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 Posted: Wed, 6th Mar 2013 16:27 Post subject: Age of Empires II (Definitive Edition) |
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There's evidence Microsoft is releasing an enhanced version of AoE2 on Steam with improved hardware and OS compatibility, enhanced for widescreen etc.. soon(.jpg)
More at: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=517122
TWIN PEAKS is "something of a miracle."
"...like nothing else on television."
"a phenomenon."
"A tangled tale of sex, violence, power, junk food..."
"Like Nothing On Earth"
~ WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO SAY CAN ONLY BE SEEN ~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHTUOgYNRzY
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| Posted: Wed, 6th Mar 2013 17:07 Post subject: |
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Khül!
Ryzen 9800X3D CO ~-26/+200 | Freezer III 360 A-RGB & 3x Phanteks T30 | Strix X670E-F WiFi | MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Ventus OC | Fury Beast 64GB (2x 32GB) DDR5 5600MHz C40 @ 6000MHz C28 | 970 EVO Plus 2 TB | 38GN950-B | S.M.S.L RAW-MDA1 & HiFiMAN Arya Organic | Lancool III Snow White + 4x be quiet! Silent Wings Pro 4 140mm | RM1000x (2021) Gold | G Pro X SUPERLIGHT 2 & POWERPLAY | Win 11 Pro | Logitech MX MECHANICAL
Sometimes I publish YouTube videos: https://www.youtube.com/@RandomTechChannel
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Aeon
Posts: 8695
Location: Netherlands
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| Posted: Wed, 6th Mar 2013 17:09 Post subject: |
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That would be very nice.
Intel i7 6700K, EVGA GTX1070 FTW, Kingston HyperX Fury 32GB
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| Posted: Wed, 6th Mar 2013 19:16 Post subject: |
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| Aeon wrote: | | That would be very nice. |
PC: Yes. Console: No.
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| Posted: Thu, 7th Mar 2013 17:36 Post subject: |
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Aeon
Posts: 8695
Location: Netherlands
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LeoNatan
☢ NFOHump Despot ☢
Posts: 73194
Location: Ramat Gan, Israel 🇮🇱
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| Posted: Thu, 7th Mar 2013 18:10 Post subject: |
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LOL the car at the end! Ahhh the memories 
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| Posted: Thu, 7th Mar 2013 18:34 Post subject: |
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An amazing read by the ex-Enseble, current Valve/Hidden Path Entertainment guy that made it possible. As posted in 2011 when he almost gave up: http://aok.heavengames.com/cgi-bin/aokcgi/display.cgi?action=st&fn=3&tn=40110&st=594#post595
| Quote: | My story:
After moving from Texas to the Seattle area in fall 2008, I met a lot of new people, both in the game industry and people who just play games. What surprised me were all the people I met who loved Age of Kings (AoE2) and who either still played it every now and then, or wanted to but had problems running their old copy on their computer. It was away higher percentage than I had any reason to expect. When they find out I had a lot to do with AoK, I would inevitably get asked "Is there any thing you can do to make it work on my new PC?" and I had to answer that there wasn't but that I wished that there was.
These people tended to be the casual players - the ones who played single player or cooperatively with their friends, or even in a couple cases, their spouses. Now, what really struck me was how much love there still was for AoK, but not for Age of Mythology or Age of Empires 3. Many had played them, but didn't have fondness for, nor had invested as much time playing them that they had for Age II.
I had a good idea why AoK is remembered so fondly. Ensemble made a number of good, and very good games. You could do much worse than having Ensemble's quality bar. But as a former co-worker once said "AoE is a good game. AoK is a *GREAT* game". Harter R, who now heads up Robot had once said "We caught Lightning in a Bottle with Age 2". And he was right. Of all the games we did at Ensemble, AoK was something extra special and it showed. Lifetime retail sales are near or around 10 Million. None of our other games did half that. It was indeed 'Lightning in a bottle'. It was just the right amount, with extra broad appeal, at the right time.
And what probably drove it home best was seeing that Age of Kings was still being sold on store shelves at Retail - and I'm not talking about the Discount bin Jewel case releases. Microsoft was, until earlier this year, selling the Age of Kings gold edition, full box, at full price - US $20, and I could find it online at Amazon and on store shelves like Fry's Electronics. …….. AND IT STILL SOLD COPIES…. After 12 years. Amazing.
And seeing it on store shelves made me sad, because it wasn't updated to make it run on today's PCs. In the 10+ years since it launched, several things had happened to push it towards relic status.
First off, PC hardware changed. Video cards were the biggest change.
The "Graphics Engine" for AoE and AoK was written in 1996 and 1997, with updates in 1998 and 1999. At that time Video cards had 1 Megabyte of VRAM, or even less memory, and were 2D only. They didn't always have 24 or 32-bit color modes, and they had hardware support for 256-color indexed palettes. Direct Draw was at version 1, and Direct X was going from version 3 to version 6.
Since then video card have evolved. Today, video cards no longer have dedicated 2D chips, nor do they have 8-bit indexed color support in hardware. They have gobs of memory , and DirectX is at version 11, and DirectDraw has been depreciated.
PC Video Monitors have changed. When AoE and AoK were released, all non-laptop monitors were CRT based with 4:3 aspect ratios, and resolutions of 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768 and 1280x1024 were standard. Widescreen was unheard of.
Today, you can no find a CRT monitor for purchase, and 4:3 aspect ratio monitors are a tiny, dying segment of the market. Resolutions like 1366x768 now are commonplace.
Operating Systems have changed. AoE was developed on Windows 95. AoK on Windows 98 and Windows 2000. Today, Windows XP is nearing the end of its useful life, and Windows 8 is on the horizon.
Networking has changed. AoE was one of the first games to use the Microsoft Gaming Zone. Today the Zone no longer exists in a form usable by these games.
And yet, you can still play Age of Empires and Age of Kings. Although some help is needed. The video card drivers have to "emulate" 256-color palletized/indexed color modes. And the games do some things, like huge numbers of *tiny* async 2D Blits (so that it would work on video cards with only 1MB of VRAM with 2D chips that couldn't do overlapping copies correctly) which worked back then on 2D cards, but today cause conniptions for 3D cards.
The games don't work on all modern ATI video cards, and would crash if it wasn't for the ATI drivers looking for the games by filename, detecting when they are running, and doing special things behinds the scenes to make them run. (ATI users can rename the AoK .exe file and watch it crash to just test). Probably a similar story for NVidia.
And though they may work with driver help, they don't always look the way they were supposed to. On windows Vista and Windows 7, there are problems with the new driver model and shell, and you get corruption of the emulated colors. It's not limited to AoE and AoK. Discussion can be found around the net at links like this one: http://go.hopx.net/2010/05/256-color-issues-with-directdraw-and.html
And even when the colors are right, the resolution isn't. To fit the new display resolutions, the game screens are stretched, bilinear filtered and otherwise distorted and loose some of their original beauty.
But given all that, it took one more thing to move me from daydream to idea to action.
It took Blizzard.
Back at Ensemble during the development of AoE and AOK, Blizzard was our biggest rival. We didn't worry as much about Westwood and the Command and Conquer games. Blizzard, their games: Diablo, Warcraft, and Starcraft were direct competitors, and that competition spurred both us, and them, to make our games even better.
So what did Blizzard do?
They released patches for Diablo II and Starcraft more than 10 years after those games were initially released. They still supported their fans, and kept their games, and their legacy, running on today's PC.
So I had this idea:
Make a Windows 7 Compatibility patch for Age of Kings.
It would include replacing DirectDraw with Direct3D9, dynamically supporting widescreen resolutions, removing the Zone Related Code, and making the game comply with other Windows 7 requirements.
Simple as that.
And I had the one thing that everyone else who wanted that didn't have. I still remembered much of how Age of Empires and Age of Kings was written. Because I was one of the authors who wrote the code in the first place. And because I've had the experience in using both the old and new technologies. The graphics engine needs to be updated., we all know that. I wrote a lot of the graphics code (must not take all the credit, Angelo L wrote the initial version and systems framework). And I could easily visualize what changes would be needed to use the more modern Direct3D 9.
And I knew most of the other things that would be involved for Windows 7 compatibility.
So I got the idea. Approach Microsoft and see if they were interested in someone, anyone really but probably me, making a Windows 7 Compatibility Patch for Age of Kings --- FOR FREE. All that would be needed would be access to the Source, which Microsoft has in their archives. I had an idea of what it would take time and effort-wise, and I was willing to do it for no compensation - just to do it for the fans of the game, and keep the legacy of a great game, and Ensemble, alive for a while longer.
In August of 2010, I took action and began trying to determine who I could contact at MGS (Microsoft Game Studios) to ask about the possibility of making a patch.
A couple months later I got in contact with at MGS who was, I thought, in a position to see if Microsoft was interested. The proposition was presently simply and clearly. A compatibility patch, with just a few basic features, and done for free. Microsoft would get happier customers, and less support calls/support costs.
And it had, what I thought was a great hook - The Win 7 compatibility patch could be used as a tie-in for the upcoming "Age of Empires Online" In our trial versions, when exiting the game, there was a splash screen you saw for a bit promoting the full version. The patch could include splash screens for AoE Online - to me that seemed a great bit of cross-promotion.
Between November and January, discussions progressed very, very slowly, but the reception seemed to always be a positive one. The produced needed to ask around to find out more internally, but he never did learn anything.
And then, that producer disappeared.
So I cultivated a second contact during the spring.
And just as that got going, that person was no longer at MGS.
During this time, I had remembered some other things about AoK, and made a slightly larger proposal.
Back in 2000 or so, We made an "OEM Version" of Age of Kings that was sold pre-installed on PCs be Dell. It sold reasonably well, but didn't require a CD. The music was local files instead of Redbook Audio, and I remembered that to make the OEM version, all we had to do was flip a build switch to make it.
What good is that?
A CD-less version that ran on Windows 7 would be perfect for Digital Download. Microsoft could put it up on their online store. Not only would it make some nice money for them that way, given how well the boxed and jewel case copies have sold, but it could be used in their promotions, (remember the 1 cent AoE 3 sale?) etc.
So I tried one more time, and this summer I got in touch with another producer at MSG, give him the expanded pitch, and rom what I could tell, he was very excited about the idea.
And then September came, and annual reviews and re-orgs happened at MGS, and he too disappeared from my contact radar.
But I did learn something from him.
There appears to no longer be anyone at MGS or Microsoft who "Owns" Age of Kings (or the other earlier games). That means there is no one there who has the power to say "YES" or "NO" to a patch or update to the game. Marketing appears to be able to make decisions regarding Jewel case budget title re-issues, but that doesn't involve any current work - just reissuing old assets.
As this process I went through dragged on, I found myself just wanting a clear answer .. "Yes" or "No". And as it turned out, that's the stumbling block. No one there could answer either way.
If I got a "No" answer, it still would have been Ok with me, because it would have been definitive, and I could set this project aside and move on.
But I never got an answer. Because it appears there is no one there who can give it.
So today, I am announcing that I am giving up on my quest to find out if MGS is interested in a Windows 7 Patch or digital download version of Age of Kings.
Technically, it could still happen, but I wouldn't count on it.
I think Microsoft Game Studios has moved on, and they don't have anyone there who manages their history and back-catalog in matters like these. If for some reason, my last contact finds the opportunity and gets back to me, I would gladly spend my weekends putting together an update, but I'm no longer going to actively pursue it.
I've searched for that person who could tell me yeah or nay for over a year but he (or she) is not to be found.
So it ends not with a bang, but a whimper. |
Amazing read 
TWIN PEAKS is "something of a miracle."
"...like nothing else on television."
"a phenomenon."
"A tangled tale of sex, violence, power, junk food..."
"Like Nothing On Earth"
~ WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO SAY CAN ONLY BE SEEN ~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHTUOgYNRzY
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LeoNatan
☢ NFOHump Despot ☢
Posts: 73194
Location: Ramat Gan, Israel 🇮🇱
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| Posted: Thu, 7th Mar 2013 18:41 Post subject: |
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tl;dr 
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| Posted: Thu, 7th Mar 2013 18:43 Post subject: |
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| Posted: Thu, 7th Mar 2013 18:47 Post subject: |
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TWIN PEAKS is "something of a miracle."
"...like nothing else on television."
"a phenomenon."
"A tangled tale of sex, violence, power, junk food..."
"Like Nothing On Earth"
~ WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO SAY CAN ONLY BE SEEN ~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHTUOgYNRzY |
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| Posted: Thu, 7th Mar 2013 18:51 Post subject: |
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| Posted: Thu, 7th Mar 2013 19:16 Post subject: |
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omgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomgomg
Sense Amid Madness, Wit Amidst Folly
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| Posted: Thu, 7th Mar 2013 19:41 Post subject: |
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when is the rls date? and is the new fan made expansion included?
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| Posted: Thu, 7th Mar 2013 19:42 Post subject: |
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April 9, or April 5 if you preorder. And no, of course not.
TWIN PEAKS is "something of a miracle."
"...like nothing else on television."
"a phenomenon."
"A tangled tale of sex, violence, power, junk food..."
"Like Nothing On Earth"
~ WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO SAY CAN ONLY BE SEEN ~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHTUOgYNRzY
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couleur
[Moderator] Janitor
Posts: 14261
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| Posted: Thu, 7th Mar 2013 19:44 Post subject: |
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| Aeon wrote: | | That would be very nice. |
"Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-imposed nonage. Nonage is the inability to use one's own understanding without another's guidance. This nonage is self-imposed if its cause lies not in lack of understanding but in indecision and lack of courage to use one's own mind without another's guidance. Dare to know! (Sapere aude.) "Have the courage to use your own understanding," is therefore the motto of the enlightenment."
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ixigia
[Moderator] Consigliere
Posts: 65039
Location: Italy
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| Posted: Thu, 7th Mar 2013 20:25 Post subject: |
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| Arukardo wrote: | 
Oh the hours spent on this game... |
+1 Too many, really.  I was addicted back then..it was simply perfect (and it still is) |
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| Posted: Thu, 7th Mar 2013 20:56 Post subject: |
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Sigh, still waiting for Quarantine HD 
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prudislav
VIP Member
Posts: 29148
Location: The land of beer and porn
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| Posted: Fri, 8th Mar 2013 00:15 Post subject: |
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18 euro.
Great game many many years ago, but already owning the game, no thanks.
I do like giving older games an overhaul like this though.
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| Posted: Fri, 8th Mar 2013 08:21 Post subject: |
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Oh men, I loved AoE 
"Quantum mechanics is actually, contrary to it's reputation, unbeliveably simple, once you take the physics out."
Scott Aaronson | chiv wrote: | | thats true you know. newton didnt discover gravity. the apple told him about it, and then he killed it. the core was never found. |
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| Posted: Fri, 8th Mar 2013 11:21 Post subject: |
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i watched the whole 10 mins. it all makes sense and i believe in god now. 
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| Posted: Fri, 8th Mar 2013 11:28 Post subject: |
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1 of the greatest rts games ever made!
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| Posted: Fri, 8th Mar 2013 11:56 Post subject: |
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and it ran perfectly fine on school computers
| Quote: | | PC awesome button = Uninstall! |
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Fa4Ta4L
Posts: 394
Location: Netherlands
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| Posted: Fri, 8th Mar 2013 11:56 Post subject: |
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I would love to play it again, but not for 18 euros...
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| Posted: Fri, 8th Mar 2013 11:59 Post subject: |
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I will most certainly pay for it. If only to show that there still is an interest in this kind of RTS.
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| Posted: Fri, 8th Mar 2013 12:03 Post subject: |
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12
1. Buy 7 keys
2. Trade
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kumkss
Posts: 4830
Location: Chile
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They removed LAN
