Tech Help FAQ

Thank you to Mascherano for creating the original, this is an updated version with a few key changes as the game has evolved and the information in the old thread was getting quite outdated.

Before Posting:

Before posting, please ask yourself the following questions; it helps anyone trying to help you determine the exact nature of the problem, and saves time. The more information you can give, the easier it is to help you.

1. Check whether your hardware and software requirements meet that of Age of Empires 3. You can find the minimum requirements and how to find your own specifications in Section 1 below. If you are making a new topic or post about a hardware or software issue, please post your exact hardware specification. The most important things to include are your processor model, the amount of RAM you have, your graphics card and your motherboard chipset (if you know it).
   
2. Check whether the latest version of DirectX is installed on your computer.
   
3. Check whether the drivers for your hardware (video card, sound card, network card etc.) are up-to-date.
   
4. Check whether you have the latest patch. The patches can be found here.
   

If you are playing a `warez' or CD-Cracked copy of the game, there will be no support for your problem until your installation of the game is not illegally altered. Normally a re-install of the game from the CD will fix this problem. We do not support them because warezed/CD-Cracks modify the game and introduces more problems that we do not support.

We will not send anyone any game files nor will we appreciate requests for them in the forums. Often, re-installing the game will restore any missing or corrupted game files. If the game CD was already damaged when it arrived, please contact the store where the game was bought and request a replacement. Our moderators have been instructed to close topics that request game files. In addition, our moderators will issue account bans in accordance with point #5 of the Code of Conduct.

As discussion of cracks, 'warez' or requesting game files is against the CoC expect moderator action if you choose to discuss these items

Please note that while members of staff will try their best to assist you there is no guarantee that they will be able to come up with a solution for your particular problem, therefore this forum is present for skilled forumers to assist others in time of technical needs.

ES also have a FAQ at Age Community, here.

Section 1: System Requirements

Q: What are the minimum system requirements for Age of Empires III?
A: Microsoft® Windows® XP
PC with 1.4 Ghz equivalent or higher processor that supports SSE
256 MB of system RAM
2.0 GB available hard disk space
32x speed or faster CD-ROM drive
64 MB video card with Hardware Transform & Lighting (HT&L)
Sound card with speakers or headphones
Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
56.6 Kbps or better modem for online play
DirectX 9.0c or above

Q:What are the recommended system requirements for the numbers of players in multiplayer games?
A: From ES:
8 Players - P4 3.2 GHz (or equivalent), 2 GB RAM, and Cable/DSL, LAN
6 Players - P4 2.8 GHz (or equivalent), 1 GB RAM, and Cable/DSL, LAN
4 Players - P4 2.2 GHz (or equivalent), 512 MB RAM, and Cable/DSL, LAN
2 Players - P4 1.4 GHz (or equivalent), 256 MB RAM minimum (512 MB RAM recommended), and 56 KBps modem

Q:How do I find out my hardware specs?
A: Go to Start > Run > type "dxdiag" in the dialogue box, minus the quotes. A window will display listing your hardware.

Q:Is Windows 2000 supported?
A: Windows 2000 is not a supported operating system for Age of Empires 3.

Video/Graphics Cards:

If you are looking to see whether your graphics card will run well with AoE3 or if you are looking to upgrade your graphics card these two threads here and here may help you. Note that these threads do not represent the opinion of HG.

Section 2: Patches

Q: How can I download the latest patch?
A: There are two ways:

1. Go to ESO from the game main menu, and the patch will be automatically downloaded and installed for you.
2. The patches are also available in standalone versions, which can be downloaded from Age Community here. These have to be installed manually.

Q: How do I find out which version of the game I have?
A: Load up Age of Empires 3 and select "Help and Tools" from the main menu. From there go to "About", and your game version is listed at the top.

Q: I am having problems after installing the patch such as game crashing and being unable to connect to ESO.
A: There are many problems which can cause this. These are possible steps you can take to rectify the problem:

• The patch requires at least 1.4 Gb of free space on your hard drive to be able to install.
  
• Having certain user mods installed can cause the game to crash after patching. Be sure to remove any modifications you have made to the game files before you patch. If you did not remove any mods before you patched and your game is crashing, you will need to reinstall the game before patching up to 1.08 again.
  
• If you are unable to connect to ESO after patching and did not have the problem before, your firewall may have reset the rules for Age of Empires 3. Check that age3.exe is allowed access to the Internet.
  

Also, when making posts or emails about issues after patching, ES would like you to run their file check utility:

"We are asking that if you encounter a problem after patching please run our new file check utility and include the results in any emails or forum posts you make about your problem.

File Check Utility
This tool checks several key age3 files to verify they are the correct verison.
Instructions:
1) Patch to the latest game version
2) Save this file to your desktop
3) Launch the esage3filechecker.exe from your desktop
4) After the process is completed open the ESAge3Results.txt file (should also be placed on your desktop)
5) Open this file to view results which could include any combination of the following results: Invalid (corrupt file), Invalid Version, Not Found, & Version Correct.
6) A successful installation should return all listed as Version Correct."

Q: I have reinstalled my game. Do I need to install the previous patches in order to get up to version 1.06?
A: No. If you update the game from ESO (see above) then it will automatically patch up to 1.06. If you wish to patch using the standalone version download "Patch 1.0x - 1.06" from Age Community, here.

Section 3: AoE III Gameplay Problems

Before posting or even reading this section you should check in Section 1 that your computer has the required system requirements and that your video card is compatible with the game. This thread can offer some help with video cards.

You should also check with this page supplied by ES for performance tips. These tips may be able to reduce lag and allow the game to run much more freely, they address both your hardware and in game settings.

Q: How do I fix the "blocky" graphics I'm getting for for such things as steam, dust, and gun smoke?
A: Click on Help and Options and select the graphics tab, then turn down the shader quality to low.

Q. My sound cuts out or is choppy.
A. Turning off hardware acceleration may help. You can do that by following these steps.

1. Click on Start and Run
2. Type in DXDiag and hit Enter
3. Select the Sound tab and turn the hardware acceleration slider all the way to the left

Also check your hard drive for heavy fragmentation. Make sure that it is not fragmented by running defrag found in your system tools. This may take awhile but it will help sound and system performance.

If the game crashes after having choppy sound the first thing you should do is to make sure the game is up to date with the latest patch. However if this doesn't work you can follow two alternative ways:

1. Open Program Files and Microsoft Games folder and navigate the Age of Empires III folder to Sound and Music and then standard. Right Click on the LeisurelyBrows.mp3 and go to properties. Toward the bottom of the menu uncheck the Read Only option and click on Apply and OK.

2. Open your My Documents\My Games\Age of Empires 3\Startup folder and Create a user.cfg file. Then add the line +nosound or +nomusic save and exit, although this will result in a game with no sound.

Section 4: ESO - Connection Issues

Q: I get "CRC Mismatch" whenever I create a game. what does this mean?
A: CRC Mismatches occur when you have different versions of the game files to the default ones for ESO. The most common reasons for this are:

• You have modified any of the important game files for online play, such as proto.xml and game.cfg. In this case, you will need to remove your modifications or replace them with the original files. If you cannot do this or it doesn't work, you will need to do a clean reinstall.
• You are running a a no-CD crack or a pirated version of the game, in which case we will not help you, and will take action in accordance with our Code of Conduct if you admit to doing this. Pirated and cracked games are illegal.
• If you experience this problem after patching, the patch probably hasn't installed correctly. You will need to reinstall the game.
  

Q: I get the error message "Cannot connect to ESO" whenever I try to go online.
A: The main cause for this is a software firewall blocking Age of Empires 3 from connecting to the Internet. To rectify this you will need to go to your firewall software and enable age3.exe to connect to the Internet.

Also, you may not be able to connect to ESO if the servers are down for maintenance work. Check the front page of Age Community, where news on server maintenance is posted.

Q: I get error messages such as "Failed to join game" and "Invalid IP Address" whenever I try to join a game. What does this mean?
A: Messages similar to these occur when you would cause a game to go OOS (out of sync) if you joined it. If you are getting these messages it most likely means that you have a problem with your router or firewall. There are several steps you can take:

• Log off ESO and log back on again. If this does not work:
  
• Power cycle your computer and network hardware. Turn off your modem, router and computer, then restart them a few minutes later in that order.
  
• Check that your firewall is allowing age3.exe to connect to the Internet. You can test whether this is the source of the problem by turning your firewall off completely while attempting to connect to a game. Be warned, this will leave your computer vulnerable to attack.
  
• If your router has a 'Gaming Mode', have this turned on.

Section 5: ESO - General Multiplayer Information

Q: How can I save multiplayer games?
A: ES did not include this feature in the game, multiplayer games cannot be saved.

Q: I lost my ESO username, what can I do?
A: If you forgot your ESO Username, then there is no way for the game itself to remember it, instead try:
1) Browse to My Documents\my Games\Age of empires3\data
2) Look for a file named uipersonastats-[username].xml
3) If the file exists try logging in using the listed [username]

If that does not work then:
1) E-mail age3support@microsoft.com put “username lookup request” in the subject line
2) Then answer the auto response e-mail with the appropriate information
3) Be sure to include the e-mail you registered with and your PID.

Q: I lost my ESO password, what can I do?
A: Try first to use the “forgot password” button on the login screen. If you are unable to properly reset your password then:
1) E-mail age3support@microsoft.com put “password help” in the subject line
2) Answer the auto response e-mail with the appropriate information
3) Be sure to include the e-mail you registered with and your PID.

Q: Where can I find my Product ID?
A:Your Product ID or "PID" can be found by clicking on "Help and Tools" from the main menu of Age3, then click "About". It is a series of numbers 11111-111-1111111-11111.

Q: I have been playing games, but I’m not getting any XP or wins?
A: First make sure your the game you play meet the requirements for XP/rated; the requirements are listed in the readme.rtf file. Also You need to have at least 2 human players in a game to receive any XP on ESO and in order to receive wins/losses you need to have only human players arranged in even teams.

[This message has been edited by Maffia (edited 03-05-2011 @ 01:37 PM).]