Age of Empires Online
A discontinued free-to-play RTS with MMO elements.
Age of Empires Online was a multiplayer online real-time strategy game released on August 16, 2011, developed by Robot Entertainment and later by Gas Powered Games, and published by Microsoft. It initially operated on a freemium model, with the base game free-to-play and premium content purchasable, before eventually becoming entirely free-to-play. The game was discontinued on July 1, 2014, due to high maintenance costs.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Robot Entertainment; Gas Powered Games
- Publisher
- Microsoft Game Studios
- Series
- Age of Empires
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows
- Released
- August 16, 2011 (WW)
- Genre
- Massively multiplayer online real-time strategy game
- Modes
- Multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Age of Empires Online was a real-time strategy game that incorporated massively multiplayer online elements. Each player maintained a capital city for every civilization they started, which persisted even when offline. New features included crafting items from gathered materials and trading with other players. The core gameplay involved developing a civilization from its beginnings to its peak and eventual decline, requiring resource gathering and management to fund units, buildings, and technology. Villagers collected resources such as food, wood, gold, and stone through activities like hunting, farming, and mining. Resources could be traded or spent on training military units, constructing buildings, and researching technologies. The game featured five military classes: infantry, archers, cavalry, siege weaponry, and naval units, balanced so that no civilization had an inherent advantage. Unique units existed for the Greek, Egyptian, Celtic, and Persian civilizations, accessible from the start or through advisor cards; these were generally more powerful but still vulnerable to specific counters. The priest could convert enemy units and heal allies. A population limit capped units at 200, increased by building houses (5 each, 10 for Norse) and town centers (20 each). Two management tools were the idle villager button, which identified unassigned villagers, and the town bell, which sent all villagers to the nearest town center, fortress, or tower for safety.
Development
Age of Empires Online, initially codenamed Project S, was the first game developed by Robot Entertainment, a studio formed by 45 former employees of Ensemble Studios, the original creators of the Age of Empires series. Microsoft hired Robot to develop the game over 24 months, and the entire studio worked exclusively on it to generate funds for future projects. During early production, the game was originally called Age of Empires IV. The team observed that many RTS developers had moved away from economic gameplay, and they felt Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings had perfectly balanced economic and military aspects. After playtesting that title, they decided to create an Age of Kings-style experience within an Age of Empires setting. Designers were surprised that fans most appreciated the simpler elements of earlier games. Former Age of Empires II lead designer Ian M. Fischer noted that fans frequently mentioned fondness for details like villagers carrying meat or the priest's distinctive sound. Consequently, the team aimed to evoke nostalgia while incorporating updated features. The decision to make the game online-only was influenced by the success of Age of Empires II on MSN Gaming Zone. Because online player interaction was a priority, the studio created both a server version and a client version, requiring a heavily modified BANG engine and extensive additional server code and infrastructure. Excluding tools, the game contained over 1.2 million lines of code.
Premium content
Booster packs allowed players to customize PvE gameplay. The first booster pack released was Defense of Crete, followed by the Skirmish booster pack, which let players modify every element of PvE gameplay. At launch, several vanity packs provided blueprints for stores where players could purchase items to customize and decorate their capital city using in-game gold. In Project Celeste, all content including vanity packs became accessible for free, earnable by gathering Empire Points or Coin from any PvE or PvP level 40 content except skirmish.
Reception
Age of Empires Online received mixed reviews, with a Metacritic aggregate score of 70. Critics praised the cooperative missions, graphics, and familiar Age of Empires gameplay, but many criticized the cost of premium content. Justin Calvert of GameSpot rated it 6.5/10, noting weak points in the PvP matchmaking system, enemy AI, and pricing, while acknowledging that the game effectively combined conventional RTS gameplay with MMO-style loot and leveling. IGN's Nick Kolan gave it 7/10, criticizing that the best features were locked behind premium purchases, but concluding that the game delivered addictive elements from both MMORPGs and competitive RTS. PC Magazine awarded 3.5 out of 5 stars, complimenting the artwork as well done and scalable, but felt the free-to-play offering should have been more generous. GameSpy's Mike Sharkey initially panned the game but later noted that a major overhaul patch addressed most of his concerns. PC Gamer initially scored it 65/100 at launch but later gave the Celts DLC campaign 90/100, calling it the best free RTS available. The game was the third most played Games for Windows Live title in 2012 by unique users. Over its three-year lifespan, players completed 500 million single-player quests, 13.7 million multiplayer quests, and two million arena matches.
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