About
Age of Empires is a game published by Microsoft, released together with its Rise of Rome expansion. This is a from-scratch, cross-platform free-software reimplementation of Age of Empires and its Rise of Rome expansion. It mimics the original's Windows API calls and its "Genie" game engine for compatibility, with some logic reconstructed from disassembly of the original executable, and it requires players to supply their own legitimate copy of the game for its data files. It runs on Windows 10 and above, recent macOS, and several Linux distributions (Fedora 44, Ubuntu 22 and above).
How it differs from the original
Currently only very basic gameplay is implemented, and only in multiplayer mode; a single-player experience is simulated by hosting a multiplayer session and adding computer-controlled players, whose AI is limited to gathering resources and doing nothing else unless attacked.
Getting started
You need your own legitimate original Age of Empires (or Rise of Rome) installation to supply the game's data files, and point the program at its install directory. Since true single-player isn't implemented yet, start a local multiplayer game and add AI-controlled players to play solo.
Known limitations
- gameplay: Only multiplayer mode is currently available; singleplayer requires hosting a multiplayer session with computer players.
- ai: Computer players only gather resources and do nothing until attacked.
Media
Additional notes
- Modding
- Community-made free asset packs aren't supported yet, and the project doesn't currently recommend making your own, since the required resource formats and dimensions aren't fully documented.