<s>
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
(	O
AoE	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
real-time	O
strategy	O
video	O
game	O
based	O
on	O
history	O
,	O
developed	O
by	O
Ensemble	O
Studios	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
allows	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
act	O
as	O
the	O
leader	O
of	O
an	O
ancient	O
civilization	B-Application
by	O
advancing	O
it	O
through	O
four	O
ages	O
(	O
the	O
Stone	O
,	O
Tool	O
,	O
Bronze	O
,	O
and	O
Iron	O
Ages	O
)	O
,	O
gaining	O
access	O
to	O
new	O
and	O
improved	O
units	O
with	O
each	O
advance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
touted	O
as	O
Civilization	B-Application
meets	O
Warcraft	B-Application
,	O
some	O
reviewers	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
failed	O
to	O
live	O
up	O
to	O
these	O
expectations	O
when	O
it	O
was	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
this	O
,	O
it	O
received	O
generally	O
good	O
reviews	O
,	O
and	O
an	O
expansion	O
pack	O
,	O
titled	O
The	B-Application
Rise	I-Application
of	I-Application
Rome	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
the	O
original	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
and	O
the	O
expansion	O
pack	O
were	O
later	O
released	O
as	O
"	O
The	O
Gold	O
Edition	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
sequel	O
,	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
:	O
Definitive	O
Edition	O
,	O
a	O
remastered	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
February	O
20	O
,	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
requires	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
develop	O
a	O
civilization	B-Application
from	O
a	O
handful	O
of	O
hunter-gatherers	O
to	O
an	O
expansive	O
Iron	O
Age	O
Empire	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
civilization	B-Application
has	O
technologies	O
unique	O
to	O
them	O
,	O
so	O
that	O
no	O
civilization	B-Application
possesses	O
all	O
the	O
technologies	O
possible	O
within	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
are	O
the	O
Stone	O
Age	O
(	O
Mesolithic/Nomad/Paleolithic	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
Tool	O
Age	O
(	O
Neolithic/Chalcolithic	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
Bronze	O
Age	O
and	O
the	O
Iron	O
Age	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
facilitated	O
online	B-Application
and	O
network	B-Architecture
play	O
with	O
up	O
to	O
8	O
people	O
simultaneously	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
the	O
network	B-Architecture
play	O
is	O
less	O
sophisticated	O
than	O
that	O
of	O
modern	O
games	O
,	O
lag	B-Application
and	O
disconnections	O
often	O
occur	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Until	O
June	O
19	O
,	O
2006	O
,	O
multiplayer	O
gameplay	O
was	O
supported	O
by	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Gaming	I-Application
Zone	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
that	O
point	O
,	O
the	O
Zone	O
abandoned	O
support	O
of	O
most	O
CD-ROM	O
games	O
,	O
including	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
and	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Age	I-Application
of	I-Application
Kings	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
civilization	B-Application
progresses	O
through	O
the	O
ages	O
,	O
technology	O
becomes	O
more	O
and	O
more	O
expensive	O
,	O
which	O
makes	O
collecting	O
the	O
necessary	O
resources	O
to	O
research	O
them	O
difficult	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Villagers	O
are	O
the	O
most	O
basic	O
units	O
in	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
primary	O
function	O
is	O
to	O
collect	O
resources	O
,	O
cutting	O
down	O
trees	O
for	O
wood	O
,	O
mining	O
for	O
stone	O
and	O
gold	O
,	O
and	O
hunting	O
,	O
foraging	O
,	O
farming	B-Application
or	O
fishing	O
to	O
acquire	O
food	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Infantry	O
units	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
clubmen	O
,	O
swordsmen	O
,	O
and	O
hoplites	B-Application
use	O
melee	O
combat	O
to	O
attack	O
at	O
short	O
range	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mounted	O
units	O
include	O
chariots	B-Application
,	O
cavalry	O
,	O
and	O
war	O
elephants	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unit	O
types	O
are	O
identical	O
,	O
regardless	O
of	O
civilization	B-Application
(	O
though	O
certain	O
civilizations	O
may	O
have	O
improved	O
variations	O
of	O
these	O
units	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
So	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
a	O
Korean	O
Choson	O
broad	B-Application
swordsman	I-Application
is	O
identical	O
to	O
a	O
Persian	O
or	O
Phoenician	O
one	O
,	O
as	O
are	O
bowmen	O
,	O
axemen	O
,	O
short	B-Application
swordsmen	I-Application
,	O
cavalry	O
,	O
and	O
so	O
forth	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
units	O
were	O
also	O
available	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
civilizations	O
that	O
never	O
,	O
historically	O
,	O
had	O
them	O
;	O
hoplites	B-Application
can	O
be	O
trained	O
by	O
every	O
civilization	B-Application
except	O
Persia	O
,	O
and	O
some	O
middle-Asian	O
civilizations	O
can	O
train	O
Legions	O
and	O
Centurions	O
,	O
while	O
Japanese	O
Yamato	O
can	O
build	O
triremes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Walls	O
and	O
towers	O
are	O
defensive	O
fortifications	O
(	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
real-time	O
strategy	O
games	O
to	O
include	O
walls	O
strong	O
enough	O
to	O
form	O
a	O
feasible	O
means	O
of	O
defense	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
(	O
under	O
the	O
working	O
title	O
Dawn	O
of	O
Man	O
)	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Ensemble	O
Studios	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
other	O
real-time	O
strategy	O
games	O
had	O
science	O
fiction	O
and	O
fantasy	O
settings	O
,	O
so	O
the	O
historical	O
setting	O
of	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
enabled	O
it	O
to	O
stand	O
out	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
designers	O
received	O
much	O
of	O
their	O
inspiration	O
from	O
the	O
game	O
Civilization	B-Application
,	O
with	O
its	O
proven	O
historical	O
setting	O
;	O
this	O
was	O
noted	O
among	O
reviewers	O
as	O
something	O
positive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
was	O
designed	O
by	O
Bruce	O
Shelley	O
,	O
Tony	O
Goodman	O
(	O
in	O
charge	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
artwork	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Dave	O
Pottinger	O
(	O
in	O
charge	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
created	O
the	O
original	O
music	O
in	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
using	O
sounds	O
from	O
actual	O
instruments	O
from	O
the	O
periods	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
their	O
digital	O
samples	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Rise	I-Application
of	I-Application
Rome	I-Application
is	O
an	O
expansion	O
pack	O
for	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
rise	O
of	O
the	O
Roman	O
Empire	O
,	O
and	O
adds	O
the	O
Roman	O
Empire	O
and	O
three	O
other	O
playable	O
civilizations	O
to	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Rise	I-Application
of	I-Application
Rome	I-Application
also	O
features	O
a	O
new	O
Roman	O
architectural	O
design	O
,	O
shared	O
by	O
all	O
four	O
new	O
civilizations	O
,	O
the	O
Romans	O
,	O
Palmyrans	O
,	O
Macedonians	O
and	O
Carthaginians	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pathfinding	B-Algorithm
for	O
all	O
units	O
is	O
also	O
considerably	O
improved	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
last	O
official	O
patch	O
by	O
the	O
developer	O
,	O
the	O
game	B-Architecture
's	I-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
continued	O
the	O
support	O
by	O
an	O
own-made	O
unofficial	O
patch	O
to	O
address	O
remaining	O
issues	B-Error_Name
and	O
to	O
improve	O
compatibility	O
with	O
modern	O
hardware	O
and	O
OSes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
The	B-Application
Rise	I-Application
of	I-Application
Rome	I-Application
demo	O
received	O
one	O
million	O
downloads	O
from	O
its	O
official	O
website	O
alone	O
by	O
April	O
1999	O
,	O
and	O
another	O
350,000	O
from	O
CNET	O
's	O
Download.com	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Rise	I-Application
of	I-Application
Rome	I-Application
won	O
Computer	O
Games	O
Strategy	O
Pluss	O
1998	O
"	O
Add-On	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
"	O
award	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
debuted	O
at	O
#7	O
on	O
PC	O
Data	O
's	O
computer	O
game	O
sales	O
rankings	O
for	O
October	O
1997	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
1997	O
,	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
totaled	O
sales	O
in	O
the	O
country	O
above	O
178,000	O
units	O
,	O
for	O
revenues	O
in	O
excess	O
of	O
$8	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
performance	O
made	O
it	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
 '	O
most	O
successful	O
real-time	O
strategy	O
game	O
during	O
late	O
1997	O
:	O
a	O
writer	O
for	O
PC	O
Gamer	O
US	O
noted	O
that	O
its	O
sales	O
surpassed	O
the	O
combined	O
totals	O
of	O
rivals	O
Total	B-Application
Annihilation	I-Application
and	O
Dark	B-Application
Reign	I-Application
over	O
the	O
same	O
period	O
,	O
and	O
were	O
over	O
four	O
times	O
greater	O
than	O
those	O
of	O
Myth	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Fallen	I-Application
Lords	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
was	O
also	O
successful	O
worldwide	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
Microsoft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
was	O
a	O
hit	O
in	O
the	O
German	O
market	O
,	O
where	O
it	O
debuted	O
at	O
#1	O
on	O
Media	O
Control	O
's	O
sales	O
rankings	O
for	O
the	O
latter	O
half	O
of	O
October	O
1997	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
following	O
year	O
,	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
placed	O
consistently	O
in	O
the	O
top	O
3	O
through	O
March	O
,	O
when	O
it	O
rose	O
again	O
to	O
#1	O
in	O
the	O
last	O
two	O
weeks	O
of	O
the	O
month	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
proceeded	O
to	O
become	O
the	O
fourth-best-selling	O
computer	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
German	O
market	O
during	O
1998	O
's	O
first	O
nine	O
months	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sales	O
in	O
the	O
German	O
market	O
totaled	O
115,000	O
units	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
September	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
VUD	O
raised	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
to	O
"	O
Platinum	O
"	O
status	O
,	O
for	O
200,000	O
sales	O
,	O
by	O
November	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
1999	O
Milia	O
festival	O
in	O
Cannes	O
,	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
took	O
home	O
a	O
"	O
Gold	O
"	O
prize	O
for	O
revenues	O
above	O
€15	O
million	O
in	O
the	O
European	O
Union	O
during	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
was	O
a	O
commercial	O
success	O
,	O
selling	O
3	O
million	O
copies	O
by	O
2000	O
and	O
grossing	O
$120	O
million	O
in	O
revenue	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
was	O
generally	O
well	O
received	O
by	O
critics	O
,	O
and	O
scored	O
highly	O
on	O
review	B-Application
aggregator	I-Application
websites	O
including	O
an	O
8.3	O
out	O
of	O
10	O
on	O
Metacritic	O
,	O
an	O
87%	O
on	O
GameRankings	O
,	O
an	O
85	O
out	O
of	O
100	O
on	O
MobyGames	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
called	O
it	O
a	O
cross	O
between	O
Warcraft	B-Application
and	O
SimCity	B-Application
and	O
praised	O
its	O
multiplayer	O
and	O
its	O
popularity	O
among	O
gamers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Game	O
Revolution	O
categorized	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
"	O
a	O
cross	O
between	O
Civilization	B-Application
II	I-Application
and	O
Warcraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Tides	I-Application
of	I-Application
Darkness	I-Application
"	O
,	O
while	O
GameSpot	O
lamented	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
"	O
a	O
simple	O
combat	O
game	O
rather	O
than	O
a	O
glorious	O
empire-builder	O
"	O
,	O
describing	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
Warcraft	B-Application
with	O
a	O
hint	O
of	O
Civilization.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Computer	O
Gaming	O
Worlds	O
Elliott	O
Chin	O
compared	O
the	O
game	O
extensively	O
to	O
WarCraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
he	O
said	O
that	O
it	O
has	O
"	O
great	O
depth	O
,	O
and	O
when	O
compared	O
to	O
its	O
real-time	O
brethren	O
,	O
it	O
has	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
most	O
sophisticated	O
of	O
the	O
bunch	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameSpot	O
decried	O
the	O
level	O
of	O
micromanagement	O
necessary	O
to	O
control	O
the	O
game	O
(	O
which	O
was	O
due	O
to	O
absence	O
of	O
production	O
queues	O
and	O
low	O
AI	B-Application
of	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
units	O
)	O
calling	O
it	O
"	O
a	O
poor	O
idea	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
"	O
seriously	O
diminishes	O
[	O
Age	O
of	O
Empires ]	O
enjoyability.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
GameVortex	O
echoed	O
this	O
criticism	O
,	O
while	O
PC	O
Gameworld	O
pointed	O
out	O
the	O
subsequently	O
released	O
patches	O
improving	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
faulty	O
AI	B-Application
programming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
noting	O
the	O
similarities	O
with	O
Warcraft	B-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
PC	O
Gameworld	O
praised	O
the	O
uniqueness	O
of	O
each	O
playable	O
civilization	B-Application
,	O
and	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
"	O
graphics	O
are	O
extremely	O
detailed	O
and	O
have	O
a	O
hand-painted	O
feel	O
to	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Next	O
Generation	O
reviewed	O
the	O
PC	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
rating	O
it	O
four	O
stars	O
out	O
of	O
five	O
,	O
and	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
Having	O
been	O
in	O
development	O
for	O
nearly	O
an	O
eternity	O
,	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
has	O
largely	O
delivered	O
what	O
was	O
promised	O
by	O
Civilization	B-Application
co-creator	O
,	O
Bruce	O
Shelley	O
,	O
and	O
his	O
team	O
at	O
Ensemble	O
Studios.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
won	O
numerous	O
awards	O
,	O
including	O
Gamecenter	B-Operating_System
's	O
1997	O
"	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
"	O
and	O
tied	O
at	O
AIAS	O
 '	O
1st	O
Annual	O
Interactive	O
Achievement	O
Awards	O
for	O
"	O
Computer	O
Strategy	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
"	O
with	O
StarCraft	B-Application
and	O
was	O
also	O
nominated	O
for	O
"	O
Interactive	O
Title	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
was	O
a	O
runner-up	O
for	O
Computer	O
Gaming	O
Worlds	O
1997	O
"	O
Strategy	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
"	O
award	O
,	O
which	O
ultimately	O
went	O
to	O
Myth	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Fallen	I-Application
Lords	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2017	O
,	O
Adam	O
Isgreen	O
,	O
creative	O
director	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
Studios	O
announced	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
:	O
Definitive	O
Edition	O
at	O
the	O
Electronic	O
Entertainment	O
Expo	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
New	O
features	O
include	O
overhauled	O
graphics	O
with	O
support	O
for	O
4K	B-Architecture
resolution	I-Architecture
,	O
a	O
remastered	O
soundtrack	O
,	O
online	B-Application
multiplayer	O
through	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
servers	O
and	O
other	O
gameplay	O
improvements	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
better	O
pathfinding	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
:	O
Definitive	O
Edition	O
was	O
released	O
at	O
first	O
exclusively	O
through	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Store	I-Application
and	O
met	O
with	O
mixed	O
or	O
average	O
reviews	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
weighted	O
score	O
of	O
70	O
out	O
of	O
100	O
in	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameSpot	O
gave	O
the	O
game	O
6/10	O
,	O
praising	O
its	O
4K	B-Architecture
graphics	O
and	O
upgraded	O
soundtrack	O
,	O
but	O
criticizing	O
old	O
problems	O
still	O
persisting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2019	O
,	O
Phil	O
Spencer	O
,	O
head	O
executive	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Xbox	B-Protocol
division	O
announced	O
to	O
reverse	O
the	O
decision	O
on	O
releasing	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
products	O
exclusively	O
through	O
Windows	B-Application
Store	I-Application
and	O
committed	O
to	O
releasing	O
them	O
on	O
Steam	B-Application
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
August	O
19	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
:	O
Definitive	O
Edition	O
re-released	O
with	O
a	O
new	O
client	O
on	O
both	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Store	I-Application
and	O
Steam	B-Application
,	O
with	O
cross-play	O
available	O
between	O
the	O
two	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Existing	O
Windows	B-Application
Store	I-Application
players	O
need	O
to	O
manually	O
download	O
the	O
new	O
client	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
receive	O
game	O
updates	O
and	O
multiplayer	O
compatibility	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
,	O
Age	B-Application
of	I-Application
Empires	I-Application
:	O
Definitive	O
Edition	O
has	O
also	O
become	O
available	O
through	O
Xbox	B-Application
Game	I-Application
Pass	I-Application
for	I-Application
PC	I-Application
.	O
</s>
