Age of Empires II (Retired)

Tracked sources for Age of Empires II (Retired) were limited between 2021-04-09 and 2022-04-09, with only 1 verified change captured in this window. The recorded activity centers on Lunar New Year Sale Discount Adjustment and sits between Lords of the West Expansion Released on 2021-01-26 (dlc_release) and no later tracked updates in the current dataset, making this a light but still readable period in the game's history.

• Verified activity: 2022-01-31 - Lunar New Year Sale Discount Adjustment: Age of Empires II: HD Edition was mistakenly discounted by 75% during the Lunar New Year sale, which was corrected by applying the same discount to Age of Empires: Definitive Edition..
• What stands out: The period is defined more by a small number of isolated updates than by a large roadmap beat or expansion-sized release.
• Before this window: The closest earlier tracked activity was Lords of the West Expansion Released on 2021-01-26 (dlc_release).
• After this window: No later tracked activity is present in the current dataset.

Lords of the West Expansion released on January 26, 2021, becoming Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition’s first expansion. The Burgundians, the Sicilians, and three new campaigns formed its main additions, while Battle of Africa 2 brought a separate competitive event.

• Lords of the West Expansion: The expansion released with new civilizations, campaigns, technologies, units, and Steam and Microsoft Store achievements.
• New civilizations and campaigns: The expansion’s major content included:
  • The Burgundians: Added a civilization with unique bonuses, units, and technologies.
  • The Sicilians: Added a civilization with its own bonuses, units, and technologies.
  • Edward Longshanks: Added a campaign focused on Edward I of England.
  • The Grand Dukes of the West: Added a campaign centered on the Burgundian dukes.
  • The Hautevilles: Added a campaign about the Hauteville family in Italy.
  • Steam and Microsoft Store achievements: Added new achievements alongside the expansion.
• Battle of Africa 2: The tournament’s return was announced with a 3v3 format, an aggressive open-land custom map pool, a qualification phase involving 16 teams, and a schedule leading to June finals.

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition was the major announced upgrade, with pre-orders opening on August 19, 2019. The sources confirmed the announcement and pre-order availability, but not delivery of its planned November 14 release within this window.

• New content: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition was announced with cross-play, four new civilizations, and three new campaigns; these were presented as planned features rather than confirmed deliveries.
• Remaster package: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition was previewed with fully remastered 4K Ultra HD graphics and a new fully remastered soundtrack.
• Gameplay improvements: The Transport Ship Full of Game Improvements preview described a Transport Ship feature alongside broader gameplay improvements for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.

Balance Patch 5.8 released on the Open Beta branch, delivering competitive-focused balance changes. The Ranked Play Elo System also entered open-beta testing, received a follow-up fix, and remained affected by a branch-compatibility warning.

• Balance Patch 5.8: The patch introduced competitive-play improvements and balance changes for Open Beta.
• Khmer and Vietnamese balance: September tuning changed several civilization bonuses and upgrades.
  • Khmer: Arbalest became available, while the no-building-requirement bonus stopped working in full-tech-tree games.
  • Vietnamese: Foot archers received their full +20% HP bonus immediately, while the enemy-reveal bonus stopped working in full-tech-tree games.
  • Indians, Malay and Teutons: Indian camels lost their +1 melee armor; Malay’s infinite fish traps stopped working in full-tech-tree games; and the Teuton team bonus no longer overrode Faith in post-Imperial starts.
  • Mayan, Slavic and Italian: Mayan farmer speed moved closer to other civilizations, the Slavic farming multiplier fell from 1.31 to 1.28, and the Italian fishing-ship discount fell from 20% to 15%.
• Elite Arambai, Mamelukes and Watch Towers: Unit costs, defenses and structures received a broad competitive rebalance.
  • Elite Arambai, Elite Karambit Warriors and Elite Rattan Archers: Arambai and Karambit Warrior costs increased, while Rattan Archers gained 5 HP.
  • Elite Camel Archers, Elite Elephant Archers and Mamelukes: Camel Archer training slowed, Elephant Archer armor shifted against different attack types, and Mamelukes took 5 less damage from Halberdiers.
  • Watch Towers, Guard Towers, Keeps and Siege Towers: The defensive towers and Keeps cost 25 more wood, while Siege Tower collision size fell from 0.50 to 0.45.
  • Coinage, Banking and Couriers: Coinage moved to Castle Age, Banking to Imperial Age, and Couriers rose from 400 food/200 gold to 600 food/600 gold.
• Ranked Play Elo System: The July 25 open-beta patch went live, and the July 31 fix addressed the Elo system. The Beta Branch Compatibility issue remained known: beta players could not safely play with general-release players and might cause crashes.

The October 23, 2017, update introduced the new Imperial Skirmisher and Elite Genitour units, enhancing gameplay in Imperial Age scenarios. This update also implemented password-protected lobbies, allowing hosts greater control over their games. Notably, significant balance changes were made, including the removal of the Arbalest upgrade for the Indians and adjustments to various unit stats.

• New Units: The Imperial Skirmisher and Elite Genitour became available in Imperial Age scenarios, expanding strategic options for players.
• Lobby Enhancements: The introduction of password-protected lobbies allowed hosts to secure their games, improving the multiplayer experience.
• Gameplay Improvements: Villagers now lure animals to town centers more frequently, enhancing resource gathering efficiency.
• Balance Changes: Major adjustments included the removal of the Arbalest upgrade for Indians and a cost reduction for Magyar cavalry, improving their competitive viability.
• AI Fixes: The AI received numerous improvements, including fixes for freezing during gameplay and better pathfinding around walls and gates, enhancing overall game quality.

Rise of the Rajas DLC launched on December 20, 2016, bringing significant new content to Age of Empires II HD, including four new civilizations and an all-new map type. This expansion focused on Southeast Asia and introduced various gameplay features that enhanced the overall experience.

• New Civilizations: The DLC added the Burmese, Khmer, Malay, and Vietnamese civilizations, each featuring their own fully voice-acted campaigns.
  • Each civilization comes with unique gameplay mechanics and strategies.
• Gameplay Features: A new terrain type that supports both land and water units was introduced, alongside a fresh architecture set specific to the new DLC.
• Balance Changes: A significant balance update occurred on March 16, 2017, adjusting various units and mechanics.
  • Malay Battle Elephants became 25% cheaper, while their age-up bonus decreased from 100% to 80%.
  • Changes were made to the Elite Camel and Rattan Archers, removing their bonus attacks against infantry.
• Multiplayer Improvements: A new MP Restore feature was added, allowing players to restore multiplayer sessions, enhancing the online experience.
• Network Enhancements: The game saw improved network speeds, including the removal of added network delay at game start and optimized calculations for better performance.

The African Kingdoms Expansion launched on November 2, 2015, introducing exciting new content including the Berbers civilization and new naval units like the Fire Galley and Demolition Raft. This update also brought a Unified Lobby to enhance multiplayer and single-player experiences.

• New Civilizations: The expansion added new civilizations, including the Berbers, featuring Camel Archers and a unique campaign, as well as other African civilizations that received distinct architecture and units.

  • Berbers: Introduced unique units and a specific campaign.
  • New Architecture Set: African civilizations now boast a unique architectural style.

• New Gameplay Features: The expansion included the addition of new boats, enhancing naval warfare strategies.

  • Fire Galley and Demolition Raft: Newly introduced naval units for all civilizations.

• Performance Improvements: Significant FPS enhancements were reported, especially under Windows 10, with some users experiencing over 200% frame rate improvements.

• Balance Changes: The October 15 patch implemented balance adjustments for both the original game and the African Kingdoms expansion, refining gameplay for all players.

• AI and Modding Enhancements: The AI's attack behavior improved, allowing it to target Palisade Walls effectively, while modding tools received updates for better management and functionality.

• UI/UX Improvements: The update included a Unified Lobby for multiplayer and single-player modes, making it easier to navigate and join games.

Age of Empires II: Low Definition Edition was announced on April 1, 2015, catering to players using CRT monitors with a resolution of 800x600. This period also saw the introduction of the 'Battles of the Forgotten' Campaign, available to owners of The Forgotten expansion, alongside a new realistic map of Europe and a new texture pack for enhanced visuals.

• New Campaign: The 'Battles of the Forgotten' Campaign launched on June 18, 2014, adding fresh content for expansion owners.
• New Map: A realistic map of Europe was introduced on October 6, 2014, expanding the variety of gameplay environments.
• New Texture Pack: A new texture pack was released on October 6, 2014, improving the visual fidelity of the game.
• New AI: A more difficult AI was made available to all AoE II: HD users on June 18, 2014, providing a greater challenge.
• Multiplayer Functionality: The AOE II: LD Edition was designed to support online multiplayer experiences, maintaining compatibility for players.
• Accessing LD Edition: Players could access the AOE II: LD Edition by selecting it from the 'betas' tab in game properties as of April 1, 2015.

The Forgotten launched for Age of Empires II: HD Edition on November 7, 2013, as the first official expansion in over a decade and a $9.99 purchase. It delivered new civilizations, four campaigns, and massive maps; El Dorado later added a free campaign for expansion owners, while Spectator Mode and Twitch integration expanded multiplayer features.

• The Forgotten expansion: The release added new civilizations, four campaigns, and larger maps, making it the period’s major content drop.
• El Dorado: This free campaign became available to owners of The Forgotten on March 4, 2014.
• Spectator Mode and Twitch Integration: The expansion introduced tools for watching matches and streaming gameplay through Twitch.
• AI and multiplayer: The September update restored AI age-up behavior, fixed frequent launch crashes in 4v4 Multiplayer Games, and restored Garrison functionality. Saves and replays from 2.6 multiplayer worked, while 2.7 games and saves remained unsupported.
• The Forgotten modding preview: A developer diary previewed the new 2-suffixed file scheme—.scx2, .cpx2, .ai2, and .per2—and explained that AoF-created items required AoF, while campaigns, scenarios, and AI files could be forward-loaded into HD.