GAME INFORMATION
These details are CRITICAL; DO NOT skip them or your issue may not be reviewed.
- **GAME BUILD #: 101.102.62906.0 / (likely update that caused the problems on October 15th: 128442) / 16271343
- GAME PLATFORM: Steam
- OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows 7
ISSUE EXPERIENCED
DESCRIBE THE ISSUE IN DETAIL (below). LIMIT TO ONE BUG PER THREAD.
AOE2:DE was working great in Windows 7 for a very long time, until the forced auto-update several weeks ago via Steam on October 15, 2024 broke AOE2:DE from launching in Windows 7. A fix is needed. Or, a way to revert the AOE2:DE update to the previous one before October 15th. Also, is there a general time estimate for a fix on Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition (AOE2:DE) to work in Windows 7 again?
There’s many forum threads from various sites of people stating the same Windows 7 issue as described above.
One possible acceptable workaround is to add an option: “Last Working Win7 Version” to Steam’s AOE2:DE “Betas” tab area, as described below from one of my previous different forum posts:
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Age of Empires II: High Definition (AOE2:HD) edition(it’s old and has worse graphics) still works well in Windows 7, while AOE2:DE doesn’t work at all now in Windows 7 since the October 15th auto-update. This is how Steam enabled the much older Windows XP OS players to still be able to play AOE2:HD:
To see it as an example, if you have it, open AOE2:HD game “Properties” in Steam’s Library (via the “Manage”/gear icon in the top-right area) / Click the “Betas” tab / to the right of “Beta Participation”, there’s a drop down menu that shows this option: “Last Working WinXP Version.”
So, something similar to that could be added to the “Betas” tab for AOE2:DE, too, such as “Last Working Win7 Version.” That would be very helpful for Windows 7 players to at least be able to immediately play single player mode until/if there’s an update to fix each future AOE2:DE forced auto-update that breaks the game. Instead of not being able to play AOE2:DE at all for a long time until another fix is available(if ever) each time."
]
A last resort option – if I can get AOE2:DE running in Single Player mode again on Windows 7, even just temporarily for one time: I’ve learned of various ways to block Steam’s auto-updates for any game, so I could do that if needed, or I could just leave the Windows 7 computer offline – to prevent future forced AOE2:DE auto-updates, for permanent Single Player mode use. Or, if the AoE2DE_s.exe launcher is the only problem, then I would like to have an official copy of that to fix the problem – dated before the October 15th update.
TLDR:
I bought AOE2:DE a few months ago, in August 2024, specifically to use it in my Windows 7 Operating System and now it will not launch at all in Windows 7, due to the forced October 15th auto-update. I’m currently not requesting a refund or any compensation yet(via Steam). I’m also not asking for forever support for AOE2:DE in Windows 7. I just want to have an option to play a functional AOE2:DE in Windows 7 so that I can run it in Single Player mode (without multiplayer working is ok with me, so that I can play its many offline Campaign Missions.) Please help with this.
FREQUENCY OF ISSUE
How often does the issue occur? CHOSE ONE; DELETE THE REST!
- 100% of the time / matches I play (ALWAYS)
REPRODUCTION STEPS
List CLEAR and DETAILED STEPS we can take to reproduce the issue ourselves… Be descriptive!
Here’s the steps to reproduce the issue:
- Start AOE2:DE in Windows 7 OS from within Steam or outside of Steam – directly from its launcher: AoE2DE_s.exe
- Watch it never start
- Repeat
EXPECTED RESULT
What was SUPPOSED to happen if the bug you encountered were not present?
AOE2:DE should start normally in Windows 7 OS from within Steam or outside of Steam – directly from its launcher: AoE2DE_s.exe, without it immediately crashing every time.
IMAGE
ALWAYS attach a PICTURE (.jpg, .png, .gif) or VIDEO (.mp4, YouTube link) that highlights the problem.
N/A
GAME FILES (SAVE / RECORDING)
Attach a SAVE GAME (.aoe2spgame) or GAME RECORDING (.aoe2record) of the match where you encountered the issue. Link it below if using an external file service.
- N/A