I’ve said it here and on discord afew times: Just go with the SC:GO approach. After SC2 launched, they put CSGO as a “beta” version of SC" onto steam just like our PuPs are beta. Not sure how much efford that would be but it would be a really nice way to give people the ability to play the old game without much efford.
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Maybe I should have rephrased my post!
I didn’t write that post as a complain, it was meant as an appreciation post for what that platform and that game brought us!
I totally understand why they are closing down eso, and its only natural to be sad about it!
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Yeah i undestand…Also sorry for the corrosive attitude brother. I was arguing for hours with some people over there on steam…And i spilled it on your post. Glad that we understood our positions.
Hey, just wanted to say thanks for explaining all that, man. You didn’t have to but you did, and I appreciate that
I got a little jaded recently with some AoE2:DE stuff going on, so have chosen to take a step back from the game and forums for a while. But wanted to log in and let you know that I definitely feel your passion for the game and it shows.
In the end, whatever happens with AoE3 or MP, I can accept and move on, despite me being fairly nostalgic. I grabbed screenshots last time I played MP, and have some from back when I played it a lot. That helps me accept things more
On October 30, 2024 ESO shut down for good. It was a sad day. R.I.P. ESO.
Here some last screenshots I took:
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I also made some tribute videos to ESO on my YouTube channel for the ones interested: https://www.youtube.com/@MCJimAgeofEmpiresIII
This video is showing the last seconds on ESO ever 
[AoE3] The Exact Moment ESO SHUT DOWN… 
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Wow. The real invite spammer? Hahaha
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Is this the reason why I can’t even install the game anymore?
I own the physical CD version of the GFWL version (purchased from xbox.com for 4999 LIVE points, in 2013)
The installer uses a 25 digit key, sends it to the Xbox server for cloud validation and then somehow populates the product keys for the game and both expansions…
The only downside, is that the “cloud activation” servers seem to not work.
And I was told by Microsoft “Ask the developer for a steam key”
Ensemble says “Ask the publisher, Microsoft Games Studio/Xbox, because we have no way of generating new product keys.”
Xbox: “we have no clue about PC games, ask Microsoft”
And now I’m stuck.
If the AOE dev and my “friend” on Steam, Joe Homes, wants to gift me a copy of AOE3 Legacy on Steam, that’d be neat. (Or send me the 3 keys associated with the 25 digit product key, so I can install the game and EPs using other means)
yeah. Exactly mate. Servers of OG AoE III are down
Welp, that sucks.
Fable3 and FO3 gave everybody steam keys, but with an official “Microsoft Games Studio” title, I get the run around with nobody being able to provide support.
Hard to say. My hunch is it’s unrelated.
PC Gaming Wiki seems to say that GFWL validation is still running, but may have hiccups.
However, none of that should matter.
I assume your GFWL copy of AoE3 Complete Collection has a file structure like below:
The autorun defaults to launching Setup.exe, which IIRC does involve an online validation in its installation process.
What Setup.exe looks like at start:
But here’s the trick: you have an alternate way to install it!
Just run Game.msi, which will launch a different Setup process.
This installation should accept your key without connecting online.
Be sure to ask if you run into further problems.
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