Random map

“	Most common game; you choose the settings and victory conditions.	”
—Age of Empires II description

Random Map is the primary game mode throughout the games of the Age of Empires series. In the mode, the player starts out with a map randomly generated for each game. The overall topography of the map remains the same on each map type, with different landscapes and landforms on every corner of the map. The size of the map and the number of players affect the generated terrain of the map.

Age of Empires

The original Age of Empires offers four random map types:

The Rise of Rome

The Rise of Rome introduces four new random maps:

Age of Empires II

The second Age of Empires game features 14 random map types:

The Conquerors

The Conquerors introduces 8 new random maps to the game.

Real-World Maps

Additionally, The Conquerors introduces Real-World maps based on real locations around the world. While their geography is of fixed size and will always resemble their real-world counterpart, resources are randomly distributed around the map every time it's played.

Name	Description	Image
Britain	Expect lots of naval combat in the North Sea and across the English Channel.
Byzantium	Rome never truly fell, it just changed continents.
Central America	The Aztecs and Mayans vie for domination of Central America with invaders from across the sea.
France	Re-enact the Moslem invasion and the Hundred Years' War.
Iberia	The Iberian Peninsula, including Spain and Portugal.
Italy	Rome has fallen and the peninsula is up for grabs.
Mideast	Where continents, cultures and world religions collide.
Norse Lands	Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Holland.
Sea of Japan (East Sea)	Japanese warships and Korean Turtle Ships do battle in this rocky sea.
Texas	Relive the classic Mayan and Korean skirmish in the Lone Star State.

Custom Maps

Ensemble Studios created additional Custom Maps for The Conquerors that were originally available for download on the official website. They were later included with Patch 1.0c, Gold Edition and HD Edition. The filenames for all of maps begin with "ES@" to help players find them during multiplayer.

Name	Description	Image
Canals	A network of canals creates a spider web effect as they try to connect every player’s starting town.
Capricious	Starting food, gold and stone might be at normal levels, in short supply, or in abundance. Starting trees will always be the same.
Dingos	Villagers shepherd their flocks while avoiding rampaging wild animals. Lots of sheep, lots of wolves, no Scout.
Graveyards	Control weed-choked graveyards packed with scary trees and abandoned buildings that conceal resources and ancient relics.
Metropolis	Control three Town Centers, three sets of villagers, three Scouts and three sets of resources!
Moats	Each player’s town is surrounded by a narrow body of water with several land bridges for access and moats narrow enough for ranged units to fire across.
Paradise Island	Start on a tropical island with your enemies. The map is loaded with fish, boars, and berries. Find the three relics at the base of the volcano in the center, but beware of the guardians!
Pilgrims	Your starting island may be small, but there is a whole new world to discover! Hop in your Transport and race your enemies to the new world!
Prairie	Food is often scarce and there aren’t a lot of natural defenses, but your two Scouts can cover a lot of ground.
Seasons	Based on the 4 seasons in a year, with a 25% chance of loading up a Winter map, Spring map, Summer map, or Autumn map.
Sherwood Forest	Multiplayer only. Your town is surrounded by forests, yet you can walk freely through them. Use your hunting wolf to scout the terrain or for sneak attacks on your enemy’s villagers.
Sherwood Heroes	Single player version of Sherwood Forest. Start out with some familiar heroes.
Shipwreck	A few bruised villagers and their waterlogged sheep stranded on a desert island.
Team Glaciers	In the frozen north, each team must defend its own hunk of ice and snow against frequent enemy raids. Bad weather makes ships and walls rare, though strangely, this has led to a bumper crop of deer.
The Unknown	Everything is random. Everything. From the moment the game starts, you have to scout (with a random number of Scouts, of course) to figure out whether you are on an island, a mainland, or inside a clearing of trees.

The Forgotten

The Forgotton includes twelve standard maps, with many featuring a unique variation on standard gameplay. Three additional maps are also available only for Capture the Relic mode, as well as an option to randomly select between these maps.

Name	Description	Image
Acropolis	Battle on the barren slopes of your base as you defend your hill and conquer the enemy's.
Budapest	Two towns and a plethora of wildlife offer unconventionally intense battles.
Cenotes	An open land studded with sinkholes but only a few clusters of trees.
City of Lakes	An endless maze of lakes and rivers winding through a sparsely forested desert.
Golden Pit	A ravine filled with gold beckons but its depths loom treacherously as enemies lie in wait on the other side.
Hideout	A palisade wall provides only false comfort over the palpable feeling of enemy lurking just around the corner.
Hill Fort	A fortified stronghold perched on a mountain top may be virtually impregnable but scarce resources and lack of space drive players to expand their empires into the lowlands around.
Lombardia	A handful of cities on opposite ends of a wintry landscape must share, trade and coordinate in their efforts to defeat the enemy.
Steppe	Dare you leave the safe shelter of the trees to hunt the graceful deer roaming the open ground?
Valley	A dried up river stands between enemy towns but also poses an opportunity as animals gather there to gulp down the last drops.
MegaRandom	Ever dreamed of an endlessly unpredictable map where anything is possible and nothing is guaranteed? Multiply it by ten and you have... MegaRandom
Hamburger	The ultimate Easter Egg map. Located on either side of the tasty burger, will you eat through it, or sail around the bun and surprise the enemy?
CtR Monsoon	One of the three most challenging Capture the Relic maps. There is only limited space to build on as most of the map is covered in endless marshes, which in the coldest seasons turn to ice. The relic stands in the centre, enclosed in a sacred grove of trees.
CtR Pyramid Descent	One of the three most challenging Capture the Relic maps. Players appear huddled up around the relic atop a vast pyramid but their monasteries lie all the way on the bottom stair.
CtR Spiral	One of the three most challenging Capture the Relic maps. The center of the map has been engulfed in a spiral of deep waters and the only way to reach the relic is to follow the current in long and treacherous circles.

The African Kingdoms

The African Kingdoms introduces 5 standard, 8 real world and 11 special maps to the game:

Standard

Real World

Special

Rise of the Rajas

Rise of the Rajas introduces 5 standard, 4 real-world nad 5 special maps to the game:

Standard

Real World

Special

Map Sizes

The maps in Age of Empires II are all square, and have the following sizes:

Map Size	Dimensions
Tiny (2 players)	120x120 tiles
Small (3 players)	144x144 tiles
Medium (4 players)	168x168 tiles
Normal (6 players)	200x200 tiles
Large (8 players)	220x220 tiles
Giant	240x240 tiles
LudiKRIS	480x480 tiles

Note that the LudiKRIS map size was only introduced in Age of Empires II HD: The Forgotten, and is not found in the original game.

Age of Mythology

There are thirty-six different map types in in the Random Map option:

Two additional maps were given away as pre-order bonuses for the game:

The Titans

Tale of the Dragon

Age of Empires III

There are seventeen different map types in in the Random Map option for the original game:

The War Chiefs

Andes
Araucania (Northern, Middle and Southern)
California
Northwest Territory
Orinoco
Ozarks
Painted Desert
Plymouth

Random map

Contents

Age of Empires

The Rise of Rome

Age of Empires II

The Conquerors

Real-World Maps

Custom Maps

The Forgotten

The African Kingdoms

Standard

Real World

Special

Rise of the Rajas

Standard

Real World

Special

Map Sizes

Age of Mythology

The Titans

Tale of the Dragon

Age of Empires III

The War Chiefs

The Asian Dynasties

Gallery

Fan Feed