Age of Empires

Microsoft Age of Empires Expansion Readme File
September 1998
© Microsoft Corporation, 1998. All rights reserved.

Welcome to Microsoft Age of Empires Expansion!

This file contains information to help you install Age of Empires Expansion. It also includes late-breaking information not included in the manual or online Help.

CONTENTS
A. Hardware and System Requirements
B. Installing Age of Empires Expansion
C. Starting Age of Empires Expansion
D. Getting Help
E. DirectX Troubleshooting
F. Gameplay Troubleshooting
G. Video Troubleshooting
H. Audio Troubleshooting
I. Performance Troubleshooting
J. Head-to-Head Play Troubleshooting
K. Age of Empires Expansion Information
L. Welcome to the Best in Online Gaming!

A. Hardware and System Requirements

Multimedia PC with Pentium 90 or higher processor (Pentium 120 for Gigantic maps).
Microsoft Windows 95 or later, or Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 with Service Pack 3 or later.
Microsoft Age of Empires 1.0 or later.
16 megabytes (MB) of RAM for Windows 95 or later, or 24 MB for Windows NT (and for Windows 95 or later for an 8-player multiplayer game).
30 MB of available hard disk space.
Local bus SVGA, 256-color video display with at least 1 MB of VRAM.
Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device.
2X CD-ROM drive (4X recommended).
Windows-compatible sound card with speakers or headphones to hear audio.
28.8 Kbps (or faster) modem and Internet access for head-to-head play.

B. Installing Age of Empires Expansion

To install Age of Empires Expansion, you must be using Microsoft Windows 95 or later, or Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3 or later. (For information about how to get Service Pack 3, go to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads).

Before you can install Age of Empires Expansion, you must have Age of Empires 1.0, 1.0A, or 1.0B installed. When you install Age of Empires Expansion, your version of Age of Empires is automatically upgraded to 1.0B.

To install Age of Empires Expansion

1. Turn on your computer and start Microsoft Windows 95 or later, or Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3 or later.
2. Place the Age of Empires Expansion CD in the disc holder (if required), and insert it into your CD-ROM drive.
3. If AutoPlay is enabled, click Install, and then follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
-or-
If AutoPlay is disabled, double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop, double-click the icon for your CD-ROM drive, and then double-click the AOESetup.exe icon. When the Setup screen appears, click Install, and then follow the instructions that appear on the screen.

C. Starting Age of Empires Expansion

You must have the Age of Empires Expansion CD or Age of Empires CD in your CD-ROM drive to play single player games or use the scenario builder. Both versions of the game work with either CD. If you start Age of Empires Expansion without a CD in the CD-ROM drive, you must exit the game, insert the CD, and then restart Age of Empires Expansion.

If you do not have a CD, you can play only multiplayer games. A multiplayer game requires the following number of CDs: 2-3 players (1 CD); 4-6 players (2 CDs); 7-8 players (3 CDs).

You can connect only to multiplayer games created with the same Age of Empires version you are using. If you are playing Age of Empires Expansion, only Expansion games appear in the multiplayer list. However, if you are playing the original Age of Empires, version 1.0, 1.0A, and 1.0B games appear in the multiplayer list. Remember that installing Age of Empires Expansion automatically upgrades your version of Age of Empires to 1.0B, so you can only join version 1.0B games if you play the original Age of Empires.

To start Age of Empires Expansion

Place the Age of Empires Expansion CD in the disc holder (if required), insert it into your CD-ROM drive, and then click Play.
-or-
If the Age of Empires Expansion CD is already in your CD-ROM drive, click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Games, point to Age of Empires Expansion, and then click Age of Empires Expansion.

You can skip the opening cinematics by clicking the mouse or pressing ENTER, SPACEBAR, or ESC.

D. Getting Help

Complete information about Age of Empires Expansion is in the manual. You can also use the Manual.pdf file in the Docs