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Microsoft Age of Empires III
Readme File
September 2005

Welcome to Microsoft® Age of Empires® III!

This file contains information to help you install Age of Empires III. It also includes late-breaking information not included in the manual or in-game Help.

CONTENTS
A. Installing Age of Empires III
B. Starting Age of Empires III
C. Getting Help
D. What's on the Disc?
E. MultiplayerGuide
F. Shortcut Keys
G. Manual Corrections
H. Gameplay Troubleshooting
I. DirectX Troubleshooting
J. Video Troubleshooting
K. CD-ROM Drive Troubleshooting
L. Audio Troubleshooting
M. Processor Troubleshooting
N. Performance Troubleshooting
O. Multiplayer Troubleshooting
P. Age of Empires III Information

A. Installing Age of Empires III

To install Age of Empires III, you musthave administrator rights on your computer and your computer must be running Microsoft Windows® XP.

To install Age of Empires III

· Insert the Age of Empires III disc into the disc drive. If AutoPlay is enabled, the installation menu will appear; click Install, and then follow the on-screen prompts.
—or—
· If AutoPlay is disabled, on the Start menu, click My Computer. In the My Computerwindow, double-click the disc drive icon, and then double-click Setup.exe. On the Setup screen, click Install, and then follow the on-screen prompts.

B. Starting Age of Empires III

You must have the Age of Empires III disc 1 in your disc drive to play.

To start Age of Empires III

· Insert the Age of Empires III disc 1 into the disc drive. On the Start menu, point to Programs, point toMicrosoft Games, point to Age of Empires III, and then click Age of Empires III.

You can skip the opening cinematics by pressing ENTER, SPACEBAR, or ESC.

C. Getting Help

You can find information about Age of Empires III in the game manual, the in-game Help, and in PDF files.

To display in-game Help

· Place your pointer over any button or interface item in the game to view rollover Helpor tooltips. You can also right-click any unit portrait or improvement icon in the game to view detailed Help.
·
· PDF files of the game manual and civilization quick reference card reside in the Docs folder on the Age of Empires III CD. To view the PDF files, you must have Adobe® Reader® installed. You can download Adobe Reader at .
·
· D. What's on the Disc?
·
· The Age of Empires IIIdisc contains some additional information that you may find interesting or useful.
·
· To access the information on the game disc
·
· On the Start menu, click My Computer. In the My Computer window, double-click the disc drive icon, and then double-click the Docs folder.


E. Multiplayer Guide

You can play a specific or random map, with a specified or random civilization, with up toseven other players. The other players can be human connections from the Internet or LAN, computer players, or a combination of both.

To play a multiplayer game

· On the Main menu, click Multiplayer, and then choose ESO or LAN.

ES Online—Selecting this option connects you to Ensemble Studios Online (ESO) through the game’s built-in browser. An Internet connection is required prior to gamelaunch to connect to ESO. ESO is a quick and easy way to find other Age of Empires III players.

LAN—You can set up a LAN two ways:

TCP/IP Connection for Direct IP or LAN Connect using your broadband Internet connection or a network that uses the TCP/IP protocol. If you do not know which protocol your network uses, contact your network administrator.
—or—
Modem Connection for Direct IPModem connection is supported to the Internet or a private network. Age of Empires III requires a modem speed of 56 KBps or faster. Players behind a NAT, router or ICS may encounter problems with Direct IP and should play instead on ESO.

To join or host an ESO (Ensemble Studios Online) game

On the Main menu, choose Multiplayer, and then choose ES Online. The ESO Login Screen will appear....