Series grognards have had to put up with the fact that Age of Empires will be getting a major facelift meant to make it more appealing to the masses (as reasoned by Microsoft Game Studios), but they can take solace that the soul of series developer Ensemble Studios is living on for the most part behind production for the new Age of Empires Online. That said, becoming a free-to-play online RTS of sorts entails a business model that leverages the newfound appeal in social networking.
To this end, AoE Online wants players to create persistent civilizations; players have their own home base that serves as their civilization's Capital City, which they will develop and grow for the long haul as in popular Facebook simulation games like FarmVille. As reported last year, the basic gameplay in AoE Online will be free-to-play, but Microsoft and developer Robot Entertainment today confirm that players can also use real-world money to make a variety of purchases in-game.
One of the most important will be the "Premium Civilization Pack" upgrades, which unlock all of the player's given civilization's possible Tech Tree upgrades at once, Unique Units and Civilization Powers, more inventory slots, workshops, Crafting Halls, as well as the ability to earn in-game currency from your Capital City and "Empire Points".
Other players will actually be able to visit your Capital City to join you for co-op missions, make purchases at your City's shops using the in-game currency you can earn by making your civilization Premium, or just to shoot the breeze through in-game chat if you roll out the welcoming carpet. Empire Points are another form of currency you can redeem toward unqiue loot, like the exclusive "rare" and "epic" level loot for that extra boost to a civilization's units. Non-paying casuals will otherwise have to settle for the "common" and "uncommon" levels of loot scored in-game, like the commoners they are.
Other purchasable extras include "booster" packs, which will offer paying players new quests, gameplay modes post-release, and vanity packs which are solely to customize your civilization's appearance.
Oh, and the Egyptians were announced as the next civilization you can play as in AoE Online.
Source:Age of Empires Online FAQ
Section:PC Games
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