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| February 28 |
Preview of the page I work at
I have been very busy with that page, so I could not update mine. You can see a preview of the entrance page with real data, but the page is static so the data is not updated, and all links to quotes, charts etc. are disabled. There is indeed a real page where you can get all that data in real time and that is fully functional, but it is password protected and not for the public.
You will probably notice that this info is pretty hot - some guys became 20% richer today (if they were lucky).
New AI editor
I have accidentally linked to the wrong email address at the downloads page. The author of that program is GopherBroke. There is a new version of the AI editor now, so you should download it again to make sure you have version 1.1. I hope I have not caused any confusions by linking to the wrong email address.
| February 27 |
New AI editor
There is a new AI editor that has some cool options that will make editing the AI scripts easier. It is a Shareware program, but the registration fee is only $5, and the version that you can download is not crippled. This is a must for people who want to make their own AI files!
AoE tournament
The guys at Netcombat have an AoE tournament:
Just letting you know that we are currently going to be holding Age of
Empires Tournaments. We ask that you stop by and check it out. Also
if your willing to put a link to our tournaments from your site we
would appreciate it. It will get more people to play which means
better competition.
AoE2 title picture?
There are some screenshots at Gamesmania's AoE2 preview, and they have a new one that shows a kind of title screen for AoE2. It will probably change until its final version (like everything else), but it is still worth to check it out.
New button
I have added the button of the RTS zone, if you want to have more RTS news, take a look at that site!
Unit table
There is a unit table for Excel at the downloads page.
| February 24 |
No map rotation
There will not be any Map Rotation in AoE2 - it would consume too much memory (four times as much for graphics). I am sure that the ES crew finds another way to solve the visibility problem (how about an option/hotkey to render buildings in a wireframe model (easier but does not fit into the game) or transparent (like in Netstorm, needs more resources of course) for a better overview?
Some AoE2 units
I will have to work for unitek's page tomorrow so I don't have time for making a complete unit page, but I have made a preview of some AoE2 units. As the game is still in development, some unit specifications and names are subject to changes, so don't blame me if they are not correct :)
| February 23 |
My AoE2 suggestions!
Check out my wish list for AoE2 - it is a very long one (there are 52 topics until now). I have submitted some of the suggestions a while ago so they are already implemented, but don't miss the latest addition to that list - there are some interesting ideas that could be used for any type of RTS game.
AoE2 features
There have been several suggestions in the Wish list forum that will be part of the game:
Chat with Bruce Shelley today
Microsoft's AoE page has more information:
"Chat with Bruce Shelley and others on the Ensemble team. It's on the Internet Gaming Zone February 23, 6 p.m. PST! Don't miss this great opportunity."
You can ask him all the questions about AoE2 that you always wanted to ask.
Another game with buildings that are to scale
GrimmWare is developing a game called "Wisdom of Kings" that will also feature huge buildings and enormous maps (they are supposed to be hundred times as large as in current RTS games). There is not very much information about the game yet but the title looks very promising.
New campaign
There is a new campaign available at the scenario section.
| February 22 |
AoE2 features
Some of the most impressing features that I have not named before are:
New scenario
There is a new multiplayer scenario for three players - if you have only one CD available, this is the scenario for you!
| February 21 |
More AoE2 news
From Bootnet: AoE2 will feature "a much more intelligent AI, and multiple aggression levels." Check this site for the first full-sized screenshot of the game.
Gamespot's preview has even more information:
"Combat options will be expanded with the ability to create formations and garrison units and to choose the direction they face. Ships can be boarded and captured, and Ensemble is also promising an improved AI and many unit behavior choices (such as guard and patrol).
Which means that the graphics look awesome, as impressive as the buildings of the town in Diablo looked! Check the screenshots at that site, too. Thanks to David and Smog for the links.
The most immediately impressive element of AOEII, however, is the graphics. Buildings are now to scale."
AoE2 wish list
I have replaced the link to the .drs (mod pack) forum with a link to the Forum for suggestions since the mod pack forum will not get much input before Ensemble releases the specifications of the .scn, .slp and .shp files. There are many interesting suggestions in the wish list, make sure to add your ideas, too!
| February 20 |
AoE2 news
At Gamespot, there is a short statement about the sequel of Age of Empires. The game will continue the timeline of Age of Empires, cover the Dark Ages and the Middle Ages, although it is not quite sure yet where it will start and end. Thanks to Smog for telling me about it. I have known that for more than a month but it was insider knowledge then so I was not allowed tell it :)
I think the time has come to set up a Forum for suggestions for the sequel (until now it was pointless). I will add that link to the menu bar as soon as I can.
Dune.gamesmania.com
Finally the Dune 2000 page has found its home :) Dune 2000 is the sequel of Dune 2, the first popular real time strategy game, produced by Westwood.
IGZ for everyone?
Rumors from ActiveNet say that Microsoft has announced they would open the Internet Gaming Zone for Netscape with their next update in spring. Maybe they have noticed that a browser that allows other people to do everything with your computer is an inferior product :) Anyway, I will not believe it until I see it ;)
New campaign
The latest addition to the campaign section is one of the best campaigns ever made; it is about Atlantis. Check it out!
| February 19 |
New campaign
There is a new campaign that features six maze maps. This is a different kind of fighting but worth a try.
| February 18 |
Poll results
These are the add-ons that people really want: a save game option (30%) and a unit editor (24%). The latter dream might come true if the formats of all files that are inside the .drs files are released. Only surprisingly few people (13 %) want new maps.
New poll
Is Microsoft's Internet Gaming zone really as strong as CNN's statistics (news from February 15) told us? The new poll asks you about the network service that you use for multiplayer games. Do you use ICQ, Kali or the IGZ? Or are you a hard core LAN gamer?
New scenario, new campaign
If you are looking for a challenge, go to the scenario section! There is a new gauntlet-type fun scenario and a campaign that consists of nine well designed scenarios.
| February 17 |
New scenarios
Rob from his Unofficial AoE page gave me his scenario and campaign collection (he closed his page a while ago). This means that there will soon by some very good new scenarios and campaigns. Today, I have added four of them, so check out the scenario section!
| February 16 |
More about pathfinding
Michael S. has sent me a link to a
Path finding demo site:
"The PathDemo is rather cool. It has a little map editor that
lets you define your pathing problem. You can then choose
from range of different algorithms to solve it."
He has also found a loophole in the pathfinding algorithm, more about that at the new pathfinding page.
Wall placement strategy
Galen Dracos' tip for wall placement takes advantage of that weakness in the pathing algorithm. If you place the openings in your walls carefully, enemy units will get stuck while yours won't :)
CNN article about Internet games
CNN has an article about Internet gaming networks, and Mplayer.com is the most popular one, followed by Microsoft's Gaming Zone. The most popular game is still Quake of course, but Age of Empires is the number one in the strategy sector. I still prefer Kali for numerous reasons (best performance, easy to use, best world wide server coverage).
Australian AoE ladder
There is a ladder only for Australian players, with the goal to minimize lag in games (which is a good idea). You will find the link at the ladder section.
| September '97 - February 1 '98 |
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