Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings (or simply Age of Kings) is a real-time strategy computer game set in the middle ages, released in 1999. The second of the Age of Empires series, it was developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft, following the success of Age of Empires. Image File history File links Age of Kings box art This is the cover art for a video or computer game. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates computer or video games. ... Ensemble Studios is a Microsoft-owned company that has developed many computer games, including the famous Age of Empires series. ... Video game publishers are companies that publish video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer. ... Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) is the worlds largest software company, with over 50,000 employees in various countries as of May 2004. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... This is listing of computer and video game genres with a brief description and examples from each genre. ... Dune 2 (1992), an early RTS A real-time strategy (RTS) game is a type of computer strategy game which does not have turns like conventional turn-based strategy video or board games. ... In computer games and video games, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. ... Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX) is at the Network layer of the OSI model and is part of the IPX/SPX protocol stack. ... The Internet protocol suite is the set of communications protocols that implement the protocol stack on which the Internet runs. ... A modem (a portmanteau word constructed from modulator and demodulator) is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal (sound), to encode digital information, and that also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. ... Microsoft Zone (formerly known as The Village; now also known as Zone. ... The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization that applies and enforces ratings, advertising guidelines, and online privacy principles for computer and video games in the United States. ... The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (or ELSPA) is an organisation set up in 1989 by British software publishers. ... Games, like most other forms of media, may be categorized into genres based on gameplay, atmosphere, and various other factors. ... Microsoft Windows is a range of operating environments for personal computers and servers. ... The PlayStation 2 (PS2) (Japanese: プレイステーション2) is Sonys second video game console, after the PlayStation. ... The box for Mac OS X v10. ... Interference colors. ... Pentium MMX - top view The Pentium is a fifth-generation x86 architecture microprocessor by Intel which first shipped on March 22, 1993. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Look up RAM and random access memory in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Different types of RAM. From top to bottom: DIP, SIPP, SIMM 30 pin, SIMM 72 pin, DIMM, DDR DIMM Random access memory (sometimes random-access memory), commonly known by its acronym RAM, is a type of computer storage... Typical hard drives of the mid-1990s. ... A computer keyboard is a peripheral modelled after the typewriter keyboard. ... Operating a mechanical 1: Pulling the mouse turns the ball. ... Age of Empires (1997), Invasion of an enemy A real-time strategy (RTS) game is a type of computer strategy game which does not have turns like conventional turn-based strategy video or board games. ... A computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a defined goal or set of goals. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... The Age of Empires series is a popular franchise of historically accurate real-time strategy computer games, started in 1997, developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios. ... Ensemble Studios is a Microsoft-owned company that has developed many computer games, including the famous Age of Empires series. ... Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) is the worlds largest software company, with over 50,000 employees in various countries as of May 2004. ... Age of Empires, sometimes abbreviated AoE, is a history-based real-time strategy computer game developed by Rick Goodman at Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft, released in 1997. ...

Overview

The player controls the fortunes of a medieval nation from the Dark Ages up to the beginnings of the Renaissance. As in most RTS games, the player directly controls villagers who can be sent to gather resources or build various buildings, which can in turn be used to develop advanced technologies and train military units. The usual objective of the game is to defeat competing nations on the battlefield, but other victory conditions exist. The game's combat system features an elaborate Rock, Paper, Scissors system of counterunits and balances which ensures that no single unit can be massed to win a battle. In single player mode, players can either fight a quick battle against computer opponents or follow the life of historical personalities through a series of campaigns of rising difficulty, interspersed with cutscenes. In multiplayer mode, up to eight players compete with their nations for world dominance. The Dark Ages (or Dark Age) is a metaphor with multiple meanings and connotations. ... By Region: Italian Renaissance Northern Renaissance *French Renaissance *German Renaissance *English Renaissance The Renaissance was an influential cultural movement which brought about a period of scientific revolution and artistic transformation, at the dawn of modern European history. ... Rock, Paper, Scissors chart Rock, Paper, Scissors (also known by other names) is a popular hand game most often played by children. ... A cut scene or cutscene (sometimes also referred to as a cinematic) is a sequence in a video game over which the player has no control. ... Multiplayer is a mode of play for computer and video games in which multiple people can play the same game at the same time. ...

Civilizations

Age of Kings screenshot

In the original game, the player could choose from 13 civilizations, each having some distinct advantages and disadvantages in line with the historical civilizations they were modeled after. Each civilization has a very distinct personality that is enhanced by a region-specific building set, unique units like longboats and berserks for the Vikings, and more-or-less historically correct language for the civilizations' units. The game's civilizations include: Age of Kings screenshot, originally from the official website, size reduced for Wikipedia This work is copyrighted. ... Age of Kings screenshot, originally from the official website, size reduced for Wikipedia This work is copyrighted. ... A longboat is a large boat powered by multiple oars and carried on a ship (especially sailed merchant ships). ... Berserkers (or Berserks) were ferocious Norse warriors who had sworn allegiance to the heathen god Odin. ...

• Britons
• Byzantines
• Celts
• Chinese
• Franks
• Goths
• Japanese
• Mongols
• Persians
• Saracens
• Teutons
• Turks
• Vikings

The term Briton may have the following meanings: in a historical context: an inhabitant of Great Britain in pre-Roman times a descendant of Britons during a later period (e. ... Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered around its capital in Constantinople. ... A Celtic cross. ... The Franks or the Frankish people were one of several west Germanic tribes who entered the late Roman Empire from Frisia as foederati and established a lasting realm (sometimes referred to as Francia) in an area that covers most of modern-day France and the region of Franconia in Germany... Invasion of the Goths: a late 19th century painting by O. Fritsche portrays the Goths as cavalrymen. ... Honorary guard of Mongolia. ... The Persians of Iran (which was named Persia until 1935) are an Iranian people who speak the Farsi dialect of Persian and often refer to themselves as ethnic Iranians as well. ... For the rugby club Saracens see Saracens (rugby club) The term Saracen comes from Greek sarakenoi. ... This entry is about the Teutonic people, not to be confused with the Teutonic Knights. ... The name Viking is a loan from the native Scandinavian term for the Norse seafaring warriors who raided the coasts of Scandinavia, Europe and the British Isles from the late 8th century to the 11th century, the period of European history referred to as the Viking Age. ...

Campaigns

The game features several campaigns where the player can follow the life of an historical personality. Campaigns consist of a series of several scenarios that are linked by cutscenes; each scenario might depict a famous battle, the building of a famous monument, or some well-known anecdote from the personality's life. The original game's campaigns included: A cut scene or cutscene (sometimes also referred to as a cinematic) is a sequence in a video game over which the player has no control. ...

• William Wallace (tutorial campaign)
• Joan of Arc
• Saladin
• Genghis Khan
• Barbarossa

Sir William Wallace (c. ... Image of Joan of Arc, painted between 1450 and 1500 (Centre Historique des Archives Nationales, Paris, AE II 2490). ... This article is about the Muslim general; for the British armoured vehicle named after him, see Alvis Saladin. ... For the German pop band, see Dschinghis Khan Genghis Khan (c. ... Meanings of Barbarossa (Italian: Red Beard): Barbarossa was the nickname of two famous people in history: Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor Khair ad Din, Barbary pirate and Ottoman admiral. ...

Units

The following units can be created at various buildings:

Barracks

• Dark Age
  • Militia
• Feudal Age
  • Man-at-Arms (Upgraded from Militia)
  • Spearman
• Castle Age
  • Long Swordsman (Upgraded from Man-at-Arms)
  • Pikeman (Upgraded from Spearman)
• Imperial Age
  • Two-Handed Swordsman (Upgraded from Long Swordsman)
  • Champion (Upgraded from Two-Handed Swordsman)

Barracks are military housing. ...

Stable

• Feudal Age
  • Scout Cavalry
• Castle Age
  • Light Cavalry (Upgraded from Scout Cavalry)
  • Knight
  • Camel
• Imperial Age
  • Cavalier (Upgraded from Knight)
  • Paladin (Upgraded from Cavalier)
  • Heavy Camel (Upgraded from Camel)

This article is about the building; for another meaning, see stability. ...

Archery Range

• Feudal Age
  • Archer
  • Skirmisher
• Castle Age
  • Crossbowman (Upgraded from Archer)
  • Elite Skirmisher (Upgraded from Skirmisher)
  • Cavalry Archer
• Imperial Age
  • Arbalest (Upgraded from Crossbowman)
  • Heavy Cavalry Archer (Upgraded from Cavalry Archer)
  • Hand Cannonner

Siege Workshop

• Castle Age
  • Battering Ram
  • Mangonel
  • Scorpion
• Imperial Age
  • Capped Ram (Upgraded from Battering Ram)
  • Siege Ram (Upgraded from Capped Ram)
  • Onager (Upgraded from Mangonel)
  • Siege Onager (Upgraded from Onager)
  • Heavy Scorpion (Upgraded from Scorpion)
  • Bombard Cannon

Castle

• Castle Age
  • The Unique Unit of your civilization.
• Imperial Age
  • Elite Unique Unit (Upgraded from Unique Unit)
  • Trebuchet

The Alcázar of Segovia, Spain A castle (from the Latin castellum, diminutive of castra, a military camp, in turn the plural of castrum or watchpost), is a fort, a camp and the logical development of a fortified enclosure. ...

Dock

• Dark Age
  • Fishing Ship
• Feudal Age
  • Transport Ship
  • Trade Cog
  • Galley
• Castle Age
  • War Galley (Upgraded from Galley)
  • Fire Ship
  • Demolition Ship
  • Longboat (Viking unique unit)
• Imperial Age
  • Galleon (Upgraded from War Galley)
  • Fast Fire Ship (Upgraded from Fire Ship)
  • Heavy Demolition Ship (Upgraded from Demolition Ship)
  • Cannon Galleon
  • Elite Cannon Galleon (Upgraded from Cannon Galleon)
  • Elite Longboat (Upgraded from Longboat) (Viking unique unit)

Dock can refer to several things: Places for the transfer of people and materials to, from, or between different forms of transport or working with transport: A maritime dock. ...

Other Units

• King (Only in Regicide games)
• Sheep (Converted by moving units close to it)
• Dark Age
  • Villager, at Town Center
• Feudal Age
  • Trade Cart, at Market
• Castle Age
  • Monk, at Monastery

Cheat Codes

To execute a cheat, press the Enter button and type the cheat into the chat box that appears, and press Enter again.

• How do you turn this on: Creates a very strong unit, the "Cobra Car".
• I love the monkey head: Creates a very fast villager (VDML) that doesn't do anything.
• To smithereens: Gives you a Saboteur unit, a much stronger version of the Petard (A unit included in the Conquerors expansion pack).
• Natural wonders: Allows you to become Player 0, essentially controlling all the wild animals.
• Aegis: Eliminates all training, building and researching time. Which means all units are instantly trained, all buildings instantly constructed and all technologies are instantly researched.
• Robin Hood: Gives you 1000 gold.
• Lumberjack: Gives you 1000 wood.
• Rock on: Gives you 1000 stone.
• Cheese steak Jimmy's: Gives you 1000 food.
• I R winner: Wins instantly.
• Wimpywimpywimpy: Loses instantly.
• Resign: Resigns, resulting in instant defeat.
• Black death: Kills all enemy units and buildings, resulting in an instant win.
• Marco: Reveals map.
• Polo: Removes the "Fog of War".
• Torpedo#: Kills a player. For example, typing Torpedo2 will instantly kill all units and buildings of Player 2.

Unique Units

One of the key ideas in Age of Kings was to give each civilisation one or two unique units that can be made only by that particular civ. They are usually created at the Castle, (see above) but the Longboat, Turtle Ship and Missionary are made elsewhere. The Alcázar of Segovia, Spain A castle (from the Latin castellum, diminutive of castra, a military camp, in turn the plural of castrum or watchpost), is a fort, a camp and the logical development of a fortified enclosure. ...

• Britons: Longbowman
• Franks: Throwing Axeman
• Goths: Huskarl
• Teutons: Teutonic Knight
• Celts: Woad Raider
• Vikings: Longboat and Berserk
• Byzantines: Cataphract
• Turks: Janissary (Originally, the Janissaries were supposed to wear peaked caps; however, Ensemble Studios decided that they resembled Klansmen and deleted the caps hours before the game went gold).
• Saracens: Mameluke
• Persians: War Elephant
• Mongols: Mangudai
• Chinese: Chu Ko Nu
• Japanese: Samurai

A longbow is a type of bow that is tall (roughly equal to or greater than the height of a person), is not recurved, and has relatively narrow limbs circular or D shaped in cross section. ... The Franks took their name from the axe that was their preferred weapon in ancient times. ... The Huscarls (literally House-warriors) were the elite bodyguards of Saxon and Viking rulers. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... A longboat is a large boat powered by multiple oars and carried on a ship (especially sailed merchant ships). ... Berserkers (or Berserks) were Norse warriors who had sworn allegiance to the sky god Odin and worked themselves into murderous fury before a battle. ... Sarmatian Cataphract The cataphract (Greek κατάφρακτος) was a type of heavy cavalryman used primarily in eastern and southeastern Europe, in Anatolia and Iran from late antiquity up through the High Middle Ages. ... The Janissaries (or janizaries; in Turkish: Yeniçeri, meaning New Troops) comprised infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultans household troops and bodyguard. ... Members of the second Ku Klux Klan at a rally during the 1920s. ... An Ottoman Mamluk, from 1810 Mamluks (or Mameluks) (the Arabic word usually translates as owned, singular: مملوك plural: مماليك) comprised slave soldiers used by the Muslim Caliphs and the Ottoman Empire, and who on more than one occasion seized power for themselves. ... Indian war elephant, relief at Mathura, 2nd century BC War elephants were important, although not widespread, weapons in ancient military history. ... // Repeating crossbows History Repeating crossbows have a long history, with the oldest accurate written knowledge dating to the Han dynasty (ca. ... Japanese samurai in armour, 1860 photograph. ...

Scenario Editor

Age of Kings also includes a built-in scenario editor whereby players can make custom missions and series of missions. Complicated battles and plotlines can be created using triggers. The simplicity of the editor has allowed less technically-skilled players to participate in community. Some designers, such as Ingo Van Thiel and Berserker Jerker have produced exceptional campaigns with intricate plots and unique gameplay.

The Conquerors expansion

The Conquerors box cover

Main menu of The Conquerors

The expansion pack (The Conquerors) added 11 new units, 26 unique techonolgies for each civilization, new map types, automatized villagers and farms and garrisonable battering rams, plus 5 new civilizations: the Aztecs, the Huns, the Koreans, the Mayans, and the Spanish, and four new Campaigns: Image File history File links Age Of Kings - The Conquerors cover, scanned by user:WolfenSilva for wikipedia This work is copyrighted. ... Image File history File links Age Of Kings - The Conquerors cover, scanned by user:WolfenSilva for wikipedia This work is copyrighted. ... Image File history File links Re-upload of Neutralitys screenshot. ... Image File history File links Re-upload of Neutralitys screenshot. ... An expansion pack is an addition to an existing game. ... The Conquerors is the expansion to the 2000 real-time strategy game Age of Empires II, itself the second installment of the Empires series by Microsoft and Ensemble Studios. ... The word Aztec is usually used as a historical term, although some contemporary Nahuatl speakers would consider themselves Aztecs. ... Hun is a term that refers specifically to a group of Central Asian nomads of East Asia, who appear in Europe in the Forth Centry AD. It has become a general term meant to refer to any number of Central Asian equestrian nomads or semi-nomads. ... This article is about the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. ...

• El Cid
• Montezuma
• Attila the Hun
• "Battles of the Conquerors," a series of famous battles:
  • Tours, 732
  • Vinlandsaga, ~1000
  • Hastings, 1066
  • Manzikert, 1071
  • Agincourt, 1415
  • Lepanto, 1571
  • Kyoto, 1582
  • Noryang Point, 1598

The expansion also introduced 4 new game-types (1 of which was in a later patch): History of Spain series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Muslim Conquest of Iberia Timeline of Muslim Occupation Medieval Spain Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History... Moctezuma II (also Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin) (1466–1520) was an Aztec ruler or huey tlatoani, c. ... The Huns, led by Attila (right, foreground), ride into Italy. ... The Battle of Tours (often called the Battle of Poitiers, but not to be confused with the Battle of Poitiers, 1356) was fought on October 25, 732 between forces under the Frankish leader Charles Martel and an Islamic army led by Emir Abd er Rahman. ... The Saga of Eric the Red is a saga about Eric the Red. ... The Battle of Hastings was the decisive Norman victory in the Norman conquest of England in 1066. ... The Battle of Manzikert (Turkish Malazgirt Savaşı) occurred on August 26, 1071 between the Byzantine Empire and Seljuk Turkish forces led by Alp Arslan, resulting in the defeat of the Byzantine Empire and the capture of Emperor Romanus IV Diogenes. ... The Battle of Agincourt was fought on October 25, 1415, Saint Crispins Day, in northern France as part of the Hundred Years War. ... The naval Battle of Lepanto took place on 7 October 1571 at the northern edge of the entrance to the Gulf of Corinth (then the Gulf of Lepanto), off western Greece. ... Hideyoshi in old age. ... Yi Sun-sin (1545 — 1598), was a famous Korean naval leader. ...

• King of the Hill – To win, players have to control the Monument in the center of the map for the specified time period.
• Wonder Race – No combat; the first player to build a Wonder wins.
• Defend the Wonder – One player starts with a Wonder surrounded by walls and defends it from enemy players to win. All players begin in the Post-Imperial, with large stockpiles of resources and several villagers.
• Turbo Random Map - This was introduced later in an effort to bring new life to the game. Villager collection speeds and construction speeds were multiplied by 2.5, as were research speeds.

Also, a new victory condition was created for use online - Last Man Standing. When this is the victory condition, the teams are unlocked and it is essentially a free-for-all. Players may team with whom they wish, but only one player may win.

See also

• Age of Empires
• Age of Mythology
• Age of Empires III

Age of Empires, sometimes abbreviated AoE, is a history-based real-time strategy computer game developed by Rick Goodman at Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft, released in 1997. ... Age of Mythology (sometimes abbreviated AoM) is a real-time strategy computer game in the Age of Empires series by Ensemble Studios. ... Age of Empires III (AoE III) is the sequel to Age of Empires II and the fifth title of the history-based real-time strategy Age of Empires series of computer games. ...

External links

• Official Website
• GameFAQs' section on Age of Empires II
• Collection of Reviews of Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings
• The Conquerors Gamespot Review
• The Conquerors News
• The Conquerors Patches and Downloads
• The Conquerors Scenario Design
• Age of Kings Heaven, a popular fansite
• Age of Empires in search box, great cheats