Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition will finally be compatible with Capture Age

Capture Age is a tool designed for use with the original, 1999 version of classic RTS Age of Empires 2. It's great for spectating, as it adds an overlay of realtime stats, increases zoom in both directions, and generally makes for a better viewer experience. It's been used in both Hidden Cup 2 and Escape Champions League tournaments, but it wasn't compatible with the Definitive Edition of Age of Empires 2 released in 2019. That's about to change.

World's Edge, the Redmond-based Microsoft studio overseeing Age of Empires, has announced a partnership with Capture Age, and a new version of the tool is being designed. 

As the announcement explains, "Recently, the Capture Age team were responsible for the amazing overlay used during the Red Bull Wololo and Hidden Cup 3. The overlay tracked multiple players’ resources, population and completed research in real-time, without having to swap between views or access menu systems."

The new version of Capture Age will include features like an enhanced minimap with high-contrast colors, a world overlay with monk conversion time indicators, per-unit statistics and individual unit kills, direct scoreboard integration, and an event panel documenting tribute amounts, market usage, and other notable events.

Jody Macgregor
Weekend/AU Editor

Jody's first computer was a Commodore 64, so he remembers having to use a code wheel to play Pool of Radiance. A former music journalist who interviewed everyone from Giorgio Moroder to Trent Reznor, Jody also co-hosted Australia's first radio show about videogames, Zed Games. He's written for Rock Paper Shotgun, The Big Issue, GamesRadar, Zam, Glixel, Five Out of Ten Magazine, and Playboy.com, whose cheques with the bunny logo made for fun conversations at the bank. Jody's first article for PC Gamer was about the audio of Alien Isolation, published in 2015, and since then he's written about why Silent Hill belongs on PC, why Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale is the best fantasy shopkeeper tycoon game, and how weird Lost Ark can get. Jody edited PC Gamer Indie from 2017 to 2018, and he eventually lived up to his promise to play every Warhammer videogame.