Age of Empires

Age of Empires is a critically acclaimed series of three historically-based real-time strategy games. The aim of the game is to defeat your enemies by gaining military and financial power.

Overview

The Age of Empires series was launched on October 26, 1997. It was developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The series focuses on historic, real-time strategy gameplay in which players can lead different cultures, progress them through different stages of development (such the Stone Age and Classical period) and eventually lead them to conquer their enemies.

Games

Age of Empires

Age of Empires was the first major release by Ensemble Studios and one of the first real-time strategy games to be set in the ancient world. It features 12 civilizations that the player can carry through various stages of development, starting from the Stone Age and ending at the Iron Age. The player must harvest resources across the map to purchase units, buildings and vehicles. New technology can also be researched, and after certain requirements are met, the player can upgrade to a higher age of development. Wonders can also be built, and though they do not produce units or give new upgrades, they can win the match for the player if the building stands for 15 minutes (the equivalent of 2,000 years of game time). An expansion called Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome was released featuring the addition of four new civilizations: Carthaginian, Macedonian, Palmryan and Roman.

Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings

Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings was released on September 30, 1999. This edition is set in the Middle Ages, and progresses through the Dark Ages to the Imperial Age. It added 13 new civilizations including the Britons, Goths, Japanese, and the Turks. Its expansion was called Age of Empires: The Conquerers and it added new game modes like Defend the Wonder, King of the Hill and Wonder Race. It also had improved AI so that idle villagers will automatically gather resources and depleted farms will be replenished on their own. The single-player had four historical campaigns letting the player control Attila the Hun, Montezuma, and El Cid.

Age of Empires III

Age of Empire III

The next release was Age of Empires III and it was the first game in the series to use the Havok physics engine. It featured eight civilizations between 1421 and 1850, and introduced home cities which provide resources, reinforcements, and upgrades. Its expansion was called Warchiefs, which featured several native American tribes which use a tribal council instead of a home base. It was followed by the an expansion called Asian Dynasties (Developed by Big Huge Games) that added India, China, and Japan. Dynasties also included new game modes, including: Regicide, King of the Hill, Treaty, and No-Blockade.

Expanded Franchise

Age of Mythology

The Age of Empire series eventually spun-off the Age of Mythology series. They shared many similar gameplay aspects, but Age of Mythology focused more on the supernatural and mythology of each of the various cultures. The player controls the armies of Greece, Egypt, and the Norse. The expansion pack, called The Titans, features the Atlantean as a playable race along with the ability to summon a race specific titan when the resource requirements were met.

Age of Empires: The Age of Kings

In 2006 Backbone Entertainment developed a turn-based game for the Nintendo DS called Age of Empires: The Age of Kings. The game combined many of the elements found in the Age of Empires series with gameplay indicative of many other turn-based strategy games.

trivia	Which Age of Empires game was the first ...	gezkrat
blog	GAMING NEWS BLOG #1 (Sept.12/08)	dcpc10

Name	Platforms	Developer
Age of Empires: Mythologies released on Nov. 24, 2008	DS	Griptonite Games
Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties released on Oct. 23, 2007	MAC, PC	Big Huge Games
Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs released on June 18, 2007	PC, MAC	Ensemble Studios
Age of Empires: The Age of Kings released on Feb. 14, 2006	DS	Backbone Entertainment
Age of Empires III released on Oct. 18, 2005	PC, MAC	Ensemble Studios
Age of Mythology: The Titans released on Sept. 30, 2003	PC	Ensemble Studios
Age of Mythology released on Oct. 30, 2002	PC, MAC	Westlake Interactive, Ensemble Studios
Age of Empires II (Gold Edition)	PC, MAC	Westlake Interactive, Ensemble Studios
Age of Empires II: The Conquerors released on Aug. 25, 2000	MAC, PC	Ensemble Studios
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings released on Sept. 30, 1999	PC, PS2, MAC	Ensemble Studios

Name:	Age of Empires
Total games:	12 games
First game:	Age of Empires
Aliases:

Saladin first in Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings	4
Joan of Arc first in Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings	4
Genghis Khan first in Sid Meier's Civilization	4
Ra	3
Isis first in Eye of Horus	3
William Wallace first in Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings	3
Set	3
Montezuma	2
Hercules first in Hercules	2
Odin first in Digital Devil Monogatari: Megami Tensei	2