Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition News

WHAT: Server Maintenance (Multiplayer Servers)
WHEN: Tuesday, November 26 @ 1:00p PT / 4:00p EDT / 21:00 UTC
ESTIMATED DOWNTIME: 2 hours

GAMES & PLATFORMS IMPACTED:

• Age of Empires: Definitive Edition (Steam / Microsoft Store)
  
• Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (Steam / Microsoft Store)
  

DETAILS:
Hello everyone! We will be taking the multiplayer servers down for required maintenance this Tuesday, November 26. During this time, you will still be able to launch the game, but will not be able to matchmake or access any other online features.

The downtime is expected to last two hours. While the servers are down, we'll update this thread with any new information, updates, or changes to the schedule. This is also where we'll announce the all clear when the maintenance is complete.

Thank you for your patience!

Hello adventurers! Today's update comes with a handful of fixes before the weekend: including performance and framerate improvements aimed at enhancing your gameplay experience. Check out the notes below, then grab the latest build on both Steam and the Microsoft Store!

💬 DISCUSS: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Update 33164 Discussion

We hope you can find time to try out the latest build over this final weekend of November! We'll be back in the office next week, so check back then for more of what we have in store for Age of Empires II.

—The Age of Empires Team


Here are the changes included in today's update:

• Fixed a crash when attempting to open the Profile screen when offline.
  
• Fixed an issue where selection boxes could cause a framerate hitch while playing in a campaign or multiplayer match.
  
• Implemented a variety of minor performance improvements to multiplayer and campaign play.
  
• Updated the terrain grid to be semi-transparent and to more accurately align to a variety of terrains.
  

Here are some of the areas where we are continuing to collect information, escalate reports, and working to identify solutions:

• Game stability and performance. We are tracking several different crashes being reported by individuals within the community. Here are some troubleshooting steps that have helped users reporting issues:
  
  • Ensure you have searched for solutions to your specific problem on the Age of Empires II: DE Support page.
    Run through the optimization suggestions listed on the Game Optimization Tips page.
    Please continue reporting any issues you encounter on Steam or the official Age of Empires forum!
    

For the latest issues and solutions currently tracked by the development team:

• Please visit our Known Issues support page.

Welcome to another week of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition! Today's update delivers critical fixes to issues that have prevented people from playing and enjoying the game: including the File Error 12 crash that impacted a subset of players, as well as a Spectator Lobby bug that caused problems when reviewing certain games. We've also slipped in a fix for the missing death sound effects for certain units—an issue highlighted in your Steam discussions and by users over on the official forum! Now you can enjoy all the "huuuuugh" and "hyaaaoooo" the game has to offer!

We want to send a HUGE thanks to everyone who has taken the time to share their feedback, issues, and support for the game over the past week! You are the foundation of this project, and we will continue to monitor your wants and needs as we prioritize tasks for the next update and beyond. Likewise, we appreciate your patience as we work through the early launch-day issues!

💬 DISCUSS: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Update 33059 Discussion

If you are still having trouble connecting or playing the game, you are also encouraged to visit the official Discord server. Our outstanding Community Sages are available to answer questions and point you towards solutions to some of the most common problems:

💬 JOIN: The Age of Empires Discord

Finally, with today's build, the Microsoft Store and Steam builds are once again on the same build and in-sync! This means crossplay will be available between the two platforms—though make sure you've checked the Enable Crossplay option under the Game settings menu to take advantage of the feature.

There's so much more to come; watch for more of what we're working on in the weeks and months to come!

—The Age of Empires Team

• Fixed an issue where various units did not produce death sound effects when killed.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Enhanced Graphics (UHD) option would appear grayed out despite having installed and enabled the DLC.
  
• Fixed an issue that would cause a File Error 12 crash that prevented the successful launch of the game. The most notable impact was on computers using non-Latin characters.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Spectator Lobby displayed outdated games which could not be joined.
  

• We are continuing to monitor the stability and performance of the multiplayer servers. If you are having issues joining or disconnecting from matches, please visit this forum to search for similar issues. Please be sure to include the following details if/when replying to a thread or starting a new discussion:
  
  • A description of the problem
    
  • A description of the steps that lead up to the problem
    
  • Your computer specifications (a .txt copy of your dxdiag report is ideal)
    
  • Any other information that might help us work towards a solution
    
• We are continuing to monitor player reports related to performance or crashes when running the Enhanced Graphics Pack DLC.
  
  • If you do not meet the minimum requirements to run the DLC, we highly recommend disabling or uninstalling it from your computer.
    
  • If you meet the minimum requirements, please visit the official forum or the Steam discussions to post about your issue.
    
  • Please include a copy of your dxdiag report to aid in the investigation of the problem.
    

• For the latest issues and fixes currently being tracked, please visit our Known Issues support page.

Thank you all for being here for the first days of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition! As is the case with any game release, issues will inevitably arise as the live community begins running through the campaign or flocking to the multiplayer servers at the same time. We are working hard to track, investigate, implement, and report solutions as they arise, and we very much appreciate your patience as we work to ensure that everyone can enjoy the game!

Coming your way soon, build 32911 comes with fixes for some of the most prevalent multiplayer issues, crashes, and other problems preventing players from playing the game. We don’t expect these to solve every problem for every user, but hope that they serve as steps towards a more stable game.

💬 DISCUSS: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Update 32911 - Discussion

If you continue to experience these (or other) issues, please let us know by visiting the discussion threads here in the forum; in the meantime, we will continue to listen, gather information, and provide support when and wherever we can.

As we’ve said before: thank you for your patience, and for being a part of this journey!

—The Age of Empires Team

• The matchmaking lobby should now display your connection quality and available game lobbies more quickly and consistently as of build 32911. When you first reach the Multiplayer Lobby Browser, you may notice the Connection Quality tool searching for servers where you can find matches. Please allow up to 40 seconds for this search to complete.
• Fixed an issue where the Enhanced Graphics (UHD) option would appear grayed out despite having installed and enabled the DLC.
  
• Fixed an issue where clicking the Spectate Games tab would result in de-syncing or locking up the game client.
  

• Fixed an issue where certain file paths could result in a File Error 12 crash that would prevent the game from launching. Ongoing discussion about this issue can be found here.
  
• Fixed a rare issue where completing a ranked match could erroneously display a negative ELO. Note that actual ELO score should not have been impacted.
  
• We are continuing our work to update and stabilize the multiplayer servers. Several servers have been spun up to support the population, and we are continuing to investigate issues where servers are not appearing (or appearing incorrectly) in the Lobby Browser.
  

• For ongoing issues currently being tracked by the team, visit our Known Issues support page.
  

WHAT: Server Maintenance (Multiplayer Servers)
WHEN: Thursday, November 14 @ 5:00p PT / 8:00p EDT / 1:00a UTC
ESTIMATED DOWNTIME: 30 minutes

GAMES & PLATFORMS IMPACTED:

• Age of Empires: Definitive Edition (Steam / Microsoft Store)
  
• Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (Steam / Microsoft Store)
  

DETAILS:
Hello everyone! We will be taking the multiplayer servers down for emergency maintenance starting in about half an hour from the time of this posting. During this time, you will still be able to launch the game, but will not be able to matchmake or access any other online features.

The downtime is expected to last thirty minutes. While the servers are down, we'll update this thread with any new information, updates, or changes to the schedule. This is also where we'll announce the all clear when the maintenance is complete.

Thank you for your patience!