Preview: Age of Empires Online - The classic Age of Empires series goes online

Preview: Age of Empires Online - The classic Age of Empires series goes online
Page content

Game Basics

This game takes the same great game play from the PC game series and moves it online but with cartoon style graphics. With several civilizations set to be available at launch you can currently play as the Greeks with the beta. Help guide your civilization to its rightful place among the other empires of the world. Custom design your capital and its buildings with special blueprints for a unique look. Create crafting hall and make a wide variety of weapons and equipment to enhance specific units in the game. Take your armies and equip them with special weapons and armor for enhanced statistics and better offensive and defensive fighting abilities. Build different units like the familiar villager or priest who converts enemy units. Create barracks, storehouses, towers and other defenses. It will offer a new experience to the series and is only available as a download and is not a standard PC title.

Crafting

The game will feature crafting abd with this feature you will be able to build specific buildings to enhance your troops. So for example, the hunting lodge will enhance your missile troops such as archers. To enhance your mounted units you will need a cavalry hall and a military college will enhance all military units. If you want to enhance your structures construct the builders hall or a temple to get better priests.

Weapons and Armour

Age of Empires Online

Armies are nothing with great weapons and armour and you will be able to enhance these vital pieces of your army. The gut ripper sword will cause extra damage and hold your enemy in place. The black enameled heavy spear will help spearmen to cause extra damage while the Kraken’s fist will give more crushing power to your rams for epic sieges. For armour you will have forged greaves that give health bonuses at the cost of troop speed. Prayer beads will make priests cost less but at the expense of training time.

Units and Your buildings

The game will feature the same types of units we have all come to love from the series including your every busy villagers and priests who convert enemies. The scout will help you find enemy locations and is always a very popular early unit but you only get one so be sure to keep it alive. For buildings you have thje barracks for troops and housing for your citizens. The guard tower can provide defense and the storehouse can hold your extra resources.

Game Play and Conclusion

There will be several modes including coop where you can form alliances and try to defeat other teams on the game map with tougher quests requiring you to have teams to finish. You can always test your new civilization against your friends with the player vs. player mode. Age of Empires Online will be available for Windows sometime in 2011. If you would like to try it before then there’s a closed beta you can apply to.