Age of Empires II
From AgeofWiki
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings (or simply Age of Kings) is a real-time strategy computer game set in the Middle Ages, released in 1999. The second of the Age of Empires series, it was developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft, following the success of Age of Empires and due the success of the game an expansion pack was released Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion.
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Overview
The player controls the fortunes of a medieval kingdom from the Dark Ages up to the beginnings of the Renaissance. As in most RTS games, the player directly controls villagers who can be sent to gather resources or build various buildings, which can in turn be used to develop advanced technologies and train military units. The usual objective of the game is to defeat competing nations on the battlefield, but other victory conditions exist. The game's combat system features an elaborate Rock, Paper, Scissors system of counterunits and balances which ensures that no single unit can be massed to win a battle. In single player mode, players can either fight a quick battle against computer opponents or follow the life of historical personalities through a series of campaigns of rising difficulty, interspersed with cutscenes. In multiplayer mode, up to eight players compete with their nations for world dominance.
Civilizations
In the original game, the player could choose from 13 civilizations, each having some distinct advantages and disadvantages in line with the historical civilizations they were modeled after. Each civilization has a very distinct personality that is enhanced by a region-specific building set, unique units like longboats and Berserker (Viking)|berserks for the Vikings, and more-or-less historically correct language for the civilizations' units. The game's civilizations include:
- Britons
- Byzantines
- Celts
- China|Chinese
- Franks
- Goths
- Japanese
- Mongols
- Persians
- Saracens
- Teutons
- Turks
- Vikings
The Conquerors expansion adds 5 more civilizations to the game, including 2 Meso-American civs. One more civ is added to each building set except the Middle East civs so that the 4 sets have equal number of civilizations in them. Only the Meso-Americans get only 2 civilizations.
- Spanish
- Koreans
- Huns
- Aztecs
- Mayans
Campaigns
The game features several campaigns where the player can follow the life of an historical personality. Campaigns consist of a series of several scenarios that are linked by cutscenes; each scenario might depict a famous battle, the building of a famous monument, or some well-known anecdote from the personality's life. However, only the Joan of Arc campaign allows you to control the character herself. The player gets a glimpse of Ghengis Khan in his campaign, and William Wallace is a powerful unit in the final mission of his campaign. The original game's campaigns included:
- William Wallace (tutorial campaign)
- Joan of Arc
- Saladin
- Genghis Khan
- Barbarossa
The Conqueror's Expansion adds 4 more campaigns to the game featuring the new civilizations that are included in Expansion. In the Attila the Hun and El Cid campaigns, the player actually gets to control the said character. In the Montezuma campaign, the player is Cuatemhoc, a great soldier in the Aztec Empire and future emperor. The final campaign takes various battles in history to create complex scenarios, such as the spectacular naval battle at Noryang Point between the Koreans and Japanese, the Battle of Tours fought by the Franks and Moors, and the Battle of Agincourt, in which the player must control Henry the V's army through a heavily fortified Northern France.
- Attila the Hun
- El Cid
- Montezuma
- Battles of the Conquerors
Units
The following units can be created at various buildings:
Barracks
- Dark Age
- Militia
- Feudal Age
- Man-at-Arms (Upgraded from Militia)
- Spearman
- Castle Age
- Long Swordsman (Upgraded from Man-at-Arms)
- Pikeman (Upgraded from Spearman)
- Imperial Age
- Two-Handed Swordsman (Upgraded from Long Swordsman)
- Champion (Upgraded from Two-Handed Swordsman)
Stable
- Feudal Age
- Scout Cavalry
- Castle Age
- Light Cavalry (Upgraded from Scout Cavalry)
- Knight
- Camel
- Imperial Age
- Cavalier (Upgraded from Knight)
- Paladin (Upgraded from Cavalier)
- Heavy Camel (Upgraded from Camel)
Archery Range
- Feudal Age
- Archer
- Skirmisher
- Castle Age
- Crossbowman (Upgraded from Archer)
- Elite Skirmisher (Upgraded from Skirmisher)
- Cavalry Archer
- Imperial Age
- Arbalest (Upgraded from Crossbowman)
- Heavy Cavalry Archer (Upgraded from Cavalry Archer)
- Hand Cannonner
Siege Workshop
- Castle Age
- Battering Ram
- Mangonel
- Scorpion
- Imperial Age
- Capped Ram (Upgraded from Battering Ram)
- Siege Ram (Upgraded from Capped Ram)
- Onager (Upgraded from Mangonel)
- Siege Onager (Upgraded from Onager)
- Heavy Scorpion (Upgraded from Scorpion)
- Bombard Cannon
Castle
- Castle Age
- The Unique Unit of your civilization.
- Imperial Age
- Elite Unique Unit (Upgraded from Unique Unit)
- Trebuchet
Dock
- Dark Age
- Fishing Ship
- Feudal Age
- Transport Ship
- Trade Cog
- Galley
- Castle Age
- War Galley (Upgraded from Galley)
- Fire Ship
- Demolition Ship
- Longboat (Viking unique unit)
- Imperial Age
- Galleon (Upgraded from War Galley)
- Fast Fire Ship (Upgraded from Fire Ship)
- Heavy Demolition Ship (Upgraded from Demolition Ship)
- Cannon Galleon
- Elite Cannon Galleon (Upgraded from Cannon Galleon)
- Elite Longboat (Upgraded from Longboat) (Viking unique unit)
Other Units
- King (Uncreatable by players while ingame, but you start with one (upon which your victory/loss depends) if you are playing Regicide format)
- Sheep (Also uncreatable, but you can usually find them on the map. Converted by moving units close to them.)
- Dark Age
- Villager, at Town Center
- Feudal Age
- Trade Cart, at Market
- Castle Age
- Monk, at Monastery
Cheat Codes
To execute a cheat, press the Enter on and type the cheat into the chat box that appears, and press Enter again.
- How do you turn this on: Creates a very strong unit, the "Cobra Car".
- I love the monkey head: Creates a very fast villager (VDML) that doesn't do anything. Good for scouting, and can fire arrows just like regular villagers if garrisoned in buildings.
- To smithereens: Gives you a Saboteur unit, a much stronger version of the Petard (A unit included in the Conquerors expansion pack).
- Natural wonders: Allows you to become Player 0, essentially controlling all the wild animals.
- Aegis: Eliminates all training, building and researching time. Which means all units are instantly trained, all buildings instantly constructed and all technologies are instantly researched.
- Robin Hood: Gives you 1000 gold.
- Lumberjack: Gives you 1000 wood.
- Rock on: Gives you 1000 stone.
- Cheese steak Jimmy's: Gives you 1000 food.
- I R winner: Wins instantly.
- Wimpywimpywimpy: Loses instantly.
- Resign: Resigns, resulting in instant defeat.
- Black death: Kills all enemy units and buildings, resulting in an instant win.
- Marco: Reveals map.
- Polo: Removes the "Fog of War".
- Torpedo#: Kills a player. For example, typing Torpedo2 will instantly kill all units and buildings of Player 2.
When Aegis, Robin Hood, Lumberjack, Rock on and Cheese steak Jimmy's are used, they aid all of the players in the game, not just the one who entered the code.
Unique Units
One of the key ideas in Age of Kings was to give each civilisation one or two unique units that can be made only by that particular civ. They are usually created at the Castle, (see above) but the Longboat, Turtle Ship and Missionary are made elsewhere.
- Britons: Longbowman
- Franks: Francisca|Throwing Axeman
- Goths: Housecarl|Huskarl
- Teutons: Teutonic Knights|Teutonic Knight
- Celts: Woad Raider
- Vikings: Longship|Longboat and Berserker|Berserk
- Byzantines: Cataphract
- Turks: Janissary
- Saracens: Mamluk|Mameluke
- Persians: War elephant
- Mongols: Mangudai
- Chinese: Repeating crossbow|Chu Ko Nu
- Japanese: Samurai
- Spanish: Conquistador and Missionary
- Aztecs: Jaguar Warrior
- Mayans: Plumed Archer
- Huns: Tarkan
- Koreans: War Wagon and Turtle ship
Scenario Editor
Age of Kings also includes a built-in scenario editor whereby players can make custom missions and series of missions. Complicated battles and plotlines can be created using triggers. The simplicity of the editor has allowed less technically-skilled players to participate in community. Some designers, such as Ingo Van Thiel and Berserker Jerker have produced exceptional campaigns with intricate plots and unique gameplay.
See also
- Age of Empires
- Age of Mythology
- Age of Empires III
External links
- Official Website (http://www.ensemblestudios.com/aoc.htm)
- GameFAQs' section on Age of Empires II (http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/game/914421.html)
- Collection of Reviews of Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings (http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/63605.asp)
- Gamespot's section on The Conquerors Expansion (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/ageofempires2thece/review.html)
- Age of Kings Heaven, a popular fansite (http://aok.heavengames.com/)
