Microsoft Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion Readme File

June 2 ! Microsoft Corporation" 2 # All rights reser$ed#

%elcome to Microsoft& Age of Empires& II: The Conquerors Expansion' This file contains information to help you install The Conquerors Expansion. It also includes latebreaking information not included in the manual or in-game Help.

C()TE)T*
A# Installing The Conquerors Expansion +# *tarting The Conquerors Expansion C# ,etting -elp .# %hat/s on the C. E# Manual Corrections F# .irect0 Trou1leshooting ,# ,amepla2 Trou1leshooting -# 3ideo Trou1leshooting I# C.4R(M .ri$e Trou1leshooting J# Audio Trou1leshooting 5# 6erformance Trou1leshooting 7# Multipla2er Trou1leshooting M# Map Editor Trou1leshooting )# The Conquerors Expansion Information

A# Installing The Conquerors Expansion

To install The Conquerors Expansion, you must be using icrosoft !indo"s & #$ or later %this includes icrosoft !indo"s illennium Edition& or icrosoft !indo"s 'T & (.) "ith *er+ice ,ack $ or later %this includes icrosoft !indo"s -)))&. %.or information about ho" to get *er+ice ,ack $, go to http:88999#microsoft#com89indo9s8do9nloads8&. To install The Conquerors Expansion /. Turn on your computer and start icrosoft !indo"s #$ or later or icrosoft !indo"s 'T (.) "ith *er+ice ,ack $ or later. -. ,lace The Conquerors Expansion C0 in the disc holder %if required&, and insert it into your C0-12 dri+e. 3. If 4uto,lay is enabled, click Install, and then follo" the instructions that appear on the screen. -orIf 4uto,lay is disabled, double-click the M2 Computer icon on your desktop, double-click the icon for your C0-12 dri+e, and then double-click the A(C*etup#exe icon. !hen the *etup screen appears, click Install, and then follo" the instructions that appear on the screen.

+# *tarting The Conquerors Expansion

5ou must ha+e The Conquerors Expansion C0 in your C0-12 dri+e to play. *' : 7aming

5ou cannot launch or 6oin a Conquerors Expansion multiplayer game from the

8one lobby if you do not ha+e The Conquerors Expansion C0 in the C0-12 must ha+e a C0 inserted at launch time.

dri+e. 4ll players

5ou can connect only to multiplayer games created "ith the same 4ge of Empires +ersion you are using. .or example, if you are playing The Conquerors Expansion, only Conquerors games appear in the multiplayer list. 7ames created "ith 4ge of Empires, 4ge of Empires9 The 1ise of 1ome Expansion, or 4ge of Empires II9 The 4ge of :ings do not appear in the list. To start The Conquerors Expansion

,lace The Conquerors Expansion C0 in the disc holder %if required&, insert it into your C012 dri+e, click the *tart button, point to 6rograms, point to Microsoft ,ames, point to Age of Empires II 4 The Conquerors Expansion, and then click The Conquerors.

5ou can skip the opening cinematics by clicking the mouse or pressing E'TE1, *,4CE;41, or E*C.

C# ,etting -elp
5ou can find information about The Conquerors Expansion in the game manual, the in-game Help, and in the TechTree.pdf file in the 0ocs folder on The Conquerors Expansion C0. To displa2 in4game -elp

,ause your pointer o+er any button or interface item in the game and Help text automatically appears on the screen. %To turn off in-game Help, click the -elp button near the mini-map in the lo"er-right corner of the screen.&

The game manual and the technology trees for all /< ci+ili=ations are a+ailable in .pdf format in the 0ocs folder on the C0. 5ou can +ie" and print the files using 4dobe 4crobat 1eader. To install Ado1e Acro1at Reader

0ouble-click the M2 Computer icon on your desktop, right-click the icon for your C0-12 dri+e, and then click Install Ado1e Acro1at Reader.

.# %hat/s on the C.
The Conquerors C0 contains some additional information that you may find interesting or useful. To access the information on the C.

0ouble-click the M2 Computer icon on your desktop, right-click the icon for your C0-12 dri+e, click (pen, and then double-click either the .ocs or ,oodies folder.

.ocs folder
Cps1#doc 4 Computer 6la2er *trateg2 +uilder ,uide - .or ad+anced players "ho "ant to learn ho" to "rite scripts to customi=e the artificial intelligence %4I& that controls the beha+ior of computer players. There is also a sample 4I script in the 7oodies folder on the C0.

Rmsg#doc 4 Random Map *cripting ,uide - .or ad+anced players "ho "ant to learn ho" to "rite scripts to customi=e the terrain of random maps. There are also sample random map scripts in the 7oodies folder on the C0. Manual#pdf 4 Conquerors Expansion Manual - 4n online +ersion of the manual, "hich you can +ie" or print using 4dobe 4crobat 1eader. To install 4dobe 4crobat 1eader, see 7etting Help earlier in this 1eadme file. Techtree#pdf 4 Conquerors Expansion Tech Trees - >ets you +ie" or print the tech trees for all /< ci+ili=ations in the game %only the tech trees for the fi+e ne" ci+ili=ations are in the manual&. To +ie" or print the tech trees, you must install 4dobe 4crobat 1eader as explained in 7etting Help earlier in this 1eadme file.

,oodies folder
Aiscript folder 4 Contains samples of the t"o files required to customi=e the artificial intelligence of computer players %*ample4I.ai and *ample4I.per&. To learn ho" to "rite custom 4I scripts, see Cpsb.doc in the 0ocs folder on the C0. Machine folder 4 ,ro+ides configuration information about your computer for easy troubleshooting if you require product support. Ms;one folder 4 >ets you install the 8one.com soft"are so you can connect to multiplayer games from the *': 7aming 8one. Rmscript folder 4 Contains samples of t"o different random map scripts %Hallo"ed.rms and Trade1ts.rms&. To learn ho" to "rite scripts to customi=e the terrain of random maps, see 1msg.doc in the 0ocs folder. *cenario folder 4 Contains the fan-designed scenario that "on the 4ge of Empires II scenario design contest. *ee the instructions in this folder to find out "hat you need to do to play the scenario. Aocdemo#scx 4 Conquerors Expansion .emo *cenario - To play the scenario, copy 4ocdemo.scx to the *cenarios folder "here The Conquerors Expansion is installed. Ar< =eng#exe 4 Ado1e Acro1at Reader - 4dobe 4crobat 1eader lets you +ie" or print the anual.pdf and Techtree.pdf files in the 0ocs folder. .or installation instructions, see 7etting Help earlier in this 1eadme file.

E# Manual Corrections
anual corrections and clarifications are as follo"s9 6ages < > =: ;ombard Cannons, angonels, 2nagers, and *iege 2nagers fire faster because the speed of the tra6ectory increased, not because they fire more often. 6age =: The ,atrol command has been changed so that units on patrol do not attack during the first se+eral seconds of the patrol. 6age ?: If you play a 0efend the !onder game using a 1eal !orld game "ith "alls. ap, you do not begin the

F# .irect0 Trou1leshooting

0irect?& @./ or later must be installed on your computer before you can play The Conquerors Expansion. If you ha+e correctly installed 4ge of Empires II9 The 4ge of :ings, you should already ha+e 0irect? installed. If you experience problems "ith 0irect?, see the 1eadme file on the 4ge of Empires II9 The 4ge of :ings C0. If you experience sound or +ideo problems using 0irect?, go to http:88support#microsoft#com8support8directx8 for the latest troubleshooting information. 5ou should also check "ith your +ideo or sound card manufacturer for the latest 0irect?compatible dri+ers.

,# ,amepla2 Trou1leshooting

*a$ing games - 5ou cannot name a sa+ed game using certain operating system terms, such as C2 /, >,T/, etc. Recording games - If you run out of hard disk space "hile recording a game, the recording stops but the game continues uninterrupted. Ho"e+er, if you are inserting a chapter marker into a recorded game and you run out of hard disk space, the game may crash. Mo$ing campaigns and scenarios to a different computer - 5ou can mo+e the files for your Conquerors Expansion games to another computer. Conquerors Expansion files ha+e a .gax file extension - for example, 4ge-.gax. To transfer your campaigns, mo+e the A.cpx files from the Campaign folder "here The Conquerors Expansion is installed to the same location on another computer. Then transfer all of the scenarios in that campaign and the ,layer.nfx file as explained belo". To transfer your scenarios, mo+e the A.scx files from the *cenario folder "here The Conquerors Expansion is installed to the same location on another computer. To transfer your player name and progress through the campaigns, mo+e ,layer.nfx from the folder "here The Conquerors Expansion is installed to the same location on another computer. If you are mo+ing the ,layer.nfx file to a computer that already contains a ,layer.nfx file, you may "ant to rename the file on the computer to "hich you are mo+ing files so you do not o+er"rite the existing ,layer.nfx and lose the campaign information it contains.

-# 3ideo Trou1leshooting

@F0 Motion =AB - If you are running !indo"s #$, you may experience screen corruption of the main menu and 'e" ,layer dialog box, screen corruption during gameplay "hen scrolling from left to right and from right to left, and screen corruption as you select different ob6ects on the game screen. If this occurs, contact the +ideo card manufacturer for the latest dri+ers %http:88999#nine#com8&, or do"nload the *3 Bision <@< reference dri+ers for the card at http:88999#sA#com8. ATI A. Rage 6ro - 5ou may experience brief pauses or decreased game performance. If this occurs, contact 4TI for the latest +ideo dri+ers, or do"nload them at http:88999#ati#com8.

ATI Rage 6ro Tur1o 20 - 1age ,ro Turbo -? +ideo cards may only allo" you to use a @() x (<) screen resolution. The minimum Conquerors Expansion in-game resolution is <)) x @)). If this occurs, contact 4TI for the latest +ideo dri+ers, or do"nload them at http:88999#ati#com8. Creati$e 7a1s ,raphics +laster Exxtreme - Creati+e >abs 7raphics ;laster Exxtreme +ideo adapters may cause screen corruption "hen you change the in-game screen resolution or press 4>TCT4; to enter or lea+e the game. If this occurs, contact Creati+e >abs for the latest +ideo dri+ers, or do"nload them at http:88999#creati$e#com8. .iamond *tealth A. 2 - 5ou may experience a black screen "hen starting the game %you may still hear game sounds and be able to click buttons&. If this occurs, contact 0iamond for the latest +ideo dri+ers, or do"nload them at http:88999#diamondmm#com8. .iamond Monster Fusion - 5ou may experience stability problems "hen starting the game. If this occurs, contact 0iamond for the latest +ideo dri+ers, or do"nload them at http:88999#diamondmm#com8. .or the latest dri+ers to function properly, you may need to update your +ideo bios. 5ou can find information about ho" to do this on the 0iamond !eb site. -ercules *tingra2 B2C8A. - If your in-game screen resolution is set to /)-( x D@<, you may experience screen corruption and your computer may lock up if you restore a game using 4>TCT4;. If this occurs, contact Hercules for the latest +ideo dri+ers, or do"nload them at http:88999#hercules#com8. -ercules Terminator +east - 5ou may not be able to +ie" the opening +ideo using the retail dri+ers for this card %although you may be able to hear the sound&. If this occurs, press the E*C key to bypass the opening +ideos and display the main menu. Contact Hercules for the latest +ideo dri+ers, or do"nload them at http:88999#hercules#com8. Intergraph Intense A. B - Intergraph Intense 30 /)) +ideo adapters cause the game to crash during the opening +ideo. If this occurs, add the command line parameter )ostartup in your Conquerors Expansion shortcut. .or information about adding parameters to the command line, see Command >ine ,arameters under ,erformance Troubleshooting later in this 1eadme file. Intergraph Intense A. B - 0uring gameplay, the bottom game screen border may be corrupt and pink in color. 4lso, the in-game custom mouse pointer may not be +isible. If this occurs, contact Intergraph for the latest +ideo dri+ers, or do"nload them at http:88999#intergraph#com8. 5ou may not be able to +ie" the game in /)-( x D@< resolution. Matrox Millennium II 6o9er.esD - 5our computer may lock up "hen you change the ingame screen resolution to /)-( x D@<. If this occurs, contact atrox for the latest +ideo dri+ers, or do"nload them at http:88999#matrox#com8. Matrox M,A Millennium - 5ou may experience screen corruption "hen playing "ith an ingame resolution of /)-( x D@< or "hen using 4>TCT4; in this resolution. If this occurs, contact atrox for the latest +ideo dri+ers, or do"nload them at http:88999#matrox#com8.

6ermedia 2 Chipset41ased $ideo card 9ith latest A. 7a1s reference dri$ers - 5ou may experience screen corruption "hen playing The Conquerors Expansion using this configuration. If this occurs, uninstall the reference dri+ers and contact your +ideo card manufacturer for the latest dri+er "ritten specifically for your card. any reference dri+ers are not supported, and may cause problems "ith certain applications. *ierra *creaming A. - 5our computer may lock up "hen you exit the game. If this occurs, contact *ierra for the latest +ideo dri+ers, or do"nload them at http:88999#sierra#com8. *ierra *creaming A. ERendition 3erite B F - 5ou may experience screen corruption "hen your in-game screen resolution is set to /-<) x /)-(. If this occurs, exit the game using 4>TC.(. 1estart the game, and in the 2ptions screen set your in-game resolution to a lo"er resolution. *T+ 3elocit2 << - 5ou may experience blue screens or instability "hen launching The 4ge of :ings or The Conquerors Expansion. If this occurs, contact the +ideo card manufacturer for the latest dri+ers, or do"nload them at http:88999#st1#com8. or do"nload the reference dri+ers from http:88999#n$idia#comE. If your +ideo card is 47,, you may also "ant to lo"er the 47, aperture si=e in the bios. 4 good rule of thumb is to set your 47, aperture si=e to half of your total system 14 . 3oodoo A - If you are running !indo"s -))), your mouse pointer may blink during gameplay. If this occurs, try a lo"er screen resolution. If this doesnFt "ork, contact the +ideo card manufacturer for the latest dri+ers, or do"nload them at http:88999#Adfx#com8. +lacD screen after $ideo - 4 black screen may appear at the conclusion of the opening +ideo. If this occurs, press E*C or click the mouse button. 5ou may also "ant to add the command line parameter )ostartup to The Conquerors shortcut. .or information about adding parameters to the command line, see Command >ine ,arameters under ,erformance Troubleshooting later in this 1eadme file. +lacD screen areas - *ome +ideo adapters may cause black areas on the game screen. If this occurs, you can add the Mfill parameter to the command line in The Conquerors shortcut. .or information about adding parameters to the command line, see Command >ine ,arameters under ,erformance Troubleshooting later in this 1eadme file. *creen corruption - If you experience problems such as a black screen after starting the game, black areas on the game screen, screen corruption "hen you press 4>TCT4; to enterElea+e the game, or other screen problems "hile playing the game, contact your +ideo card manufacturer for the latest dri+ers. *creen flicDering - Certain second-party applications may cause a brief flickering of the Conquerors Expansion +ideo palette. 0isabling all non-+ital applications before running The Conquerors Expansion "ill increase stability, performance, and +isual quality. This problem may occur on some systems "ith the Creati+e *;>i+eG sound card "ith the Creati+e >i+e!ire -.) and -./ dri+er sets for this sound card. Mouse pointer - *ome +ideo adapters may cause the mouse pointer to disappear if you change the in-game screen resolution or reenter the game by pressing 4>TCT4;. If this occurs, contact your +ideo card manufacturer for the latest dri+ers.

Monitors and lo9er4end $ideo cards - 5ou may see brief screen corruption or flashing "hen s"itching screens in the game. This is a limitation of some older +ideo cards and "ill not affect game performance or stability. If you notice screen corruption "hen s"itching to a high in-game resolution, this may be due to the limitation of certain monitors or some older, lo"er-end +ideo cards that do not support higher resolutions. Hse 4>TC.( to exit the game, restart The Conquerors Expansion, and then use the (ptions screen to s"itch to a lo"er ingame resolution. .irect0 - If you experience +ideo problems using 0irect?, connect to the 0irect? !eb site for the latest troubleshooting information, as explained in 0irect? Troubleshooting earlier in this 1eadme file.

I# C.4R(M .ri$e Trou1leshooting

The Conquerors Expansion uses *afedisc encryption technology. *ome C0-12 be compatible "ith this technology. dri+es may not

Acer <<0 - 5ou may experience problems "ith this dri+e during installation. There are no kno"n solutions. Acer C.4G2<a - If you experience problems "ith this dri+e "hen using read-mode dri+ers, install protected-mode dri+ers. Memorex 222< - 5ou may experience problems "ith this dri+e. The dri+e may take up to 3 minutes to load from the C0. 6lextor - If you experience problems "ith these dri+es, contact ,lextor for an upgraded +ersion of ,lextor anager -))), "hich includes a I'o 1ead *lo"do"nI option that may pre+ent the dri+e from slo"ing to -? speed. *an2o CR.42=G6 - If you experience problems "ith this dri+e, do not load the game multiple times in one session. 4lso, you may try e6ecting the C0. *on2 C.H??E 20 - If you experience problems "ith this dri+e, make sure it is configured as a master, and then run the game again. Iamaha 22BGE and C.RG<BG* - 5ou may experience problems "ith these dri+es. There are no kno"n solutions. Iamaha <<BG*0 - If you experience problems "ith this dri+e, contact 5amaha for a firm"are upgrade. Error requesting C. insertion - !hen launching a multiplayer game from the 8one, you may recei+e an error message asking you to insert the C0 although the C0 is already in the dri+e. If this occurs, exit and relaunch from the 8one.

J# Audio Trou1leshooting

.irect0 - If you experience audio problems using 0irect?, connect to the 0irect? !eb site for the latest troubleshooting information, as explained in 0irect? Troubleshooting earlier in this 1eadme file.

5# 6erformance Trou1leshooting
There are se+eral "ays to impro+e the gameFs performance. .or example, the game "ill run faster if you use the least demanding game settings, such as setting the screen resolution to <)) x @)), setting the detail of graphics to >o", setting the game speed to *lo", and setting the difficulty le+el to Easy. ost of these impro+ements can be made from "ithin the game %on the main menu, click (ptions, or if you are playing a game, click the Menu button, and then click (ptions&. 5ou can also set some of these +ariables by adding parameters to the command line.

Command 7ine 6arameters

5ou can add parameters to The Conquerors Expansion command line to impro+e performance, customi=e startup, or resol+e problems "ith certain hard"are configurations. To add parameters to the command line in The Conquerors shortcut /. 1ight-click The Conquerors shortcut, click 6roperties, and then click *hortcut. -. In the Target box, type the name of the parameter after the existing command line text. .or example, if you add the parameters )o*tartup and )oTerrain*ound, the command line "ill read IC9J,rogram .ilesJ icrosoft 7amesJ4ge of Empires IIJ4ge-Kx/J4ge-Kx/.exeI 'ostartup 'oterrainsound. ,arameters must be separated by a spaceL capitali=ation is not important. To add parameters to the Age of Empires II registr2 for multipla2er games using the M*) ,aming Jone /. Click the *tart button, and then click Run. -. Type Regedit, and then click (5. 3. 0ouble-click -De2KlocalKmachine8*oft9are8Microsoft8.irect6la28Applications8Age of Empires II 4 The Conquerors Expansion8Command7ine. (. In the 3alue data box, type the name of the parameter after the existing command line text. .or example, if you add the parameters )o*tartup and )oTerrain*ound, the command line "ill read I>obby 'o*tartup 'oTerrain*ound.I ,arameters must be separated by a spaceL capitali=ation is not important. 0o not remo+e the "ord IlobbyI from the command line. The command line parameters include9

)o*tartup - *kips all cinematic sequences before the game starts. C " B 2<" B2C - *ets the screen resolution to <)) x @)), /)-( x D@<, or /-<) x /)-(. .or example, C sets the screen resolution to <)) x @)), B 2< sets the screen resolution to /)-( x D@<, and B2C sets the screen resolution to /-<) x /)-(. 5ou can also set the screen resolution by clicking the Menu button during gameplay and then clicking (ptions. If you use a command line parameter to set the screen resolution, the game al"ays starts at that resolution, e+en if you use (ptions to choose another resolution. 'ote that the interface screens before the game "ill al"ays be displayed in <)) x @)) mode.

Autompsa$e - 4utomatically sa+es a multiplayer game e+ery fe" minutes. *a+ed games are located in the *a+egameE ulti folder. Mfill - .ixes hori=ontal line problems and black screen areas that may occur "ith some +ideo adapter configurations. )ormalMouse - 1eplaces the custom mouse pointer "ith a standard mouse pointer. )(*C - Turns off detection of the icrosoft *trategic Commander game controller.

)o*ound - Turns off all sounds, except those played in cinematics. )oTerrain*ound - Turns off all terrain sounds. )oMusic - Turns off all music. Ms2nc - .ixes lock-up problems that may occur "ith some *ound;laster 4!E configurations.

6erformance pro1lems 9ith 3IA chipset41ased mother1oards If you experience blue screens or instability "ith 4ge of Empires II9 The Conquerors Expansion on a system "ith a BI4 chipset-based motherboard, contact your 2E dealer, hard"are manufacturer, or motherboard manufacturer to acquire and install the appropriate 47, miniport dri+er. This "ill fix all kno"n issues. If problems persist, contact your 2E dealer, hard"are manufacturer, or motherboard manufacturer for further assistance.

7# Multipla2er Trou1leshooting

Age of Empires $ersions - In a multiplayer game, all players must be using the same +ersion of 4ge of Empires. .or example, if you are using The Conquerors Expansion, only Conquerors Expansion games appear in the multiplayer list. 7ames created "ith 4ge of Empires, 4ge of Empires9 The 1ise of 1ome Expansion, or 4ge of Empires II9 The 4ge of :ings are not listed. +est performance - .or best performance, connect to the Internet before starting an Internet multiplayer game. Connection t2pe - 4l"ays select Internet TC,EI, Connection for 0irect,lay "hen starting a multiplayer game o+er the Internet. %*elect the >ocal %>4'& TC,EI, Connection if you are playing on a pri+ate or home net"ork.& If you choose >4' and you are playing on the Internet, the game may hang. If this occurs, restart The Conquerors Expansion and select Internet TC,EI, Connection for 0irect,lay. .ifferent modem speeds - If t"o players ha+e different modem speeds, they "ill be unable to play "ith each other. If this occurs, use the same modem speed as your opponent. -ome net9orDs and dial4up connections - If you ha+e a net"ork card and you dial in to the

Internet +ia modem, you may ha+e trouble launching multiplayer games. If this occurs, unplug the net"ork cable from your net"ork card before connecting to the Internet.

Computer 6la2ers in multipla2er games - It is not recommended that computer players play in a multiplayer game o+er the Internet as it may slo" the game. If you "ould like to add computer players to a multiplayer game, make sure the player "ith the fastest computer and fastest connection hosts the game. Multipla2er performance - If you experience performance problems during a multiplayer game, try playing at a lo"er screen resolution or ha+e the host set the game speed to *lo9 in the Multipla2er ,ame screen. Multiple I6 addresses - If other players are not able to connect to a game you ha+e created by typing the I, address that appears "hen you click the I6 button on the Multipla2er ,ame screen, you may ha+e multiple I, addresses. 5ou can display all of your I, addresses by running !inipcfg. To run %inipcfg /. Click the *tart button, and then click Run. -. Type %inipcfg, and then click (5. 3. *elect 666 Adapter. The correct I, address is displayed in the I6 Address box.

.isconnection from I*6 - If you are disconnected from your I*, and quickly reconnect, you and the host may be dropped from the game if your I*, assigns a ne" I, address because the game "ill not recogni=e you. If this occurs, restart the game. Random map $ersions - If your +ersion of a random map does not match the hostFs, you must go to the 1andom folder "here you installed The Conquerors Expansion and rename the map so the host can transfer the correct +ersion. -ard disD space - If you 6oin a multiplayer game but do not ha+e enough hard disk space to do"nload the scenario, you "ill recei+e a message that you must quit the game, clear space on your hard disk, and then re6oin the game. 5ou must also delete the partially do"nloaded scenario from the *cenario folder "here you installed The Conquerors Expansion or the game "ill crash after you reconnect.

M# Map Editor Trou1leshooting

*cenario names - 5ou cannot name a scenario using certain reser+ed terms, such as 4H?, C>2C:, C2 /, C2', >,T/, 'H>, ,1', etc. 6alette pro1lems - 5ou may experience problems "hen creating your o"n background art for campaigns in the ap Editor. If this occurs, do not use the first or last /) colors in the color palette.

)# The Conquerors Expansion Information

.or more information about 4ge of Empires II9 The Conquerors Expansion, +isit our !eb site

at http:88999#microsoft#com8games8conquerors8. If youFd like to play against opponents o+er the Internet, check out the http:88999#;one#com8.

*' 7aming 8one at