Interview: Mark Terrano - Lead Designer (03/25/98)

Archangel: How was Ensemble Studios able to jump on to their next game, so soon after Age of Empires I?

Mark Terrano: We are using similar technology to Age of Empires, our very flexible Genie engine. Since we had a running game to start with, we could get right into playtesting very quickly. We also have had a lot of feedback and response from AOE Fans, as well as knowing the features we wanted to add to Age of Empires but didn't have the chance to. Having played a several thousand games has really given us a feel for the things we wanted to add.

Archangel: What about the Time Period that will be covered in AOE II?

Mark Terrano: One of the most exciting periods of history - the Middle ages. Our time span is the entire middle ages - from 450 to 1450, from the Dark Ages until the end of the Castle period. For historical background we will have detailed information on the history of each civilization, a description of each unit and technology, as well as the gameplay effects each introduces. Middle ages. Our time span is the entire middle ages - from 450 to 1450, from the Dark Ages until the end of the Castle period. For historical background we will have detailed information on the history of each civilization, a description of each unit and technology, as well as the gameplay effects each introduces..

Archangel: New civilizations and technologies.

Mark Terrano: There are all new technologies appropriate to the middle ages, from sieges to banking, and everything in between. There technology tree is even more interesting than Age of Empires - but I'll leave the specifics as a surprise for now...you won't be disappointed. All of the civilizations are new for Age of Empires II. Age2 uses the familiar Age of Empires mix of civilizations - we have 13, each with their own bonuses and liabilities.

Archangel: Trading and economy.

Mark Terrano: Trade, economy, diplomacy, and exploration play a very important role in Age of Empires II - our main goal was to not increase the complexity for our existing fans who love the strategic combat - but to make playing an economic player or an economy-only game a real, viable, option. With a much more interesting economy and marketplace system (that is still easy to use) we have really opened up some new strategies - economic this time.

Archangel: Some of the other improvements in Age of Empires II.

Mark Terrano: Combat has been improved as well - we have smarter units, with new AI and 'orders' such as guard, scout, and patrol. Battlefield formations let you have a lot more control of groups of units, especially in large battles. The maps are much larger, 300% in area - so an 8 player map can have a lot more room to grow and expand before you have to fight for territory. There are many more changes, but I think you can get the idea that Age2 has everything you liked in Age1, but we've added a lot of convenience features and some exciting new gameplay elements.

Archangel: What about the AI?

Mark Terrano: I know that our Age of Empires AI played a very good game without cheating - and we were very pleased at how well we compared to the other state-of-the-art games that came out in 1997. I think our fans will really notice some improvements in Age2's AI - as we are designing an all-new expert system based AI - because it has to handle trade and diplomacy as well as combat. Expect a cunning computer opponent that we hope will be nearly as devious as the friends you play with on a regular basis.

Archangel: Mark talks about the Monks:

Mark Terrano: Monks are a bit different in Age2 - they still do healing, and they can convert some units - but they do not convert buildings you can take over buildings by killing the guards, breaking into the building, and repairing the building back up to a working state). Healing is also available at buildings (moastaries, churches, keeps, and castles).

Archangel: AOE II Cooperative Mode.

Mark Terrano: We have mostly added convenience features, and a lot of robustness to our Internet games. Games are much more likely to survive through very bad internet performance, dropping players, and the other hazards of playing online. As in Age of Empires, there will be a cooperative game option, and some other diplomatic options that give you some new ways to play as well. Our Multiplayer game, and having a free matchmaking service (the Internet Gaming Zone)is very important to our strategy. Our Random Map feature has been one of the features that we are most proud of - we're happy that players are still battling out games in the thousands, and still can't decide which civilization is best. Expect to see some more interesting random map options in Age of Empires II.

Archangel: The Buildings.

Mark Terrano: The building set is very similar to what you expected from Age of Empires - castles and towers with new abilities will definitely change your defensive strategies. Having gates that you can open and close is another great change. Already the graphics have been improved substantially - they are more colorful, more varied, and have much more detail than anything we have done so far. They are also larger - they seem in-scale with the units.

Archangel: Next Projects.

Mark Terrano: I can't give specific details, but I can tell you that they will be absolutely best-in-class games - we are a company of game fanatics , and we are completely committed to doing games that we can't stop playing (we still play Age of Empires all the time).

Archangel: Coorperation with Microsoft?

Mark Terrano: We really love working with the team at Microsoft - they really helped us turn out a fantastic product with Age of Empires, and we have the same team on Age 2.

Archangel: Age of Empires III?

Mark Terrano: Whew, we'll probably start thinking about that once we are finished with Age of Empires II - of course, I can't say I don't already have a wish list :)