GAMES
Taking Credit for History: Why the University of Arizona Wants Students to Play Age of Empires IV During Class
Summary
- Current and future University of Arizona and Arizona Online students can earn credit toward their college degrees by playing Age of Empires IV.
- We talked with those involved in the creation of this unique opportunity for Universe of Arizona students.
- Age of Empires IV is available to play today with PC Game Pass and for purchase on the Windows Store and Steam.
Earning college credit for playing video games sounds like the stuff dreams are made of. Luckily for students attending the Universe of Arizona, this dream is turning into a reality thanks to a unique partnership between the university and Age of Empires IV.
Starting this semester, current and future University of Arizona and Arizona Online students can earn credit toward their college degrees when they interact with special educational content while playing Age of Empires IV.
To learn more about this partnership, we had a chance to talk with Associate Professor of Medieval History Paul Milliman, Executive Director of Corporate Initiatives and Business Development Kara Aquilano Forney, Associate Professor of Roman History and Department Head Alison Futrell, and Franchise Narrative Director for Age of Empires at World’s Edge Studio (Xbox) Noble Smith about this unique opportunity for Universe of Arizona students, what inspired them to create this program, and how Age of Empires IV can help affirm the accurate portrayal of history.
What inspired you to create this program at the University of Arizona?
Paul Milliman – When Kara asked me whether I would like to help create this program, I was teaching the History Department’s senior capstone course. One of the best students in the class was someone I had never worked with before, so I asked him how he had learned so much about medieval history. He said he was inspired to learn more about medieval history by playing games like Age of Empires II.
In recent years, so many of the best students I’ve worked with are gamers. They are researching historical events while they are playing these historical events in games, so I wanted to meet these gamer-historians where they are meeting history and show them some of the wonderful places they can go online to do their own historical research. As Age of Empires IV says, I wanted to teach them how to make history their story.
Alison Futrell – I was very excited when Kara approached us about this opportunity. My teaching and research for years has turned to how the past has been interpreted in film and television; students have also been alerting me to intriguing innovations in video games. One of them focused on a couple of examples for his final project and I was captivated by the narrative twists and layers of meaning that he explored. These were very distinctive, very creative approaches to the past! I’m enthusiastic about bringing in additional historical resources to enrich this kind of exploration.
Can you share some history (no pun intended) on how this partnership between Microsoft/Xbox, Age of Empires IV, and the University of Arizona came about?
Kara Aquilano Forney – The idea for the partnership came about more than two years ago when I connected with Will McCahill, business lead at Microsoft’s World’s Edge game studio. Will reached out to brainstorm about expanding the learning opportunities in Age of Empires IV and we talked about providing players a place to go once they finished their AoE experience. We had many “What if?” conversations — What if we enhanced the user experience with added learning content? What if we extended that learning beyond the game, what does that look like? The UArizona powerhouse history department quickly jumped on board, and the rest (pun intended) is History.
Were there other examples (games for college credit, etc.) you drew from to create this program at your university?
Paul Milliman – I am not aware of anything like this anywhere else. I teach history with games. I teach courses about historical games. I even have students create games in my courses as a more engaging way of presenting their historical research. I think this playful way of approaching historical research was very useful for this project.
Alison Futrell – I teach spectacle and performance (and film) and encourage students to move away from their desks, bring their other skills into the expanded classroom. This builds on those habits, certainly. A colleague across campus built a course around creating history tabletop games, focusing on how ancient economic decisions shape other experiences and choices, which I thought was very exciting.
What was it about Age of Empires IV specifically that drew you to the idea of creating college credit for playing through the game’s campaign?
Paul Milliman – I was intrigued by the script, especially the “Hands on History” videos. My teaching style is very hands-on. I’m a guide by your side, not a sage on a stage. I’m designing a special course just for gamer-historians who want to continue learning by building on their experiences in the game. They are going to learn more about the campaigns they fought by doing their own historical research and creating their own “Hands on History” videos.
Alison Futrell – The short documentaries alongside the enriched game play were fantastic! Yay archaeology! As a former archaeologist, I really appreciated the depth and tangibility those presentations brought to the dynamic ‘you are there’ quality of AoE IV. Many ways to understand what’s going on! With the special course, we’re adding different kinds of challenges to enhance what gamers have already experienced.
Are there any campaigns or levels that you’re excited for students to experience as part of this program at your university?
Paul Milliman – I think all four campaigns are great. They make me think about which campaigns you could present for the other civs in the game. Also, I really liked the promo video that came out last April in which Indian elephants were rampaging through the streets of medieval London and Chinese junks were sailing up the Thames. In the Middle Ages, Europe was not the center of the world, so placing later colonialism in its proper historical context through counterfactual history like this is a really engaging way to get students thinking about Europe’s historical relations with the larger world.
Alison Futrell – I think the four campaigns address important turning points in a really broad context, which is great. As Paul noted, the creativity in the promo, the collision of world cultures, was very entertaining, but also prods us to think broadly and comparatively, and to consider what tools can add substance to this kind of speculation.
Noble Smith – We’re thrilled that University of Arizona students will be able to dive into the rich history of Age of Empires IV’s campaigns. Diverse historical personages like the French heroine Jeanne d’Arc and the Mongol Emperor Genghis are brought to life through beautifully modeled 3D characters that speak in their respective native languages. Because this is a real-time strategy game, the player is in control of all their units — from the above-mentioned Heroes (with their unique special abilities) all the way down to the basic Man-at-Arms. Key battles, viewed from a 3/4 aerial view, are experienced in a visceral and exciting way that makes them feel as relevant as the day they were fought centuries ago.
Do you feel that this course helps to affirm the accurate portrayal of history, celebrating the High Medieval period to the Late Renaissance age, that Age of Empires IV strives to achieve?
Paul Milliman – I believe so. When I wrote the Illuminated Histories and the assessment, I really tried to tie everything back to the game. I want to take the excitement people have playing the game and channel that excitement into doing historical research about topics that excite them. I want them to experience the thrill of discovery, which can be just as thrilling as a campaign victory.
Alison Futrell – Absolutely! Authenticity and rich/deep exploration is what we’re after. History is complicated, with many layers of experience to probe. The course we’ve designed offers a range of pathways to get started doing just that.
Noble Smith – Beginning with the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and ending with the Siege of Kazan in 1552, the four campaigns in AoE IV most definitely span the sweeping era of the High Medieval period to the Late Renaissance. The evolution of armor, weapons, architecture, language, and accompanying music were all thoroughly researched and guided by subject matter experts from around the world.
So, for example, in the grand arc of the four campaigns the player gets to witness military units advancing from mail armor and swords (the Normans campaign) to sophisticated plate armor and gunpowder weapons (the Hundred Years War campaign). Even the languages spoken by the units in AoE IV evolve from their High Medieval versions to the Late Renaissance forms.
What future programs at your university, or others, you’d like to see to help recognize gaming as a source of education (when applicable)?
Paul Milliman – This is already happening in the history profession. There are many publications and conferences on this topic and many people who teach with games. Also, last year The American Historical Review, the leading academic history journal in the US, began reviewing historical computer games as a recognition of how important gaming is in informing people’s views of history.
Alison Futrell – This is a hot topic in History right now, with many people working on different pedagogical approaches that engage a range of student experiences and skill-building and, importantly, creativity. Games as a topic and as an inspiration are having an impact and are popping up in scholarly conferences as well.
Do you hope this experience will give your students a greater appreciation of cultures other than their own? What else do you hope they take away from this experience?
Paul Milliman – I do. As a historian of the global Middle Ages rather than just medieval Europe, I appreciate that half of the campaigns are not in western Europe. I hope this experience inspires these gamer-historians to learn more about the medieval world by visiting (virtually or in person) both the museums and libraries that contain the primary sources with which medieval history is written and the places which are depicted in the game. I also hope people will try their own “Hands on History.” Because of Age of Empires IV, I’ve broadened by own experiential learning. I started learning archery a few months ago, and soon I will take lessons on falconry and historical fencing. So, Age of Empires IV can inspire people of all ages and historical skill levels!
Alison Futrell – Of course! History offers people the chance to appreciate new outlooks through exploring the old, as it were, to see the human experience through the eyes of those who’ve gone before, to gain new insights, to broaden their understanding. I always hope that students will have the chance to dive a bit deeper into something that speaks specifically to them. I think that’s a particular strength in the way this class is structured.
Noble Smith – We hope that students who play AoE IV will develop a profound love of history. Maybe they will be inspired to tour a famous site represented in one of the missions (like the Hastings Battlefield in the United Kingdom) or visit the Guédelon castle project in France (shown in one of the game’s accompanying “Hands on History” films — Building a Castle) or perhaps study a new language. Maybe we’ll motivate someone to write a book about the Mongolian Yam messenger system or learn how to craft plate armor using traditional tools. We might even get some people who want to join our Age of Empires team… and keep on making history come to life for years to come!
Thanks to Paul, Kara, Alison, and Noble for taking the time today to share with us this amazing opportunity for University of Arizona students. You can learn more about this program here on AgeofEmpires.com. Age of Empires IV is available to play today with PC Game Pass and for purchase on Windows Store and Steam. Keep it tuned here to Xbox Wire for all the latest news about your favorite Xbox and Windows PC games.
Age of Empires IV
Xbox Game Studios
One of the most beloved real-time strategy games returns to glory with Age of Empires IV, putting you at the center of epic historical battles that shaped the world. Featuring both familiar and innovative new ways to expand your empire in vast landscapes with stunning 4K visual fidelity, Age of Empires IV brings an evolved real-time strategy game to a new generation.
Return to History – The past is prologue as you are immersed in a rich historical setting of 8 diverse civilizations across the world from the English to the Chinese to the Delhi Sultanate in your quest for victory. Build cities, manage resources, and lead your troops to battle on land and at sea in 4 distinct campaigns with 35 missions that span across 500 years of history from the Dark Ages up to the Renaissance.
Choose Your Path to Greatness with Historical Figures – Live the adventures of Joan of Arc in her quest to defeat the English, or command mighty Mongol troops as Genghis Khan in his conquest across Asia. The choice is yours – and every decision you make will determine the outcome of history.
Customize Your Game with Mods – Available in Early 2022, play how you want with user generated content tools for custom games.
Challenge the World- Jump online to compete, cooperate or spectate with up to 7 of your friends in PVP and PVE multiplayer modes.
An Age for All Players – Age of Empires IV is an inviting experience for new players with a tutorial system that teaches the essence of real-time strategy and a Campaign Story Mode designed for first time players to help achieve easy setup and success, yet is challenging enough for veteran players with new game mechanics, evolved strategies, and combat techniques.
GAMES
This Week’s Deals with Gold and Spotlight Sale
GAMES
The German Empire Marches to Italy in a Free Expansion Today
We have a new expansion for our WW1 Italian Front FPS game Isonzo releasing today! It’s the first part of our Caporetto season of free expansions, and features a whole new faction with the arrival of the German Empire on the Italian Front, and brings a new map for the Offensive game mode. There will be two more releases in the Caporetto season, each one with a new map to ultimately link together into a three map Caporetto Offensive.
The German faction comes with more than ten new weapons, as well as historically accurate uniforms and equipment. This first Caporetto map sees you taking part in the early stages of the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo, with German troops assaulting Italian positions on the road to Caporetto. Historically it was a military disaster for Italy which brought down the government – but maybe things can go differently with you on the battlefield?
The update sees new uniforms and equipment from the German Empire for Isonzo’s six classes: Rifleman, Assault, Engineer, Officer, Marksman and Mountaineer. For those who aren’t familiar with the game, each class has different weapon, gear and perk options that allow you to specialize your play style within the overall focus of the class. For instance, Marksmen are always sharpshooters, but a lot depends on your loadout. You could be a long-range sniper and observer identifying and eliminating high value targets with a scoped rifle, or you could equip body armor to take and hold a front line position with deadly accurate mid-range fire. Every class has choices to make in this regard.
In Isonzo’s signature Offensive game mode, one side must attack and break through multiple defensive lines. Thick layers of barbed wire, trenches, and whatever extra defenses the enemy engineers put together will stand in the way of a successful attack. Objectives can be taking and holding key points, or planting dynamite to sabotage enemy supply stashes or heavy artillery guns.
The new Caporetto map – the first of three in the season – is a huge battlefield based on the strategically important Monte Kolovrat. There are five defensive lines, where each line has two objectives for the attackers before they can advance further. While in the historical Battle of Caporetto both German and Austro-Hungarian forces were involved, in Isonzo we’ve chosen to focus on the German contribution, so the map recreates the stunning German advance from the town of Tolmein all the way to Kolovrat Ridge. It’s a damp, overcast day when the attack begins, and the attackers must first cut their way through lines of wire to break into a devastated town – including capturing a church defended by multiple heavy machine gun positions. Fortunately, in Isonzo there are many tactical options available to deal with such strong points: artillery barrages, smokescreens, snipers, rifle grenades, even poison gas. From there, it becomes a literal uphill battle for the German attackers as they begin to climb towards the peak of Kolovrat Ridge. They’ll need to sabotage bunkers and capture command posts while navigating rocky trenches and steep forested slopes. At the penultimate fourth defensive line there is a huge siege mortar to sabotage and a cluster of houses providing cover to the Italian defenders – then it’s one last climb to reach the final objective: Hill 1114. If the Germans can take it, the Italians will finally be the ones fighting uphill as their reinforcements stream in to try and counterattack.
Of course, things are no walk in the park for the defenders either – although it’s easier to maneuver when going downhill, and it’s much simpler for officers to deploy flares to call in support, the extensive trench lines can become a liability once the Germans get a foothold, providing cover as they advance. Some of the Italian defensive positions can be exposed against the sky, making it easy for German marksmen to pick off targets. Italian engineers should make good use of their construction abilities to put down additional sandbags and lay out extra wire to prevent German assault troops sneaking through the trees to flank trenches with their grenades or light machine guns.
As we mentioned before, historically the Battle of Caporetto was a disaster for the Italians. Appalling leadership led to poorly motivated and unprepared troops falling apart in the face of the combined Austro-Hungarian and German armies using cutting edge infiltration tactics. The Italian soldiers were not allowed to retreat until too late, and in the end hundreds of thousands would surrender. After Caporetto the top Italian general was fired and replaced by someone far more competent, who managed to turn the war around for the Italians. In Isonzo, it’s a more fair fight where both sides have an equal chance of winning, if they can use all the tactical options available better than their opponents.
The release will also bring other improvements to the game, including a prestige mode and higher level cap. Additionally, for those who want more options for visual customization of their character, the Royal Units DLC is releasing alongside the free expansion and contains uniforms from the German Kingdoms of Bavaria and Württemberg. Though part of the German Empire, these states had their own distinctive uniforms which we’ve carefully recreated with the same accuracy and attention to detail as with the other uniforms in the game.
The Battle for Caporetto Begins…
Isonzo is available right now on the Microsoft Store for Xbox, and the free Caporetto expansion is out today! Plenty of time to master the art of mountain warfare before the German Empire joins the action on the Italian Front. Follow us to get the latest development news as we add the finishing touches!
We’ll see you in the trenches!
Isonzo
BlackMill Games
$29.99
World War One expands to the mountains of the Italian Front – beautiful but deadly in equal measure. Inspired by the two year struggle for control of the Isonzo river valley and the Alps during World War One, Isonzo elevates the WW1 Games Series, figuratively and literally.
From the makers of Verdun and Tannenberg…
Take part in historical offensives from the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo to the Strafexpedition. Reflecting the course of the actual battles, as the attackers advance the fighting will shift through vastly different landscapes within a single offensive: from hillside fortresses to mountain trenches and fierce urban combat on city streets. Everything is recreated based on research and field trips, from sound effects and uniforms down to the houses, vineyards and trenches you’ll be fighting over.
The new Offensive game mode puts you right in the middle of key historical offensives on the Italian Front. Lead the charge across stunning Italian landscapes as you choose your path to victory – cut paths through barbed wire, flank your enemies by following mountain trails, or man a mortar to blast a way through. Shape a dynamic battlefield by laying sandbags and wire, placing ammo crates, deploying trench periscopes or sniper shields, and more.
Call in support with a unique historically accurate flare system: flare guns can mark targets for artillery or biplane flybys, or different colored flares can be used to guide your team. Once the big guns have softened up the enemy, finish the job at close quarters with an Arditi dagger or mountaineer’s pickaxe. Man heavy machine guns, mortars and even mountain guns for more direct fire support.
Choose from six classes based on historical combat roles and build your loadout from a selection of weapons, equipment and perks linked to that class, giving flexibility and variety while staying grounded in what real soldiers might have carried. You’ll be operating wire cutters, bandaging yourself and wounded teammates, and blowing the whistle to start an assault. One shot can kill and even lighter injuries can lead to quickly bleeding out.
Being an effective soldier in Isonzo is not just about being a good marksman. Mastering the terrain is also key – the mountain can be a friend or foe. Learn how to navigate well to maintain cover and surprise your enemies or support your allies.
Finally… watch out for the dreaded poison gas. You’ve never experienced WW1 action quite like this!
Isonzo key features include:
• MOUNTAIN WARFARE: Assaulting mountain fortifications, battling through ruined towns, and fording rivers are just a few of the challenges you’ll face as you fight your way through numerous enemy positions
• TACTICAL MULTIPLAYER FPS: Choose your role and loadout carefully to survive this high altitude combat – play a sniper to pick off the enemy engineers before they can cut your wire, use rifle grenades to clear enemy machine guns, and much more
• WORLD WAR ONE GAMEPLAY: Historical Offensive game mode based on real battles and focused on the unique challenges of Alpine warfare. Fight with 30+ WW1 weapons, poisonous gas attacks, and intense artillery barrages
• BUILD FOR VICTORY: Place your own wire, sandbags, trench periscopes, and more! Whether you’re digging in or on the attack, shaping the battlefield to your advantage will be key to victory
• FACES OF WAR: Make every class your own by picking from a variety of historically class-appropriate uniforms, accessories and headgear. As a finishing touch, you can even pick your mustache from several famous period-accurate styles!
• AUTHENTIC WW1 ATMOSPHERE: Accuracy in everything from maps and weaponry to music and the uniforms – fight for the Kingdom of Italy, the German Empire or the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy
MORE GAMES IN THE AUTHENTIC WW1 GAME SERIES
Immerse yourself in more WW1 action with our other standalone titles Tannenberg and Verdun. Experience trench warfare on the Western Front in Verdun, or maneuver for control of key sectors in Tannenberg on the Eastern Front. These authentic WW1 shooters let players choose from a range of squads from across the war, as they fight for control of the ever-changing frontlines.
GAMES
Transport Fever 2: Console Edition is Bringing the Full Transport Tycoon Experience to Xbox
Today, we proudly share a sneak peek into the development of Transport Fever 2: Console Edition, and how we managed to bring the full transport tycoon experience to Xbox.
Transport Fever is a very popular and highly rated transportation tycoon franchise on PC. Its latest entry, Transport Fever 2, delivers a level of size and detail never before seen in the genre. The goal of the game is to build a successful transportation company by constructing railroads, streets, water and air lines. Starting in the 19th century, the player connects towns and industries to transport both passengers and cargo. In addition to a customizable free game mode, there is also a fully-fledged campaign mode with challenging missions set in real-world transportation history.
After the huge success of Transport Fever 2 on PC, it was only logical to bring the experience to consoles as well. Not only that, but no efforts were spared to give the console community the full experience that made the game great on PC. In order to achieve this, the engineers at Urban Games had to pull some rabbits out of their engineers’ hats.
Always providing the freshest layer of paint
One of the most cherished features of Transport Fever 2 are its highly detailed vehicles. The game comes with more than 200 lovingly hand-modeled trains, ships, and airplanes, each sporting multiple 4k textures and normal maps.
On PC, it is easily affordable to have all the models and textures in memory whenever needed, as a typical rig has 16 GB of RAM and a GPU with a dedicated extra memory. Consoles, however, are built differently. They have a unified architecture with an overall smaller amount but ultra-fast memory. The key to make it work on consoles is texture streaming, which allows to clear textures of models that are not in view anymore. Moreover, this technology is used in Transport Fever 2 to constantly load textures at the highest affordable resolution to present the stars of the show, like the classic Class A 3/5 steam locomotive, in their best coat of paint at all times.
Keeping the ground like a console pro
A trademark of Transport Fever 2 are its huge maps. During development of the game, it was always paramount to provide a real sense of scale. The engine should allow for maps where a high-speed train, such as the famous Japanese Shinkansen, can really make use of its superior speed. So, a lot of effort was put into designing a highly effective terrain rendering pipeline that can handle maps of more than 120 sq miles of size with a detail resolution of almost 1 yard. Central to this is a dynamic terrain tessellation algorithm on the CPU that, while costing a bit of extra memory, makes sure the engine can render these maps on a wide variety of PCs.
Now, enter the world of consoles with their incredibly well-designed GPUs and graphic APIs. Here, the hardware can be leveraged very well for terrain rendering by making use of the GPU tessellation feature. This feature generates the render mesh for the terrain fully on the graphics card, saving valuable processing time for the complex economy and city growth simulations. While generating more triangles, the hardware approach still costs less memory overall due to its efficiency. So vast maps can be viewed from a bird’s view high up in the sky and seamlessly zoomed in down to individual rocks on a riverbank.
Inspiring the inner architect
Finally, let’s talk about constructions, a central and defining part of the Transport Fever 2 experience. Constructions are large assemblies that consist of dozens of assets, street segments, ground decals and terrain modifications. Think of structures like airports, train stations, docks, highway crossings, and many more. Anything that is needed to build a vast transportation empire.
For a smooth construction experience, it is key that the player really feels that he has precise control over the building placement. On PC, constructions are typically built using the mouse. As the average PC user is very well adjusted to this method of input, it is sufficiently performant to calculate the entire construction each frame and place it under the cursor. However, on consoles, the best way of building constructions is to have them always kept in the center of the screen and move the camera along the map for placement. And moving the camera needs to be as smooth as silk.
So, for the console release of Transport Fever 2, the construction preview pipeline was overhauled. All dynamic calculations are now performed in the background while a static preview of the structure and its underlying ground plan are shown. Not only are constructions now completely stable in terms of FPS, but they also give feedback to the player on what environment features the construction would tear down when built.
Let’s get tycooning on console
We are very excited to bring the Transport Fever franchise to consoles for the first time ever with the release of Transport Fever 2: Console Edition on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One in February 2023, and we hope you will enjoy it as much as we did developing it.
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