Ensemble Studios have released a new screenshot from their upcoming 3D RTS Age of Mythology. Looks really nice. Thanks to Stomped for the tip.

The second chunk of GameSpot UK's Q&A with Bruce Shelly of Ensemble Studios is online. The questions all deal with The Conquerors, the add-on pack for Age of Empires II, so don't expect anything here about Age of Mythology, Ensemble's upcoming 3D RTS title - that will be covered in tomorrow's portion of the interview.

Ensemble Studios has released a version 1.0c patch for Age of Empires II: The Conquerors (thanks Blue's News). The patch is said to incorporate several enhancements and bug fixes, and also fixes "mini map trainer issues." Installation of version 1.0b is not necessary, as this update includes the changes from that version as well.

The boys at Ensemble let us know that they posted a new screenshot from Age of Mythology. This is their new 3D RTS. Also available are 2 new wallpapers.

Some site called Mr FixIt Online has posted a preview of the new Star Wars RTS LucasArts and Ensemble Studios are working on, Galactic Battlegrounds. It contains a good deal of new info based on playing the game.

MGON has conducted an interview with Bruce Shelley of Ensemble. They talk about the upcoming Age of Mythology RTS, which is looking pretty sweet.

I see on Blues News that PC Gameplay has a new preview of the Age of Mythology game that Ensemble is working on. The interview contains several quotes from designer Bruce Shelley.

Gamespot has scored a video from Age of Mythology, the new 3D RTS from Ensemble. Available as streaming video only. Thanks Pete.

Just got some email from the guys at DailyTelefrag again. (regarding this story) They have a direct quote from Stuart Moulder the head of the Microsoft PC division confirming that Age of Empires 3 is a separate title that is under consideration. Apparently there are NDAs involved and Ensemble wants to keep it hush hush though which explains some of the confusion and conflicting reports.

The head of Microsoft's PC division, Stuart Moulder said that Ensemble will develop another AGE OF EMPIRES game. AGE OF EMPIRES III will be historically based, as opposed to Ensembles AGE OF MYTHOLOGY which includes fantasy elements. The setting for AGE III hasn't been decided yet, although Moulder said the "Age of Discovery" - with it's sailing ships, conquest of new worlds, and plentiful men with rifles - is under consideration.

So there you go. Our huge controversy of the day.

The guys at DailyTelefrag managed to dig up word of Age of Empires 3 in development at Ensemble. A recent German magazine has the scoop which mentions the title is aiming for a Winter 2003 release. Thanks Stomped update: AVault has a story saying the German guys got it wrong!

Gamespot UK has a new preview of Age of Mythology, the new 3D RTS from Ensemble. Designer Ian Fischer is quoted througout the preview and there are also several screenshots from the game. Thanks Blues News for the tip.

Want to see another screenshot of that great looking 3D RTS from Ensemble, Age of Mythology? The game's site has been updated with a new one. Thanks Blues News.

Ok so they posted this a week ago but better late than never I guess huh? The Dallas Morning News has a story about game developers and the amount of applicants they are getting nowadays. There are quotes from Ensemble and 3D Realms, with the article focusing on the fact that there are so many more people than jobs, developers can be picky. Thanks Stomped.

Coolbeans! (Yeah I said it) finally some real info on the upcoming Ensemble Studios RTS game Age of Mythology. A preview on GameSpot includes several screenshots [check it] of the game in action as well as details on the gameplay itself.

Because of the 3D graphics, the gameworld is incredibly detailed. When standing in the snow, units expel frosty breath. When standing idle, they rub their arms and shiver in the cold. Units in the hot desert wipe their brows. As farmers walk through cornfields, they push past the corn stalks, which wave back and forth as they walk through. [...] Where Age of Mythology really shines is in its mythology component. As we mentioned before, this isn't a fantasy game in which you churn out legions of trolls and giants and wage war with spells. Instead, you curry favor with the gods through worship and are rewarded for your devotion with special powers and followers. The game features three cultures--Egyptians, Greeks, and Norse.

According to this PR on Yahoo, Microsoft is buying Age of Empires developer Ensemble Studios. Nothing really changes, they aren't becoming an Xbox-only developer or anything, but MS was looking to strengthen the 'PC Games Division'. Also MS is now publishing Age of Mythology, which is not exactly surprising ;) Thanks Stomped.

Ensemble has released another screenshot from Age of Mythology, their new 3D RTS. Actually in a nice 1280x1024 resolution.

The CGW guys send word that their latest issue has the scoop on the upcoming Ensemble Studios RTS3 game. In fact there's a bunch of info in there, here's a quote they sent along:

Ensemble Studios, creators of the award-winning Age of Empires games, has been working on its next big RTS for three years. The new game, Age of Mythology, adds mythological creatures, gods, and heroes to a stunning 3D world. Players can unleash ultra-powerful god attacks such as lightning and meteors, as well as use chimeras, trolls, giants, and flying units to attack their enemies. There will also be a major single-player campaign in the game, with numerous cinematic and scripted events. The game promises to be an exciting departure from previous RTS concepts.

Gimme a giant cow and we got B&W! Yeah!

Stomped's interview this morning is with Rick Goodman of Stainless Steel Studios, talking about the upcoming RTS Empire Earth. Rick Goodman co-founded Ensemble Studios and co-designed Age of Empires so he probably knows a thing or two about RTS games.

The Ensemble Studios website has another screenshot from their RTS III game. This screenshot from their new 3D RTS can also be found in the May Issue of Computer Gaming World.

Ensemble Studios have put up the first screenshot from their untitled RTS3 game. A preview of this 3D RTS game will be in the June issue of Computer Gaming World.