Guide to replays! Please Read
Posted: 31 Mar 2015, 11:47
Age of Empires 3 Replay Guide
This is a replay guide by Zutazuta with some small adjustments to make it fit this site. Its purpose is to answer questions people may have about AoE3's replay system and how to up/download a replay.
Uploading a Replay
To start the the process of uploading a recorded game, we of course need a recorded game file! There are two ways to do this.
The first is when you are in a game at the game browser, make sure the host has the "record game" box checked in the lower right corner.
The second is when you are about to start a quick search game, make sure you click the "record game" bubble on the bottom of the screen.
Now that we have the game recorded, let's upload it.
To upload it, simply create a new thread in the same board as this thread (AoE3 Recorded Games).
The thread title should include the player names and the game version: [RE] for official patch or [EP] for ESOC patch.
Example thread titles for games on RE patch:
[RE] Mitoe (Dutch) vs Ovi12 (German)
[RE] I sleep while playing Otto, and bash GoodSpeed
[RE] Mitoe (German) & _H20 (Spain) vs Ovi12 (Dutch) & GoodSpeed (German)
Example thread titles for games on ESOC patch:
[EP] Mitoe (Dutch) vs Ovi12 (German)
[EP] WHY IS SPAIN SUDDENLY OP?
[EP] Mitoe (German) & _H20 (Spain) vs Ovi12 (Dutch) & GoodSpeed (German)
In your post, make sure you mention the civs that were played and the map. Optionally, you could type a small summary of the game or anything else you may have to say or ask about it.
Next, add the replay to the thread. Do this by clicking "Add attachment" to the top right. Browse to where the file is saved. For Age of Empires 3 and the expansion packs, the directory is: #USERNAME#/MyDocuments/MyGames/AgeofEmpires3/Savegame
It is important to note that the your most recent replay will always be called "Record Game 1." Also note that Vanilla, TWC, and TAD all have a different ending:
Vanilla - *.age3rec
TWC - *.age3Xrec
TAD - *.age3Yrec
Please rename the replay file to something meaningful before you upload it!
Downloading and Watching a Replay
Downloading a game is easy, all you need to do is right click the link for the attachment and select "save link as".
Save the game to the directory where other saved games are housed: #USERNAME#/MyDocuments/MyGames/AgeofEmpires3/Savegame
Now that we have the file downloaded, it's time to watch it! Age of Empires 3 recorded games can ONLY be watched using Age of Empires 3 (or the appropriate expansion pack).
To open the recorded game open the game and on the main menu go to Help and Tools->'Recorded Games:
From here, select the game that you downloaded and press open.
Age of Empires 3 recorded games renamer
Properly named recorded games are key to great viewer experience — make sure to download this simple program — Age3XRec Renamer — to quickly add them!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know what my last recorded game is?
Your last record game is always called "Record Game 1."
I recorded 20 games but I can only see 9 in my folder, why?
Only 9 recorded games are saved in your recorded games folder, after that they are over written. Make sure that you rename replays that you may want to save!
Can I watch a replay in a video player like Windows Media Player?
No, you must watch games in the Age of Empires 3 program (or appropriate expansion pack).
Can I watch an AOE3 game if I don't have AOE3?
No, you must watch games in the Age of Empires 3 program (or appropriate expansion pack).
I get a message saying the recorded game is invalid, what do I do?
Make sure you don't have extra dots in your filename. Sometimes, downloading a recording adds extra dots to the file name, like this: "Edeholland vs Goodspeed Rocki....age3Yrec". In order to make the file work, just remove the dots. Remember to leave one dot to separate the file name from the file extension. Like this: "Edeholland vs Goodspeed Rocki.age3Yrec".
I cannot see the game in the game screen selection.
Make sure you are on the right expansion pack. Vanilla replays can only be watching on Vanilla and TAD replays can only be watched on TAD. If the game is in your windows folder check the extension. AOE3 will only display replays with a "*.age3rec" extension. If the extension is false (for example ".a3rec") the game will not appear.
Can I watch replays from the older ESOC patch versions?
Yes, there is a tool into the patch launcher that ensures backwards compatibility of replays for the ESOC patch. Simply open the patch launcher, go to tools, recorded games and load your replay. The software will change the version to be correct and the replay will play without OOS issues.
This is a replay guide by Zutazuta with some small adjustments to make it fit this site. Its purpose is to answer questions people may have about AoE3's replay system and how to up/download a replay.
Uploading a Replay
To start the the process of uploading a recorded game, we of course need a recorded game file! There are two ways to do this.
The first is when you are in a game at the game browser, make sure the host has the "record game" box checked in the lower right corner.
The second is when you are about to start a quick search game, make sure you click the "record game" bubble on the bottom of the screen.
Now that we have the game recorded, let's upload it.
To upload it, simply create a new thread in the same board as this thread (AoE3 Recorded Games).
The thread title should include the player names and the game version: [RE] for official patch or [EP] for ESOC patch.
Example thread titles for games on RE patch:
[RE] Mitoe (Dutch) vs Ovi12 (German)
[RE] I sleep while playing Otto, and bash GoodSpeed
[RE] Mitoe (German) & _H20 (Spain) vs Ovi12 (Dutch) & GoodSpeed (German)
Example thread titles for games on ESOC patch:
[EP] Mitoe (Dutch) vs Ovi12 (German)
[EP] WHY IS SPAIN SUDDENLY OP?
[EP] Mitoe (German) & _H20 (Spain) vs Ovi12 (Dutch) & GoodSpeed (German)
In your post, make sure you mention the civs that were played and the map. Optionally, you could type a small summary of the game or anything else you may have to say or ask about it.
Next, add the replay to the thread. Do this by clicking "Add attachment" to the top right. Browse to where the file is saved. For Age of Empires 3 and the expansion packs, the directory is: #USERNAME#/MyDocuments/MyGames/AgeofEmpires3/Savegame
It is important to note that the your most recent replay will always be called "Record Game 1." Also note that Vanilla, TWC, and TAD all have a different ending:
Vanilla - *.age3rec
TWC - *.age3Xrec
TAD - *.age3Yrec
Please rename the replay file to something meaningful before you upload it!
Downloading and Watching a Replay
Downloading a game is easy, all you need to do is right click the link for the attachment and select "save link as".
Save the game to the directory where other saved games are housed: #USERNAME#/MyDocuments/MyGames/AgeofEmpires3/Savegame
Now that we have the file downloaded, it's time to watch it! Age of Empires 3 recorded games can ONLY be watched using Age of Empires 3 (or the appropriate expansion pack).
To open the recorded game open the game and on the main menu go to Help and Tools->'Recorded Games:
From here, select the game that you downloaded and press open.
Age of Empires 3 recorded games renamer
Properly named recorded games are key to great viewer experience — make sure to download this simple program — Age3XRec Renamer — to quickly add them!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know what my last recorded game is?
Your last record game is always called "Record Game 1."
I recorded 20 games but I can only see 9 in my folder, why?
Only 9 recorded games are saved in your recorded games folder, after that they are over written. Make sure that you rename replays that you may want to save!
Can I watch a replay in a video player like Windows Media Player?
No, you must watch games in the Age of Empires 3 program (or appropriate expansion pack).
Can I watch an AOE3 game if I don't have AOE3?
No, you must watch games in the Age of Empires 3 program (or appropriate expansion pack).
I get a message saying the recorded game is invalid, what do I do?
Make sure you don't have extra dots in your filename. Sometimes, downloading a recording adds extra dots to the file name, like this: "Edeholland vs Goodspeed Rocki....age3Yrec". In order to make the file work, just remove the dots. Remember to leave one dot to separate the file name from the file extension. Like this: "Edeholland vs Goodspeed Rocki.age3Yrec".
I cannot see the game in the game screen selection.
Make sure you are on the right expansion pack. Vanilla replays can only be watching on Vanilla and TAD replays can only be watched on TAD. If the game is in your windows folder check the extension. AOE3 will only display replays with a "*.age3rec" extension. If the extension is false (for example ".a3rec") the game will not appear.
Can I watch replays from the older ESOC patch versions?
Yes, there is a tool into the patch launcher that ensures backwards compatibility of replays for the ESOC patch. Simply open the patch launcher, go to tools, recorded games and load your replay. The software will change the version to be correct and the replay will play without OOS issues.