| (From Ensemble Studios)
Fact Sheet
Play one of history's twelve mightiest civilizations! Command the Greek
phalanx, the world's best infantry for hundreds of years. Lead the
chariots of the Hittites, or Assyrians. Build up the vast agricultural
empire of Egypt, Babylon, or Sumeria. Guide the Persians from their small
enclave to prominence as a world power. Guide the Shang (China), Choson
(Korean), or Yamato (Japan) for control of Asia. Dominate world sea trade
as the Phoenicians or Minoans.
Each Civilization has strengths and weaknesses and can researched
different technologies.
The Civilization you choose to play depends on the victory conditions
of the game and the strengths and weaknesses of your opponents. For
example, if a world has extensive seas, choose to play a civilization with
advantages in ship building or speed (Yamato, Phoenician, Minoan). If you
are competing with the Persians, prepare for eventual clashes with War
Elephants. More than on player can choose the same civilization. In a
multiplayer cooperative game, two or more players can choose the same
player number and share control of a single civilization.
Background
Sheets of ice up to three miles high covered much of the Earth’s
northern hemisphere during the last Ice Age. Our human ancestors
persevered in the harsh Ice Age environment by developing new technologies
and survival strategies at unprecedented rates. When climate changes
melted and removed the ice 12,000 years ago, humans were uniquely suited
to take advantage of the new worlds that were beckoning.
During the next 5,000 years, an insignificant span in terms of
geological time, humans expanded to become the dominant species on Earth.
Human populations exploded because new technologies for hunting and food
gathering put all other species at a disadvantage. Within 3,000 more
years, humans had established the first great civilizations on Earth.
The theme of Age of Empires is the rise of the first great
civilizations over the 10,000 years that followed the last Ice Age. You
are the guiding spirit of a tribe that predates one of the great cultures
of antiquity. Your goal is to build your tribe into a mighty civilization
that can vie for world (game) dominance (victory). You begin the game in
the Stone Age with a small tribe of men on an unexplored map. As you move
your tribesmen over the map, you reveal different terrain types and locate
sources of food, wood, stone, and gold, which villagers gather by hunting,
fishing, foraging, farming, chopping trees, and mining stone and gold. You
must gather enough resources and build enough housing to support your
growing civilization.
Constructing buildings lets you train military units and boats to
defend your civilization or attack enemy civilizations on land or at sea.
Constructing buildings also lets you research technologies that benefit
your civilization, such as increasing the resources you can gather or the
strength of your military units.
As you advance through the ages, you can build new buildings, create
new boats and military units, and research new technology.
You can establish alliances with other civilizations, exchange tribute,
and establish trade routes. Other civilizations are controlled by human or
computer players.
The winner of a game is determined by the victory conditions of the
scenario. You can play a variety of predesigned single player campaigns,
as well as single player or multiplayer random maps or scenarios. Or you
can use the scenario builder to create your own custom scenarios.
Features of Age of
Empires
- Twelve different civilizations from which to choose, each with
unique strengths and weaknesses.
- 100-node technology tree; more technologies than can be achieved
during a single game.
- Victory conditions include conquest, score, time limit, wonders,
exploration and more.
- Robust alliance options allow players to exchange resources and
share intelligence.
- Trade between players allows civilizations to build economic wealth
and power.
- Robust siege warfare model includes walls, fortifications, towers,
catapults and ballistas.
- Fully integrated campaign editor, scenario builder and random world
generator.
- Superior computer player AI that does not rely on cheating.
- Multiple levels of difficulty.
- Dazzling animations and graphics for terrain, buildings and units.
- 50,000 word historical encyclopedia.
- Designed for multiplayer competition. Includes a variety of unique
multiplayer scenarios.
- Cooperative and Death Match modes.
- Observer mode reveals the entire map to view during game play.
- In-game score displayed for active players.
- Over 50 historical combat units, unit upgrades and building types.
- Massive game maps with true terrain elevation.
- In-game and post-game timeline illustrates the rise and fall of each
Civilization over the course of play.
- Strong economic model, including multiple types of resources.
- Buildings upgrade and become more advanced over time simulating the
passage of thousands of years.
- Multiple selection of up to 25 units at one time.
System Requirements
The minimum hardware configuration for Age of Empires is
- Multi-media PC with Pentium 90 or higher processor
- 16 MB RAM
- Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 (with service pack 3)
- 30 MB hard disk space
- Super VGA, 256 color with 1 MB VRAM
- Double-speed CD-ROM for gameplay
- Or Quad-speed CD-ROM for cinematics
- Mouse
- Windows 95-compatible audio board with speakers or headphones
- 14.4Kkbs modem or higher recommended for Internet play
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