Hello,
Since it is more practical than using the lobby in the game, it allows us to view the player information on aoe2.net and also us to join the lobby or spectate. However, our web lobby experience for the game is badly affected as it is constantly out of service at peak times.
Since aoe2.net API services cannot respond so integrated 3rd party systems do not work. I am sure that many websites are using this site and they are also having the same problem. There is no official web lobby experience and no official API for a make custom either.
My question is as follows,
Why are services in Aoe2.net not directly accessible to other developers? If possible, what should we do to get private API access to Age Of Empires?
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I believe there is an alternative website aoe2fun or something out there, too, though just like aoe2.net, it gives HTML errors (it’s not secure or w/e) and I haven’t used it at all myself.
But yeah, agree with OP, having better lobby functionality in or out of game would be appreciated!
Practically not publishing an external API means that you don’t need to maintain it, e.g. change the API definition at will.
I welcome any change to publicize the API tho.
My understanding is that aoe2.net is an unofficial project maintained by a single person (same person also manages aoeiv.net). They themselves have reverse engineered an internal API (I.e. it is not officially exposed not documented). I am assuming the aoe2.net dev doesnt document or expose the internal API because that risks having it shut down / turned off. I’m also assuming FE/MSX don’t document it because they don’t want to officially support or maintain it or be responsible for it.
All in all its a super wierd setup that makes no sense considering its the primary data source that props up the entire community. It’s been this way for years though and I’ve never seen anyone from FE/MSX ever really talk about it or address it.
I believe there are efforts to try and build out a second community API (again based on reverse engineering the internal API) in order to provide a more stable interface. This however is being built by a closed group (again to avoid issues of overloading the internal API and having it pulled). For more info the best place to ask questions is the seige engineers discord where aoe2 modders / tool Devs tend to hangout.
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