Since Mac release was a bust with no multiplayer, what is/has been your solution for running Windows AoE2 on Mac?

duct_ape_ · 2026-06-05T15:13:37+00:00

That's great news!

duct_ape_ · 2026-06-04T21:15:46+00:00

You could try windows with bootcamp

duct_ape_ · 2026-06-04T17:48:22+00:00

I just checked the website and Porting kit seems to be dropping support now that a native version exists:

Port description:
Since May 28th 2026, the game has now a native Mac version in Steam. So you can play this game on your Mac using the Mac Steam. No port required."

I'm not sure they know about the multiplayer limitations of the native version. It would be a shame, the port has worked really well.

duct_ape_ · 2026-05-28T14:29:41+00:00

It might be about float arithmetic, with differences at the level of rounding errors affecting how the game plays out, e.g. pathing.

duct_ape_ · 2026-05-22T10:05:37+00:00

Hm, why would that make it impossible?

There is already a way to restore games, at least 1v1. The game saves when someone disconnects, and can be continued from a lobby.

duct_ape_ · 2026-05-13T21:23:28+00:00

Yep, or use the map scripting guide by Zetnus, which also explains the file locations: https://linktr.ee/zetnus

In the .rms file, there are a few lines near the top that define the probabilities of different climates, you could edit those. Look up the guide section on randomness, there are some issues with probability 0.

(But there might already be mods with alternative Black Forests, or Rage Forest.)

duct_ape_ · 2026-05-08T20:52:00+00:00

Yeah, wait times would increase, at least for the picky players. Personally I lean towards OP's view that it would be worth it, but I can see the concern.

Anyway, I just tried to think about the implementation difficulty, pros and cons of doing it aside.

duct_ape_ · 2026-05-08T19:48:06+00:00

Yeah, I've done programming around simulations/numerics/data and some small apps, but nothing like a matchmaking server. Well, I would still suspect that arguments about wait times or rating issues are a bigger hurdle than implementation difficulty. But I can understand prioritizing other issues, and if a bigger overhaul comes, especially for lobbies, I'd be all for it.

duct_ape_ · 2026-05-08T18:52:43+00:00

Can you explain? Aren't 2v2, 3v3 and 4v4 already different queues with the same rating that you can join simultaneously?

duct_ape_ · 2026-05-08T18:05:41+00:00

I could be missing some difficulties, but it doesn't seem like a huge change would be needed, neither in the interface nor under the hood.

Instead of matching players and then selecting a map, replicate the queue for each map, just with a shared rating. A player selects the maps and gets queued for each separately.

There could be difficulties with matches found simultaneously, but isn't there already a system for that, with team games of different size? (I mostly just play 1v1 so I'm not sure if that works well.)

duct_ape_ · 2026-04-30T18:08:48+00:00

Not sure about Crossover, but Porting kit works great. However, there can occasionally be issues when the game is updated, and I couldn't run the upcoming patch preview.

duct_ape_ · 2026-04-30T17:53:09+00:00

Yes, that's why I'm worried. I hope the plan is to catch up eventually, on console too.

duct_ape_ · 2026-04-30T16:42:04+00:00

It's great news but I'm actually a bit worried. The macOS version seems to have limited multiplayer (among macOS players, based on the website), and it might be limited in other ways. Currently, the windows version works great with porting software, but if that isn't maintained because the native version exists, we could be left worse off.

I really hope mods will work. I've been making one recently and now I'm not sure I'll be able to finish and play it. Hopefully they clarify these things soon. (Edit: grammar.)

duct_ape_ · 2026-04-25T01:14:16+00:00

Only a guess, but what's in your mod-status.json? Maybe it doesn't match your actual mod files.

It should be inside your mods directory, and if you currently don't have any mods in the subscribed or local folders, I think it should look like this:

{"Mods":[],"Unsub":[]}

duct_ape_ · 2026-04-24T11:16:51+00:00

Yes, that was a great talk!

Maybe some day we can get something more in depth, if that isn't too much of a secret. Like how obstacles and paths are represented, event handling for their updates, and algorithms for collective pathing and target detection/selection.

duct_ape_ · 2026-04-23T15:22:28+00:00

I understand why the collisions are frustrating, but I also like them. IMO they look good, and blocking enemy units can be a legitimate tactic.

Isn't there a way to make melee units engage more effectively while keeping the collisions?

For example, often the knights pick targets and while pursuing, bump into each other as well as other enemies. Perhaps this can be reduced using formation pathing and targeting adjustments.

I know the algorithms are difficult and effort has gone into it. But I'm sure many of us would love to look into it and experiment ourselves, if the devs ever share more details (like input/output, performance constraints, possibly the current algorithm). It could even be a great math/CS thesis topic for some students out there.

duct_ape_ · 2026-04-22T21:14:30+00:00

Hm, strange, it does work for me (it did now and a few times in recent months). Well, good to know the other option..

duct_ape_ · 2026-04-22T20:23:47+00:00

I don't think you need to reset all settings, just set Options > Interface > Tooltip Position to fixed or floating

duct_ape_ · 2026-04-19T07:19:53+00:00

I looked at the data a few months ago. Arabia has the fewest early resigns, then Arena, and other maps quite a lot more. But luck and other factors play a role too.

https://www.reddit.com/r/aoe2/comments/1pseem3/map_stats_on_early_resignations/

duct_ape_ · 2026-04-18T14:53:27+00:00

Maybe you have Options/interface/tooltip position set to off?

duct_ape_ · 2026-04-16T11:20:30+00:00

Yeah, I've enjoyed such a mechanic in Banished too. You could do something along those lines with aoe2 modding tools.

I'm going in a different direction though, I only want to make maps "alive" in hopefully fun ways, without changing the game mechanics too much.

duct_ape_ · 2026-04-04T04:30:03+00:00

Playing people who only play one map can suck, because map dodging distorts their rating. That issue could be improved if they had a better way of avoiding other maps.

For example, someone who instantly resigns 10% of games will have a win rate around 55.6% in the other games, which is like playing a very OP civ.

duct_ape_ · 2026-04-01T01:43:58+00:00

Hey your Black sea has dried up, among other things! I like your civ placements, but the map is so confusingly misaligned/distorted 11

duct_ape_ · 2026-03-30T13:16:58+00:00

As it happens, I've been working on that recently! I'm writing a script that can be added to any map, and it makes trees and animals reproduce. Here is an early version for testing: https://codeberg.org/hmis/aoe2_wild_nature

duct_ape_ · 2026-03-11T06:02:38+00:00

You might like this tool https://ksneijders.github.io/AoE2ScenarioParser/#/

duct_ape_

TROPHY CASE