Microsoft® Age of Empires® II: The Conquerors Expansion

Version 1.0B
Readme File

June 2001
© Microsoft Corporation, 2001. All rights reserved.
Microsoft Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion 1.0B is an update of Age of Empires II:
The Conquerors Expansion 1.0 that includes several enhancements and bug fixes.

CONTENTS
A. Version Compatibility
B. Balance Changes
C. Enhancements
D. Bug Fixes
E. Uninstalling The Conquerors Expansion 1.0B

A. Version Compatibility
If you are playing a multiplayer game, all players must be using the same version of Age of
Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion. For example, you cannot play a multiplayer game
between The Conquerors Expansion 1.0 and The Conquerors 1.0B update.

Recorded games can only be played using the same version of The Conquerors Expansion that
was used to record the game. For example, you cannot play a Conquerors Expansion 1.0
recorded game using The Conquerors Expansion 1.0B update.

To play a Conquerors Expansion 1.0 recorded game after installing the Conquerors Expansion
1.0B update, you must temporarily revert to The Conquerors Expansion 1.0.

To play a Conquerors Expansion 1.0 recorded game:

1. In the Program Files\Microsoft Games\Age of Empires II folder (or wherever you installed
the game), create a Conquerors folder.
2. Copy the following files from your Conquerors 1.0 disc to the new Conquerors folder:
•00000409.016
•00000409.256
•CLCD16.DLL
•CLCD32.DLL
•CLOKSPL.EXE
•DPLAYERX.DLL
•DRVMGT.DLL
•AGE2_X1.EXE
•AGE2_X1.ICD
3. Create a shortcut to Program Files\Microsoft Games\Age of Empires
II\Conquerors\Age2_X1.EXE, with the Start In folder set to Program Files\Microsoft
Games\Age of Empires II.
4. Start The Conquerors Expansion 1.0 using the new shortcut, then play The Conquerors
Expansion 1.0 recorded game.

B. Balance Changes
Civilizations

•Aztecs get free Loom.

•Byzantines get free Town Watch.
•Chinese start with 50 less food (for a total of -200 food).
•Franks now get the Halberd technology.
•Goth infantry cost 25% less starting in the Feudal Age.
•Japanese infantry get 25% attack speed bonus starting in the Feudal Age.
•Koreans –
•Shinkichon increases Onager range by +1 instead of +2.
•Turtle Ships have Heated Shot and additional armor vs. Galley-line ships.
•Korean villager LOS increased by +1.
•Turtle Ship artwork is changed to be more realistic.
•War Wagon and Elite War Wagon range is reduced.
•Spanish Hand Cannoneer and Bombard Cannons fire 15% faster. Fire rate for Conquistadors
and Elite Conquistadors is also improved.

Units

•All archery range units (except Hand Cannoneers) now do +1 additional damage to Spearman-
line units.
•Camels are now as quick to train as spearmen.
•Viking Berserks now move as fast as pikemen.
•Celtic Woad Raiders now move faster (they run faster than Eagle Warriors who lack Squires).
•Bombard Cannons cause +80 additional damage to buildings.
•Training time for Teutonic Knights, Longboats, Tarkans, and Samurai is significantly reduced.
•Cavalry Archers now have equal range to Heavy Cavalry Archers.
•Scout Cavalry get +2 attack in the Feudal Age.
•Galleys now take 60 seconds to produce (War Galleys & Galleons still take 45 seconds).
•Fireships & Fast Fireships have additional armor vs. Galley-line ships.
•Fireships cause additional damage vs. Turtle Ships.
•Korean War Wagon cost increased to 120 wood 60 gold.

Buildings

•Castles now take longer to build.

•Bombard Towers now do piercing damage instead of normal damage (the major effect is vs.
rams).

Technologies
•Loom provides +1 additional Pierce armor.
•Palisade walls get +3 additional Pierce armor.
•Treadmill Crane, Masonry, Architecture, Hoardings, Fortified Wall, Guard Tower, and Keep have
had their stone cost replaced with wood or food. Now these technologies only cost food &
wood.
•Theocracy only costs 200 gold.
•Shipwright now also decreases ship build time.
•Parthian Shot increases Cavalry Archer and Mangudai attack vs. spearman-line units.
•Heated Shot now increases tower attack and Castle attack vs. ships.
•Capped Ram & Battering Ram upgrades no longer cost gold.
Resources

Fish traps now provide food at a faster rate.

C. Enhancements
•Open ground is always green on the mini map, even on snow or sand terrain.

•Black Forest is no longer an option if you select Random Map or Land Random.

•Farms can be queued to 40.

•Blind Random Map – Multiplayer only. Selects randomly between a number of different map
types, and you are not told what kind of map you are playing on.

•Turbo Random Map -- In this mode, all buildings work 2.5 times faster except when building
econ units (fishing boats, trade ships & carts, villagers). All economic units gather 2.5 times
faster and carry 2.5 times as many resources. All trade units work 2.0 times faster. Villagers
construct buildings 2.5 times faster except for castles, towers, & wonders. To play this new
Turbo style, select "Turbo Random Map" from the Game Type menu in either single player or
multiplayer mode.

•Custom Random Maps -- New ES Custom Maps are in the patch. To select one, go to Map
Style and click "Custom." Note that these maps are NOT guaranteed to work effectively vs. a
computer opponent or for certain game types. The computer opponents assume that all
Custom maps are Coastal, so a map type that is quite different may hinder the computer
opponents’ typical skill level. Also, if you play Regicide on ES@Pilgrims_v2, you do not
receive a starting castle. If you play Regicide on ES@Metropolis_v2, you get three kings and
three castles. If you have 7-8 players on ES@Pilgrims_v2, some players may instantly
resign. The following maps are included. For full descriptions, go to
http://www.ensemblestudios.com/aoeiix/docs/rms.shtml.

•ES@Canals_V2.rms -- A network of canals creates a spider web effect as they try to

connect every player's starting town.
•ES@Capricious_V2.rms -- Starting food, gold and stone might be at normal levels, in short
supply, or in abundance. Starting trees will always be the same.
•ES@Dingos_V2.rms -- Villagers shepherd their flocks while avoiding rampaging wild
animals. Lots of sheep, lots of wolves, no Scout.
•ES@Graveyards_V2.rms -- Control weed-choked graveyards packed with scary trees and
abandoned buildings that conceal resources and ancient relics.
•ES@Metropolis_V2.rms -- Control three Town Centers, three sets of villagers, three Scouts
and three sets of resources!
•ES@Moats_V2.rms -- Each player's town is surrounded by a narrow body of water with
several land bridges for access and moats narrow enough for ranged units to fire across.
•ES@Paradise_Island_V2.rms -- Start on a tropical island with your enemies. The map is
loaded with fish, boars, and berries. Find the three relics at the base of the volcano in the
center, but beware of the guardians!
•ES@Pilgrims_v2.rms -- Your starting island may be small, but there is a whole new world
to discover! Hop in your Transport and race your enemies to the new world!
•ES@Prairie_V2.rms -- Food is often scarce and there aren't a lot of natural defenses, but
your two Scouts can cover a lot of ground.
•ES@Seasons_V2.rms -- Based on the 4 seasons in a year, with a 25% chance of loading
 up a Winter map, Spring map, Summer map, or Autumn map.
•ES@Sherwood_Forest_V2.rms -- Multiplayer only. Your town is surrounded by forests, yet
you can walk freely through them. Use your hunting wolf to scout the terrain or for sneak
attacks on your enemy’s villagers.
•ES@Sherwood_Heroes_V2.rms -- Single player version of Sherwood Forest. Start out with
some familiar heroes.
•ES@Shipwreck_V2.rms -- A few bruised villagers and their waterlogged sheep stranded on
a desert island.
•ES@Team_Glaciers_V2.rms -- In the frozen north, each team must defend its own hunk of
ice and snow against frequent enemy raids. Bad weather makes ships and walls rare,
though strangely, this has led to a bumper crop of deer.
•ES@The_Unknown_V2.rms -- Everything is random. Everything. From the moment the
game starts, you have to scout (with a random number of Scouts, of course) to figure out
whether you are on an island, a mainland, or inside a clearing of trees.

D. Bug Fixes
•Male Mayan farmers are now as good as females.

•Imperial Age Houses now have normal house armor.

•Villagers now walk around farms normally if stopped and started again (the infamous "Farm
bug").

•Monks no longer heal garrisoned units.

•Computer opponents no longer always switch to attack the opponent with the highest score.
That is, they initially attack that opponent, but then they keep attacking for some time
afterwards, even if that opponent’s score drops.

•Teuton Monk Resistance now works properly, so researching Faith is beneficial to them.

•On Nomad maps, Chinese, Persians, Huns, and Mayans now get the correct starting resources.

•Computer opponents now build lumber camps next to bamboo.

•Town centers now always take damage from Bombard Towers.

•The Team Glaciers map no longer starts players on ice terrain.

•The Unknown map no longer starts players surrounded by wood. This map was also revised
with many small adjustments to resources, relics, and terrain.

•The Pilgrims map now starts off with a Lumber Camp instead of a Town Center. Extra villagers
and resources have been added to player islands as well.

•In ParadiseIsland, players are no longer automatically defeated after launch of regicide games.

•Male hunters no longer get +1 LOS.

•Teuton Town Centers now get their attack bonus.

•War Wagons no longer get unintended bonus damage vs. siege.

E. Uninstalling The Conquerors Expansion 1.0B update
To uninstall The Conquerors Expansion 1.0B update and revert to The Conquerors
Expansion 1.0:

1. From the Start menu, choose Programs -> Microsoft Games -> Age of Empires II – The
Conquerors Expansion> Uninstall Age of Empires II – The Conquerors Expansion.
When Setup asks if you want to delete all user-created files, it is recommended that you
choose No.
2. Install version 1.0 from the Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Expansion 1.0 disc.