Best products from r/aoe2

We found 47 comments on r/aoe2 discussing the most recommended products. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 28 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.

Top comments mentioning products on r/aoe2:

u/jeowaypoint · 1 pointr/aoe2

Evading the popular (and relatively useless) answer "it depends", let's get down to business: these things have actually been documented since long ago, for AoC at least, and the basics of them haven't really changed. Take a look at this review (not mine, but I ~agree on the content, I added some commentary in parentheses, and brutally crossed over things I did not fully agree with) of Andre's ebook in which there is presented one way of determining raw cost-effectiveness of eco- and military techs alike:
>
> TheAoCPlayer

> 5.0 out of 5 starsThe most detailed AoC book to date

> May 3, 2016

> Oh boy! 3 years since the last AoC Book [referring to Chris Bourque's published book that is not as broad as this one, focusing instead on his own vision of the game], but this one was worth the wait!
>
> Let's get right to it. Client-wise, if you play on Steam and learn everything in this book, you'll be close to the top of the AoHD Ladder. For Voobly, I'd say 1500-1900 players should be able to gain a respectable amount of knowledge [This notion should be of particularly much interest for an NPL-MS transitioner, as there is likely a great deal of conceptually new information in it that would raise one's gameplay considerably]. That is not to say that higher or lower players can not, but I'd say that'd be the average that will benefit the most from this book.
>
> Positives:
> -Great Terminology. By this I mean, you get to understand tactics like "Powering", "Zoning", "Feint Attack" etc, which was really refreshing as they are not used much in discussion but are vastly important to anyone wanting to take the game seriously.
>
> -Very Technical. I'd almost like to say too technical in something parts, but that's being unfair. Let's face it, for years people post the same questions and get the same replies; most of them "depends". The game is 16 years old, there shouldn't be questions about the basic stuff anymore. [And there really isn't, if one wants to do the (easy) math themselves via eg. aoe2stats.net or simply asking around, gathering the information from around the net]
> With this book, there are still some "depends" situations, but many of the basic and advanced eco/army/strat/tactical questions are explored and answered in great depth to explain when, why, how, pros, cons etc. This will be very refreshing for anyone that gets sick of looking through 100's of forum topics.
>
> -Strategy Section. Very well done. The BOs are enough to give you foundation and then guide you on how to play afterwards depending on what you want to do. I think almost every strat/start is in there, (even a persian TC rush) except for Nomad/Land Nomad/Regicide Fortress ones. Someone can quite easily be a solid 1750 Voobly player from the BO section alone.
>
> -Diagrams&Charts. This was absolutely one of the highlights of this book. They were in such detail and had a great way of explaining hard concepts. They were a very nice contrast as they were done with what seemed like bold colours. (the author had the colour-blind in mind!)
>
> notice the word is "critiques" and not "cons" ;)
> Critiques:
>
> -The order of the book. It did have some great flow (especially in the middle) if you understood basic AoC concepts, but I feel like a new/beginner player maybe be lost if reading the first few chapters. I notice this with many books and maybe something at the start to steer newer players to the end of the book (which had more beginner info like hotkeys etc) would have been helpful. Not a big con, but it's worth mentioning considering the word "basic" usually is aimed at beginners.
>
> -Repeating. Now this can be tricky to explain, but I feel like there was noticeable amount of overlapping in some areas. In particular this happened in the BO section, but a few others aswell. I can understand the point of trying to hammer in facts or using memory techniques, but I feel it was unnecessary in some parts; that might just be me.
>
> -Diagrams. There was a lack of them for about 30-40 pages and actually felt myself losing interest a bit.
>
> -Sometimes inconsistent. I noted this happening in the BO section where some strats would have pros/cons(fast castle eagles) and many other would not.
>
> Now, why did I include such fussy critiques? Because I made contact with the author and know he is going to update his book. The same way a player needs to readjust themselves in order to improve, creating a great book follows the same principle and the author knows this.
>
>I'd liked to have given this book 4.5 as I feel some things are missing for it to be called "complete", but all things considered it was just well done and it is worth reading a few times; that's how much you can learn from it. Coupled with the fact the author has actually said he may write more follow up books, I had to slant it to 5 stars because to attempt a book like this takes so much time and effort and this kind of dedication/support for the AoC Community is in low supply.
>~~ [After this time I assume Andre is not interested in a follow-up book, regarding the Expansions-content]

> I don't want to make this a longer review considering I just finished a very long book and you might soon be starting it. If you are information hungry, this is the go-to source of information you should reference; for that alone it is worth the cost. The diagrams and questioning help to put you in the exact situations where most players get confused or lost in - saying "What do I do now". It's remarkable to be able to recreate and transfer that feeling from the game to the book, but the author managed to capture that perfectly and explain how to handle those situations.
>
> Probably bold to say, but this book's contributions to the community will be close to that of UP, small trees and widescreen; it'll be appreciated for a long while. [Having shamelessly referenced this book's information for over a year, whenever I got the urge to do some git-gud helpful posts/comments, I have to agree in sentiment, but not the scale; UP (UserPatch) should stand alone as the greatest community-contribution created to date (especially since it effectively enabled WololoKingdom's creation afaik)]
>
> Usually everyone wants to know about results. I'd say if you think of yourself as a beginner or low level player before reading the book, after understand and then being able to apply some/most of the knowledge, 1800 voobly rating should be a very realistic result; if not higher. I know if the readers put as much effort into learning/practicing as the author has in creating this book, it's entirely possible.
>
> I am going to more than likely have to reread this book and edit my review to make it more specific to better reflect the detail that was given to this book. If you have any questions about my review/the book, feel free to leave a comment here.
>
> Thanks for the great read Andre!

__

I felt it prudent to share this review from the book's Amazon page since I know (as a reader of the ebook) that any reader wouldn't feel necessitated to ask these questions.

___

The way that military upgrades' cost-effectiveness is measured and documented in this work is: "Finally, when I say it’s worth it to research the upgrade at ~X units, that means that after you have X units, it becomes cheaper to increase your combat power by researching the upgrade than spending the same amount of resources on more units.", where combat power is defined as

  • Unit combat power = ( Atk * HP ) / FR , and the results are rounded up/down based on whether the upgrade deals in factors not included in the formula (range, defense points)

    _____

    Alternatively to the above, you can do some normal improving with help of stuff such as this, like everyone else who doesn't like buying stuff based on a random redditor's recommendation.
u/jacobchapman · 25 pointsr/aoe2

AoE2's campaigns were fantastic, enjoyable, and historically accurate. AoE3's campaign was a joke.

AoE3's online system was plagued by bugs and a poor ranking/matchmaking setup. The Zone was AWESOME when it was still up.

AoE2 had more civs than you could shake a stick at and the units were fun and interesting and varied. AoE3's units were all basically rock-paper-scissors in terms of variety.

AoE2 was just a better game.

EDIT: As for a digital copy of 2, you're probably not going to find one. However you can pick up the "Age of Empires Collectors Edition" (AoE1&2 + expansions) for about $10 on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J18SR2?ie=UTF8

u/kw1k2345 · 7 pointsr/aoe2

Like seriously. Two people have written two separate books which contain loads of stuff, well presented, critique checked and they charge 10$ only for it.

Here you come and you want to charge for a fast castle build order. 11

Edit:


u/Hjoerleif · 3 pointsr/aoe2

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-BOXNUC7I5BNK-BABY-CANYON-NUC7I5BNK/dp/B01N4EP1N0
This one's 360 quid and will certainly run aoe2 but if you want to run other games it's worth to save up a bit more for something with like a 1050 Ti, value for money hardware gets drastically better at 500-1000 pounds.

u/SixCrazyMexicans · 3 pointsr/aoe2

Yeah, I lost my cd so I havent played it in a couple years or so. but in America, you can grab it for $10 from Walmart or something. its an awesome game, you start off in the dark ages (or bronze age, I cant remember) and move all the way up to the present/near future age with nukes and submarines and stuff. Its really fun and fast-paced. If you've got the time and money, give it a shot

ninja edit: here is the amazon link for the game and its expansion. $9. http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Nations-Thrones-Patriots-PC/dp/B000PWWL64/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380888646&sr=8-1&keywords=rise+of+nations

u/hammerheadzoid · 7 pointsr/aoe2

I recommend read a book called The Chimp Paradox. In this book the author explains how the mind could be looked at like it is in 3 different parts.

The first part is the Human, which is the person that you want to be. You want to nice, happy and in control just playing Age of Empires in this case.

The second part is the chimp... this part of you represents your more basic needs. Anger, needing respect, seeing things in black and white all come from the chimp inside you.

The third part is the computer. The computer contains pre-programmed almost like "macros". The human in you and the chimp in you first refer to the computer as a frame of reference as to what to do. So for example... if every time I ate an apple and got wildly sick after eating it, it would be programmed into my computer that apples make me sick. If there was a child who had an abusive child hood because her dad beat her might see all father figures in a negative light because of her terrible past in this regard.

I say this because it sounds to me like in the past maybe some kids bullied you or picked on you and maybe you played Age of Empires as a release from them or from whom ever it was you might have had negative associations with.

When you play age of Empires the human in you is going "Age Of Empires... Great fun game. The chimp in you refers to the computer as you do and both of you find that the computer says "Age of Empires equals Fun!". You play the game and you enjoy it. The chimp relaxes as you having fun gives him nothing to do but relax and chill the beans.

But then someone flames you, shouts abuse, just says negative silly stuff. Both your human and your chimp are alerted to this negativity. Here is the thing though, the chimp reads from the computer ALWAYS before you do. This is simply a feature of the chimp. So the chimp sees that the computer says "Flaming, trolling, picking on me equals negative". On seeing this the chimp goes wild. The chimp is offeneded. The chimp is screaming "who are these people thinking that they are better than me", or "they have no right to say that to me". The chimp in you looks at the screen and figured "the best way to stop all this is to stop the game... i want to put my fist through the screen to end the game".

Now of course, you do not put your fist through the screen because your human not kicks in and is rational, and nice. Your human says "no I will not put my fist through the screen as i need the screen for more than just Age of Empires. I need it for email, work and music etc." Your human is rational and writes to Reddit to look for an answer. That is where I come in writing this. I hope you read it, and keep and open mind to it. I do not know you but I know something about you. You are a kind, understanding, loving, smart and amazing person. You dealt with silly fools on the internet thats all. You are wondering why you reacted with the thoughts and feelings you did.

I would advise you to read the book below. I read it and lets just say it helped me too.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chimp-Paradox-Management-Programme-Confidence/dp/009193558X

TL:DR
You dealt with silly people whilst playing a childhood game that triggered some feelings from your childhood I think.

u/Kanye_TWest · 7 pointsr/aoe2

If you get the original CDs, then you can play using Voobly.
If you get the HD edition on Steam, then you can either play on Steam or install a patch to play on Voobly.
Voobly generally has better performance and more features such as the ability to spectate games.

u/theCraigert · 3 pointsr/aoe2

https://www.reddit.com/r/aoe2/comments/4hb70v/ebook_basics_of_age_of_empires_2/

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/631915 I buyed it there. You get the ebook file and you can convert it with an online converter to a pdf. or you download an ebook app.

There is also an ebook from Chris (TopPlayer) which is only available on amazon. This one is very specific and your friend might enjoy the other ine more. https://www.amazon.com/Keys-1vs1-Age-Empires-Conquerors-ebook/dp/B00AM34QCI

Good Luck:)

u/biffyboy · 1 pointr/aoe2

http://www.amazon.com/Playing-Win-Becoming-David-Sirlin/dp/1411666798/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1405106616&sr=8-3&keywords=playing+to+win

Read "Playing to Win". It will help you articulate and quantify strategy evolution (essentially what you are trying to encourage with your friends). It will probably also make you a better player regardless of skill level.

u/shaunphil · 2 pointsr/aoe2

This probably can be fixed but I'd look for an online download for it. I did the same when I found my old original CDs. I ended up buying this on Amazon, as it was only £5.

You can look through some of these too, bound to be a free download somewhere...

u/LetsLearnAoC · 5 pointsr/aoe2

[Andre's Book] (https://www.amazon.com/Basics-Age-Empires-Journey-Friends-ebook/dp/B01F12NJDQ/ref=pd_sim_351_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=8PCWYFBN3BSGQFTA50YV)

And I agree that Andre's book is much more helpful for any HD player 1400-2000 rating. Very well organized and all information is all cited.

u/Ptee92 · 2 pointsr/aoe2

This already is enough, so it's completely upto you what you choose... Enjoy choosing whichever you want!

edit: I'd recommend google searching for a laptop with highest performance that is within your price range.

u/budom · 1 pointr/aoe2

Maybe you're joking, but the full game was on the PS2.

They couldn't fit the MP3s so the music was played using the console's midi engine which worked incredibly well.

u/basicsofaoe2 · 1 pointr/aoe2

So far there's a review here, and the two reviews from Feage and dogao.

Thank you for your opinion :)

u/gled11 · 1 pointr/aoe2

https://www.amazon.com/Age-Empires-Gold-PC/dp/B00001LDCD

Probably your best bet, I don't see it getting on steam anytime soon.

u/CysionBE · 5 pointsr/aoe2

It can still be bought on Amazon and maybe there's a local store that still sells it: http://www.amazon.com/Age-Empires-Official-Expansion-The-Conquerors/dp/B00004VP4M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1396699642&sr=8-2&keywords=age+of+empires+conquerors


A lot of people play the HD version as well, which you can find here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/221380 (this contains both AoK+ Conquerors expansion)

u/Hyper440 · 0 pointsr/aoe2

Why don't you just buy the disc for $8.51 and then just get Forgotten Empires with all the patched graphics. IMO it looks better and is a better game than the version they've got on steam.

u/LandonTactical · 1 pointr/aoe2

Higher end one (2070) AORUS RTX 2070 Gaming Box, Embedded GeForce RTX 2070, Thunderbolt 3 Plug and Play, Custom 130mm High Airflow Fan, Portable and Compact Design, External Graphics Card eGPU GV-N2070IXEB-8GC https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NDZV2WC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_OBB1DbKBNHF6M

u/Sinkens · 1 pointr/aoe2

If you're interested, I think Chris' book touches heavily on this (although I'm not sure), and in general with scouting tips. I haven't read it myself, and although a lot of the builds are outdated now, it might still be worth the read.

https://www.amazon.com/Keys-1vs1-Age-Empires-Conquerors-ebook/dp/B00AM34QCI

u/[deleted] · 5 pointsr/aoe2

It's only like [$5 on Amazon] (http://www.amazon.com/Age-Empires-Collectors-Edition-Limited-Pc/dp/B000J18SR2) to buy the first two plus all the expansions.

u/Qgqqqqq · 5 pointsr/aoe2

Chris' book for those, like me, who've never heard of it.

It seems the only obvious reasons to buy OP's would be a) teamgames, which Chris doesn't discuss, and b) a more recent metagame (although I doubt this will be a large factor since 2012, and it sounds like OP hasn't been active recently).

Edit: This is just from the summary, of course.

u/Slate1540 · 1 pointr/aoe2

Crossover cable isnt that hard to find if you cant make it, I'm sure a local place would have it as well.
https://www.amazon.com/Belkin-CAT5E-Crossover-Cable-feet-Red/dp/B000067RFT

I have no experience with adhoc wifi connection for gaming, but it could work.

u/thederpyderpman857 · 1 pointr/aoe2

29". Here is the Amazon listing for it if you wanna take a look

It's also 75 Hz and AMD FreeSync if that matters to you, but it's about double the width of a normal monitor. It's not very tall though.

u/UngernKhan · 2 pointsr/aoe2

For the Saladin Campaign, Paul Cobb's "The Race for Paradise". It's not only about Saladin, but the Islamic perspectives on the Crusades as a whole.

u/byzantinian · 10 pointsr/aoe2

>I got AOE2 to work on my PS2.

and

"I put a disk in my console" are not the same thing....

u/00010001010000 · 1 pointr/aoe2

I ordered this when I couldn't find my old copy and I also hate steam.

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J18SR2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

AOE2 and Conquers seemed to install well. I ran in compatibility mode and I did the legacy programs switch and when I run the program nothing happens...

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WTF Is there or is there not a way to get this to work on windows 10?