Gamescom News: Age of Empires IV officially announced

23 August 2017 3 November 2021 / From Johannes Domke / Apps, News / Post a comment

Chapter in this post:

1 Update November 3, 2021: Buy Age of Empires IV
2 Age of Empires IV: Microsoft is officially working on the fourth part
Play 3 Age of Empires on Mac
4 Your opinion and experiences
5 Similar posts

At Gamescom 2017, Microsoft presented the fourth part of the AoE game series for the 20th birthday, and with it rumors about one Age of Empires IV officially confirmed. In addition to the new title of the Age of Empires series, the title published in 2013 Age of Empires XNUMX HD the Definitive Edition announced. This information to the then announced 4K-Games I gave you back in August 2017. Now it's 2021, the fourth part of Microsoft's real-time strategy game series is on the market and I have provided this post with an update. The new text passages are marked accordingly;)

At Gamescom 2017 in Cologne, Microsoft announced the game Age of Empires IV. You can find the teaser video for the new AoE 4 in this post. (Graphics: Microsoft Studios / YouTube)

Sir Apfelot recommendation: Clean up your Mac hard drive with CleanMyMac

Update November 3, 2021: Buy Age of Empires IV

All important information about the game, campaigns and missions, purchase options on Amazon (software code for Steam and the Microsoft Store) as well as pictures and the official release trailer can be found in this new post: Age of Empires IV - Playable Starting Today!

What is interesting about the new game is not only that there are only eight civilizations for the time being, but that real documentation elements are built into the campaigns. While playing, you learn a lot about the historical events behind the missions, but it is also about building castles and everything else worth knowing. You can buy the game here.

Microsoft Age of Empires IV (code in box)

Age Of Empires 4 is playable in Germany from October 28.10.21th at 17.00 p.m.
Redeem this code at GetAgeOfEmpires4 and then make a selection: A digital code will be emailed ...
Four campaigns with thirty-five missions spanning 500 years of history

Incidentally, the release date of Age of Empires IV was October 29, 2021. Since then, there have been a number of Let's Play streams and videos as well as several instructions for meta-gaming. There is also material about the campaigns. There are four of them at the beginning. In these four campaigns you can play 35 missions that are supposed to depict a total of 500 years of history.

The short documentations (very elaborately produced!) Actually teach you something. But of course you can also simply play on cards against the computer or online against other players. A world editor for your own maps will be available from the beginning of 2022. So there will still be enough time to familiarize yourself with the game before you tinker with it yourself. Have lots of fun with it!

Update end

Age of Empires IV: Microsoft is officially working on the fourth part

As already indicated above, the official announcement of the fourth part of the successful game series from Microsoft, which has already produced several online titles, took place at Gamescom 2017 in Cologne. The trailer shows impressively which ages and civilizations will appear in the game. Some pictures, especially of seafarers and indigenous peoples, certainly remind the inclined player of the Anno games;)

Play Age of Empires on Mac

If you want to play the popular series of games from Microsoft Studios on the Apple Mac under OS X or macOS, then you have various options. On the one hand, the individual parts of the AoE series have also been published by the publisher MacSoft for Mac, iMac and MacBook. And on the other hand, you can use Windows Boot Camp or Parallels Desktop run on the Mac in addition to the Apple operating system - and then play Age of Empires there. Information on the new Age of Empires IV as well as the other titles that are already available are on ageoempires.com.

12 Reviews

AoE Part III - The War Chiefs for Mac

Age of Empires III - The War Chiefs for OS X (or macOS) by MacSoft.

Your opinion and experiences

What experiences have you had with the cult game series that has excited fans of strategy games since the late 90s? Are you fans looking forward to the new part and the definitive edition in 4K resolution - or is it enough and the Microsoft Studios should produce another cow that they can milk? Feel free to leave a comment on the topic! :)

Johannes Domke

After graduating from high school, Johannes completed an apprenticeship as a business assistant specializing in foreign languages. But then he decided to research and write, which resulted in his independence. For several years he has been working for Sir Apfelot, among others. His articles include product introductions, news, manuals, video games, consoles, and more. He follows Apple keynotes live via stream.

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Podcast episode #002 – week 13/2023 (Tears of the Kingdom)
Here you can find episode #002 of the Sir Apfelot Newsreel Podcasts, which deals with the news of calendar week 13/2023. This week's Apple news includes: Apple rehearses its mixed reality headset presentation to top executives as we eagerly await iOS 17 and its Wishlist features. Apple Music Classical conquers the App Store and the Lock Launcher brings app selection directly to the lock screen. Flickering light effects on Apple devices are muted, and the Connected Devices tab in the CleanMyMac X Menu app is now for everyone. Mark June 5, 2023 in your calendar, because that's when WWDC23 starts!
Our Apple podcast has finally made it to Apple Podcasts.

Update: Sir Apfelot now on Apple Podcasts!
I just got great news: Immediately after the second episode, Apple released the Sir Apfelot newsreel and the podcast is finally available from Apple. you find him via this link and you can also subscribe to it directly there if you want: » https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/sir-apfelot-wochenschau/id1679174153 We hope you enjoy the new episode and look forward to your comments!

Podcast episode content

New blog posts this week
Topics of the newsreel of week 13/2023
- Cross-market significance: Federal Cartel Office examines Microsoft
- New notice from Amazon on frequently returned products
- Layoffs in the tech industry: Disney, Electronic Arts and Vodafone
- Even old systems: security updates for macOS 11, macOS 12, iOS 15 and iPadOS 15
- Apple Watch from watchOS 9.4: Uninstall pre-installed apps directly
- Apple Studio Display calibration can take a long time
- Apple has bought WaveOne, a smart video compression company
- More union busting: Apple continues to take action against unions
- Steam will soon no longer be available for Windows 7 and 8
- Nintendo reveals gameplay from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- read all this news with sources in the weekly newsreel KW13/2023
Music of pond5
Sir Apfelot newsreel week 13, 2023
It's that time again - for today's Friday there is a new edition of the Sir Apfelot newsreel. This time I'll show you which Apple and tech news I particularly noticed in calendar week 13 of 2023. Among other things, the following reports are included: Federal Cartel Office is examining Microsoft, further layoffs in the tech industry, details on current updates for Apple operating systems, WaveOne was bought by Apple while the company is taking action against union efforts, Steam will soon only be available on PCs Windows 10 available, and more! » The newsreel is now also available as a podcast!

If you prefer to read the news, you can still enjoy this blog post here. All the news of the week below!

In the Sir Apfelot newsreel for calendar week 13 of 2023 you will find the following reports, among others: The Federal Cartel Office is examining Microsoft, more layoffs in the tech industry, Apple bought WaveOne, Apple is continuing to take action against unions, Steam on PCs will soon only be available under Windows 10 and newer, Nintendo reveals new Zelda gameplay, and more!

Cross-market significance: Federal Cartel Office examines Microsoft
In einer press release the Federal Cartel Office announced this week that Microsoft is being examined for "cross-market importance". For the time being, however, the procedure is only running at the first stage. This means that for the time being "a procedure to determine the cross-market importance" takes place and the cross-market importance itself is not yet the subject of the procedure. See the linked source for more details. At the end, the office also states that the "outstanding cross-market importance [...] has been legally established" for other tech giants. These are Meta and Alphabet / Google. Amazon has appealed the finding. Apple's test, which was launched in June 2021, is "well advanced".
New notice from Amazon on frequently returned products
Products that are bought from Amazon or via the Amazon platform, but are then often returned by the buyer, now have exactly this written in the product description. Like iFun in a Entry is displayed, a colored field with the heading "Frequently returned items" then prompts: "Read the product details and customer reviews to learn more about this item.". Amazon therefore encourages users not to click or tap the buy option directly, but to first check whether the product meets their requirements. Clothing sizes, specs, usage tips, and reviews from other people have always been part of product pages, but often seem to be ignored.
Layoffs in the tech industry: Disney, Electronic Arts and Vodafone
The news about layoffs or so-called waves of layoffs in the tech industry does not stop. This week I haven't heard much from Meta, Alphabet, Microsoft or the other usual suspects in this regard - but I have heard from Disney, Electronic Arts and Vodafone. Disney is said to be laying off numerous employees of the Metaverse department. A total of 7.000 jobs are to be cut, which is 3% of the total workforce. At Electronic Arts (EA), meanwhile, up to 6% are to be fired. At the game studio, this means laying off up to 780 people. They want to part with projects that no longer fit the company's path. At Vodafone Germany, 1.300 jobs are also to be cut, while 400 new ones are to be created at the same time. In one year, the company wants to be 900 jobs leaner. Sources: 1, 2, 3
Even old systems: security updates for macOS 11, macOS 12, iOS 15 and iPadOS 15
In addition to updates for macOS 13, iOS 16, iPadOS 16, tvOS 16, watchOS 9 and a few other systems, Apple also released security updates for macOS 11, macOS 12, iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 this week. So if you don't run your Apple devices with the latest operating systems, updates are still available for you. Their installation is recommended because it closes numerous security gaps. Some have probably already been exploited. The new versions of the old systems are called macOS 11.7.5, macOS 12.6.4, iOS 15.7.4 and iPadOS 15.7.4. You can find the updates below System Settings -> software update or Settings -> General -> software update. Sources: 1, 2
Apple Watch from watchOS 9.4: Uninstall pre-installed apps directly
As noted in the last paragraph, an update has also been released for the current Apple Watch system: watchOS 9.4. With this, Apple is working even further towards implementing demands for uninstallable standard apps. It is quite possible that all pre-installed apps from smartphones, smartwatches and tablets can be thrown out in the foreseeable future due to the efforts of various countries and state federations. There is already a long list for the iPhone and iPad, from fitness and health to mail and music to TV and weather. Sorting can now also take place directly on the Apple Watch – without a paired iPhone. According to the official list Fitness, Find My, Maps, Wallet, and more can be removed. A total of nine apps are mentioned, but the emergency siren and depth measurement are only available on the Apple Watch Ultra.
Apple Studio Display calibration can take a long time
Along with the above operating system updates for popular Apple devices came a few updates that Apple didn't advertise as widely. For example, there is new HomePod software, but also a firmware update for the Apple Studio Display. Like iFun in a Entry shows, this can now be calibrated in connection with a Mac running macOS 13.3 or later. The calibration not only requires a special measuring tool, but also a lot of time. Fine-tuning the image and coloring can take up to two hours - with 30 minutes just for warming up the screen. A similar calibration option was previously available with the Apple Pro Display XDR. With both screens, the option is aimed at photo and video professionals.
Apple has bought WaveOne, a smart video compression company
The video resolution is increasing in a wide variety of application areas - films and series can already be watched in 4K on many streaming platforms. And smartphone cameras have also been able to produce 4K videos for some time. But for their transmission, a corresponding bandwidth is required. The number of pixels is around four times as high as in Full HD recordings. Will then also be 60 fps used, i.e. 60 frames per second, the corresponding video files are very large. In order to make savings at this point and still transmit high-quality media, Apple now seems to have bought the WaveOne company. This had specialized in video encoders and decoders that, thanks to artificial intelligence, "understand" individual frames and scenes and leave important content (faces, writing, etc.) in detail, while content recognized as unimportant is compressed more and thus becomes less clear. Details on WaveOne, Apple's purchase earlier this year, and video technology you can find here at TechCrunch.
More union busting: Apple continues to take action against unions
The fact that there are efforts, especially in the US Apple Stores, to found unions or to join existing alliances has been the focus of many headlines about the iPhone manufacturer for months. It is also repeatedly shown that Apple does not like these efforts and is trying to take various measures to counteract them. For example, employees were asked individually about their opinion of trade unions. According to current information, those who speak out for unions seem to be on a kind of hit list and are even fired for being a minute late for work. Furthermore, dismissed employees are said to have been asked to sign non-disclosure agreements. More on that in one Articles by Engadget.
Steam will soon no longer be available for Windows 7 and 8
The "Steam" video game client offered for macOS, Windows and Linux will stop supporting Windows 2023 and Windows 7 at the end of 8. "As of January 1, 2024, Steam will officially stop supporting the Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 operating systems. After that date, the Steam Client will no longer run on those versions of Windows." You can read that in one go Support document, which the parent company Valve has published on the official platform of the game offer. The reasons given for the support task are Google Chrome functions, Windows features and security settings, which will soon only be supported from Windows 10 onwards. Users are encouraged to switch operating systems sooner rather than later.
Nintendo reveals gameplay from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Instead of at a major video game expo or as part of a major video presentation, Nintendo this week hosted a gameplay demonstration of "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom' published as a single video. It clearly states that the development of the new series title is now complete. In which Video the game's producer, Eiji Aonuma, will show key gameplay mechanics and new abilities that can be used with the playable character Link. The game, which will be released on May 12, 2023 for the Nintendo Switch, is the direct sequel to the title released in 2017 with the Nintendo Switch as a new console "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvQbVa1HZD4
Smartmi E1 - HomeKit air purifier with wall mount option
Smartmi recently introduced the E1 air purifier to buy from Amazon. The air purifier with H13 HEPA filter can be placed on the floor or on shelves using a stand. There is also the option of mounting it on the wall. Thanks to different covers, it also fits on the wall with different furnishing styles. The Smartmi E1 air purifier measures just 45 cm in height, 31 cm in width and 11 cm in depth. Thanks to HomeKit compatibility, it can be used in Apple-equipped Smart Homes, controlled via the Home app and integrated into automations.
The Smartmi E1 air purifier has a three-stage air filter, is compact and quiet, can be placed on a stand or hung on the wall and can be controlled by HomeKit, Alexa or Google Assistant. Image source: Smartmi

Smartmi E1 Air Purifier - Device Specifications
With the advent of spring, pollen creeps back into everyday life. Spring cleaning doesn't last forever either, which is why dust in the air can also become a problem. If you suffer from hay fever or generally want to keep the air in your home cleaner, you can buy the Smartmi E1, a quiet and flexible air purifier. The volume naturally varies depending on the level set, but should be a maximum of 42,9 dB. Up to 2.500 liters of air are filtered per minute and 97,86% of bacteria are removed from it. According to the manufacturer, the CADR value (Clean Air Delivery Rate) with smoke, dust and pollen removed is also 150 m³ per hour. At Amazon you can currently get the device for 129,99 euros and with Prime delivery.
smartmi Wall Mounted Homekit Air Purifier E1, H13 True HEPA filter for pollen, dust, smoke and...

Compact and stylish design air purifier: The air purifier has a slim, minimalist design with...
Highly efficient 3-stage air purifier with filter system: HEPA filter, activated carbon filter and pre-filter work together...
Air purifier for monitoring air quality in real time: The built-in laser sensor measures the PM2,5 levels in the room...
129,99 EUR
Buy it at Amazon Price includes VAT, plus shipping costs (updated: 30.03.2023 at 10: 22 clock)
More details about the Smartmi E1 air purifier
The device uses three-stage air filtration, which consists of a pre-filter, a HEPA filter and an activated carbon layer. The filter system can not only take active action against pollen, dust and other allergens, but also against smoke and odors. A built-in laser sensor also measures the PM2,5 value, which can then be called up via the app. This allows you to select the appropriate one of the three fan speeds. Various options are available for integration into the smart home. Compatibility with Apple HomeKit allows you to control the Smartmi E1 air purifier via the Home app, Siri and so on, for example. However, control via Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant is also possible. There is also a manufacturer's own app that can be used independently of possible smart home or voice assistant preferences. There is more information and pictures on the linked product page.
macOS menu bar: What does the blue dot next to Control Center mean?
Apple has implemented a few tools in its operating systems over the past few years that are intended to show quickly and easily whether certain tools are currently being accessed. Under iOS on the iPhone, iPadOS on the iPad as well as macOS on the Mac, e.g. B. the green and the orange point Used to show camera and microphone usage. After the update to macOS 13.3, which was rolled out this week, there is a third dot color on the Mac: blue. What does the blue dot next to that mean control center in the menu bar? You will find an answer to this question here.
If you look at the menu bar of your Apple Mac from macOS 13.3, you may see a blue dot to the right of the control center. This indicates active location services. You can read here what that means and what settings are available for it.

That means the blue dot in the menu bar of the Apple Mac
After the update to macOS 13.3, you will not only find the green and orange dots mentioned above, which have been known from the iPhone since 2020. A blue dot may also appear. It represents the device's location services and indicates that the Mac is querying for location. This can e.g. B. be necessary to prepare the forecast for the current location in the weather app. The location is also required when using the Maps app and creating a route from the current location. You can click on the blue dot to see which ones App or which service is currently querying the location.
asks e.g. For example, if the weather app reads your location in order to be able to display the forecast, a blue dot in the macOS menu bar indicates this.

Mac location services: This is how you can make settings
If you don't want any macOS app or system tool to track the location of your Mac, iMac, MacBook, or other Apple computer, go to the System Settings. You can find it there in the menu item Privacy right first the Location services.
You can make individual adjustments for the use of the location services of the Apple Mac in the system settings.
If you call this up, you can generally specify whether location services may be used or not - but also which individual apps may use this when the location service is switched on. If you scroll down the list, you will find a very important app: Where is? The location should always be activated if you want to find a lost or stolen Mac.
Among other things for "Where is?" It is advisable to leave the location detection of the Apple device switched on - not only on the Mac, but also on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Co.
Below you will find another item, namely the system services. If you want to know what these are all about, just click on the "Details..." button to the right. You can already choose which macOS system services are allowed to determine your location. Here, Find My Mac should remain enabled. At the bottom you can determine whether the blue dot in the menu bar or the explanation in the control center should be displayed when system services retrieve the location.
Find My Mac should also remain enabled. If you don't want the location query for system services to be displayed in the menu bar with a blue dot, you can disable this with the last slider.
Do you have any questions or comments on the topic? Then please leave a comment!
Apple WWDC23 Date: It starts on June 5, 2023!
Apple has announced when this year's World Wide Developers Conference will take place. The week with and for developers starts on Monday, June 5th, 2023 and ends on Friday, June 9th, 2023. According to the announcement, it will take place "in an online format". So it will not be a purely on-site event. Nevertheless, on said Monday there is the opportunity for a limited number of interested parties to take part on site and both the kick-offKeynote as well as watching the State of the Union presentations together. Sessions, one-on-one labs, workshops and more will then take place online. Core content will be the new versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS.
The date for Apple WWDC 2023 has been set. Here you will find information about WWDC23, the keynote and its (possible) content as well as this year's Swift Student Challenge. This is running immediately.

Apple WWDC23 will take place June 5-9, 2023
Monday will start with the traditional opening keynote, this time introducing iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS 14, watchOS 10 and tvOS 17. It is also possible that there will be new versions of the M chip (M2 Ultra and/or M3 chip) with the corresponding Mac models. In addition, the presentation of the mixed reality headset with xrOS is expected. So while the expectations for completely revamped operating systems are low (iOS 17 is supposed to be a big update for iOS 16), since Apple could this year with a new Mac Pro and its own hardware for VR applications make headlines. If you look at the announcement and the graphic shared with it (see picture above), then there is a strong suspicion that the mixed reality headset is supposed to be the really big "One More Thing" this summer. Because the six colorful "waves" above the WWDC23 lettering can also be interpreted as lenses, for cameras, for example - or for a headset that has a lot of cameras for hand and body tracking and for orientation in space and not last used for eye tracking. The display of VR and AR content on one screen per eye can also be supported and adjusted by glass lenses. What do you think about the picture? What message is hidden in it?
World Wide Developers Conference again with Swift Student Challenge
"For us at Apple, WWDC is one of the best times of the year because it gives us the opportunity to connect with the talented developers from around the world who make this community so special' said Susan Prescott, Apple's vice president of worldwide developer relations. "WWDC23 will be our biggest and most exciting event yet and we can't wait to see many participants online or in person at this very special event!So it will be the “biggest and most exciting event to date” and also a “very special event”? I think this is where tension is built for the headset launch. But that should not overshadow the fact that this year there is also a competition for pupils and students! The Swift Student Challenge is open now and submissions are open until April 19, 2023. The goal is to use the Swift Playgrounds app Create an App Playground with a theme of your choice. Winners can win exclusive WWDC23 shirts, AirPods Pro, a custom pin set and a one-year membership to the Apple Developer Program. Anyone aged 16 or over (in the EU) or 13 or over (in the USA) can take part. More information and the possibility to register is available on the page linked here.

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Gamescom News: Age of Empires IV officially announced

Update November 3, 2021: Buy Age of Empires IV

Age of Empires IV: Microsoft is officially working on the fourth part

Play Age of Empires on Mac

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