At least 1 player disconnects in team games, making them unplayable

Age of Empires II: DE II - Report a Bug
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Hello everyone! We’ve created a new tool that we’re using to collect additional logging information about the issues you’re experiencing.

What is the Enhanced Logging Build?

Steam users can now access a new Steam Beta branch called the Enhanced Logging Build. This branch will allow you to play with users on the main game branch, but will generate advanced networking logs to help our team diagnose critical crashes and disconnects in your games—even if it’s someone else experiencing the firsthand issues in your match.

Some important notes of warning:

  • DUE TO THE ENHANCED LOGGING, THERE WILL BE AN EXPECTED PERFORMANCE HIT WHEN PLAYING ON THE BUILD. This is not a bug, as it is a result of the logging that is occurring behind-the-scenes.
  • DUE TO THE ADDITIONAL RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS OF THE BUILD, DO NOT REPORT BUGS OR ISSUES WHEN PLAYING ON THE ENHANCED LOGGING BUILD. Due to the additional factors, we cannot action issues reported when playing on the build.
  • CHANGE TO THE MAIN GAME BRANCH WHEN YOU’RE DONE GENERATING LOGS. This will ensure you play properly, can report issues, and enjoy everything the game has to offer!

Accessing the Logging Build

Here’s how to access the special branch:

  1. Launch Steam.
  2. Right click Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition in your library and select Properties…
  3. Select the BETAS tab.
  4. Enter the following beta access code: 4YH2SkfG7CK5yanvrXE9qj8b
  5. Click CHECK CODE
  6. To utilize the build, select the enhanced_logging branch from the drop-down list. Your game will download a very small update (~35 MB).

What to Report

Once you or another user experiences a disconnect, you will want to close out the game and find the logs generated while you were playing. They can be found here:

  • File Location: C:\Users\LOCALUSER\Games\Age of Empires 2 DE\logs

    (Note that the LOCALUSER part of the path is replaced by your specific user account. If you changed the default installation directory of your Steam client, the logs folder may also be created in a different location.)

You will want to obtain the log file associated with the session where you experienced the connectivity problem. If you closed your game, this is typically the last session, as denoted by the date and time of the log in the folder:

  • Log Example: 2020.09.02-15.08.09.txt
  • The first set of numbers is the date (2020.09.02 = YYYY.MM.DD = September 2nd, 2020)
  • The second set is the time the file was created (15.08.09 = HH.MM.SS = 3:08pm and 9 seconds)

Logs are saved at the END of a session when the client is terminated, and will usually be the last log file in the folder if you look for it immediately following a disconnect or crash.

Transmitting Logs & Important Information

Now that you have the log, please upload it to a file hosting service that can support the file. Make sure you also list it as public so it can be accessed by the Test team!

You can then share the link to the file as a reply, which should also include answers to the following questions:

  • WHAT TYPE of match of you playing? Is it a team game? 1v1? Ranked queue or custom lobby?

  • WHEN did the disconnect occur? When loading into a ranked game? When matchmaking? During the match?

  • Was it your FIRST match of the day? Was this your first match since launching the client? Your second? Third?

  • WHAT STEPS did you take leading up to the disconnect? Describe what happened leading up to the disconnect. Any information is helpful.

If you also have a video recording of the incident, please feel free to include it in your report!

Thank you!

As always, thank you all for helping us track down these issues! This information and the additional logging provided by this new tool should help the team dig into and fix these issues, so I look forward to seeing what you provide!

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