Age of Mythology
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''Age of Mythology'' is a
real-time strategy Real-time strategy (RTS) is a Video game genre, subgenre of strategy video games that does not progress incrementally in turn-based game, turns, but allow all players to play simultaneously, in "real time." By contrast, in Turn-based strategy, tur ...
video game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was released on October 31, 2002 in North America and on November 14, 2002 in Europe. A spin-off from the ''Age of Empires'' series, ''Age of Mythology'' takes some of its inspiration from
mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...
and
legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...
s of the
Greeks Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...
,
Egyptians Egyptians (, ; , ; ) are an ethnic group native to the Nile, Nile Valley in Egypt. Egyptian identity is closely tied to Geography of Egypt, geography. The population is concentrated in the Nile Valley, a small strip of cultivable land stretchi ...
, and Norse, rather than from actual historical events. Many gameplay elements are similar to the ''Age of Empires'' series, while mythological creatures and supernatural powers move it beyond the realm of realism. Its campaign follows an Atlantean admiral, Arkantos, who is forced to travel through the lands of the game's three cultures, hunting for a
cyclops In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; , ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguished. In Hesiod's ''Th ...
who is in league with
Poseidon Poseidon (; ) is one of the twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and mythology, presiding over the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 He was the protector of seafarers and the guardian of many Hellenic cit ...
against Atlantis. ''Age of Mythology'' was commercially successful, going platinum four months after its release after selling over one million units. In 2003, it was followed by an expansion pack, '' Age of Mythology: The Titans''. On May 8, 2014, ''Age of Mythology: Extended Edition'' was released for Windows via
Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...
. This was followed by a second expansion pack, ''Age of Mythology: Tale of the Dragon'', released on January 28, 2016. On September 4, 2024, a remaster, '' Age of Mythology: Retold'', was released.


Gameplay

Like many other
real-time strategy Real-time strategy (RTS) is a Video game genre, subgenre of strategy video games that does not progress incrementally in turn-based game, turns, but allow all players to play simultaneously, in "real time." By contrast, in Turn-based strategy, tur ...
games, ''Age of Mythology'' is based on defeating enemy units and towns, building your own units and towns, and training villagers and fighters. In this way, players are able to defeat and conquer rival towns and civilizations. Players advance their tribe through four "Ages": starting in the Archaic Age, the player may upgrade to the Classical Age, the Heroic Age, and finally, the Mythic Age. Each upgrade to a higher Age unlocks new units and technologies for the player, which strengthens their settlement. However, upgrading requires a sum of resources to be paid and a certain prerequisite building to be constructed. There are three playable cultures in ''Age of Mythology'': the Greeks, Egyptians, and Norse. Each culture has three "major gods"—important deities such as
Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...
, Ra, or
Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...
. The player chooses their major god before the game begins. Every time a player advances to the next age, a "minor god" is selected. Minor gods are slightly less significant historically than their major counterparts. Some minor gods include Bast and
Aphrodite Aphrodite (, ) is an Greek mythology, ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation, and as her syncretism, syncretised Roman counterpart , desire, Sexual intercourse, sex, fertility, prosperity, and ...
. All gods grant the player unique technologies, myth units, and a unique "god power"—A one-time special ability that can either damage an opponent, or benefit the player that uses it. There are four major resources in ''Age of Mythology'':
food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for Nutrient, nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or Fungus, fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, protein (nutrient), proteins, vitamins, ...
,
wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...
,
gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
, and favor; unlike previous games by Ensemble Studios, this game does not include the
stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
resource. Resources can be used to train units, construct buildings, and research technologies, among other things. Civilian units—namely, the Greek
village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...
rs, Norse gatherers and
dwarf Dwarf, dwarfs or dwarves may refer to: Common uses *Dwarf (folklore), a supernatural being from Germanic folklore * Dwarf, a human or animal with dwarfism Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a sh ...
s, the Egyptian
laborer A laborer ( or labourer) is a person who works in manual labor typed within the construction industry. There is a generic factory laborer which is defined separately as a factory worker. Laborers are in a working class of wage-earners in whic ...
s, and fishing boats—are used to gather resources.
Hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...
animals, gathering berries,
harvest Harvesting is the process of collecting plants, animals, or fish (as well as fungi) as food, especially the process of gathering mature crops, and "the harvest" also refers to the collected crops. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulses fo ...
ing livestock,
farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...
ing, and
fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...
are all methods by which food can be gathered. Wood is gathered only by chopping down trees, and gold is gathered from either gold mines or from
trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cr ...
. Players can purchase upgrades that increase the rate of gathering these resources. Favor is acquired in different ways by different cultures: Greek players gain it by having villagers pray at
temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...
s; Egyptian players earn it by building
monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...
s; and Norse players receive it by fighting/hunting animals or by possessing heroes. Resources can be exchanged at a player's market, with the exception of favor.


Units

Every unit in the game takes up between one and five "population slots". Building additional houses or Town Centers—the main building in a player's town—increases the population capacity, up to a maximum of 300. Units can be classified into seven categories;
infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
, archers,
cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...
—the three of which are broadly classified as human unitssiege units, naval units,
hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...
es, and myth units (
monster A monster is a type of imaginary or fictional creature found in literature, folklore, mythology, fiction and religion. They are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive, with a strange or grotesque appearance that causes Anxiety, terror ...
s and other creatures from mythology). The rock-paper-scissors model governs most units in battle. For example, infantry does additional damage to cavalry, cavalry does additional damage to archers, and archers do additional damage to infantry. The same rock-paper-scissors formation exists in the three different types of naval units—arrow ships, siege ships, and hammer ships. Siege units are generally exempt from the rock-paper-scissors model but are instead able to destroy
building A building or edifice is an enclosed Structure#Load-bearing, structure with a roof, walls and window, windows, usually standing permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, a ...
s easily while being vulnerable to cavalry attacks. Heroes are extremely effective against myth units, which in turn do large amounts of damage against human units. Heroes are also able to collect
relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...
s, which grant the player additional economic or military bonuses when deposited in a player's temple. Most units can be upgraded, making them better at certain tasks.


Buildings

Buildings in ''Age of Mythology'' can generally be split into three categories:
economic An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...
,
military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...
, and defensive. The most important economic building is the Town Center, which is similar to the building of the same name in the ''
Age of Empires ''Age of Empires'' is a series of historical real-time strategy video games, originally developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Xbox Game Studios. The first title in the series, ''Age of Empires'', focused on events in Europe, Afri ...
'' series games. Most civilian units are trained at the Town Center, as are some improvements. Most importantly, players advance Age via the building. The Town Center provides 15 population slots, and building additional houses will earn the player 10 additional slots per house. In the Heroic Age, players may claim settlements (unclaimed Town Centres) for additional population slots. In some cases owning all town centres will trigger a countdown to victory. Other economic buildings include the
farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...
and market. Buildings are able to research improvements, as well as provide resources for the player. All units except civilians and myth units are trained at military buildings. These buildings differ in name and purpose between culture, but all are able to train similar units. Military buildings are also used to research military specific technologies, such as armor upgrades, and attack improvements. Walls and
towers A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...
are defensive structures, which are not able to train units, and are used only for the purposes of defense. They are able to research some upgrades, although these are generally only useful to the building performing the research. Another type of building available to players, is a Wonder: a grand building that represents an architectural achievement of the civilization. In certain game modes, once a player builds a wonder, a ten-minute countdown begins. If the wonder is still standing after the countdown ends, the player who built the wonder wins.


Scenario editor

The ''Age of Mythology'' editor is far more advanced than that of its predecessor, the '' Age of Empires II'' scenario editor. In addition to standard unit placement facilities, the editor allows units to be overlapped, and it facilitates for large mountains, and steep terrain. Triggers, a popular aspect of scenario design in '' Age of Empires II'', are also present in ''Age of Mythologys editor, as well as cinematics and other
special effect Special effects (often abbreviated as F/X or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the fictional events in a story or virtual world. ...
s.


Campaign

Unlike the campaign modes in ''
Age of Empires ''Age of Empires'' is a series of historical real-time strategy video games, originally developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Xbox Game Studios. The first title in the series, ''Age of Empires'', focused on events in Europe, Afri ...
'' and '' Age of Empires II'', ''Age of Mythology'' only has one central campaign, ''Fall of the Trident''. The campaign is significantly longer than campaigns in previous games, with a total of 32 scenarios.


Multiplayer

''Age of Mythology'' included unlimited free multiplayer accounts on ESO. , it is no longer possible to create new accounts but access to already created ones is still possible. Similar in function to
Blizzard Entertainment Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and Video game publisher, publisher based in Irvine, California, and a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard. Originally founded in 1991, the company is best known for producing the h ...
's Battle.net, ESO allows players to play matches, as well as chat with other players. In multiplayer games, there are seven different game types available, all of which are provided as standard with the game: ''Supremacy''—the standard game mode—includes randomly generated map and all gameplay aspects; ''Conquest'' is similar to Supremacy, but victory is only possible by defeating all other players; in ''Deathmatch'' players begin the game with high resources, but the game is otherwise the same as Supremacy; in ''Lightning'', the gameplay is identical to Supremacy, but the game plays at twice the normal speed; in ''Nomad'' mode, players start with one civilian unit, and no Town Center, and must build up on a settlement; the goal of ''King of the Hill'' is to control a monument in the center of the map for a set period of time; and in ''Sudden Death'', a player loses if their Town Center is destroyed, and they fail to rebuild it within a set period of time. Multiplayer
tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...
s and LAN parties are popular throughout the world, with many players visiting computer gaming lounges to participate.


Campaign synopsis

Atlantean admiral and war hero Arkantos finds himself leaving his home of Atlantis and his son Kastor, in order to pursue the
minotaur In Greek mythology, the Minotaur (, ''Mīnṓtauros''), also known as Asterion, is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "par ...
Kamos, who raids his homeland to steal a trident from a statue of Poseidon. Whilst Kamos manages to escape, Arkantos recovers the trident and returns it home, before proceeding on the instructions of the Atlantean council to assist the Greek king
Agamemnon In Greek mythology, Agamemnon (; ''Agamémnōn'') was a king of Mycenae who commanded the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans during the Trojan War. He was the son (or grandson) of King Atreus and Queen Aerope, the brother of Menelaus, the husband of C ...
in the
Trojan War The Trojan War was a legendary conflict in Greek mythology that took place around the twelfth or thirteenth century BC. The war was waged by the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans (Ancient Greece, Greeks) against the city of Troy after Paris (mytho ...
. Aided by the heroes
Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * Ajax (play), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...
and
Odysseus In Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology, Odysseus ( ; , ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( , ; ), is a legendary Greeks, Greek king of Homeric Ithaca, Ithaca and the hero of Homer's Epic poetry, epic poem, the ''Odyssey''. Od ...
, his Atlantean forces eventually win the war against
Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...
through the use of a
Trojan Horse In Greek mythology, the Trojan Horse () was a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in Homer, Homer's ''Iliad'', with the poem ending ...
. Leaving Troy, Ajax accompanies Arkantos to Ioklos as he seek assistance in repairing his ships, only to find the city occupied and its people enslaved by an army led by Gargarensis, a
cyclops In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; , ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguished. In Hesiod's ''Th ...
warlord, and Kemsyt, an Egyptian priest. Rescuing the city's guardian, the
centaur A centaur ( ; ; ), occasionally hippocentaur, also called Ixionidae (), is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse that was said to live in the mountains of Thessaly. In one version o ...
Chiron In Greek mythology, Chiron ( ; also Cheiron or Kheiron; ) was held to be the superlative centaur amongst his brethren since he was called the "wisest and justest of all the centaurs". Biography Chiron was notable throughout Greek mythology for ...
, the pair are led by him to a dig site which the enslaved citizens are working at. Finding the site hides an entrance to the
underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...
of Erebus, the group venture below and discover Gargarensis attempting to break open a large metal door. Believing this must not happen, the group use their forces to destroy the ram, prompting the cyclops to entrap them within Erebus. After searching the underworld for another way out, Arkantos comes across a series of temples dedicated to Poseidon,
Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...
, and
Hades Hades (; , , later ), in the ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, is the god of the dead and the king of the Greek underworld, underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea ...
. When he finds his prayers to Poseidon unanswered, Chiron suggests to him to pray for Zeus' blessing, which leads to the Greek god showing favor by providing the group with a route to the surface. Travelling out of Erebus, the group find themselves in the deserts of Egypt, where they befriend Amanra, a Nubian leader seeking to revive
Osiris Osiris (, from Egyptian ''wikt:wsjr, wsjr'') was the ancient Egyptian deities, god of fertility, agriculture, the Ancient Egyptian religion#Afterlife, afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion. He was ...
following his death at the hands of
Set Set, The Set, SET or SETS may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Mathematics *Set (mathematics), a collection of elements *Category of sets, the category whose objects and morphisms are sets and total functions, respectively Electro ...
. The group learn Kemsyt seeks to prevent this, and so work with Amanra to find the pieces of Osiris' body scattered across Egypt. During their search for the first piece, Arkantos is visited by the goddess
Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...
in his dreams, who reveals that the incident in Erebus was being influenced by Kronos, one of the
Titans In Greek mythology, the Titans ( ; ) were the pre-Twelve Olympians, Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (mythology), Uranus (Sky) and Gaia (Earth). The six male ...
who ruled over Earth until Zeus imprisoned them. Seeking his freedom, Kronos is influencing Poseidon and Gargarensis to find the Tarturus gates, adamantine doors that seal the Titans' in their prison and break them open, in exchange for granting them what they most desire. Athena pleads with Arkantos to stop this from happening, as Zeus cannot involve himself without starting a war amongst the gods. After securing the first piece, Arkantos learns from an Egyptian pharoah that Osiris' pyramid guards another Tarturus gate, prompting him and his allies to split up and find the remaining pieces. Each successfully recover the missing pieces, with Arkantos confronting and killing Kamos for aiding Gargarensis. Managing to restore Osiris, the Egyptian god thwarts Gargarensis' plan by sealing access to the gate under his pyramid, and forcing him and Kemsyt to flee Egypt. Following their escape, Chiron reveals to the others that he encountered Norsemen from the Norselands during their search, who reveals the cyclops' army are seeking to invoke Ragnarok in their homeland, leading Arkantos to lead their forces north. Arriving in the frozen Norselands, Arkantos and his friends encounter Brokk and Eitri, two dwarven brothers, who they help with reclaiming a dwarven forge in exchange for a safe route to Midgard. Proceeding deeper into the Norselands, the group are tricked by
Loki Loki is a Æsir, god in Norse mythology. He is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mythology), Laufey (a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to the goddess Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi (son of Lo ...
, who they learn is aiding Gargarensis. Aided by the
valkyrie In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ( or ; from ) is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become ('single fighters' or 'once fighters').Orchard (1997:36) and Li ...
Reginleif, who sent the Norsemen to Egypt, they eventually find the next Tartarus gate within the Norse underworld Niflheim, whereupon Chiron sacrifices himself to stop a horde of fire giants pursuing his friends. Needing to prevent the gate from being opened by another battering ram, Arkantos is surprised when Brokk and Eitri turn up with pieces of
Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...
's
hammer A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nail (fastener), nails into wood, to sh ...
, which Loki had attempted to destroy. Reforging it anew, the group witness Thor reclaim it and use its power to seal the gate. Pursuing Gargarensis to the surface, Arkantos receives fresh reinforcements from Odysseus, allowing their forces to capture the cyclops, with Ajax beheading him. As the heroes return to Atlantis, they become shocked when they find Loki had deceived them, after finding Kemsyt's head in the place of Gargarensis. Arkantos realizes that the cyclops is heading for Atlantis, which houses one final Tarturus gate, and fears for the worst. Upon arriving on Atlantis' shores, the group discover the main city occupied and fortified, with Poseidon having possessed a colossal statue to guard it. Fighting to retake the city, Arkantos discovers Poseidon and Gargarensis are too powerful, and so orders a wonder to Zeus to be built in order to beseech the god's help. In response to his actions, Zeus gives Arkantos god-like powers to tackle Poseidon, while the others, led by Kastor, evacuate the Atlanteans from the city. With his new powers, Arkantos sacrifices himself to destroys the statue, causing it to kill Gargarensis in its destruction, whilst also plunging Atlantis beneath the ocean to ensure the gate beneath it is sealed forever. Whilst Kastor and the others mourn his loss, Athena revives him, rewarding his heroism by elevating Arkantos as a new god.


''The Golden Gift''

An official campaign, ''The Golden Gift'', was released as a download on Microsoft's website. The campaign follows the adventures of Brokk and Eitri, the dwarves who appeared in the initial campaign. The plot unfolds with both dwarves planning to create a giant golden boar as an offering to the Norse god Freyr. While working separately, Brokk is approached by Skult (also from ''Fall of the Trident'') who warns him that Eitri is making preparations to create the boar without his brother, of which Eitri is also told the same about Brokk. As both brothers race to complete the boar in the great forge, Skult steals the finished piece and holds it in Loki's fortress. The brothers eventually assault the base, and the boar is retrieved and successfully offered to Freyr.


Development

Ensemble Studios began work on their first fully 3D
engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ge ...
at the same time as their development of '' Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings''. Named the BANG! Engine, this was announced in January 2001, for use in a new game, codenamed ''RTSIII''. ''RTSIII'' was eventually revealed as ''Age of Mythology''. In developing ''Age of Mythology'', Ensemble Studios decided to move away from the center of the ''Age of Empires'' series history, to avoid becoming stale and repetitive. This allowed them to work with new ideas and concepts. Following the announcement of the game for September 2002, a trial version was released. It contained five scenarios of the game's campaign, and two random maps. In the trial version, the player can only select Zeus, but there are nine gods available in the full version of the game. There was debate during ''Age of Mythology''s construction concerning the unbalanced nature of god powers and how to make them "fair" while still maintaining an element of fun in them. It was concluded that the best way to make it fair for everyone was to limit the use of god powers to one a game. ''Age of Mythology'' underwent a large amount of beta-testing during its developmental phase, as Ensemble Studios attempted to create a more balanced and competitive game than its predecessors. Greg T. Street commented that one of the reasons ''Age of Mythology'' became so popular was because the development team spent many hours working on the game through active testing, rather than just taking advice from a "faceless drone in another building".


Music

The official
soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...
was released on October 22, 2002, under the
record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...
"Sumthing Else". The score was written by Stephen Rippy and Kevin McMullan. Rippy cites musicians such as
Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He came to prominence as the original frontman of the rock band Genesis. He left the band in 1975 and launched a solo career wit ...
,
Tuatara The tuatara (''Sphenodon punctatus'') is a species of reptile endemic to New Zealand. Despite its close resemblance to lizards, it is actually the only extant member of a distinct lineage, the previously highly diverse order Rhynchocephal ...
,
Bill Laswell William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, wo ...
, Talvin Singh and Tchad Blake as inspirations for the soundtrack. The musical work done on ''Age of Mythology'' was unlike anything Rippy had done before; an example of this was "writing for a seventy-piece orchestra and then flying out to Washington to record it". Music 4 Games' reviewer, Jay Semerad, praised ''Age of Mythology''s soundtrack. He summarized his review by declaring: "In all, the Age of Mythology soundtrack is an experience that should not be missed. It's easily one of my favorite soundtracks from this past year." Semerad was also astonished, and appreciative, of the use of instruments such as the ney flute,
tabla A ''tabla'' is a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent. Since the 18th century, it has been the principal percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music, where it may be played solo, as an accompaniment with other instruments a ...
and toy piano, all of which he said produced "some innovative analog and synthesized electronic effects". His only critique was that at times some of the background melodies were "bound to a simple harmonization", and lacking any "real bold or innovative purpose".


Expansions and other versions


''The Titans''

''Age of Mythology: The Titans'' is an expansion to ''Age of Mythology'', released on September 30, 2003. The expansion added a new culture, the Atlanteans, as well as several new units, including
titans In Greek mythology, the Titans ( ; ) were the pre-Twelve Olympians, Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (mythology), Uranus (Sky) and Gaia (Earth). The six male ...
. Critics and fans received the expansion with enthusiasm, although its ratings were slightly lower on average than those of the original version.


''Mythologies''

''Age of Empires: Mythologies'' is a spin-off of '' Age of Empires: The Age of Kings'', but with the unique mythology-based gameplay elements of ''Age of Mythology''. It was developed by Griptonite Games for the
Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
.


''Extended Edition''

''Age of Mythology: Extended Edition'' is a compilation that includes the main game and ''The Titans'' expansion. It adds Steamworks integration, Twitch support, an enhanced observer mode, native HD
widescreen Widescreen images are displayed within a set of aspect ratio (image), aspect ratios (relationship of image width to height) used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ...
and improved water and
lighting Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight. ...
. It was released on May 8, 2014. The Extended Edition was developed by SkyBox Labs.


''Tale of the Dragon''

On September 18, 2015, a new expansion was announced, ''Tale of the Dragon''. It was co-developed by SkyBox Labs and Forgotten Empires, the latter having worked on new expansions for '' Age of Empires II''. The expansion added a new culture, the Chinese, with the major gods
Fuxi Fuxi or Fu Hsi ( zh, c=伏羲) is a culture hero in Chinese mythology, credited along with his sister and wife Nüwa with creating humanity and the invention of music, hunting, fishing, domestication, and cooking, as well as the Cangjie syste ...
,
Nüwa Nüwa, also read Nügua, is a mother goddess, culture hero, and/or member of the Three Sovereigns of Chinese mythology. She is a goddess in Chinese folk religion, Chinese Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. She is credited with creating humani ...
, and Shennong. The expansion also features a new campaign and multiplayer maps, as well as other features. It was released on January 28, 2016.


''Retold''

''Age of Mythology: Retold'' serves as the ''Definitive Edition'' of the ''Age of Mythology''. The game was revealed on October 25, 2022 and was released on September 4, 2024. It was made in '' Age of Empires III: Definitive Editions version of the Bang Engine and all units and animations were completely redone.


Reception

In the United States, ''Age of Mythology'' sold 870,000 copies and earned $31.9 million by August 2006, after its release in October 2002. It was the country's 10th best-selling computer game between January 2000 and August 2006. Combined sales of the game and its ''Titans'' expansion had reached 1.3 million units in the United States by August 2006. ''Age of Mythology'' received a "Gold" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), indicating sales of at least 200,000 copies in the United Kingdom.


Critical reception

''Age of Mythology'' received critical acclaim, reaching an estimated one million units sold within five months of its release. The game received nominations for "Computer Game of the Year" and " Computer Strategy Game of the Year" during the AIAS' 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. ''GameSpot'' named ''Age of Mythology'' the best computer game of November 2002. It was a runner-up for ''GameSpot''s annual "Best Single-Player Strategy Game on PC" and "Best Multiplayer Strategy Game on PC" awards, which went respectively to '' Medieval: Total War'' and '' Warcraft III''. ''Age of Mythology''s
graphics Graphics () are visual images or designs on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, screen, paper, or stone, to inform, illustrate, or entertain. In contemporary usage, it includes a pictorial representation of the data, as in design and manufa ...
were praised by the majority of reviewers. ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' reviewer Steve Butts stated that "some fantastic effects and believable animations make this one a joy to watch. The differences between the armies and environments are awesome." As such, he gave the graphics a rating of 9 out of 10. Meanwhile, ''
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' reviewer Greg Kasavin also rated the graphics 9 out of 10, stating that "''Age of Mythology'' is a great-looking game, filled with bright colors and carefully detailed animations." ''
Game Revolution Mandatory (formerly CraveOnline Media) is a lifestyle website based in Los Angeles with sales offices in New York City, Chicago and San Francisco. The site is owned by media company Evolve Media, LLC. Mandatory focuses its contents into the male ...
'' also appreciated ''Age of Mythology''s graphics, stating in their review that the "new 3D landscape looks good", and including graphics as one of the positives in the review summary. ''
PC Gamer ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games m ...
'' reviewer William Harms admired the graphics, "The environments, units, and buildings are packed with detail," and excitedly commented on the effects: "What really impressed me, though, were the game's animations. When a Minotaur smacks a dude with his club, the schmoe goes flying, skids on the ground, and then bounces back into the air." The game's
soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...
was also praised by reviewers, although several commented that it was repetitive and predictable at times. ''IGN'' described it as "great, if repetitive, music", whilst ''Game Revolution'' declared that the sound "really showcases Ensemble's continued attention to detail", before going on to praise the audio snippets in various languages. ''IGN'' was pleased with ''Age of Mythology''s campaign, and not bothered by its length. Instead, they stated that "the meaningful and engaging single player campaign provides a nearly flawless experience". However, ''GameSpot'' was slightly critical of it, claiming that "while some of the campaign missions do feature some unusual circumstances or objectives that change, the game's story isn't incredibly engaging." This was compromised by stating that ''
Age of Empires ''Age of Empires'' is a series of historical real-time strategy video games, originally developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Xbox Game Studios. The first title in the series, ''Age of Empires'', focused on events in Europe, Afri ...
'' fans wouldn't expect an amazing campaign; they would "make a beeline for the game's random map mode, anyway". ''PC Gamer'' elaborated more on the campaign however, saying: "many of the missions are extremely well-crafted", and that "sprinkled throughout these encounters are moments of genuine comedy — a truly delightful surprise". However, they still found reasons to criticize: "Regrettably, most of ''AoM''s missions suffer from one recurring, frustrating problem: a severe case of 'build base-itis'." The reviewer elaborated: "I know base-building is inherent to the genre, but even the most ardent fan will be put off by just how much there is. What's most disappointing is that ''AoM''s setting really lends itself to imaginative mission design — and I don't think the designers took full advantage of the backdrop, which is a shame." The editors of '' Computer Games Magazine'' named ''Age of Mythology'' the fourth-best computer game of 2002, and called it "an amazingly well-balanced game, both in terms of its pacing and its mix of standard historical and fantastical units". It was a nominee for ''
PC Gamer US ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games ma ...
''s "2002 Best Real-Time Strategy Game" award, which ultimately went to '' Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos''.


Scientific study

''Age of Mythology''s
artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...
(AI) was used by four
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
n researchers—Christoph Hermann, Helmuth Melcher, Stefan Rank, and Robert Trappl—in a study into the value of emotions in
real-time strategy Real-time strategy (RTS) is a Video game genre, subgenre of strategy video games that does not progress incrementally in turn-based game, turns, but allow all players to play simultaneously, in "real time." By contrast, in Turn-based strategy, tur ...
games. According to the abstract, "We were interested whether incorporating a simple emotional model to an existing bot-script improves playing strength." The results of the study determined that of the four bots they tested, the neurotic bot was most capable of defeating ''Age of Mythology''s default AI, followed by the aggressive one. Neither bot was defeated by the standard AI, but the neurotic bot won, on average, twenty five percent more rapidly. Plans were made to extend the research in the future by pitting the neurotic bot against a human player.


See also

*
List of PC games The following list of PC games contains an alphabetized and segmented table of video games that are playable on the PC, but not necessarily exclusively on the PC. It includes games for multiple PC operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, DOS, Uni ...


Notes


References


External links

*
Official Ensemble Studios ''Age of Mythology'' website
at the
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

MacSoft ''Age of Mythology'' website
at the
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
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