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Age of Empires II

Software Update:

Age of Empires II Update Version 1.0.5

Note: Before installing this update, please check which version of Age of Empires 2 you have by selecting the Age of Empires 2 application and pressing Cmd-I. Current cd's ship with this update already installed.

Click below to update Age of Empires II: Gold Edition for Macintosh to version 1.0.5. This will download a 1.8MB Update file to your computer. After the download is complete, double-click on the downloaded file. This will create a folder called "Age of Empires II 1.0.5 Update." Open this folder and double-click on the file called "Age of Empires II 1.0.5 Update." Then, follow the instructions on the screen.

This update requires Stuff-it Expander. If you don't have it, you can download it free by clicking HERE.

Age of Empires II 1.0.5 Update addresses several problems in the game including improved networking and improved OS X support. These include the following:

  1. Fixed several potential crashes related to sceen rendering.
  2. Fixed text font color probelms in several screens.
  3. All screen shots are now saved in the "Screenshots" folder.
  4. Screen shots are now created with proper file type and creator for OS X.
  5. Under OSX, if you hosted a multiplayer game, your name might have appeared twice as a player.
  6. Fixed a Jaguar problem on multiple monitor systems where the game would run but the graphics would not be displayed. If you have this problem, you may need to reselect your preferred monitor in the Age of Empires II setup window. Press the Command key when launching the game to display this dialog.
  7. Under OS X, actions that can cause another running application to come to the front (such as the Software Update control panel) no longer causes problems for Age of Empires II. When this happens, the game is automatically paused. To resume playing, press the Resume button in the Pause dialog.
  8. The In-Game Cursor has now been re-enabled under OSX. When on, a large cursor is displayed while playing the game. This cursor changes as you move the pointer over units and buildings. Press the Command key when launching the game to display the dialog for changing this setting.
  9. Eliminated double fade up when game launches under OSX.
  10. Completed tasks are now crossed off the task list. Sync warnings no longer appear in recorded game play back.

Below are issues addressed by previous updates. The 1.0.5 update includes all previous updates as well. If you have not already installed an update prior to 1.0.5, don't worry. Just install the 1.0.5 update.

  1. Multiplayer games can now be successfully saved and restored. All multiplayer games saved prior to this software update will not work with this release and should be deleted from the "Age of Empires II Gold:SaveGame:Multi" folder. Simply open this folder and drag all of its contents to the trash.
  2. Fixes a GameRanger launch problem under OS X.
  3. The "Recent Games" list now functions properly, showing IP addresses of recently played multiplayer games.
  4. Fixed problems with OS9 joining an OSX hosted game.
  5. Under OS9, alleviated problems with background applications trying to come to the front. Background applications (like Instant Messenger and Palm Desktop) should not interfere any longer.
  6. Removed the option to choose between software or hardware cursor. Hardware cursor is now always used.
  7. The game now deletes its temporary files when the game quits. This should eliminate the problem of temporary files being found in the trash can upon restart.
  8. Cursor disappearing after certain dialog screens appear.
  9. White text on a light background in a few places, replaced with black text for legibility.
  10. Most multiplayer game synchronization issues.
  11. Random crashes to the Finder, followed by a "Type 11" or "Type 2" error message in OS 8.6 and 9.x. (No error message in OS X.)
  12. Crash when loading certain single-player saved games
  13. Disk partitions named "Data" conflicted with the game's Data folder.
  14. Fixed the "Assertion (bytesToRead>=28) failed" problem during multiplayer games.

Download the update: Age of Empires II 1.0.5 Update

Troubleshooting:

My system is running OS X and I am getting frequent crashes and/or freezes in Age of Empires 2.

-OR-

All units and buildings in my game are invisible.

Cause: The game installation is corrupt.

Resolution: Drag your current Age of Empires II Gold folder to the trash and empty the trash. Next, open the CD and drag the Age of Empires II folder from the CD to the hard drive and let all the files copy. After it has finished copying, install the 1.05 update.

When installing the game, I receive an error message, "System error: file not found."

Resolution: Install the game by dragging the Age of Empires II folder from the game CD to the hard drive. Once all files have copied, the game is fully installed.

Running OS 8.6 or 9.X, I receive an error "type 3" on the main menu screen in Age of Empires II.

Resolution: This error occurs when MacOS is running an outdated version of the CarbonLib extension. You can determine what version of CarbonLib is installed by clicking the Apple Icon>Control Panels> Extensions Manager. If CarbonLib is installed, it will be listed in the Extension section. Check the version number. If you are running a version earlier than 1.4, you should download and install CarbonLib 1.6 from Apple's download page. You can access this page by going to http://www.apple.com/support and clicking the Downloads link.

When starting Age of Empires II, I get a message saying, "Could not initialize graphics system. Make sure your video hardware is compatible with DirectDraw."

Cause: In most cases, you either have an older monitor that supports only a couple of resolutions, or you have an adapter plug between your monitor and Macintosh that is incorrectly configured.

Resolution: Reconfigure the adapter switches according to the manufacturer's directions. If you do not have the directions, MacSoft Technical Support may be able to provide that information if you can provide the make and model number of the adapter. You can contact them via email at support@macsoftgames.com.

When I start a new game, Age of Empires II "Unexpectedly Quits" just before gameplay begins.

Cause: Only the administrator accounts have write permissions to certain files inside the Age of Empires II Gold folder.

Resolution: Give standard user accounts "Read & Write" permissions to the game. To do so, highlight the Age of Empires II Gold folder on the hard drive and press Command-I. Click the arrow next to "Ownership & Permissions" and set all permissions to "Read & Write." Click the "Apply to Enclosed Items" button if it exists in your version of OS X.

Recent Games are missing from the Recent Games window in multiplayer mode.

Resolution: This issue is resolved in the current update.

The multiplayer restore game feature can't find the other players that were originally part of the game.

Resolution: Download and install the 1.0.5 software update above.

When starting Age of Empires II, the introductory movie plays, then the following error message appears: "Could not initialize game. Age of Empires II not detected."

Cause: One of your computer's partitions is named "Data." The program references the "Data" game folder but sees the partition name instead.

Resolution: Download and install the 1.0.5 software update above.

Running OS 8.6 or 9.X, I receive a "Type 2" or "Type 12" error message occasionally during gameplay.

Resolution: Download and run the Age of Empires II 1.0.5 software update above.

Please note that you must have at least 64MB of RAM in your Macintosh to use Age of Empires II.

The game crashes when I try to run it.

Resolution: If you have "partitioned" your hard drive, please see above. Otherwise, a likely culprit of crashing is that you have File Sharing turned on. Please turn off File Sharing by selecting File Sharing from your Control Panels under the Apple menu.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Does Age of Empires II for the Macintosh support multiplayer gaming with players on Windows-compatible PCs?

Answer: Unfortunately, we are unable to offer support for cross-platform, multiplayer gaming at this time. However, players can log onto http://www.gameranger.com to compete in multiplayer scenarios with other Mac users on the Internet. LAN multiplayer gaming is supported between Macs using TCP/IP.

The PC version of Age of Empires II is able to "see" other systems that want to start a multiplayer game. Will this feature be available in the Mac version?

Answer: No. We recommend using GameRanger to join and create Mac multiplayer games on a LAN or on the Internet. If you do not have Internet access, you need to use IP addresses to configure multiplayer games. See "Frequently Asked Questions" for instructions to create a multiplayer LAN game.

How do I configure a multiplayer game between my Macs?

Answer: In our example we will have two systems, Blue and Tangerine. First of all, you need to enter an IP address for each of the systems, unless your Macs are connected to a Cable/DSL router for Internet access. If they are, skip to the next paragraph. In OS 9, click the Apple Icon>Control Panels>TCP/IP. In "Connect via", select Ethernet. In the IP address field, type the address 10.0.0.X, where X is a number from 1 to 254. Make sure each machine has the same three numbers and a different fourth number (10.0.0.1, 10.0.0.2, etc.). In the Subnet Mask field, type 255.255.255.0 on each system. Close the TCP/IP control panel.

Start Age of Empires II on both systems. From the main menu, click Multiplayer. On Blue, click Create. When the game settings menu appears, click the IP button and remember the address. On Tangerine, click Join. Enter Blue's IP address into the field that appears and click OK. You can configure your game settings on Blue and choose Blue's civilization if you like. As the "joining" system, Tangerine can only configure its Civilization. When you're ready to play, click the "I'm Ready" checkbox on each system and then click the "Start Game" button on Blue. The game should start after several seconds.