Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition for PC is the twentieth anniversary re-release of the real time strategy game which retains all the charm and popularity of the original release, but combines it with twenty years’ worth of improvements to the gaming world: ultra-high definition graphics, vastly improved gameplay and visuals and four new civilisations as well as a new single-player. Age of Empires: Definitive Edition. In 1997, Age of Empires changed RTS games forever. Today, twenty years later, Age of Empires: Definitive Edition begins that transformation anew with all-new graphics, remastered sound and music, and a smooth UI experience rebuilt from the ground up! Play the legendary RTS that started it all!
We've started 2020 by playing 20 years old Real-Time Strategy which gotsignificant new (re)release called Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition.
While previous AoE2 HD edition was basically an update for modern systems,Definitive Edition brings significant and much needed improvements which makethe two-decades-old game more playable and enjoyable, most notably:
- farms and fish traps can be automatically renewed ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
- improved UI shows amounts of villagers assigned to individual resources
- improved command, building, and waypoint queues
- new AI (daaayum it's good)
- new civilizations (35 total)
- fabulous updated HD (and even Ultra HD with optional free DLC) graphics including building destruction simulation
- Art of War challenges provide a tool for noobs to to learn and train game essentials
- ranked matchmaking
- cross-play (yes, people play AoE2 on xbox :-O)
- more quality of life improvements like zoom, grid, research indication, improved saves & replays, achievements, Empires War mode, ...
- integrated mod support
The game is really great on its own, but the search for perfection never endsand there is integrated mod support, so let's talk about few essential modsthat improve the game even further!
All these mods are UI/graphics/sounds utility mods or scenarios that don'tinterfere with game data so you can safely use them in online matchesincluding ranked and they're easily available from the in-game mod browser.
What did the monk say?
First and foremost, let's talk about the game's most distincive if notsignature unit - the monk.
I don't think I need to explain what WOLOLO means. In fact, it's a toptier meme that's still strong after two decades and I never quite understoodwhy AoE 2 replaced the legendary conversion sound with a boring and generic'holy sound'.
Modding community provided fixes for this critical regression in the past likeWololo Monks modfor AoE2 HD, but Definitive Edition changed sound engine so old sound modsdon't work.
This was the only mod I was really missing to complete my AoE experience soI wrote it myself and uploaded to the in-game mod browser:
Now you can WOLOLO like any self-respecting person would, courtesy oftexnoforge ;)
Taming the Trees
The new graphics are nice, but trees are so big they sometimes make selection,commands, and building placement more difficult than it needs to be.
There are several options to make trees smaller, pick one:
- Improved Small Trees
- Bamboo Only (Small Trees)
- CubeTrees
If you happen to actually like CubeTrees, you can convert all resources tocubes using the infamousAge of Cubes mod ¯_(ツ)_/¯
git gud
I really like the Art of War series of tutorials/challenges that explainand let players train essential aspects of the game. If you'd like to improveyour opening and individual build orders even more, there's a great modwhich works much like the Art of War but includes 10 different buildorders to train with A-F rating for you to improve on.Activate through Game Mode -> Custom Scenario.
- Interactive Build Order Guide
You can also train hotkeys to construct various building quickly and reliably,giving you more time to focus on important things and less rage overthat lumber camp on gold that should've been mining camp.Activate through Game Mode -> Custom Scenario.
Unless you remember details of all 35 civs, consider displaying condensedversion of tech tree of your current civ at all times, which is especiallyuseful when playing random.
- Improved Tech Tree UI Mod
Blood for the Blood God
By default, dead bodies of units disappear quite fast and no skeletons are leftbehind in DE. And thus my final reccomendation adds blood to the game which stays for quitesome time. Aside from the obvious visual pleasure of good slaughter, itprovides utility of marking the spots of battle for quite some time.
Definitive Edition Meaning
- Crimson Blood