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Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition News

Server Maintenance - Wednesday, May 20



WHAT: Server Maintenance (Matchmaking Servers)
WHEN: Wednesday, May 20 @ 1:00p PT / 4:00p ET / 20:00 UTC (Countdown)
EST. DOWNTIME: 1-2 HOURS

[h3]GAMES & PLATFORMS IMPACTED[/h3]
[h3]OBJECTIVES[/h3]
  • Preparations for the May update.

[h3]DETAILS[/h3]Good day, battle historians! This coming Wednesday, May 20th, the multiplayer servers will be coming down for routine maintenance as we lay the groundwork for the May update.

:alertalert: During this time, you will still be able to launch the game but will not be able to matchmake or access any online features.

The downtime is expected to last between 1 and 2 hours. We will update this thread with any changes to the schedule as they arise, as well as the all-clear when the maintenance is complete.

Thank you for your patience!

Battle of Africa 2: The Main Event!



Following its raging success in 2018, the Battle of Africa tournament—hosted by MembTV—makes its triumphant return to the tournament stage, this time on Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. The Battle of Africa 2 brings team games to the forefront of the Age of Empires scene: pitting the top 16 teams in the world against each other starting later this month through the start of June.

Check out the announcement video for the tournament:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h3]THE BATTLEFIELDS[/h3]As the first 3v3 Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition tournament, the Battle of Africa 2 offers a full handcart of unique strategies, tactics, and options for participating teams to synergize their play styles and civilization choices.

A custom map pool has been designed for Battle of Africa 2 with an emphasis on open land maps. These maps are designed to encourage aggressive, fast-paced gameplay throughout the entire tournament—what's certain to result in an out-of-this-world viewing experience.
Download the Custom Map Pack
The qualification phase started on 1st of May with 16 teams battling it out for a position in the tournament. The top 8 teams will qualify for the main event; the 8 losing teams will move into the Gold League, a separate bracket from the Main Event.

[h3]THE TEAMS[/h3]With teams such as Aftermath, Team Secret, Suomi, Vietnam Legends and YinYang competing, it's going to be a hard-fought battle to the end. Will TheViper, TaToH and DauT of Team Secret hold on to their title as the reigning champions in the Battle of Africa?
Tournament Brackets

[h3]WATCH LIVE![/h3]You can catch all of the action with tournament host, MembTV, or can follow along with your regional shoutcasters thanks to the tournament's open streaming policy.
  • Qualification Stage || 16th of May - 17th of May
  • Round 1 & 2 || 22nd of May - 24th of May
  • Round 3 & Quarterfinals || 30th of May - 31st of May
  • Semi-finals || 6th of June
  • Grand Final || 7th of June

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
2020 has been an outstanding year for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition and the Battle of Africa 2 tournament will be no exception!

Contributed by the Forgotten Empires Community Lead, BBQTurkman

Server Maintenance - Wednesday, May 13



WHAT: Server Maintenance (Matchmaking Servers)
WHEN: Wednesday, May 13 @ 1:00p PT / 4:00p ET / 20:00 UTC (Countdown)
EST. DOWNTIME: 1-2 HOURS

[h3]GAMES & PLATFORMS IMPACTED[/h3]
[h3]OBJECTIVES[/h3]
  • Migrate the Definitive Edition databases to higher-capacity servers.

[h3]DETAILS[/h3]Hello medieval strategists! This coming Wednesday, May 13, we will be taking the multiplayer servers down for maintenance.

:alertalert: During this time, you will still be able to launch the game but will not be able to matchmake or access any online features.

The downtime is expected to last two hours while we make the migration. We will update this thread with updates to the schedule as they arise, as well as the all-clear when the maintenance is complete.

Thank you for your patience!

World's Edge partners with Capture Age to bring it to Age II: DE

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
We are proud to officially announce the partnership between World’s Edge and Capture Age.

Capture Age is a ground-breaking spectating tool that completely changed how you can watch, enjoy and analyse Age of Empires: II. Today we can confirm that Capture Age will be coming to Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.

Over the last three years, the Capture Age team has been developing a new way to watch Age of Empires. As fans of the Age of Empires franchise, their knowledge and understanding of the game has forged a tool designed to display real-time information that engages viewers without detracting from gameplay.



The Capture Age tool has been utilized during tournaments such as Hidden Cup 2 and the Escape Champions League to deliver a new and unique spectating experience that changed the way we watch and understand Age of Empires.

Sadly, the tool was incompatible with Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition upon release. Now with the partnership between World's Edge and the Capture Age team, the tool is being redesigned from the ground up to complement and expand the viewer experience.



Recently, the Capture Age team were responsible for the amazing overlay used during the Red Bull Wololo and Hidden Cup 3. The overlay tracked multiple players' resources, population and completed research in real-time, without having to swap between views or access menu systems.

As development progresses, Capture Age will be a stand alone tool providing a huge list of extra features to get excited for!

[h3]✔ In-Depth, Real-time Statistics[/h3]

[h3]✔ Enhanced Minimap with High Contrast Colors[/h3]

[h3]✔ World Overlay with Monk Conversion Time Indicators[/h3]

[h3]✔ Per Unit Statistics and Individual Unit Kills[/h3]

[h3]✔ Tournament Integration with Direct Scoreboard Integration[/h3]

[h3]✔ Event Panel with Tribute Amounts, Market Usages, Notable Events[/h3]

Capture Age will bring a whole new viewing experience to Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition and we are proud to be a part of it.

On Now: The Greatest Medieval Technologies Event!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Come one, come all! The Greatest Medieval Technologies Event is here to spotlight some of the most intimidating inventions in human history! From the evolution of siege technology to the advent of the crossbow, gunpowder, and the defensive gear used to protect against these new technologies, we’re taking a closer look at the instruments of war that helped define (and redefine) the battlefields of their time.

This month, you can play and complete challenges in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition to permanently unlock new icons, never before seen cheat codes, and cosmetics celebrating the greatest medieval technologies!



Today through May 13, complete the in-game tasks within the time limit, and you can score a trebuchet-package of rewards, including:
  • Three new Profile Icons!
  • Two new Cheat Codes!
  • Three exclusive visual mods!
  • New Medieval Menu Background during the event!

Here's the full list of game tasks and rewards for the Greatest Medieval Technologies Event:

SIGN INTO XBOX LIVE
Unlocks the Crossbow profile icon

✅ TRAIN THREE ARBALESTERS IN A SINGLE GAME
Enable Event-Limited Cheat Code “Going Above and Beyond” where all research can be repeated and stacked up to 256x

✅ RESEARCH THE CHAIN MAIL TECHNOLOGY
Unlocks the Golden Bombard Cannon profile icon and Larger Projectiles for Onagers mod

✅ TRAIN THREE FAST FIRE SHIPS IN A SINGLE GAME
Unlocks Gold skin for Bombard Cannon mod

✅ TRAIN THREE BOMBARD CANNONS IN A SINGLE GAME
Unlocks the Hand Cannon profile icon and Tracer FX for Gunpowder Units mod (affects hand cannoneer, janissary, and conquistador)

✅ DESTROY AN ENEMY CASTLE WITH A TREBUCHET
nable Event-Limited Cheat Code: "Tech Tech One Two Free"where all research costs are removed

On top of that, if you sign in to Xbox Live during the Event, you’ll get to keep all of the cheat codes, mods, and profile icons you’ve unlocked!

Good luck sieging the castle!

—The Age of Empires Team

[h2]Medieval Technology Event Wallpaper[/h2]


Download the Wallpaper: 1920X10801920X12003000X1266