New WarChiefs Content! You'll find a slew of new sections here on PlanetAOE covering the recently-released WarChiefs expansion and there's a lot more to come. We want to see your recorded games, campaigns, scenarios and strategies, so submit them today! More >
WarChiefs Expansion Released The Aztecs, Iroquois and Sioux are upon us and EnsembleOnline is stirring with thousands of Agers trying to master the new civs as well as the old ones. Be sure to check out our content on the expansion and non-stop news coverage. More >
Test Drive Beta Test Take a spin with the closed PC beta of Test Drive Unlimited, only on FilePlanet!
Add Your Clan Profile Are you a member of a clan? Add your clan's profile in our new clan listings section.
Recorded Games Section Download games of your favorite expert player or upload your own to show to the community. Watching recorded games is the best way to improve your game and start winning on ESO.
Thursday, 14 December, 2006 – Planet Age of Empires News
1) what are the odds that there will ever be an AoM2?
A – my personal opinion, and it’s only an opinion, is that we are unlikely to do an AoM2 as our very next RTS project, simply because of ES’s antipathy towards straight remakes. You see, if our next project was to be an Age game, we have a number of choices available. We could go into the late 19th century, or into the 20th century. We could go back in time to the ancients (after all, it’s been 9 years since Age1). We could do Age 3 again, but this time in Europe or Africa instead of America. We have a multiplicity of options, all attractive in a greater or lesser degree.
But if we were to do AoM again, we are pretty much stuck with the same mythologies, since other mythologies are incredibly obscure. Few customers know anything about the Celtic or Sumerian Gods. And taking a new look at the Greek and Norse deities, while possible, is not particularly attractive. So unless we come up with a new way to look at mythology (which is certainly possible – perhaps letting players design their own pantheons, for instance) which grabs our imagination, I would expect to see another Age game before the topic of AoM2 came up.
2) If you had staked your life on a single 1v1 game of Warchiefs (taking place tomorrow), what civ would you use?
A – the one I use most and am most familiar with, rather than the one that people think is the current screw civ. It’s my experience that individual player skill is more important than civ imbalance in the short term. This is not saying that civ imbalances don’t need to be addressed of course.
3) Do you know what you will be working on in 6 months?
A- ask me again in about a month.
Wednesday, 13 December, 2006 – Planet Age of Empires News
WCG Holiday Clash Tourney Enters 4th Round 22:09 PST | Xiphoid | Print News | Mail News For a tournament with over 300 entrants, the Holiday Clash WarChiefs Tournament seems to be running smoothly. Third round competition completed today and tomorrow brings the fourth. Taking a scan at the very long tournament bracket, I don't see any huge upsets, but if you know of any, feel free to email them in.
2) Iroquois warchiefs give boosts to units, say a unit standing next to the warchief was at 1hp, then it moved away from the warchief and lost the bonus, would the unit just drop dead?
A – it’s a percentage boost. You lose a percentage of your health, not a fixed number.
3) Was the market for computer games (when Civ was made) as strong then as it is now?
A – no
8) What kinds of social events does ES have?
A – two Christmas parties, a Halloween party, plus a summer event. And smaller social things during the course of the year.
1 Neverwinter Nights 2 Atari $46
2 The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack Electronic Arts $27
3 World Of Warcraft Vivendi $22
4 Medieval II: Total War Sega of America $50
5 Battlefield 2142 Electronic Arts $40
6 MS Flight Simulator X Deluxe Microsoft $66
7 MS Flight Simulator X Microsoft $43
8 The Sims 2 Electronic Arts $39
9 Desperate Housewives Disney Int. $14
10 Star Wars: Empire At War: Forces of Corruption Expansion Pack LucasArts $27
11 The Sims 2 Happy Holiday Stuff Electronic Arts $17
12 The Sims 2 Glamour Life Stuff Expansion Pack Electronic Arts $17
13 MS Age Of Empires III: WarChiefs Expansion Pack Microsoft $29 14 Paws & Claws Pet Vet Valusoft (THQ) $17
15 Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War Dark Crusade Expansion Pack THQ $29
16 Guild Wars Nightfall NCsoft $49
17 Company Of Heroes THQ $39
18 Bejeweled 2 Mumbo Jumbo $11
19 MS Age Of Empires III Microsoft $42 20 Civilization IV 2K Game $35
Tuesday, 12 December, 2006 – Planet Age of Empires News
New Developer's Blog 19:43 PST | Xiphoid | Print News | Mail News This one is hot off the press from Bruce Shelley and covers WarChiefs sales to date, the addictiveness of MMOs, and more. Here's a sample:
Age III and Warchiefs in Top Ten: Voodoo Extreme recently posted a list of the top 20 best selling PC games and it had Age III at #7 and The Warchiefs at #10. I am guessing this is for the previous week. We feel good about that ranking both for a game over a year old and an expansion pack. There were few FPS games on the list and few games that weren’t sequels to established franchises. People commenting on the list seemed happy to see the Sims out of the top ten and were surprised to see WoW at 14. I too would like to see some new, quality, original PC games being published, but I can see the business side of the issue also. The Age of Empires series is a franchise, for sure, but we try to keep it fresh and the quality high; realistically, it pays a lot of bills and has entertained a lot of people.
If you are a fan of the series then War Chiefs is a must, it looks great and plays like the rest of the series does for the most part so could be picked up quickly. If you are new then be prepared to learn the intricacies of the game either through the tutorial or the vast and sometimes overwhelming manual and work charts. Also the system requirements are not for the older PC and may mean you need to upgrade your RAM or Video card. This could be an added expense that makes the game out of reach for all but the dedicated fan. As an RTS it is typical fare and will provide hours and hours…and hours of play. If you like that then this is the game for you, enjoy.
Monday, 11 December, 2006 – Planet Age of Empires News
Photos of AOE3 Board Game 21:50 PST | Xiphoid | Print News | Mail News We haven't heard much out of Eagle Games recently about the Age of Empires III Board Game, but checking their forums today, I found a link to an image gallery complete with photos of the game board, box, and miniature figures that will be included in the game. The previous AOE board games have gotten high fun marks and this one looks like it'll achieve the same.
4) from what context where the Black Riders unit taken from?
A – there were actual German mercenaries who used wheellock pistols and rode black horses and were called Schwarzritters I believe which means Black Riders. Nothing to do with Tolkien.
13) How popular were Ottoman goods in Britain during the 17th century?
A- there seem to be a lot of items named after the Ottoman Empire at this time – the little stool you rest your feet on, the candy Turkish Delight, the large edible bird from the Americas. I can only assume that Turkish goods were either common or at least had some cachet of quality.
21) When you hover over a Dog Soldier it states on the inferace that they cost 300g. However with the BASIC age1 gathering rates, gathering from a mine is 0.6g per sec per vill. The DS dance is available in industrial age. DS "cost" 22 seconds of dancing with 25 vills on the FP.
A – the dance time is balanced to make sense for the civ & to play off the other dances. It does not have to work out to be exactly 300 resources.
Sunday, 10 December, 2006 – Planet Age of Empires News
First Round Pairings for WCG Holiday Clash Tourney 22:38 PST | Xiphoid | Print News | Mail News The World Cyber Games has posted the first round pairings for the 1v1 WarChiefs Holiday Clash Tournament. Over three hundred Agers registered and will be playing in the tournament. The first round starts tomorrow and it looks like there's quite a few byes. Round 2 is slated for Tuesday, 3 on Wednesday, and so on. Best of luck to all the participants!
