<strike id="a6kas"></strike>
<fieldset id="a6kas"></fieldset>
Microsoft Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion
Readme File
June 2000
© Microsoft Corporation, 2000. All rights reserved.
Welcome to Microsoft® Age of Empires® II: The Conquerors Expansion!
This file contains information to help you install The Conquerors Expansion. It also includes late-breaking information not included in the manual or in-game Help.
CONTENTS
A. Installing The Conquerors Expansion
B. Starting The Conquerors Expansion
C. Getting Help
D. What's on the CD
E. Manual Corrections
F. DirectX Troubleshooting
G. Gameplay Troubleshooting
H. Video Troubleshooting
I. CD-ROM Drive Troubleshooting
J. Audio Troubleshooting
K. Performance Troubleshooting
L. Multiplayer Troubleshooting
M. Map Editor Troubleshooting
N. The Conquerors Expansion Information
A. Installing The Conquerors Expansion
To install The Conquerors Expansion, you must be using Microsoft Windows® 95 or later (this includes Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition) or Microsoft Windows NT® 4.0 with Service Pack 5 or later (this includes Microsoft Windows 2000). (For information about how to get Service Pack 5, go to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/).
To install The Conquerors Expansion
1. Turn on your computer and start Microsoft Windows 95 or later or Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 5 or later.
2. Place The Conquerors Expansion CD in the disc holder (if required), and insert it into your CD-ROM drive.
3. If AutoPlay is enabled, click Install, and then follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
-or-
If AutoPlay is disabled, double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop, double-click the icon for your CD-ROM drive, and then double-click the AOCSetup.exe icon. When the Setup screen appears, click Install, and then follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
B. Starting The Conquerors Expansion
You must have The Conquerors Expansion CD in your CD-ROM drive to play.
You cannot launch or join a Conquerors Expansion multiplayer game from the MSN™ Gaming Zone lobby if you do not have The Conquerors Expansion CD in the CD-ROM drive. All players must have a CD inserted at launch time.
You can connect only to multiplayer games created with the same Age of Empires version you are using. For example, if you are playing The Conquerors Expansion, only Conquerors games appear in the multiplayer list. Games created with Age of Empires, Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome Expansion, or Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings do not appear in the list.
To start The Conquerors Expansion
· Place The Conquerors Expansion CD in the disc holder (if required), insert it into your CD-ROM drive, click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Games, point to Age of Empires II - The Conquerors Expansion, and then click The Conquerors.
You can skip the opening cinematics by clicking the mouse or pressing ENTER, SPACEBAR, or ESC.
C. Getting Help
You can find information about The Conquerors Expansion in the game manual, the in-game Help, and in the TechTree.pdf file in the Docs folder on The Conquerors Expansion CD.
To display in-game Help
· Pause your pointer over any button or interface item in the game and Help text automatically appears on the screen. (To turn off in-game Help, click the Help button near the mini-map in the lower-right corner of the screen.)
The game manual and the technology trees for all 18 civilizations are available in .pdf format in the Docs folder on the CD. You can view and print the files using Adobe Acrobat Reader.
To install Adobe Acrobat Reader
· Double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop, right-click the icon for your CD-ROM drive, and then click Install Adobe Acrobat Reader.
D. What's on the CD
The Conquerors CD contains some additional information that you may find interesting or useful.
To access the information on the CD
· Double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop, right-click the icon for your CD-ROM drive, click Open, and then double-click either the Docs or Goodies folder.
Docs folder
· Cpsb.doc - Computer Player Strategy Builder Guide - For advanced players who want to learn how to write scripts to customize the artificial intelligence (AI) that controls the behavior of computer players. There is also a sample AI script in the Goodies folder on the CD.
· Rmsg.doc - Random Map Scripting Guide - For advanced players who want to learn how to write scripts to customize the terrain of random maps. There are also sample random map scripts in the Goodies folder on the CD.
· Manual.pdf - Conquerors Expansion Manual - An online version of the manual, which you can view or print using Adobe Acrobat Reader. To install Adobe Acrobat Reader, see Getting Help earlier in this Readme file.
· Techtree.pdf - Conquerors Expansion Tech Trees - Lets you view or print the tech trees for all 18 civilizations in the game (only the tech trees for the five new civilizations are in the manual). To view or print the tech trees, you must install Adobe Acrobat Reader as explained in Getting Help earlier in this Readme file.
Goodies folder
· Aiscript folder - Contains samples of the two files required to customize the artificial intelligence of computer players (SampleAI.ai and SampleAI.per). To learn how to write custom AI scripts, see Cpsb.doc in the Docs folder on the CD.
· Machine folder - Provides configuration information about your computer for easy troubleshooting if you require product support.
· Mszone folder - Lets you install the Zone.com software so you can connect to multiplayer games from the MSN™ Gaming Zone.
· Rmscript folder - Contains samples of two different random map scripts (Hallowed.rms and TradeRts.rms). To learn how to write scripts to customize the terrain of random maps, see Rmsg.doc in the Docs folder.
· Scenario folder - Contains the fan-designed scenario that won the Age of Empires II scenario design contest. See the instructions in this folder to find out what you need to do to play the scenario.
· Aocdemo.scx - Conquerors Expansion Demo Scenario - To play the scenario, copy Aocdemo.scx to the Scenarios folder where The Conquerors Expansion is installed.
· Ar405eng.exe - Adobe Acrobat Reader - Adobe Acrobat Reader lets you view or print the Manual.pdf and Techtree.pdf files in the Docs folder. For installation instructions, see Getting Help earlier in this Readme file.
E. Manual Corrections
Manual corrections and clarifications are as follows:
Pages 4 & 5: Bombard Cannons, Mangonels, Onagers, and Siege Onagers fire faster because the speed of the trajectory increased, not because they fire more often.
Page 5: The Patrol command has been changed so that units on patrol do not attack during the first several seconds of the patrol.
Page 7: If you play a Defend the Wonder game using a Real World Map, you do not begin the game with walls.
F. DirectX Troubleshooting
DirectX® 6.1 or later must be installed on your computer before you can play The Conquerors Expansion. If you have correctly installed Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings, you should already have DirectX installed. If you experience problems with DirectX, see the Readme file on the Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings CD.
If you experience sound or video problems using DirectX, go to http://support.microsoft.com/support/directx/ for the latest troubleshooting information.
You should also check with your video or sound card manufacturer for the latest DirectX-compatible drivers.
G. Gameplay Troubleshooting
· Saving games - You cannot name a saved game using certain operating system terms, such as COM1, LPT1, etc.
· Recording games - If you run out of hard disk space while recording a game, the recording stops but the game continues uninterrupted. However, if you are inserting a chapter marker into a recorded game and you run out of hard disk space, the game may crash.
· Moving campaigns and scenarios to a different computer - You can move the files for your Conquerors Expansion games to another computer. Conquerors Expansion files have a .gax file extension - for example, Age2.gax.
To transfer your campaigns, move the *.cpx files from the Campaign folder where The Conquerors Expansion is installed to the same location on another computer. Then transfer all of the scenarios in that campaign and the Player.nfx file as explained below.
To transfer your scenarios, move the *.scx files from the Scenario folder where The Conquerors Expansion is installed to the same location on another computer.
To transfer your player name and progress through the campaigns, move Player.nfx from the folder where The Conquerors Expansion is installed to the same location on another computer. If you are moving the Player.nfx file to a computer that already contains a Player.nfx file, you may want to rename the file on the computer to which you are moving files so you do not overwrite the existing Player.nfx and lose the campaign information it contains.
H. Video Troubleshooting
· 9FX Motion 531 - If you are running Windows 95, you may experience screen corruption of the main menu and New Player dialog box, screen corruption during gameplay when scrolling from left to right and from right to left, and screen corruption as you select different objects on the game screen. If this occurs, contact the video card manufacturer for the latest drivers (http://www.nine.com/), or download the S3 Vision 868 reference drivers for the card at http://www.s3.com/.
· ATI 3D Rage Pro - You may experience brief pauses or decreased game performance. If this occurs, contact ATI for the latest video drivers, or download them at http://www.ati.com/.
· ATI Rage Pro Turbo 2X - Rage Pro Turbo 2X video cards may only allow you to use a 640 x 480 screen resolution. The minimum Conquerors Expansion in-game resolution is 800 x 600. If this occurs, contact ATI for the latest video drivers, or download them at http://www.ati.com/.
· Creative Labs Graphics Blaster Exxtreme - Creative Labs Graphics Blaster Exxtreme video adapters may cause screen corruption when you change the in-game screen resolution or press ALT+TAB to enter or leave the game. If this occurs, contact Creative Labs for the latest video drivers, or download them at http://www.creative.com/.
· Diamond Stealth 3D 2000 - You may experience a black screen when starting the game (you may still hear game sounds and be able to click buttons). If this occurs, contact Diamond for the latest video drivers, or download them at http://www.diamondmm.com/.
· Diamond Monster Fusion - You may experience stability problems when starting the game. If this occurs, contact Diamond for the latest video drivers, or download them at http://www.diamondmm.com/. For the latest drivers to function properly, you may need to update your video bios. You can find information about how to do this on the Diamond Web site.
· Hercules Stingray 128/3D - If your in-game screen resolution is set to 1024 x 768, you may experience screen corruption and your computer may lock up if you restore a game using ALT+TAB. If this occurs, contact Hercules for the latest video drivers, or download them at http://www.hercules.com/.
· Hercules Terminator Beast - You may not be able to view the opening video using the retail drivers for this card (although you may be able to hear the sound). If this occurs, press the ESC key to bypass the opening videos and display the main menu. Contact Hercules for the latest video drivers, or download them at http://www.hercules.com/.
· Intergraph Intense 3D 100 - Intergraph Intense 3D 100 video adapters cause the game to crash during the opening video. If this occurs, add the command line parameter Nostartup in your Conquerors Expansion shortcut. For information about adding parameters to the command line, see Command Line Parameters under Performance Troubleshooting later in this Readme file.
· Intergraph Intense 3D 100 - During gameplay, the bottom game screen border may be corrupt and pink in color. Also, the in-game custom mouse pointer may not be visible. If this occurs, contact Intergraph for the latest video drivers, or download them at http://www.intergraph.com/. You may not be able to view the game in 1024 x 768 resolution.
· Matrox Millennium II PowerDesk - Your computer may lock up when you change the in-game screen resolution to 1024 x 768. If this occurs, contact Matrox for the latest video drivers, or download them at http://www.matrox.com/.
· Matrox MGA Millennium - You may experience screen corruption when playing with an in-game resolution of 1024 x 768 or when using ALT+TAB in this resolution. If this occurs, contact Matrox for the latest video drivers, or download them at http://www.matrox.com/.
· Permedia 2 Chipset-based video card with latest 3D Labs reference drivers - You may experience screen corruption when playing The Conquerors Expansion using this configuration. If this occurs, uninstall the reference drivers and contact your video card manufacturer for the latest driver written specifically for your card. Many reference drivers are not supported, and may cause problems with certain applications.
· Sierra Screaming 3D - Your computer may lock up when you exit the game. If this occurs, contact Sierra for the latest video drivers, or download them at http://www.sierra.com/.
· Sierra Screaming 3D (Rendition Verite 1000) - You may experience screen corruption when your in-game screen resolution is set to 1280 x 1024. If this occurs, exit the game using ALT+F4. Restart the game, and in the Options screen set your in-game resolution to a lower resolution.
· STB Velocity 4400 - You may experience blue screens or instability when launching The Age of Kings or The Conquerors Expansion. If this occurs, contact the video card manufacturer for the latest drivers, or download them at http://www.stb.com/. or download the reference drivers from http://www.nvidia.com/. If your video card is AGP, you may also want to lower the AGP aperture size in the bios. A good rule of thumb is to set your AGP aperture size to half of your total system RAM.
· Voodoo 3 - If you are running Windows 2000, your mouse pointer may blink during gameplay. If this occurs, try a lower screen resolution. If this doesn't work, contact the video card manufacturer for the latest drivers, or download them at http://www.3dfx.com/.
· Black screen after video - A black screen may appear at the conclusion of the opening video. If this occurs, press ESC or click the mouse button. You may also want to add the command line parameter Nostartup to The Conquerors shortcut. For information about adding parameters to the command line, see Command Line Parameters under Performance Troubleshooting later in this Readme file.
· Black screen areas - Some video adapters may cause black areas on the game screen. If this occurs, you can add the Mfill parameter to the command line in The Conquerors shortcut. For information about adding parameters to the command line, see Command Line Parameters under Performance Troubleshooting later in this Readme file.
· Screen corruption - If you experience problems such as a black screen after starting the game, black areas on the game screen, screen corruption when you press ALT+TAB to enter/leave the game, or other screen problems while playing the game, contact your video card manufacturer for the latest drivers.
· Screen flickering - Certain second-party applications may cause a brief flickering of the Conquerors Expansion video palette. Disabling all non-vital applications before running The Conquerors Expansion will increase stability, performance, and visual quality. This problem may occur on some systems with the Creative SBLive! sound card with the Creative LiveWire 2.0 and 2.1 driver sets for this sound card.
· Mouse pointer - Some video adapters may cause the mouse pointer to disappear if you change the in-game screen resolution or reenter the game by pressing ALT+TAB. If this occurs, contact your video card manufacturer for the latest drivers.
· Monitors and lower-end video cards - You may see brief screen corruption or flashing when switching screens in the game. This is a limitation of some older video cards and will not affect game performance or stability. If you notice screen corruption when switching to a high in-game resolution, this may be due to the limitation of certain monitors or some older, lower-end video cards that do not support higher resolutions. Use ALT+F4 to exit the game, restart The Conquerors Expansion, and then use the Options screen to switch to a lower in-game resolution.
· DirectX - If you experience video problems using DirectX, connect to the DirectX Web site for the latest troubleshooting information, as explained in DirectX Troubleshooting earlier in this Readme file.
I. CD-ROM Drive Troubleshooting
The Conquerors Expansion uses Safedisc encryption technology. Some CD-ROM drives may not be compatible with this technology.
· Acer 44X - You may experience problems with this drive during installation. There are no known solutions.
· Acer CD-624a - If you experience problems with this drive when using read-mode drivers, install protected-mode drivers.
· Memorex 2224 - You may experience problems with this drive. The drive may take up to 3 minutes to load from the CD.
· Plextor - If you experience problems with these drives, contact Plextor for an upgraded version of Plextor Manager 2000, which includes a "No Read Slowdown" option that may prevent the drive from slowing to 2X speed.
· Sanyo CRD-256P - If you experience problems with this drive, do not load the game multiple times in one session. Also, you may try ejecting the CD.
· Sony CDU77E 2X - If you experience problems with this drive, make sure it is configured as a master, and then run the game again.
· Yamaha 2216E and CDR6416S - You may experience problems with these drives. There are no known solutions.
· Yamaha 4416SX - If you experience problems with this drive, contact Yamaha for a firmware upgrade.
· Error requesting CD insertion - When launching a multiplayer game from the Zone, you may receive an error message asking you to insert the CD although the CD is already in the drive. If this occurs, exit and relaunch from the Zone.
J. Audio Troubleshooting
· DirectX - If you experience audio problems using DirectX, connect to the DirectX Web site for the latest troubleshooting information, as explained in DirectX Troubleshooting earlier in this Readme file.
K. Performance Troubleshooting
There are several ways to improve the game's performance. For example, the game will run faster if you use the least demanding game settings, such as setting the screen resolution to 800 x 600, setting the detail of graphics to Low, setting the game speed to Slow, and setting the difficulty level to Easy. Most of these improvements can be made from within the game (on the main menu, click Options, or if you are playing a game, click the Menu button, and then click Options). You can also set some of these variables by adding parameters to the command line.
Command Line Parameters
You can add parameters to The Conquerors Expansion command line to improve performance, customize startup, or resolve problems with certain hardware configurations.
To add parameters to the command line in The Conquerors shortcut
1. Right-click The Conquerors shortcut, click Properties, and then click Shortcut.
2. In the Target box, type the name of the parameter after the existing command line text. For example, if you add the parameters NoStartup and NoTerrainSound, the command line will read "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Age of Empires II\Age2_x1\Age2_x1.exe" Nostartup Noterrainsound. Parameters must be separated by a space; capitalization is not important.
To add parameters to the Age of Empires II registry for multiplayer games using the MSN Gaming Zone
1. Click the Start button, and then click Run.
2. Type Regedit, and then click OK.
3. Double-click Hkey_local_machine/Software/Microsoft/DirectPlay/Applications/Age of Empires II - The Conquerors Expansion/CommandLine.
4. In the Value data box, type the name of the parameter after the existing command line text. For example, if you add the parameters NoStartup and NoTerrainSound, the command line will read "Lobby NoStartup NoTerrainSound." Parameters must be separated by a space; capitalization is not important. Do not remove the word "lobby" from the command line.
The command line parameters include:
· NoStartup - Skips all cinematic sequences before the game starts.
· 800, 1024, 1280 - Sets the screen resolution to 800 x 600, 1024 x 768, or 1280 x 1024. For example, 800 sets the screen resolution to 800 x 600, 1024 sets the screen resolution to 1024 x 768, and 1280 sets the screen resolution to 1280 x 1024. You can also set the screen resolution by clicking the Menu button during gameplay and then clicking Options. If you use a command line parameter to set the screen resolution, the game always starts at that resolution, even if you use Options to choose another resolution. Note that the interface screens before the game will always be displayed in 800 x 600 mode.
· Autompsave - Automatically saves a multiplayer game every few minutes. Saved games are located in the Savegame/Multi folder.
· Mfill - Fixes horizontal line problems and black screen areas that may occur with some video adapter configurations.
· NormalMouse - Replaces the custom mouse pointer with a standard mouse pointer.
· NOSC - Turns off detection of the Microsoft Strategic Commander game controller.
· NoSound - Turns off all sounds, except those played in cinematics.
· NoTerrainSound - Turns off all terrain sounds.
· NoMusic - Turns off all music.
· Msync - Fixes lock-up problems that may occur with some SoundBlaster AWE configurations.
Performance problems with VIA chipset-based motherboards
If you experience blue screens or instability with Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion on a system with a VIA chipset-based motherboard, contact your OEM dealer, hardware manufacturer, or motherboard manufacturer to acquire and install the appropriate AGP miniport driver. This will fix all known issues. If problems persist, contact your OEM dealer, hardware manufacturer, or motherboard manufacturer for further assistance.
L. Multiplayer Troubleshooting
· Age of Empires versions - In a multiplayer game, all players must be using the same version of Age of Empires. For example, if you are using The Conquerors Expansion, only Conquerors Expansion games appear in the multiplayer list. Games created with Age of Empires, Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome Expansion, or Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings are not listed.
· Best performance - For best performance, connect to the Internet before starting an Internet multiplayer game.
· Connection type - Always select Internet TCP/IP Connection for DirectPlay when starting a multiplayer game over the Internet. (Select the Local (LAN) TCP/IP Connection if you are playing on a private or home network.) If you choose LAN and you are playing on the Internet, the game may hang. If this occurs, restart The Conquerors Expansion and select Internet TCP/IP Connection for DirectPlay.
· Different modem speeds - If two players have different modem speeds, they will be unable to play with each other. If this occurs, use the same modem speed as your opponent.
· Home networks and dial-up connections - If you have a network card and you dial in to the Internet via modem, you may have trouble launching multiplayer games. If this occurs, unplug the network cable from your network card before connecting to the Internet.
· Computer Players in multiplayer games - It is not recommended that computer players play in a multiplayer game over the Internet as it may slow the game. If you would like to add computer players to a multiplayer game, make sure the player with the fastest computer and fastest connection hosts the game.
· Multiplayer performance - If you experience performance problems during a multiplayer game, try playing at a lower screen resolution or have the host set the game speed to Slow in the Multiplayer Game screen.
· Multiple IP addresses - If other players are not able to connect to a game you have created by typing the IP address that appears when you click the IP button on the Multiplayer Game screen, you may have multiple IP addresses. You can display all of your IP addresses by running Winipcfg.
To run Winipcfg
1. Click the Start button, and then click Run.
2. Type Winipcfg, and then click OK.
3. Select PPP Adapter. The correct IP address is displayed in the IP Address box.
· Disconnection from ISP - If you are disconnected from your ISP and quickly reconnect, you and the host may be dropped from the game if your ISP assigns a new IP address because the game will not recognize you. If this occurs, restart the game.
· Random map versions - If your version of a random map does not match the host's, you must go to the Random folder where you installed The Conquerors Expansion and rename the map so the host can transfer the correct version.
· Hard disk space - If you join a multiplayer game but do not have enough hard disk space to download the scenario, you will receive a message that you must quit the game, clear space on your hard disk, and then rejoin the game. You must also delete the partially downloaded scenario from the Scenario folder where you installed The Conquerors Expansion or the game will crash after you reconnect.
M. Map Editor Troubleshooting
· Scenario names - You cannot name a scenario using certain reserved terms, such as AUX, CLOCK, COM1, CON, LPT1, NUL, PRN, etc.
· Palette problems - You may experience problems when creating your own background art for campaigns in the Map Editor. If this occurs, do not use the first or last 10 colors in the color palette.
N. The Conquerors Expansion Information
· For more information about Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion, visit our Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/games/conquerors/.
· If you'd like to play against opponents over the Internet, check out the MSN Gaming Zone at http://www.zone.com/.
Microsoft Age of Empires II Readme File
September 1999
© Microsoft Corporation, 1999. All rights reserved.
Welcome to Microsoft® Age of Empires® II: The Age of Kings™!
This file contains information to help you install Age of Empires II. It also includes late-breaking information not included in the manual or in-game Help.
CONTENTS
A. Installing Age of Empires II
B. Starting Age of Empires II
C. Getting Help
D. Changes to Formations and Manual Corrections
E. DirectX Troubleshooting
F. Gameplay Troubleshooting
G. Video Troubleshooting
H. Audio Troubleshooting
I. Performance Troubleshooting
J. Multiplayer Troubleshooting
K. Map Editor
L. Age of Empires II Information
A. Installing Age of Empires II
To install Age of Empires II, you must be using Microsoft Windows® 95 or later or Microsoft Windows NT® 4.0 with Service Pack 5 or later. (For information about how to get Service Pack 5, go to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/).
To install Age of Empires II
1. Turn on your computer and start Microsoft Windows 95 or later or Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 5 or later.
2. Place the Age of Empires II CD in the disc holder (if required), and insert it into your CD-ROM drive.
3. If AutoPlay is enabled, click Install, and then follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
-or-
If AutoPlay is disabled, double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop, double-click the icon for your CD-ROM drive, and then double-click the AOESetup.exe icon. When the Setup screen appears, click Install, and then follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
B. Starting Age of Empires II
You must have the Age of Empires II CD in your CD-ROM drive to play Age of Empires II.
Age of Empires II will not launch or join a multiplayer game from the MSN™ Gaming Zone lobby if the player does not have the Age of Empires II CD in the CD-ROM drive. All players must have a CD inserted at launch time.
You can connect only to multiplayer games created with the same Age of Empires version you are using. For example, if you are playing Age of Empires II, only Age of Empires II games appear in the multiplayer list, not Age of Empires or Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome Expansion games.
To start Age of Empires II
· Place the Age of Empires II CD in the disc holder (if required), insert it into your CD-ROM drive, click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Games, point to Age of Empires II, and then click Age of Empires II.
You can skip the opening cinematics by clicking the mouse or pressing ENTER, SPACEBAR, or ESC.
C. Getting Help
Information about Age of Empires II is in the in-game Help, in the printed manual, and on the foldout provided with the retail version of the game.
To display in-game Help
· Pause your pointer over any button or interface item in the game and Help text automatically appears on the screen. (To turn off in-game Help, click the Help button near the mini-map in the lower-right corner of the screen.)
The manual is also available on the CD in the Docs folder in .pdf format. You can view and print the file using Adobe Acrobat Reader.
To install Adobe Acrobat Reader
· Double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop, right-click the icon for your CD-ROM drive, and then click Install Adobe Acrobat Reader.
D. Changes to Formations and Manual Corrections
The following changes were made to improve gameplay in Age of Empires II after the manual was printed:
· Page 42: There is no longer a Select Formation button.
· Page 43: There is no longer a Horde formation. You cannot control or disband a custom formation.
Manual corrections and clarifications are as follows:
· Page 107: Building Attributes table, Bombard Tower – 25W should be 100G.
· Page 108: Non-upgraded Pikemen receive 0/0 armor (not 1/0 armor); Berserks have 55 hit points (not 48); Huskarls cost 68, 34G (not 80F, 40G); Elite Huskarls cost 60F, 30G (not 80F, 40G) Elite Berserks have 72 hit points (not 60); Janissaries have 53 hit points (not 35); Elite Janissaries have 60 hit points (not 40).
· Page 109: Non-upgraded Elite Mamelukes receive 10 attack (not 8 attack).
· Page 131 and on foldout: Saracen Transport Ships can carry 10, 15, and 20 units depending on technologies researched (not double (2X) the number with each technology researched – for example, the Dry Dock technology).
· Page 137 and on foldout: Viking Docks cost 25% less, not 33% less.
E. DirectX Troubleshooting
DirectX® 6.1 or later must be installed on your computer before you can play Age of Empires II. If you do not have DirectX installed on your computer and you chose not to install DirectX when you installed Age of Empires II, you will receive the message "A required .dll file, Dplayx.dll, was not found." To fix this problem, reinstall Age of Empires II and install DirectX 6.1.
If Age of Empires II installed DirectX but could not update your video drivers to be compatible with DirectX 6.1, when you restart your computer you will receive the message "Age of Empires II could not initialize DirectX. Make sure that DirectX 6.1 or higher is installed and contact your hardware manufacturer for a video driver update." To fix this problem, either get updated video drivers from your video adapter manufacturer or install DirectX in safe mode, which will replace the video drivers.
To install DirectX in safe mode
1. Copy the DirectX directory from the Age of Empires II CD to your desktop.
2. Click the Start button, and then click Shut Down.
3. Select Restart, and then click OK.
4. When your computer restarts, press and hold down the F8 key until you see a Windows Startup Menu.
5. When you are prompted to enter a choice, select Safe Mode, and then press ENTER.
6. After Windows starts in Safe Mode, open the DirectX folder on your desktop, and then double-click Dxsetup.exe to install DirectX.
If you experience sound or video problems using DirectX, go to http://support.microsoft.com/support/directx/ to get the latest troubleshooting information.
You should also check with your video or sound card manufacturer for the latest DirectX-compatible drivers.
F. Gameplay Troubleshooting
· Saving Games – You cannot name a saved game using certain operating system terms, such as COM1, LPT1, etc.
· Uninstalling Age of Empires II – If you uninstall Age of Empires II (to save disk space, for example), but you want to save your Age of Empires II campaigns and scenarios, you must click No when the uninstall program asks "Do you want to delete all user-created files?”
· Moving Campaigns and Scenarios to a Different Computer – You can move the files for your Age of Empires II games to another computer. Age II files have a .gam file extension – for example, Age2.gam.
To transfer your campaigns, move the *.cpn files from the Campaign folder where Age of Empires II is installed to the same location on another computer. Then transfer all of the scenarios in that campaign and the Player.nfo file as explained below.
To transfer your scenarios, move the *.scn files from the Scenario folder where Age of Empires II is installed to the same location on another computer.
To transfer your player name and progress through the campaigns, move Player.nfo from the folder where Age of Empires II is installed to the same location on another computer. If you are moving the Player.nfo file to a computer that already contains a Player.nfo file, you may want to rename the file on the computer to which you are moving files so you do not overwrite the existing Player.nfo and lose the campaign information it contains.
G. Video Troubleshooting
· Intergraph Intense 3D 100 Video Adapters – Intergraph Intense 3D 100 video adapters cause the game to crash during the opening cinematic. To resolve this problem, add the command line parameter Nostartup in your Age of Empires II shortcut. For information about adding parameters to the command line, see "Command Line Parameters," under "Performance Troubleshooting," later in this Readme file.
· Intergraph Intense 3D 100 Video Adapters – During gameplay, the bottom game screen border may be corrupt and pink in color. Also, the in-game custom mouse pointer may not be visible. Upgrading to the latest video driver (v. 4.3.0.3133 at the time of this writing) will fix these problems. You may not be able to view the game in 1024 x 768 resolution. To fix this problem, contact your video card manufacturer for the latest drivers.
· Diamond Stealth 3D 2000 – You may experience a black screen when starting the game (you may still hear game sounds and be able to click buttons). If this occurs, contact the video card manufacturer for the latest drivers, or download them at http://www.diamondmm.com/.
· Diamond Monster Fusion – You may encounter stability problems when starting a game using this card. If this occurs, contact the video card manufacturer for the latest drivers, or download them at http://www.diamondmm.com/. For the latest drivers to function properly, you may need to update your video bios. You can find information about how to do this on the Diamond Web site.
· 9FX Motion 531 – If you are running Windows 95, you may experience any or all of the following: screen corruption of the main menu and New Player dialog box, screen corruption during gameplay when scrolling from left to right and from right to left, and screen corruption as you select different objects on the game screen. If this occurs, contact the video card manufacturer for the latest drivers (http://www.nine.com/), or download the S3 Vision 868 reference drivers for the card at http://www.s3.com/.
· Hercules Terminator Beast – You may not be able to view the opening video using the retail drivers for this card (although you may be able to hear the sound). If this occurs, contact the video card manufacturer for the latest drivers, or download them at http://www.hercules.com/.
· Hercules Stingray 128/3D – If your in-game screen resolution is set to 1024 x 768, you may experience screen corruption and your computer may lock up if you restore a game using ALT+TAB. If this occurs, contact your video card manufacturer for the latest drivers.
· Matrox Millennium II PowerDesk Video Adapters – Your computer may lock up when you change the in-game screen resolution to 1024 x 768. To fix this problem, contact your video adapter manufacturer for the latest drivers.
· Matrox MGA Millennium – You may experience screen corruption when playing with an in-game resolution of 1024 x 768 or when using ALT+TAB in this resolution. To fix this problem, contact your hardware manufacturer for updated drivers.
· Permedia 2 Chipset-based Video Card with Latest 3D Labs Reference Drivers – You may experience screen corruption when playing Age of Empires II using this configuration. To fix this problem, uninstall the reference drivers and contact your video card manufacturer for the latest driver written specifically for your card. Many reference drivers are not supported, and may cause problems with certain applications.
· Sierra Screaming 3D Video Cards – Your computer may lock up when you exit the game. To fix this problem, contact your video adapter manufacturer for the latest drivers.
· Sierra Screaming 3D Video Cards (Rendition Verite 1000) – You may experience screen corruption when your in-game screen resolution is set to 1280 x 1024. If this occurs, exit the game using ALT+F4. Restart the game, and in the Options screen set your in-game resolution to a lower resolution.
· Rage Pro Turbo 2X Video Cards – Rage Pro Turbo 2X video cards may only allow you to use a 640 x 480 screen resolution. The minimum Age of Empires II in-game resolution is 800 x 600. Contact ATI for the latest drivers for your video card.
· Creative Labs Graphics Blaster Exxtreme – Creative Labs Graphics Blaster Exxtreme video adapters may cause screen corruption when you change the in-game screen resolution or press ALT+TAB to enter or leave the game. To fix this problem, check with your video adapter manufacturer for the latest drivers.
· Voodoo 3 Video Cards – If you are running Windows 2000, your mouse cursor may blink during gameplay. If this occurs, try a lower screen resolution. If this doesn't work, contact your video card manufacturer for the latest drivers.
· Screen flickering – Certain second-party applications may cause a brief flickering of the Age II video palette. Disabling all non-vital applications before running Age of Empires II will increase stability, performance, and visual quality. This problem may occur on some systems with the Creative SBLive! sound card with the Creative LiveWire 2.0 and 2.1 driver sets for this sound card.
· Black Screen After Video – A black screen may appear at the conclusion of the opening cinematic. To resolve this problem, press ESC or click the mouse button. Another workaround is to add the command line parameter Nostartup in your Age of Empires II shortcut. For information about adding parameters to the command line, see "Command Line Parameters," under "Performance Troubleshooting," later in this Readme file.
· Screen Corruption – If you experience problems such as a black screen after starting the game, black areas on the game screen, screen corruption when you press ALT+TAB to enter/leave the game, or other screen problems while playing the game, contact your video adapter manufacturer for the latest drivers.
· Black Screen Areas – Some video adapters may cause black areas on the game screen. To fix this problem, you can add the Mfill parameter to the command line in the Age of Empires II shortcut. For information about adding parameters to the command line, see "Command Line Parameters," under "Performance Troubleshooting," later in this Readme file.
· Mouse Pointer – Some video adapters may cause the mouse pointer to disappear if you change the in-game screen resolution or reenter the game by pressing ALT+TAB. To fix this problem, contact your video adapter manufacturer for the latest drivers.
· DirectX – If you experience video problems using DirectX, connect to the DirectX Web site for the latest troubleshooting information, as explained in "DirectX Troubleshooting," earlier in this Readme file.
· Monitors and Lower-End Video Cards – You may see brief screen corruption or flashing when switching screens in the game. This is a limitation of some older video cards and will not affect game performance or stability.
If you notice screen corruption when switching to a high in-game resolution, this may be due to the limitation of certain monitors or some older, lower-end video cards that do not support higher resolutions. Use ALT+F4 to exit the game, restart Age of Empires II, and then use the Options screen to switch to a lower in-game resolution.
H. Audio Troubleshooting
· Aztech Direct Sound Driver – You may experience choppy sound on this driver. If this occurs, contact the manufacturer for an updated driver.
· DirectX – If you experience audio problems using DirectX, connect to the DirectX Web site for the latest troubleshooting information, as explained in "DirectX Troubleshooting," earlier in this Readme file.
I. Performance Troubleshooting
CD-ROM Drive Issues
Age of Empires II uses Safedisc encryption technology. Some CD-ROM drives may not be compatible with this technology.
· Sanyo CRD-256P – If you experience problems with this drive, do not load the game multiple times in one session. Also, you may try ejecting the CD.
· Sony CDU77E 2X – If you experience problems with this drive, make sure it is configured as a master, and then run the game again.
· Acer CD-624a – If you experience problems with this drive when using read-mode drivers, install protected-mode drivers.
· Memorex 2216 – You may experience problems with this drive. There are no known solutions.
· Memorex 2224 – You may experience problems with this drive. The drive may take up to 3 minutes to load from the CD.
· Plextor – You may experience problems with this drive. The drive may be slowed to 2X speed. There are no known solutions.
· Yamaha 2216E and 4416SX – You may experience problems with this drive. There are no known solutions.
· Error requesting CD insertion – When launching a multiplayer game from the Zone, you may receive an error message asking you to insert the CD although the CD is already in the drive. If this occurs, exit and relaunch from the Zone.
Command Line Parameters
You can add parameters to the Age of Empires II command line to customize startup or resolve problems with certain hardware configurations.
To add parameters to the command line in the Age of Empires II shortcut
1. Right-click the Age of Empires II shortcut, click Properties, and then click Shortcut.
2. In the Target box, type the name of the parameter after the existing command line text. For example, if you add the parameters NoStartup and NoTerrainSound, the command line will read "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Age of Empires\Empires2.exe" Nostartup Noterrainsound. Parameters must be separated by a space; capitalization is not important.
To add parameters to the Age of Empires II registry for multiplayer games using the MSN Gaming Zone
1. Click the Start button, and then click Run.
2. Type Regedit, and then click OK.
3. Double-click Hkey_local_machine/Software/Microsoft/DirectPlay/Applications/Age of Empires II/CommandLine.
4. In the Value data box, type the name of the parameter after the existing command line text. For example, if you add the parameters NoStartup and NoTerrainSound, the command line will read "Lobby NoStartup NoTerrainSound." Parameters must be separated by a space; capitalization is not important. Do not remove the word "lobby" from the command line.
The command line parameters include:
· NoStartup – Skips all cinematic sequences before the game starts.
· 800, 1024, 1280 – Sets the screen resolution to 800 ´ 600, 1024 ´ 768, or 1280 x 1024. For example, 800 sets the screen resolution to 800 ´ 600, 1024 sets the screen resolution to 1024 ´ 768, and 1280 sets the screen resolution to 1280 x 1024. You can also set the screen resolution by clicking the Menu button during gameplay and then clicking Options. If you use a command line parameter to set the screen resolution, the game always starts at that resolution, even if you use Options to choose another resolution. Note that the interface screens before the game will always be displayed in 800 x 600 mode.
· Mfill – Fixes horizontal line problems and black screen areas that may occur with some video adapter configurations.
· NormalMouse – Replaces the custom mouse pointer with a standard mouse pointer.
· NoSound – Turns off all sounds, except those played in cinematics.
· NoTerrainSound – Turns off all terrain sounds.
· NoMusic – Turns off all music.
· Msync – Fixes lock-up problem that may occur with some SoundBlaster AWE configurations.
Poor Frame Rate
· Voodoo 3 Video Cards – If you are running Windows 2000, you may experience poor frame rate. If this occurs, contact your video card manufacturer for the latest drivers.
J. Multiplayer Troubleshooting
· Best performance – For best performance, connect to the Internet before starting an Internet multiplayer game.
· Age of Empires Versions – In a multiplayer game, all players must be using the same version of Age of Empires. For example, if you are using Age of Empires II, only Age of Empires II games appear in the multiplayer list, not Age of Empires or Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome Expansion games.
· Serial or Modem Connections – You may have difficulty joining a multiplayer game or you may be dropped from a game before it starts when playing over a serial connection or a modem connection. To fix this problem, all players should install DirectPlay® 6.1A.
· Computer Players in Multiplayer Games – It is not recommended that computer players play in a multiplayer game over the Internet as it may slow the game. If you would like to add computer players to a multiplayer game, make sure the player with the fastest computer and fastest connection hosts the game.
· Connection Type – Always select Internet TCP/IP Connection for DirectPlay when starting a multiplayer game over the Internet. (Select the Local (LAN) TCP/IP Connection if you are playing on a private or home network.) If you choose LAN and you are playing on the Internet, the game may hang. If this occurs, restart Age of Empires II and select Internet TCP/IP Connection for DirectPlay.
· Joining a restored game – If you attempt to join a restored game via direct IP and the game was launched from the Zone, you will not be able to join the game. If a Zone restored game fails, all players should exit the game and rejoin through the Zone.
· Different modem speeds – If two players have different modem speeds, they will be unable to play with each other. To fix this problem, use the same modem speed as your opponent.
· Home networks and dial-up connections – If you have a network card and you dial in to the Internet via modem, you may have trouble launching multiplayer games. To fix this problem, unplug the network cable from your network card before connecting to the Internet.
K. Map Editor
You may experience problems when creating your own background art for campaigns in the Map Editor. If this occurs, do not use the first or last 10 colors in the color palette.
L. Age of Empires II Information
· For more information about Age of Empires II, visit our Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/games/age2/.
· If you'd like to play against opponents over the Internet, check out the MSN Gaming Zone at http://www.zone.com/.
Microsoft Age of Empires Expansion Readme File
September 1998
© Microsoft Corporation, 1998. All rights reserved.
Welcome to Microsoft Age of Empires Expansion!
This file contains information to help you install Age of Empires Expansion. It also includes late-breaking information not included in the manual or online Help.
CONTENTS
A. Hardware and System Requirements
B. Installing Age of Empires Expansion
C. Starting Age of Empires Expansion
D. Getting Help
E. DirectX Troubleshooting
F. Gameplay Troubleshooting
G. Video Troubleshooting
H. Audio Troubleshooting
I. Performance Troubleshooting
J. Head-to-Head Play Troubleshooting
K. Age of Empires Expansion Information
L. Welcome to the Best in Online Gaming!
A. Hardware and System Requirements
· Multimedia PC with Pentium 90 or higher processor (Pentium 120 for Gigantic maps).
· Microsoft Windows 95 or later, or Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 with Service Pack 3 or later.
· Microsoft Age of Empires 1.0 or later.
· 16 megabytes (MB) of RAM for Windows 95 or later, or 24 MB for Windows NT (and for Windows 95 or later for an 8-player multiplayer game).
· 30 MB of available hard disk space.
· Local bus SVGA, 256-color video display with at least 1 MB of VRAM.
· Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device.
· 2X CD-ROM drive (4X recommended).
· Windows-compatible sound card with speakers or headphones to hear audio.
· 28.8 Kbps (or faster) modem and Internet access for head-to-head play.
B. Installing Age of Empires Expansion
To install Age of Empires Expansion, you must be using Microsoft Windows 95 or later, or Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3 or later. (For information about how to get Service Pack 3, go to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads).
Before you can install Age of Empires Expansion, you must have Age of Empires 1.0, 1.0A, or 1.0B installed. When you install Age of Empires Expansion, your version of Age of Empires is automatically upgraded to 1.0B.
To install Age of Empires Expansion
1. Turn on your computer and start Microsoft Windows 95 or later, or Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3 or later.
2. Place the Age of Empires Expansion CD in the disc holder (if required), and insert it into your CD-ROM drive.
3. If AutoPlay is enabled, click Install, and then follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
-or-
If AutoPlay is disabled, double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop, double-click the icon for your CD-ROM drive, and then double-click the AOESetup.exe icon. When the Setup screen appears, click Install, and then follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
C. Starting Age of Empires Expansion
You must have the Age of Empires Expansion CD or Age of Empires CD in your CD-ROM drive to play single player games or use the scenario builder. Both versions of the game work with either CD. If you start Age of Empires Expansion without a CD in the CD-ROM drive, you must exit the game, insert the CD, and then restart Age of Empires Expansion.
If you do not have a CD, you can play only multiplayer games. A multiplayer game requires the following number of CDs: 2-3 players (1 CD); 4-6 players (2 CDs); 7-8 players (3 CDs).
You can connect only to multiplayer games created with the same Age of Empires version you are using. If you are playing Age of Empires Expansion, only Expansion games appear in the multiplayer list. However, if you are playing the original Age of Empires, version 1.0, 1.0A, and 1.0B games appear in the multiplayer list. Remember that installing Age of Empires Expansion automatically upgrades your version of Age of Empires to 1.0B, so you can only join version 1.0B games if you play the original Age of Empires.
To start Age of Empires Expansion
Place the Age of Empires Expansion CD in the disc holder (if required), insert it into your CD-ROM drive, and then click Play.
-or-
If the Age of Empires Expansion CD is already in your CD-ROM drive, click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Games, point to Age of Empires Expansion, and then click Age of Empires Expansion.
You can skip the opening cinematics by clicking the mouse or pressing ENTER, SPACEBAR, or ESC.
D. Getting Help
Complete information about Age of Empires Expansion is in the manual. You can also use the Manual.pdf file in the Docs folder on the CD to view and print the complete manual using Adobe Acrobat Reader.
To install Adobe Acrobat Reader
Double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop, right-click the icon for your CD-ROM drive, and then click Install Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Note: Age of Empires Expansion includes the online Help for Age of Empires 1.0, but it has not been updated with the new features and changes in Age of Empires Expansion.
E. DirectX Troubleshooting
DirectX 5.0 or later must be installed on your computer before you can play Age of Empires Expansion. If you do not have DirectX installed on your computer and you chose not to install DirectX when you installed Age of Empires, you will receive the message "A required .dll file, Dplayx.dll, was not found." To fix this problem, reinstall Age of Empires and install DirectX 5.0.
If Age of Empires installed DirectX but could not update your video drivers to be compatible with DirectX 5.0, when you restart your computer you will receive the message "Age of Empires could not initialize DirectX. Make sure that DirectX 5.0 or higher is installed and contact your hardware manufacturer for a video driver update." To fix this problem, either get updated video drivers from your video adapter manufacturer or install DirectX in safe mode, which will replace the video drivers.
To install DirectX in safe mode
1. Copy the DirectX directory from the Age of Empires 1.0 CD to your desktop.
2. Click the Start button, and then click Shut Down.
3. Select Restart, and then click OK.
4. When "Starting Windows 95" appears on the screen, press and hold down the F8 key until you see a Windows Startup Menu.
5. When you are prompted to enter a choice, select Safe Mode (number 3), and then press ENTER.
6. After Windows starts in Safe Mode, open the DirectX folder on your desktop, and then double-click Dxsetup.exe to install DirectX.
If you experience sound or video problems using DirectX, go to http://www.microsoft.com/directx, click Pavilion, and then click Games to get the latest troubleshooting information.
You should also check with your video or sound card manufacturer for the latest DirectX-compatible drivers.
F. Gameplay Troubleshooting
· Saving Games -- You cannot name a saved game using certain operating system terms, such as COM1, LPT1, etc.
· Uninstalling Age of Empires -- If you uninstall Age of Empires (to save disk space, for example), but you want to save your Age of Empires Expansion campaigns and scenarios, you must select No when the uninstall program asks "Do you want to remove saved games? This includes scenario and campaign files."
· Saving Age of Empires Campaigns and Scenarios -- If you save changes to Age of Empires campaigns and scenarios using Age of Empires Expansion, you can only play the campaigns and scenarios using Age of Empires Expansion. If you want the changes to appear using Age of Empires, you must save the changes using Age of Empires.
· Moving Campaigns and Scenarios to a Different Computer -- You can move the files for your Age of Empires Expansion games to another computer. Expansion files have an "x" in the file name extension; for example, Rise.scx.
To transfer your campaigns, move the *.cpx files from the Campaign folder where Age of Empires is installed to the same location on another computer. Then transfer all of the scenarios in that campaign and the Game0.nfo file as explained below.
To transfer your scenarios, move the *.scx files from the Scenario folder where Age of Empires is installed to the same location on another computer.
To transfer your player name and progress through the campaigns, move Game0.nfo from the folder where Age of Empires is installed to the same location on another computer. If you are moving the Game0.nfo file to a computer that already contains a Game0.nfo file, you may want to rename the file on the computer to which you are moving files so you do not overwrite the existing Game0.nfo and lose the campaign information it contains.
G. Video Troubleshooting
· Screen Corruption -- If you experience problems such as a black screen after starting the game, black areas on the game screen, screen corruption when you press ALT+TAB to enter/leave the game, or other screen problems while playing the game, contact your video adapter manufacturer for the latest drivers.
· Black Screen Areas -- Some video adapters may cause black areas on the game screen. To fix this problem, you can add the Mfill parameter to the command line in the Age of Empires Expansion shortcut. For information about adding parameters to the command line, see "Command Line Parameters" under "Performance Troubleshooting" later in this Readme file.
· Mouse Pointer -- Some video adapters may cause the mouse pointer to disappear if you change the in-game screen resolution or re-enter the game by pressing ALT+TAB. To fix this problem, contact your video adapter manufacturer for the latest drivers.
· Intergraph Intense 3D 1000 Video Adapters -- Intergraph Intense 3D 1000 video adapters may not allow you to view the game in 1024 x 768 resolution. To fix this problem, check with your video adapter manufacturer for the latest drivers.
· Matrox Millennium II PowerDesk Video Adapters -- Matrox Millennium II PowerDesk video adapters may cause your computer to lock up when you change the in-game screen resolution to 1024 x 768. To fix this problem, check with your video adapter manufacturer for the latest drivers.
· Sierra Screaming 3D Video Adapters -- Sierra Screaming 3D video adapters may cause your computer to lock up when you exit the game. To fix this problem, check with your video adapter manufacturer for the latest drivers.
· Rage Pro Turbo 2X Video Adapters -- Rage Pro Turbo 2X video adapters may only allow you to view the game in 640 x 480 screen resolution.
· DirectX -- If you experience video problems using DirectX, connect to the DirectX Web site for the latest troubleshooting information, as explained in "DirectX Troubleshooting" earlier in this Readme file.
H. Audio Troubleshooting
· DirectX -- If you experience audio problems using DirectX, connect to the DirectX Web site for the latest troubleshooting information, as explained in "DirectX Troubleshooting" earlier in this Readme file.
I. Performance Troubleshooting
Command Line Parameters
You can add parameters to the Age of Empires Expansion command line to customize startup or resolve problems with certain hardware configurations.
To add parameters to the command line in the Age of Empires Expansion shortcut
1. If you are using Windows 95, click the Start button, point to Settings, click Taskbar, click Start Menu Programs, click Advanced, and then double-click Programs.
-or-
If you are using Windows NT, right-click the Start button, select Open All Users, and then double-click Programs.
2. Double-click Microsoft Games, and then double-click Age of Empires Expansion.
3. Right-click the Age of Empires Expansion shortcut, click Properties, and then click Shortcut.
4. In the Target text box, type the name of the parameter after the existing command line text. For example, if you add the parameters NoStartup and NoTerrainSound, the command line will read: "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Age of Empires\Empiresx.exe" Nostartup Noterrainsound. Parameters must be separated by a space; capitalization is not important.
To add parameters to the Age of Empires Expansion registry for multiplayer games using the Internet Gaming Zone
1. Click the Start button, and then click Run.
2. Type Regedit, and then click OK.
3. Double-click Hkey_local_machine/Software/Microsoft/DirectPlay/Applications/Age of Empires Expansion/CommandLine.
4. In the Value data text box, type the name of the parameter after the existing command line text. For example, if you add the parameters NoStartup and NoTerrainSound, the command line will read: "Lobby NoStartup NoTerrainSound." Parameters must be separated by a space; capitalization is not important. Do not remove the word "lobby" from the command line.
The command line parameters include:
· NoStartup -- Skips all cinematic sequences before the game starts.
· 640, 800, 1024 -- Sets the screen resolution to 640 ' 480, 800 ' 600, or 1024 ' 768. For example, 640 sets the screen resolution to 640 ' 480, 800 sets the screen resolution to 800 ' 600, and 1024 sets the screen resolution to 1024 ' 768. You can also set the screen resolution using the Game Settings option on the Menu button. If you use a command line parameter to set the screen resolution, the game always starts at that resolution, even if you use Game Settings to choose another resolution.
· Mfill -- Fixes horizontal line problems and black screen areas that may occur with some video adapter configurations.
· NormalMouse -- Replaces the custom mouse pointer with a standard mouse pointer.
· NoSound -- Turns off all sounds, except those played in cinematics.
· NoTerrainSound -- Turns off all terrain sounds.
· NoMusic -- Turns off all music.
· Msync -- Fixes lock-up problem that may occur with some SoundBlaster AWE configurations.
· MidiMusic -- Plays midi music instead of Redbook Audio music from the Age of Empires Expansion CD.
J. Head-to-Head Play Troubleshooting
· Age of Empires Versions -- In a multiplayer game, all players must be using the same version of Age of Empires. For example, if you are using Age of Empires Expansion, only Expansion games appear in the multiplayer list. However, if you are playing the original Age of Empires, version 1.0, 1.0A, and 1.0B games appear in the multiplayer list. Remember that installing Age of Empires Expansion automatically upgrades your version of Age of Empires to 1.0B, so you can only join version 1.0B games if you play the original Age of Empires.
· Multiplayer Chat -- The chat commands !mute and !nomute now affect only your computer, not all players' computers.
· Serial or Modem Connections -- You may have difficulty joining a multiplayer game or you may be dropped from a game before it starts when playing over a serial connection or a modem connection. To fix this problem, all players should install DirectPlay 6.0A.
To install DirectPlay 6.0A
1. Open My Conputer, and then right-click the Age of Empires Expansion CD.
2. Click Install DirectPlay 6.0A.
2. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
K. Age of Empires Expansion Information
· For more information about Age of Empires Expansion, visit our Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/games/aoeexpansion
· If you'd like to play against opponents over the Internet, check out the Internet Gaming Zone at http://www.zone.com
L. Welcome to the Best in Online Gaming!
This CD includes free software you can use to install the Internet Gaming Zone.
Check out the Internet Gaming Zone, and play games online against friends from around the world! We feature the best in free multiplayer card and board games, like spades and backgammon, and matchmaking support for popular retail CD-ROM titles. Build a great army from a lowly tribe in the award-winning Age of Empires. Race a motorcycle across desert dunes in Motocross Madness. Or dogfight other WWII pilots in the spectacular Fighter Ace. With thousands of members online at any time of day, you'll always find a worthy opponent on the Zone!
To install Zone software
1. On the Age of Empires Expansion CD, double-click AOESetup.exe. When the Setup menu screen appears, click Previews.
2. Click Internet Gaming Zone, and then click Install Software.
You can also find the Zone software on the CD in Sampler\Demos\Zone\ZoneA501.exe.
Microsoft Age of Empires 1.0b Readme File
April 1998
© Microsoft Corporation, 1998
Microsoft Age of Empires 1.0b is an upgrade of Age of Empires 1.0 that includes several enhancements and bug fixes.
Version Compatibility
· If you are playing a multiplayer game, all players must be using the same version of Age of Empires.
· If you are playing a saved game, it must be from the same version of Age of Empires you currently have installed. For example, you cannot save a game using version 1.0b, then revert to version 1.0 and play the game saved in version 1.0b.
Microsoft Age of Empires 1.0b includes the following changes:
Enhancements
· Population Limits -- If you are playing a multiplayer game, the game host can increase or decrease the 50-unit population limit by adding the Limit= parameter to the Age of Empires command line. For more information about this feature, see "Changing the Population Limit" later in this Readme file.
· Stand Ground -- The Stand Ground button prevents Stone Throwers, Catapults, Heavy Catapults, Catapult Triremes, and Juggernaughts from firing. For all other units, the Stand Ground button causes the unit to remain in its location and fire at military units, boats, buildings, and walls within its range.
· Attack Response -- When a unit is attacked, all units and allied units within two tiles of the unit under attack respond, even if the attacking unit is out of their sight. Villagers that have been assigned a task but are no longer working now react to attacks.
Bug Fixes
· Infinite Resources During High Latency -- Buildings no longer return more resources than they originally cost if you press the DELETE key several times during high latency.
· Multiple Town Centers During High Latency -- You can no longer build multiple Town Centers if you delete your Town Center in the Tool Age or Stone Age and then quickly build several new ones during high latency.
· Way Points -- Villagers no longer complete tasks at a way point that is not at a work site. The way point or villager must be at the actual work site (fishing spot, building site, etc.) before they can work. For example, you can no longer use way points to construct a building on the other side of a wall.
· Group Movement -- Grouped units no longer stop when they bump into each other. Also, movement has been improved so a group of units can move through narrow passages more efficiently.
· Pathing Options -- There is now an option to choose how many pathing possibilities your units calculate when moving a long distance across the map. The higher the pathing setting, the more paths a unit considers. Higher values also require faster computers. To change the unit pathing in a single player or multiplayer game, click the Settings button before you start the game. Or, from within the game, click the Menu button, and then click Game Settings.
Note: This feature is primarily designed to improve pathing performance on high-end computers. The problems listed under Group Movement (above) significantly improve pathing, so you might want to get a feel for these improvements before you change the pathing settings.
· Difficulty Level -- The difficulty level is restored if you save a campaign game, exit to Windows, and then restart the game.
· Town Centers -- If your Town Center is destroyed before the Bronze Age, you can no longer use the SHIFT key to build multiple Town Centers until you advance to the Bronze Age and build a Government Center.
· Multiplayer Games -- Several fixes were made to increase the stability of multiplayer games. Players are dropped from games less often.
· Allied Transport Loading and Boat Repair -- In order to use allied transports and repair allied boats, both players must set diplomacy to Ally (click the Menu button, and then click Diplomacy). You can no longer attack enemy boats by selecting the player as an ally, luring the boat to shore to repair or load units onto it, and then changing the diplomacy setting to enemy so you can attack.
Changing the Population Limit
Note: Changing the default population limit is not recommended or supported.
Increasing the population limit decreases game performance. For example, with a 50-unit population limit, the potential number of concurrent units in an 8-player game is 400. With a 200-unit population limit, the potential number of concurrent units in an 8-player game is 1600. This increase in the number of units can seriously degrade overall game performance.
If you are playing a multiplayer game, the game host can increase or decrease the 50-unit population limit by adding the Limit= parameter to the Age of Empires command line. If you are playing a multiplayer game through Microsoft's Internet Gaming Zone, the game host must also add the Limit= parameter to the Age of Empires registry. Players can check the population limit of a multiplayer game by looking for the Population Limit setting that appears in the Settings list after they join a game.
To add the Limit= parameter to the command line in the Age of Empires shortcut
1. In Windows 95, click the Start button, point to Settings, click Taskbar, click Start Menu Programs, click Advanced, and then double-click Programs.
-or-
In Windows NT, right-click the Start button, select Open All Users, and then double-click Programs.
2. Double-click Microsoft Games, and then double-click Age of Empires.
3. Right-click the Age of Empires shortcut, click Properties, and then click Shortcut.
4. In the Target text box, type Limit=x after the existing command line text. Type the population limit instead of the letter "x." For example, to set the population limit to 65, type Limit=65. You can type any number from 25 to 200. The default setting is 50. Parameters must be separated by a space; capitalization is not important.
To add the Limit= parameter to the Age of Empires registry for multiplayer games using the Internet Gaming Zone
1. Click the Start button, and then click Run.
2. Type Regedit, and then click OK.
3. Double-click Hkey_local_machine/Software/Microsoft/DirectPlay/Applications/Age of Empires/CommandLine.
4. In the Value data text box, type Limit=x after the existing command line text. Do not remove the word "lobby" from the command line. Type the population limit instead of the letter "x." For example, to set the population limit to 65, type Limit=65. You can type any number from 25 to 200. The default setting is 50. Parameters must be separated by a space; capitalization is not important.
Uninstalling Age of Empires version 1.0b
To uninstall Age of Empires 1.0b and restore version 1.0
1. Go to Program Files/Microsoft Games/Age of Empires (or where you installed Age of Empires), and then delete the files Empires.exe and Language.dll.
2. Install version 1.0 from the Age of Empires disc.
菜鳥秘籍：
在游戲中按回車
輸入：WOOF WOOF=飛行的狗
FURIOUS THE MONKEY BOY= 得到9999金錢
POLO =去除迷霧
MARCO= 顯示地圖
AEGIS =建造速度加快
ROCK ON= 得到1000 石頭
LUMBERJACK= 得到1000 木頭
ROBIN HOOD =得到1000 黃金
CHEESE STEAK JIMMY’S= 得到1000 食物
NATURAL WONDERS =控制自然生物
RESIGN= 死亡
WIMPYWIMPYWIMPY= 死亡
I LOVE THE MONKEY HEAD= 得到VDML車
HOW DO YOU TURN THIS ON =得到一個(gè)Cobera
TO SMITHEREENS= 得到一個(gè)破壞者
TORPEDO8 殺死對手 #8
TORPEDO7=殺死對手 #7
TORPEDO6 =殺死對手 #6
TORPEDO5 =殺死對手 #5
TORPEDO4=殺死對手 #4
TORPEDO3 =殺死對手 #3
TORPEDO2=殺死對手 #2
TORPEDO1=殺死對手 #1
BLACK DEATH= 勝利
I R WINNER= 勝利
懷念帝國時(shí)代
（轉(zhuǎn)載）
我是一個(gè)農(nóng)夫 ，作為 meet帝國最低等的人 ，我們是沒有名字的 ，由由于我是第 9個(gè)出生的 ，所以我就被叫做9號。我的任務(wù)就是每天和 7號 8號一起去森林里伐木 ，然后送回首都。
我永遠(yuǎn)忘不了那一天：帝國二年九月初九 ，那天我第一次遇上了她。當(dāng)時(shí)我正抱著一捆木頭低著頭在匆匆趕路，突然一陣銀鈴一般的笑聲傳入了我的耳中 ，我抬頭 ，于是我看見了她 ，她正和一群女友在采果子 ，她那靚麗的身影從此永遠(yuǎn)凝固在我的記憶中。
后來 ，我從別人的口中知道她叫 6號。 帝國三年 ，我們終于有足夠的木材在森林旁邊建了一個(gè)儲藏場 ，從此以后 ，我們就不用每次都往首都跑了 ，可以節(jié)省不少體力，同伴們都很高興。我更高興 ，因?yàn)閮Σ貓鲭x她們工作的谷倉很近 ，我可以經(jīng)�？匆娝恕�
作為一個(gè)農(nóng)民 ，我們是沒有休息時(shí)間的 ，每天要不停的勞動 ，為了能和她多接觸 ，我就經(jīng)常裝作迷路的樣子 ，在谷倉附近原地踏步，這時(shí)我往往會聽到天空中有罵聲傳來：微軟的算法真爛。那一定是神的聲音。 2號告訴過我 ，我們所在的世界是一個(gè)叫 meet的神創(chuàng)造的。我想，微軟一定欠了 meet很多錢 ，所以才老被罵。
接觸漸漸多了 ，我們成了朋友 ，于是我知道了她的男朋友叫 3號。要知道 ，帝國前三號是伴隨著帝國一起誕生的 ，我們現(xiàn)在所住的房子，還是他們?nèi)齻�(gè)給蓋的呢。因此我對他的景仰猶如滔滔江水。但是我來到帝國以前 ，他已經(jīng)被派往邊界去勘探地形去了 ，所以我從沒見過他。她告訴我，她很喜歡他 ，于是我明白 ，我和她只能做朋友。
她經(jīng)常會心情不好 ，因?yàn)樗?jīng)常思念他 ，每當(dāng)這時(shí) ，我就盡量安慰她 ，她會跟我談他們在一起的日子 ，她時(shí)而喜笑顏開，時(shí)而又愁眉緊鎖。我知道 ，這笑顏、這愁眉都是為他而開、為他而鎖。每當(dāng)這時(shí)我都很難受 ，可是看著她慢慢高興起來 ，我又感到很愉快。
帝國九年 ，由于我們的辛勤勞動 ，我們的帝國升級了 ，現(xiàn)在我們進(jìn)入了工具時(shí)代�？墒怯捎诘蹏臄U(kuò)張 ，我們和鄰近的rolly帝國關(guān)系緊張起來 ，一場大戰(zhàn)看來已不可避免。她告訴我 ，現(xiàn)在邊界上我們已修了三個(gè)兵營 ，這自然是他告訴她的。我知道，他們經(jīng)常寫信。
這些天 ，隨著邊界空氣的緊張 ，我被改派為打獵 ，因?yàn)橹圃焓勘枰罅康氖澄铩Ｋ嬖V我 ，我們已經(jīng)造了20個(gè)投石兵了。看來大戰(zhàn)很快就要爆發(fā)了。
帝國十一年八月初十 ，大戰(zhàn)正式爆發(fā)了 ，一批批的投石兵被送到了前線 ，可是沒一人回來 ，因?yàn)樗廊耸遣粫丶业�。�?zhàn)爭進(jìn)入相持階段。
帝國十二年七月，我被派去開采金礦，于是我知道，我們很快就要進(jìn)入青銅時(shí)代了，因?yàn)榈綍r(shí)需要大量的金子。幸運(yùn)的是，金礦離我們原來工作的地方并不太遠(yuǎn)，用的仍然是同一個(gè)儲藏場，所以我仍然可以經(jīng)�？匆娝，F(xiàn)在果子早已被采完了，她和同伴們正在谷倉附近開荒種地。她告訴我，他現(xiàn)在正在邊界修建第三個(gè)箭廠。我們大家都很忙碌，為了我們的帝國。
有一天我在儲藏場遇上了被留下來繼續(xù)伐木的7號，他向我抱怨，由于過度的開采，森林的外圍已經(jīng)離儲藏場越來越遠(yuǎn)了，每次他們都要比我們當(dāng)年多跑很遠(yuǎn)的路。我對他說：這算不了什么，其實(shí)世上最遠(yuǎn)的距離是“我在你面前，你卻不知道我愛你”。他用驚恐的眼神看著我，然后嚇得調(diào)頭就跑，木頭扔了一地。我心中罵道，笨蛋，我又不是對你說的。我知道，我是永遠(yuǎn)不會在她面前說出這句話的，因?yàn)槲也幌胱屗裏⿶�。我只希望她能幸福�?/span>
帝國十三年正月初二，我國率先進(jìn)入了青銅時(shí)代。一批批的車騎兵代替原來的投石兵被送到了前線，勝利的天平開始向我們傾斜了。
由于表現(xiàn)優(yōu)異，我的工作崗位又調(diào)動了，這次我和幾個(gè)人被派往帝國的邊緣去搶采金礦。如果敵人攻入我國，我們幾個(gè)是首當(dāng)其沖，而我們又毫無防御能力，遇上敵軍只能是死路一條，所以同伴們都很害怕。只有我是很難受，因?yàn)槲乙x開她了。
繁重的勞動很快就讓同伴們把害怕忘記了，只有我依然難受如昔，因?yàn)樗寄钸h(yuǎn)比恐懼頑強(qiáng)。 這天 8號被派來支援我們，他帶來了好消息，我們的大軍已經(jīng)攻入敵國的大本營 ，看來戰(zhàn)爭很快就要結(jié)束了。但是 ，他又告訴我們 ，要小心，因?yàn)閿橙擞幸恢〔筷?duì)失蹤了，很有可能被派出來偷襲我們的總部。大伙都很興奮，很快就可以回家了，至于他的警告，沒人當(dāng)回事，總不會那么巧讓我們遇上吧。我也很高興，因?yàn)楹芸煊挚梢钥匆娝�。為了能早回家，大伙干的更加賣力了。
這天，金子終于采完了，大伙收拾行裝上路了。我卻離開大伙，偷偷地去采一朵野花，那很漂亮，我想送給她。我千辛萬苦爬上山頂，把花采到了手中，這時(shí)我卻看見了七八個(gè)弓箭兵正鬼鬼祟祟地在山下向我們首都的方向走去，我的腦子嗡的一聲大了起來，天啊，是那支漏網(wǎng)的敵軍。我知道 ，我們的士兵都在前線 ，首都只剩下了象我一樣的手無寸鐵的農(nóng)民
，如果讓他們給找到的話，那只能意味著一場屠殺，而她，是無法幸免的。我聽神罵過什么南京大屠殺，禽獸不如之類的話，南京是哪里，我不知道，可能在南邊吧。不過，我知道，我不能讓她受到傷害。
時(shí)間已不容我多做考慮，我飛快地沖下山去，然后迎著他們走了過去。很快，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)了我，嗷嗷叫著向我沖了過來，我裝作害怕的樣子，調(diào)頭往偏離首都的方向跑去。
是的 ，只有我去引開他們 ，她和我的伙伴們才能平安無事。 這幫傻大兵，一邊追我，一邊向我射箭，弓箭嗖嗖地從我身邊飛過，我想，他們的訓(xùn)練一定很差勁。突然，我背上一陣劇痛，我一個(gè)踉蹌栽到在地�？磥砦义e(cuò)了，他們的訓(xùn)練并不是太差。我一咬牙，又站了起來，繼續(xù)向前跑。我知道，我跑的越遠(yuǎn)，她就越安全。更多的箭射中我，奇怪的是我已感受不到疼痛，我只是不停地跑。我又摔倒了，這次我卻怎么也站不起來了，我只能在地上一寸寸地向前挪動。我覺得很累，可是我不能停下來。
恍惚中我聽到了馬蹄聲與車輪聲，那是我們的車騎兵來了，我松了一口氣，突然就感到無比的輕松。我又聽到了那銀鈴般的笑聲，看到了她挎著一籃果子，分開樹叢向我走來。我從懷中掏出那朵花，給她戴到頭上。
死，原來是這么美的。
懷念《帝國時(shí)代》
不記得是99還是2000年了，那時(shí)迷上玩紅警，當(dāng)時(shí)還覺得自己玩游戲的水平不錯(cuò)。有一回在學(xué)校的機(jī)房見一位老師在玩游戲，有幸聽見了戰(zhàn)馬的嘶叫、貓頭鷹的‘咕咕’聲，看到了古典的游戲畫面，也知道《帝國時(shí)代》。
后來有機(jī)會玩過幾回《帝國時(shí)代》，感覺像是很簡單，就沒有過多研究，轉(zhuǎn)而繼續(xù)玩紅警和星際，那時(shí)接觸到的游戲圈子里《帝國時(shí)代》還是默默無名，沒見有什么人玩過。偶然的機(jī)會再遇一位老同學(xué)，閑聊之時(shí)談起了游戲，從他那里真正體會到了《帝國時(shí)代》的魅力，老同學(xué)自言師從玩《帝國時(shí)代》全省排前三之內(nèi)的高手，我也從跟老同學(xué)的對戰(zhàn)中見識到了‘黑暗快攻’、‘封快’、‘城快’，了解了開局怎樣合理根據(jù)地形和附近資源情況去分配農(nóng)民才能以最快的速度升級，了解了兵種相克，了解了世界各大文明的特色，了解了怎樣去更快的搶占資源，了解了怎么樣合理的出兵、合理的防守、合理的進(jìn)攻等等等等~~~，沉浸其中，不可自拔。
然，生活繼續(xù)，環(huán)境改變，CS的時(shí)代到來，當(dāng)時(shí)新到一個(gè)城市，年輕人都為CS瘋狂，我也在CS之余有些懷念《帝國時(shí)代》，可惜卻找不到對手，偶爾自己殺殺兩名最難的電腦玩玩，挑戰(zhàn)一下一直很難打過的三名最難電腦玩家，自娛自樂。一次在網(wǎng)吧見有一群人玩《帝國時(shí)代》，欣喜不已，向前約戰(zhàn)，一試這下失望不已，他們幾人都還算沒有入門級玩家，眾多網(wǎng)吧無對手，灰心之下，也放手了，不再玩帝國。
時(shí)間流逝，ADSL寬帶流行，真正的進(jìn)入了互聯(lián)網(wǎng)時(shí)代，認(rèn)識了‘浩方對戰(zhàn)平臺’，經(jīng)常上去玩CS。一位同事妹妹經(jīng)常跟我一起玩CS，也從我這學(xué)去了所有《帝國時(shí)代》的戰(zhàn)法，一日，她有些興奮的跟我說，她加入了浩方一個(gè)玩《帝國時(shí)代》的女戰(zhàn)隊(duì)，說他們的隊(duì)長，一位非常漂亮的妹妹水平非常高，要我去跟她試試，單挑一把，我也有些興奮，第一次在浩方玩上了《帝國時(shí)代》，結(jié)果是我輸?shù)煤軕K，不管是不適應(yīng)浩方對戰(zhàn)的速度，還是其他種種原因，反正我是輸?shù)眯姆诜敲琅浅Ｖ畢柡�，可見一山還有一山高。
以后的日子，生活中沒有了一起玩游戲的朋友，又受不了‘浩方對戰(zhàn)平臺’玩戰(zhàn)略游戲的麻煩，慢慢的淡忘了對游戲的感情。現(xiàn)在回憶起來，玩過的戰(zhàn)略游戲中，我還是最愛《帝國時(shí)代》。
看多了網(wǎng)絡(luò)小說，也找不到很喜歡的作品了，自己練練文筆，準(zhǔn)備寫本小說玩玩，將最愛的《帝國時(shí)代》拿出來，穿插自己幻想的世界，經(jīng)歷一番自己的旅程�！�