks from now), the way you purchase content will change. Age of Empires Online will truly become free to play if you choose. How will this work?

After the Summer Update, we will no longer accept real money for civilizations, booster packs, vanity items, or anything else in the store. All content for AOEO will be purchased with Empire Points, and Empire Points will be earned as you play. Therefore, if you spend sufficient time playing the game, you will eventually be able to unlock all the content in the game. If you don’t have extra time, and would like to buy the content immediately, we will sell Empire Points to you, which you can spend on anything you like.

In summary, each player will choose whether to spend time, money, or a combination of both for content they desire in AOEO.

Hello and welcome to the inaugural edition of the Community Spotlight. I know what you’re asking yourself – what in the world is that?

Every so often, we the Community Team will pluck a random member of the community who we feel would be interesting to learn more about. This is the nice way of saying interrogated… err, interviewed. You all have an amazing story, and we’d love to be able to spotlight that.

We will dive in to your psyche, finding out what makes you tick. Picking your brain for all the goodies that we’d normally never think to ask about.

Ave, all!

Thank you all for helping us with a very successful Steam launch. As we had hoped, we attracted many new players to Age of Empires Online; and, as we had asked, you the community have welcomed them with open arms. We have been in the Top 20 games played on Steam since that launch.

Communication between the development team and the community has suffered, though. We were unable to discuss the Steam deal until it went live; that was a business deal between Microsoft and Valve, and we could not share the details with you ahead of time. Now that the deal is done, we have nothing else that we need to hide.

Game balance can be a delicate, subtle art, one that often takes several tweaks and adjustments to get just right... our next patch is just that.

Here are the balance changes that will be implemented in the next 2 – 3 weeks:

Peltast

• Decreased damage to 8 from 10
• Increased bonus damage vs. Ranged to +200% from +150%

As many of you are aware we have been posting updates onto our blog every Friday leading up to our most recent patch. While we plan on continuing to release information and content weekly on our blog, Fridays will no longer be the day this happens. We will be posting to our blog earlier in the week when our website traffic is at a peak. (I am sure this peak has nothing to do with people reading the site while at work or school. *cough* ;) )

Hello from the Play Balance Team and welcome to the very first “Play Balance Team Tip”! We hope to produce support for the community in the form of simple text and video guides that explain how to efficiently manage villagers, how to create and micro strong army compositions, and how to think about and play different PvP match-ups.

With the release of the Celts now behind us, we are able to discuss what’s next for Age of Empires Online. As you know AoEO draws its inspiration from various chapters in the history of mankind. From the Greeks to the Celts we have enjoyed bringing you each civilization with their unique features, tools and culture. So where do we go from here? What comes after the Celts? Sometimes the best way to go forward is to go back.

Now Available: Premium Celt Civilization

Take charge with the Celtic infantry! Spirited Celtic warriors paint themselves before battle and arm themselves with metalworking and crafting skills. Command the fleet-footed Woad Raiders and the high-health Champions, and revitalize your siegeless warriors using healing units: the fierce-fighting Druids and the buff-casting Augurs. Unlock Rare and Epic gear, Advisors, and Ranked PvP; increase your Capital City warehouse storage; and add more Workshops.

Ave, all!

I have a major announcement and, with it, a request for the community.

The major announcement is, of course, the title of this post. Very soon, Age of Empires Online will be available on Steam as well as Games for Windows LIVE . There will be promotions and marketing associated with that launch; this means that a lot of new players will become aware of the game and will be able to join you in playing it.

The Celtic civilization began development shortly after Gas Powered Games was given the reins to Age of Empires Online. Many players, us included, enjoy the variety and challenge that a well-crafted campaign provides. A strong campaign is fun and memorable, and that is exactly what we strove for when we began work on the Celt campaign. Developing a campaign for Age of Empires, particularly for Age of Empires Online, poses an interesting set of challenges.

This overview for Age of Empires Online will give you a quick look at how much fun this game has to offer. Watch the video now!

There is nothing in front of me but a blank slate, empty and white, mocking me as I try to determine a way to introduce this week’s update to you all. I have been reduced from an effervescent array of descriptive delight to a mere Neanderthal, staring at the screen in amazement that smashing button make funny picture on screen. Twinkle like picture. Picture look pretty…

Ah, here we are - another week to wrap up, another Friday upon us yet again. Before we dive into the juicy details of this week’s update, let’s go back in time. Imagine yourself in a cold, dark room, with eyes peering at you from every direction, piercing your soul as you’re delivered the news – “…and that leaves the Bugchilada for you.” To some, the monumental task of tackling such an endeavor would seem nearly impossible since this one particular subject is probably the most sought-after piece of information to be delivered since the release date for the Celts. What’s that? Oh, right - soon. To me, however, being tasked with such an assignment was an extraordinary opportunity that I would not shy away from or let scare me into submission.

This week we’re incredibly excited to finally reveal our plans for our Season Pass holders. For months everyone has heard that we’ll be taking care of our Season Pass subscribers, but we haven’t been able to go into detail. Enough of that! Soon is now here and it’s time to finally divulge our plans!

The next update for Age of Empires Online includes continued tweaking of the matchmaking experience and party systems. The end result should be an improved multiplayer experience for both PvPers and PvEers.

Watch the preview video of the upcoming Celtic Civilization now!

The fully configurable Skirmish Booster Pack allows you to choose every element of PvE gameplay, from resources, teams, and victory conditions to opponent civilizations, difficulty, and strategy.

• All units are automatically unlocked and battle-ready.
• It supports 2-player co-op against up to 4 computer-controlled enemies.
• You can also do battle on more than 20 different maps.

Level the playing field with Champion Mode, a new way to play PvP! Premium players can battle it out in unranked matches through the Arena or ranked matches through Sparta, and free-to-play players can join a Champion Mode game hosted in another player’s Arena.

In Champion Mode, stats from gear and Advisors won’t affect your units, but you can still show off all your cool-looking gear. All units and technologies are fully unlocked, except for limited Star Techs. You can still play PvP with your gear, Advisors, and tech tree in unranked games through Sparta or through your Arena. Join the fray and test your champion skills now!

One of the most powerful empires in ancient times, Persia controlled much of the known world and influenced culture around the globe. Tarsos, at Persia’s geographical crossroads, is in the midst of a struggle for leadership. Lead Persia’s strong cavalry, versatile archery units, and the mighty Immortals to ensure its rightful place in history! Premium civilizations can be purchased at the Empire Bazaar in your Capital City, from locked items, and at the Age of Empires Online log-in screen by clicking Upgrade Now!

• Head straight into battle at level 20!
• More than 50 new pieces of gear!
• Get immediate access to higher level content!
• Get immediate access to ranked and unranked PvP!
• Access to a full new tech tree and unit roster that includes special units like:
  • The Immortal, effective against infantry at short range but can also shoot arrows from afar.
  • The Sparabara, a shielded infantry unit capable of withstanding ranged weaponry.
  • The War Wagon, an impressive war machine able to destroy enemies with volleys of arrows.
• Persia is a great addition to complement your current Greek and Egyptian civilizations. By owning more than 1 civilization, you will also receive an extra unit, the Golden Hippikon.
• For those who want to try the Persians before purchasing, we have created a demo quest that lets you play as if you were a fully unlocked Persian player with the chance to try all Persian units and upgrades.

Hot Tip:Toggle Techs are new and only for the Persian! Techs such as “Rigorous Training” and “Paid Labor” can be learned, enabled, and disabled at the War Academy. Enable them to apply bonuses at a cost; disable them when no longer needed.

Get it now!

Hi everyone, we wanted to update you on Persia one more time!

Our goal when we started Persians many months ago was to give experienced players access to higher level content, and allow advanced players to jump right into the thick of things, including exploring Argos, gathering higher level gear, conquering Crete, getting to Cyprus quicker, among other things.

• Persia starts immediately at level 20 with access to the entire tech tree, and pre-equipped with gear for all units.
• This is special Gear that cannot be traded; it gives players a good starting suite of Gear right out of the gate.

We are putting final touches on this new Pro Civ, and we are really happy with the results. GPG did a great job for this new civ.

• You go straight to the action by starting at level 20
• By purchasing the Pro Civ, you have immediate access to top leveling gear, Advisors, and quests. People looking to hit PvP at a higher level sooner will also really like this type of civ
• This civ acts as a great addition and complement your current Greek and Egyptian civilizations. By owning more than 1 civ, you will also receive an extra unit, the Golden Hippikon.

The art is gorgeous, and we love the Immortal units and the Cataphracts/armored cavalry. You will soon be able to check out the free demo and judge for yourselves.

Keep in mind, the Persians have all custom units, a new tech tree, and all unique architecture, so they require a very different approach to play. We’ve also been playtesting them hard against Egyptians and Greeks in PvP.

Become a crafting expert in Age of Empires Online with the mobile Crafting Guide. Note: This is not a game. This strategy app supports your experience in the Age of Empires Online PC game.

• View recipes and stats for all craft items.
• Look up info on how to get materials and crafting recipes.
• Use the Materials Calculator to determine which items you can build with the materials you have.
• Check out the community's most popular items and vote for your favorites.

Download for free now!

You’re a Legend!

Your journey continues at level 40! Marshal your forces to face some of the toughest quests in the realm, with new challenges and new Legendary gear. Only the best will be victorious!

Legendary features

• Free to play!
• 5 new Legendary quests found in Cyprus, available when The Twelve Kingdoms quest has been completed
• Dozens of new Legendary rarity items
• Legendary Armaments store in Cyprus—get Legendary gear items for Coin!

TIP: Identify Legendary items by the orange background.

Characters from the game come alive to tell you about all the cool gear you can get in Age of Empires Online! Watch the video blog now!

What’s with the stores in my Capital City? Why do I care about the stores in my city? Stores are actually pretty important in Age of Empires Online. Stores help you grow your city, as well as sell craft goods and gear for your units to help you excel in battle. You can also find really cool, rare stores. And there’s also a way to make your stores work for you!

It’s been a couple weeks in the trenches, and I thought we’d surface for air and give you a glimpse into our balancing process.

What do Age of Empires Online and soccer have in common? Find out now—watch the second video blog featuring Chris Taylor!

Check out the Age of Empires Online video blog featuring Chris Taylor.

We’re excited to announce today that Gas Powered Games is joining the list of stellar developers that have contributed to the success of the Age of Empires franchise. Gas Powered Games has been working on our most recent game in the franchise, Age of Empires Online, for some time now and will continue their work to lead us through launch and develop future content for the game.

Together with Gas Powered Games this year, we’re excited to give fans of the franchise a game that marries fresh features with classic RTS gameplay, pays tribute to the original games while incorporating a new look, and appeals to longtime fans and newcomers alike. For more details and answers to your questions about this announcement, please visit our blog.

As many of you have already heard, Gas Powered Games is now lead developer of Age of Empires Online. We figured you might have some questions about what this all means so I wanted to share a few thoughts on behalf of myself and the rest of the Age of Empires Online development team.

Over the past weeks, we've shared some great screenshots from Age of Empires Online Beta players, like this one sent to us by Alexastor. Alexastor's unique city shows a great example of what a Capital City can look like with careful planning. You can also craft a city that’s easy for your town folk to navigate, or easy for you to find everything. Or you can make a wild maze of buildings, or whatever else your imagination comes up with! Your Capital City layout is up to you.

Over the past weeks, we've been sharing some great screenshots from Age of Empires Online Beta players, like this one sent to us by SyriusSunrider. Using decorative gardens, SyriusSunrider has made a quaint village square with lovely foliage, carefully aligned buildings, fountains, and topiaries. Gorgeous!

Hi, everybody. Welcome to our new blog for Age of Empires Online ... long time coming, I know. I am Ian Vogel, the design lead at Microsoft Game Studios, and I am happy to write this first of many blogs for Age of Empires Online.

Since you asked us to, we’ve been sharing some great screenshots from Age of Empires Online Beta players, like this one sent to us by Solartide. Solartide created an elaborate hedge maze complete with beautiful fountains and welcoming statues.

Because you asked us to, we've been sharing some great screenshots created by Age of Empires Online Beta players. This one comes from Beta player RadioKenny. Using multiple buildings, RadioKenny created one large theater. This theater took 14 buildings, 14 statues, and quite a few bushes.

You’ve been asking for more pictures from the game, so here you go! Over the next few weeks, we’ll share some great screenshots, like this one sent to us by Age of Empires Online Beta player Kianna Cyr. Using hedges, Kianna created a cat face in the middle of her city, along with a coastline of cows.