General help and F.A.Q:
- Where to get the game? Try searching online stores (especially big ones), they usually have Age of Empires Gold or Collector's Edition.
- My game installation is stuck at 100% and can't be finished, what can I do? Check "Problems installing the game" below.
- What do I need to install UPatch HD, which AOE versions are supported? The requirements are posted on the Download page.
- What to do if I'm getting virus warnings? Any virus warnings on this site or on any freshly installed UPatch HD files are false positives (problem of your antivirus/browser, you can easily check this for yourself in VirusTotal). Add the files/site flagged as "problematic" to your exceptions list in your anitivirus program.
- How to open the UPatch HD Launcher to access Settings or the Mod Manager? A desktop shortcut named "Age of Empires HD Launcher" is available or you can also open it from start menu (use search or go to Programs -> Microsoft Games -> Age of Empires Expansion -or- Age of Empires Gold).
- How to change game resolution and other settings? What each option does? Visit Settings for all the information regarding the new settings.
- How to quickly check for new UPatch HD version? Open the UPatch HD Launcher, click on "About" and then click on "Update Check".
- Where to find details about the new features, improvements and bug fixes? Click on Features above.
- Which multiplayer clients are compatible with UPatch HD? Most multiplayer clients (like GameRanger, Garena, Tunngle) are fully compatible with UPatch HD, only those that use modified version of the game (like Voobly) are not compatible.
- How to use mods and mod the game? For information about the Mod Manager and the new modding system - go to Using Mods.
- My game installation is stuck at 100% and can't be finished, what can I do? Check "Problems installing the game" below.
- What do I need to install UPatch HD, which AOE versions are supported? The requirements are posted on the Download page.
- What to do if I'm getting virus warnings? Any virus warnings on this site or on any freshly installed UPatch HD files are false positives (problem of your antivirus/browser, you can easily check this for yourself in VirusTotal). Add the files/site flagged as "problematic" to your exceptions list in your anitivirus program.
- How to open the UPatch HD Launcher to access Settings or the Mod Manager? A desktop shortcut named "Age of Empires HD Launcher" is available or you can also open it from start menu (use search or go to Programs -> Microsoft Games -> Age of Empires Expansion -or- Age of Empires Gold).
- How to change game resolution and other settings? What each option does? Visit Settings for all the information regarding the new settings.
- How to quickly check for new UPatch HD version? Open the UPatch HD Launcher, click on "About" and then click on "Update Check".
- Where to find details about the new features, improvements and bug fixes? Click on Features above.
- Which multiplayer clients are compatible with UPatch HD? Most multiplayer clients (like GameRanger, Garena, Tunngle) are fully compatible with UPatch HD, only those that use modified version of the game (like Voobly) are not compatible.
- How to use mods and mod the game? For information about the Mod Manager and the new modding system - go to Using Mods.
IMPORTANT: If you have any problems with the patch, please first follow these steps:
1. Make sure you have the latest UPatch HD version. You can check for updates directly from the Launcher (explained above).
2. Run the File Check (and get a result "Passed") to make sure you have clean game/patch install - follow the instructions here. Then start the game again and check if the problem still exists. Do not set any compatibility options on the game, compatibility is taken care of by the patch.
3. From Launcher - Settings: turn Windowed Mode ON or if it's already ON, turn it OFF (different settings work best for different systems).
4. Run the game as admin - instead of opening the game directly, right click on any game shortcut (or empiresx.exe in game folder) and select "Run as administrator".
5. Download and install the latest drivers for your video card - preferably directly from the manufacturer's website (ATI/NVIDIA/Intel).
6. Make sure you are not using "Supersampling"/"Virtual Super Resolution" (NVIDIA/ATI) in your video card settings. These options (enabled by default on some high end cards) may interfere with the game and prevent it from running properly. Check the NVIDIA/ATI help documentation for more info.
1. Make sure you have the latest UPatch HD version. You can check for updates directly from the Launcher (explained above).
2. Run the File Check (and get a result "Passed") to make sure you have clean game/patch install - follow the instructions here. Then start the game again and check if the problem still exists. Do not set any compatibility options on the game, compatibility is taken care of by the patch.
3. From Launcher - Settings: turn Windowed Mode ON or if it's already ON, turn it OFF (different settings work best for different systems).
4. Run the game as admin - instead of opening the game directly, right click on any game shortcut (or empiresx.exe in game folder) and select "Run as administrator".
5. Download and install the latest drivers for your video card - preferably directly from the manufacturer's website (ATI/NVIDIA/Intel).
6. Make sure you are not using "Supersampling"/"Virtual Super Resolution" (NVIDIA/ATI) in your video card settings. These options (enabled by default on some high end cards) may interfere with the game and prevent it from running properly. Check the NVIDIA/ATI help documentation for more info.
Problems installing the game (not the patch)
Installation is stuck at X% (usually 100%) when trying to install the game under Windows 8.x/10/11:
If you encounter such problem, you will need to run the AOE setup again in compatibility mode for Windows 98/ME: go to the main directory of the AOE disc, right-click on AOESETUP.exe, select Properties - Compatibility. Check "Run this program in compatibility mode for" and select "Windows 98/Windows ME" from the list. Then start AOESETUP.exe and install. Do not set compatibility mode for other game files, only the setup and only if you can't install otherwise. If this doesn't help, you may have a problem with your disc, it could be dirty or damaged (try cleaning it).
I have the game on disc, but I don't have a disc drive, can I somehow install and play the game?
Yes, you can copy the contents of your disc to a flash drive using another computer and install from the flash drive. Then install the patch. After installing the patch the game will no longer require a disc to play.
If you encounter such problem, you will need to run the AOE setup again in compatibility mode for Windows 98/ME: go to the main directory of the AOE disc, right-click on AOESETUP.exe, select Properties - Compatibility. Check "Run this program in compatibility mode for" and select "Windows 98/Windows ME" from the list. Then start AOESETUP.exe and install. Do not set compatibility mode for other game files, only the setup and only if you can't install otherwise. If this doesn't help, you may have a problem with your disc, it could be dirty or damaged (try cleaning it).
I have the game on disc, but I don't have a disc drive, can I somehow install and play the game?
Yes, you can copy the contents of your disc to a flash drive using another computer and install from the flash drive. Then install the patch. After installing the patch the game will no longer require a disc to play.
UPatch HD related problems
Problems installing the patch:
First of all, you need The Rise of Rome Expansion - it's usually installed separately after the original AOE, but with AOE Gold they are installed together from one setup. You can easily distinguish the Expansion by its blue icon.
Proper installation of the game is required. If you get an error ("Game not found"), reinstall the game or use the file Setupreg in your game directory.
I changed my language from Launcher - Settings (or during installation), but some campaigns/scenarios are in another language:
Scenarios and campaigns have their own language (as text) depending on the disc version they were installed from.
Also, the original campaigns "Reign of the Hittites", "First Punic War" and scenarios "Multiplayer Rumble", "Multiplayer Mediterranean" are installed by UPatch HD and are available in English only.
First of all, you need The Rise of Rome Expansion - it's usually installed separately after the original AOE, but with AOE Gold they are installed together from one setup. You can easily distinguish the Expansion by its blue icon.
Proper installation of the game is required. If you get an error ("Game not found"), reinstall the game or use the file Setupreg in your game directory.
I changed my language from Launcher - Settings (or during installation), but some campaigns/scenarios are in another language:
Scenarios and campaigns have their own language (as text) depending on the disc version they were installed from.
Also, the original campaigns "Reign of the Hittites", "First Punic War" and scenarios "Multiplayer Rumble", "Multiplayer Mediterranean" are installed by UPatch HD and are available in English only.
Other game problems (not related to the patch)
I still have corrupted colors in-game (color bugs), even after installing the patch. What can I do?
The reason for this is usually some incompatibility of your graphics card with the 8-bit graphics used by the game. First of all - update your graphics card drivers. If you still have corrupted colors - open the Launcher, select Settings and check "Windowed Mode" then Apply. This should solve it. If your game resolution is the same as your desktop, the game will not be in a window even with this option On.
The reason for this is usually some incompatibility of your graphics card with the 8-bit graphics used by the game. First of all - update your graphics card drivers. If you still have corrupted colors - open the Launcher, select Settings and check "Windowed Mode" then Apply. This should solve it. If your game resolution is the same as your desktop, the game will not be in a window even with this option On.
Virtual Store related – I can't find my scenarios, campaigns, save games or other files in game directory:
This is caused by Windows (Vista/7/8/8.1/10/11 with U.A.C. on), any programs that save files directly under system directories (like Program Files) have their files redirected to Virtual Store (Compatibility Files). You can find all your custom files in this location:
C:\Users\<your user name>\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\<game path>
Replace <your user name> with the account name on your PC and <game path> with the path to your game directory. For example, if the game is installed in "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Age of Empires" and your account name is "John", your Virtual Store path for the game is "C:\Users\John\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Age of Empires".
Remember that this applies to all files saved from the game.
I get an error message on game start and I have the latest Windows 10/11 version (build 15063 and later)
You must be signed in as an administrator in Windows. Type "Turn windows features on or off" in Start Menu or search, then open the link at the top, select "Legacy Components" and make sure there is a checkbox in front of "DirectPlay". Press OK.
If you still get an error, go to game directory, right click on empirex.exe, select Compatibility tab on the top and check "Disable Fullscreen Optimizations".
My custom campaigns are not saved by the game:
This is another Windows related problem (Vista/7/8/8.1/10/11 with U.A.C. on), for some reason .cpx files (Rise of Rome campaigns) are not allowed. You can solve this by running the game as Administrator - right click on the game or its shortcut (or even the Launcher) and select Run As Administrator - do this only when you want to save a campaign. If you can't find your scenarios while running as Administrator - check the Virtual Store (information posted above). Move the scenarios you need from Virtual Store to original scenarios directory before saving your campaign, so that they are visible from the game.
This is caused by Windows (Vista/7/8/8.1/10/11 with U.A.C. on), any programs that save files directly under system directories (like Program Files) have their files redirected to Virtual Store (Compatibility Files). You can find all your custom files in this location:
C:\Users\<your user name>\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\<game path>
Replace <your user name> with the account name on your PC and <game path> with the path to your game directory. For example, if the game is installed in "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Age of Empires" and your account name is "John", your Virtual Store path for the game is "C:\Users\John\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Age of Empires".
Remember that this applies to all files saved from the game.
I get an error message on game start and I have the latest Windows 10/11 version (build 15063 and later)
You must be signed in as an administrator in Windows. Type "Turn windows features on or off" in Start Menu or search, then open the link at the top, select "Legacy Components" and make sure there is a checkbox in front of "DirectPlay". Press OK.
If you still get an error, go to game directory, right click on empirex.exe, select Compatibility tab on the top and check "Disable Fullscreen Optimizations".
My custom campaigns are not saved by the game:
This is another Windows related problem (Vista/7/8/8.1/10/11 with U.A.C. on), for some reason .cpx files (Rise of Rome campaigns) are not allowed. You can solve this by running the game as Administrator - right click on the game or its shortcut (or even the Launcher) and select Run As Administrator - do this only when you want to save a campaign. If you can't find your scenarios while running as Administrator - check the Virtual Store (information posted above). Move the scenarios you need from Virtual Store to original scenarios directory before saving your campaign, so that they are visible from the game.
