It is known that Age of Empires IV, the long-awaited sequel to the popular franchise, came out on October 28, but before that, all fans of the game had the opportunity to try its beta version, which was available from August 5 until the launch date of the game in full. The timespan for the beta was subsequently shortened a lot.
Multiplayer and Battles Against the CPU Are Supported
It is important to say that the beta version of the game supported multiplayer and battles against the CPU up to a maximum of eight players. It included a “tutorial” mission where you could learn more about the construction process, economics, the basics of combat, and other important skills essential for gameplay.
The maps could not be fully acquainted, but only their “patterns” were available on which the layout and size settings could be changed. Of the possible eight civilizations, the beta version had four available: the Mongols, the English, the Delhi Sultanate (Indians), and the Chinese.The goal of the beta version was (as is the case with the beta versions of all popular games, some of which you can even bet on at online bookmakers, labeled as the best virtual football betting sites and the like) to analyze the game’s adaptation to different systems and to try to identify possible problems with bugs and other forms of errors. The game developers hoped that their beta version would indeed be understood by users as a test version that seeks to give an exclusive first look at the video game, but at the same time, they wanted to work on potential difficulties and get user feedback.
Necessary Computer Configuration
The required computer configuration has also been released for the beta version. It should be noted that these criteria are listed only for the beta version, while the entire game after its release in October may have slightly different configuration frames. But, the developers are sure that the predicted configuration and the actual will not differ that much from each other.
Users should have the following settings for the Age of Empires IV beta:
- Operating system: Windows 10
- Processor: 1.7-2.7. GHz (turbo) quad-core: Intel Core i5-4460T (35w) / AMD FX-6300 or later
- RAM: 8GB RAM
- Graphics card: Nvidia GTX 760 / AMD Radeon R7 260X or later with at least 2GB of VRAM.
The following configuration is currently unofficially mentioned for the full version of the game, which will be released in October:
- Operating system: Windows 10, 64bit
- Processor: Intel Core i5-6300U
- RAM: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics card: Intel HD 520
- Direct X: version 12
- Internal memory: 50GB free space
Echoes of the Beta Version
Age of Empires IV is not for fans of either of the previous sequels (II or III), though Microsoft obviously hopes players who adored earlier sequels will give it a try. It is all about bringing the franchise up to date with today’s strategy games. It is about updating, not innovating, or substantially extending, the series’ original formula at its finest manifestation – Age of Empires II. This is not some huge real-time strategy (RTS) revolution for those wishing for anything more daring.
The beta version of Age of Empires IV was offered on Steam and Microsoft Store. It can be added that users who wanted to play the video game on Steam had to log in to “Steam betas” within the settings of their account. The beta version of Age of Empires IV was available until August 16. The full version (standard edition) is available on Steam and Microsoft Store (for purchasing) but will also be available via Game Pass for PC (for free). However, the Digital Deluxe Edition (for purchasing) can only be obtained on Steam. This way you can get the base game plus a bunch of exclusive bonus digital content, such as monuments, a coat of arms, and a soundtrack.