Destineer Studios’ Mac label, Bold, has announced a slight modification to its game publishing plans that will benefit Mac users who have patiently awaited October’s release of Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. The company said that rather than just releasing the original game, they’ll publish a Mac version of Age of Empires II: Gold Edition. The Gold Edition, which is just now shipping for the PC, bundles together the original game along with The Conquerors Expansion, an add-on that Windows users originally had to purchase separately.
“When Mac users shop for Age of Empires II this fall, they should find that the Macintosh version of Age of Empires II will have the same contents and the same price as the Windows version, plus it runs on a Mac,” said Destineer president Peter Tamte.
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings is a real time strategy game in which you must lead the development and expansion of a civilization over the course of a millennium — past the fall of the Roman Empire and through the Middle Ages. You control the technological, economic and diplomatic advances of your culture, forge alliances with foreign powers, raise armies and lead them into battle. The game will be playable on Mac OS 8, 9 and natively on X when it’s released.
The Conquerors Expansion adds new civilizations, unique units and technologies to the game, and also engrosses players in campaigns based on historical figures like Attila the Hun, El Cid and Montezuma. Gameplay enhancements supported by The Conquerors Expansion will include chat commands, smart villagers and farm queuing.
Yesterday, MacCentral brought readers news about Age of Empires II’s Mac development status. The game is currently being developed for the Mac by Mac game conversion studio Westlake Interactive, and just recently hit its beta development milestone. Expect the game to be released in October.