Premium packs and social features announced for Age of Empires Online
Microsoft and Robot Entertainment announced today its multiplayer co-op title Age of Empires Online will contain Egyptian and Greek factions at launch, and that social features will be integrated into the free-to-play title.
As per the gamescom reveal, AoEO will contain a persistent world, and players will be able to rule the game's land via their capitol cities in Egyptian and Grecian territories.
The newly revealed social aspect of the title will allow other players to visit your cities and help you with missions. Cities will contain persistent stores where other players can purchase merchandise, this netting you some in-game cash.
Like the majority of free-to-play titles, the game will have premium packs, to include extra content for your civilizations as well as boosters and vanity packs.
Here's a breakdown from Microsoft on what you'll get free, versus what is included in the packs:
Free to Play
- The greatest ancient civilizations, including Greeks and Egyptians
- Constantly new, exciting and evolving content
- Quest, battle, chat and trade with other players - all free!
- Build and show off your own custom Capital City
- Enjoy historical settings with gorgeous visuals and a cool new art style
Additional Premium Content for Purchase
- Rare and Epic Gear: Unlock Rare and Epic Gear! Not only will your units be more powerful with their upgraded gear, but many will have a unique design to make them stand out in battle.
- Advisors - In the Advisor Hall you can unlock Unique Units like Armored Elephants and Civilization Powers.
- Tech Tree: Experience the full tech tree with fantastic end game "Star Techs." For example, generate resources from your market, have your troops bandage themselves, or make your people immune to conversion in battle.
- Initiate Player vs. Player games - Set the gameplay parameters and invite your friends to play,
- Additional Inventory Slots: More than double your inventory space.
- More Workshops: Drastically improve your capital's production with more workshops to create all of the materials you need for crafting.
- Crafting Halls: Learn unit enhancements from additional Crafting Halls and use them to your advantage in the game. There are seven to choose from, including the Military College (enhances infantry), Hunting Lodge (enhances archers/missile units), and Cavalry Hall (enhances mounted units).
- Empire Points: Gives you the ability to spend Empire Points on the best loot in the game. Empire Points reward you for having multiple civilizations.
- In-Game Stores: The ability to earn in-game currency from the stores in your capital city.
A pricing scheme has yet to be announced by Microsoft, but the company did say that players can upgrade a civilization from F2P to premium through the Premium Civilization Pack for a one-time fee.
Age of Empires Online is slated for release this year, supports Games for Windows Live, and is currently in beta.
Via Strategy Informer.