Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition News

One of the key goals with this DLC was to provide an engaging narrative experience, with memorable characters, beautiful presentation, and high-quality writing and voice acting. Below are just a few interesting ways CaptureAge approached the narrative – hope you like the results and are ready to jump into Chronicles: Battle for Greece on November 14!

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Chronicles: Battle for Greece is available for pre-order now on Steam, Microsoft Store, and Xbox!
Pre-order now for 15% off, and play on November 14th!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2805520/Age_of_Empires_II_DE__Chronicles_Battle_for_Greece/

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[h2]Cutscenes[/h2]

The most obvious narrative change in this DLC is the switch to animated cutscenes. In the Achaemenid section of the campaign, these cutscenes are styled like Persian rock reliefs, while in the Athenian and Spartan sections of the campaign, they’re styled like Greek vase paintings.

As well as being aesthetically pleasing, there were several other objectives for cutscenes. The first was to clearly convey enough historical information to put the upcoming scenario in context. Altogether, the cutscenes provide a concise but accurate summary of the real history which inspired this DLC.



The second objective was to make cutscenes a reasonable length – players should not miss out on narrative content because they don’t want to sit through an overlong movie!

Finally, as well as being fond of Homeric similes and historical details, our narrator (whose identity will remain a secret for now) interprets events from an ancient cultural and religious perspective. This provides even more of the historical and cultural flavor of the time period.

For more history, check out our previous post about the history behind Chronicles: Battle for Greece!

[h2]Characters[/h2]

Character-focused storytelling is at the heart of Chronicles. The 21-scenario campaign tells the story of the fifth century BCE through a few select characters, with many of the scenarios chosen to maximize those characters’ screen time.

In contrast to other Age of Empires II campaigns, cutscenes provide exposition and context, but the scenarios themselves to do the bulk of the character development. This means you’ll hear a lot more dialogue from the characters. Characters will also converse and respond to one another, developing complex friendships and rivalries.

In each section of the campaign, the player will take on the role of one key character and get to know them in depth. They are also paired with contrasting side characters: the inexperienced, bookish, somewhat prickly administrator Artaphernes is advised by Datis, an unflappable, tough, but warm-hearted veteran; the devious, clever Themistocles is paired with the upright Aristides; the noble Brasidas must try to restrain the ruthless Lysander. These relationships evolve and grow across the campaign – and there’s a healthy dose of other antagonists and allies in the mix too.


A special mention must be made for the spectacular cast of voice actors, who have brought incredible energy and variety to Chronicles and allowed for a different approach to voice acting. They truly delivered and gave a distinctive and fitting sound to each of our characters.

[h2]Gameplay[/h2]

Each scenario has gameplay fitting the narrative and characters featured in them. When playing as the politician Pericles, for instance, players will have to maintain popularity with the people of Athens, while numerous scenarios featuring the vicious general Lysander have mechanics which reward violence and destruction.

A huge amount of effort has been put into the presentation of the scenarios too. Magnificent cities, filthy siege camps, and war-torn landscapes are brought beautifully to life with a host of new scenario editor objects. The Battle for Greece campaign is filled with carefully-crafted cinematic moments, from epic charges to city festivals to grand military parades.

[h2]A Message from CaptureAge [/h2]
This being our final dev blog before release, the CaptureAge team would like to take the opportunity to thank the community for their positivity and support. We wanted to create something new and different with Chronicles, and it’s incredibly gratifying to see fellow Age of Empires lovers appreciating the enormous efforts we’ve put into our work! Battle for Greece is just the first part of the Chronicles story – and believe us when we say that there’s plenty of innovation still to come.

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[h2]Pre-Order Now![/h2]

Chronicles: Battle for Greece is available for pre-order now on Steam, Microsoft Store, and Xbox!
Pre-order now for 15% off, and play on November 14th!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2805520/Age_of_Empires_II_DE__Chronicles_Battle_for_Greece/

Three brand new civs are coming with Chronicles: Battle for Greece! Learn more about the fearsome Spartans and their unique playstyle.


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[h2]Pre-Order Now![/h2]
Chronicles: Battle for Greece is launching November 14th on Steam!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2805520/Age_of_Empires_II_DE__Chronicles_Battle_for_Greece/

Here is displayed the History of Herodotus of Halicarnassus, made so that the deeds of humankind should not be forgotten in time, and that great and wondrous deeds – some displayed by the Hellenes, some by the barbarians – should not lose their glory, including among other things the cause of their waging war on each other.

– Herodotus, Histories 1

With the upcoming release of Chronicles: Battle for Greece, Dr. Ben Angell, Narrative Lead at CaptureAge has taken some time to talk about the inspiration and history you can look forward to experiencing on November 14th:

The Age of Empires series holds a special place in my life: I’ve been playing this series since I was six years old, and it inspired a love of history that ultimately led to attaining a Doctorate in Ancient History from the University of Oxford. Now, I have the tremendous privilege of bringing my passion and expertise back to the series where my journey as a historian and writer started.

The CaptureAge team has striven to immerse players in the ancient world with Chronicles: Battle for Greece through reworked visuals, historically-flavored dialogue, and vivid recreation of famous historical battles in new scenarios.
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Chronicles: Battle for Greece is available for pre-order now on Steam, Microsoft Store, and Xbox!
Pre-order now for 15% off, and play on November 14th!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2805520/Age_of_Empires_II_DE__Chronicles_Battle_for_Greece/
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[h3]The Visual Overhaul [/h3]

We needed to completely overhaul the look of the game to make it appropriate for classical antiquity. Units shared between the civilizations had to be remodeled and renamed – Knights, for instance, became Lancers – while naval combat has been fully overhauled. These units needed to be reasonably applicable to all of the civilizations, across the entire geographical and temporal span that Chronicles covers – hence the Achaemenids, for example, have access to large warships whose visual design is inspired more by the Hellenistic and Roman eras.

We were able to get more specific with our unique and regional units, such as the Achaemenid Immortal, or the Hoplite fielded by all the Greek civilizations. We also included 13 campaign-only units, including Cretan Archers, Scythian Axe Cavalry, and Rhodian Slingers.



We also gave new names and icons to many technologies in the game. The Temple (the Monastery) provides many good examples. For instance, Redemption – which allows players to convert enemy buildings – has been replaced in Chronicles by Evocatio, referring to a Roman ritual whereby the protective deities of a besieged city would be invited to abandon the enemy and come over to the Roman side.

[h3]Dialogue[/h3]

In Chronicles, we’ve tried to fill the dialogue with as much historical flavor as possible. Characters invoke the gods and promise them sacrifices; they discuss how they should behave by referencing examples from epic poems and mythological stories; they hurl authentic insults like “dog-faced” and use exclamations from Greek tragedy like “oimoi” and “euai”.

History buffs might even notice some direct references to ancient sources. For instance, one character swears an oath “by Ares, Enyo, and blood-loving Phobos” – the oath sworn in Aeschylus’s Seven Against Thebes. A particularly spine-tingling example is Leonidas, fighting until the end at Thermopylae, echoing the Spartan war poet Tyrtaeus’s exhortation to “make life your enemy and hold the black spirits of death dear as the rays of the sun”.

[h3]Scenarios[/h3]

The Battle for Greece campaign closely follows the events of the fifth century BCE, including vivid recreations of many of its most famous battles, such as Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis. We’ve creatively represented numerous features of the period: you’ll have to undermine the walls of Miletus with sapper tunnels, demand and collect tribute from the increasingly dissatisfied members of the Athenian empire, and flush rebellious agitators from helot villages as the Spartans.

431 BCE was a bad time to be an Athenian farmer.

As an example, the 15th scenario, “Within the Long Walls”, recreates the early years of the Peloponnesian War: the Athenians are trapped inside their city walls while hostile Spartans burn the fields beyond. Playing as the Athenian leader Pericles, you must maintain your political popularity while the vicious demagogue Cleon urges the people against you. Later, in the 19th scenario set during the Sicilian Expedition, the Athenians attempt to enclose the city of Syracuse within a stone wall – so the Syracusans and their Spartan allies build a counter-wall to stop them!

This is just a small preview of the historical feast to come in Chronicles: Battle for Greece. The new campaign is full of references and details to delight the history buffs among you!

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[h2]Pre-Order Now![/h2]
Chronicles: Battle for Greece is available for pre-order now on Steam, Microsoft Store, and Xbox!
Pre-order now for 15% off, and play on November 14th!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2805520/Age_of_Empires_II_DE__Chronicles_Battle_for_Greece/

Chronicles: Battle for Greece will introduce 3 brand new civs! Find out a little more about the unique playstyle of the Athenians and how to harness their strengths to achieve victory!


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[h2]Intrigued? Pre-Order Now![/h2]
Chronicles: Battle for Greece is launching November 14th on Steam!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2805520/Age_of_Empires_II_DE__Chronicles_Battle_for_Greece/

Seamanship is an art, no different from any other art; it cannot be taken up occasionally as a leisurely pursuit – rather it is so exacting that it leaves leisure for nothing else!

– Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War 1.142.9

Hoist the sails, harangue the oarsmen, and pour libations for favorable winds, as CaptureAge prepares to lead you through the many new naval features in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition – Chronicles: Battle for Greece.

Right from the start of the Chronicles project, naval gameplay has been central to the vision. We wanted to expand the strategic depth of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition’s naval gameplay, do justice to the importance of naval warfare in classical antiquity, and – most importantly – give players some exciting new toys to play with.

A little historical note: much like the other non-unique units which are shared across all civilizations, the designs of our ships are creative composites of styles from across the ancient world, and from across the time period that Chronicles will eventually cover. Thus the Achaemenids, for instance, have access to large siege ships that are heavily inspired by the Hellenistic and Roman eras.

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Chronicles: Battle for Greece is available for pre-order now on Steam! Pre-order now for 15% off, and play on November 14th!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2805520/Age_of_Empires_II_DE__Chronicles_Battle_for_Greece/

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Rather than recruiting all of your naval units from the Dock, in Chronicles you’ll have access to two different naval buildings: the Port and the Shipyard.

The Port is more focused on economic production: here, players can create Fishing Ships, Merchant Ships, Transport Ships, and our cheap scout ships, the Lemboi. Shipyards, on the other hand, are used to create military ships.

[h2]Six Military Ship Classes[/h2]

[h3]Lemboi[/h3]

Lemboi are small and cheap, requiring no gold to create. They are ideal for scouting, and players will receive a free Lembos when they construct their first Port. Lemboi are also effective against Galleys, hurling pots of boiling oil at their foes. The Lembos is the only military ship to be recruited from the Port.

[h3]Ramming Ships[/h3]

A common feature of ancient naval warfare was ramming: ships would smash into the sides of other vessels with metal rams attached to their prows. In Chronicles, these ships are highly effective against Lemboi, and will be essential for closing in on Catapult Ships.

[h3]Galleys[/h3]

The main ranged ship at your disposal is the Galley. These are effective against ramming ships – as long as you can keep them at a distance – and are essential for taking out those pesky incoming Incendiary Ships.

[h3]Incendiary Ships[/h3]

All Age of Empires players love detonating a well-placed Demolition Ship. We couldn’t leave out such an iconic unit, so we made our own, inspired by ancient uses of burning rafts, such as at the Siege of Tyre in 332 BCE. If directed against large groups of enemy ships, an Incendiary Ship can be deadly – and oh so satisfying!

[h3]Catapult Ships[/h3]

Speaking of the dangers faced by large groups of ships, a well-timed volley from a Catapult Ship can devastate an unsuspecting enemy navy. Only available from the third Age (referred to in Chronicles as the Classical Age), these large, expensive ships can turn the tide of tight fights.

[h3]Leviathans[/h3]

Finally, the siege ship, the Leviathan. Appropriately named after the mythical sea monster, the Leviathan is an enormous Imperial Age unit which can destroy buildings from long range. Make sure your Leviathans are protected – as well as their long-range attack, they also increase the attack rate of nearby ships.

[h2]Naval Economy[/h2]

[h3]Oysters[/h3]

Oysters are a new naval resource, providing gold at sea. They can be collected by Fishing Ships or by Villagers, if the Oysters are sufficiently close to the shore.

Beware: Oyster grounds will be frequent sites of conflict with your resource-hungry foes!

[h3]Merchant Trading[/h3]

In Chronicles, your Merchant Ships (replacing Trade Cogs) bring back both wood and gold when trading with allied docks. You can adjust the ratio of wood to gold in the Port, allowing you to prioritize bringing in the wood you need for naval production, or gold for expensive units and upgrades.




Mastering the seas will be essential to your success in Chronicles. As our story unfolds, you will need to conduct combined land and naval operations to seize coastal fortresses, rely on maritime trade to feed besieged cities, and force your enemies into submission through relentless naval artillery bombardments.

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[h3]Chronicles: Battle for Greece is available for pre-order now on Steam! Pre-order now for 15% off, and play on November 14th![/h3]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2805520/Age_of_Empires_II_DE__Chronicles_Battle_for_Greece/