We on the Age of Empires team want to say a huge thank you to our 50 million players around the world. 2023 was a huge year for our games and our community. We wanted to share a look at what there is to look forward to in 2024, and we’ve just wrapped our New Year, New Age show which did just that. If you watched, thank you for joining us! If you weren’t able to join us live, or you just want a reminder of all the things we covered, here’s a rundown of what’s coming this year.

• Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition new DLC – Victors and Vanquished – coming March 14th
  
• Age of Mythology: Retold coming to Xbox and PC in 2024
  
• Age of Empires Mobile first look
  
• New Year, New Age Sale with games and DLC up to 50% off
  
• Age of Empires IV update and Season 7 coming early Spring
  
• New Year, New Age login reward for Age of Empires IV available now
  
• Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition free to play now! New DLC coming end of 2024
  
• Red Bull Wololo: El Reinado coming later this year

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition had a landmark year in 2023 with the addition of the Return of Rome and The Mountain Royals expansions. More than four years after launch, the game continues to grow. Telling more stories from the world’s rich history as well as bringing more civilizations to play.

The next chapter for Age of Empires II: DE will be the single player focused DLC Victors and Vanquished, coming March 14th. Introduced in today’s show by its Creator, Ramsey Abdulrahim, this DLC will be like no other we’ve made before for AoE II: DE. Victors and Vanquished features 19 epic scenarios. Your strategy and choices will decide your fate: will you emerge as the ultimate victor, or fall as the vanquished? You’ll play as Ragnar Lothbrok, Oda Nobunaga, Charlemagne and more. Each scenario features professional voice acting, new music, achievement and the quality you’d expect from an official Age of Empires scenario.

Pre-Order Now!
Victors and Vanquished will be launching soon, and you can pre-order today and receive a 15% discount! Victors and Vanquished comes to Steam on March 14th 2024.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2805510/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Victors_and_Vanquished/?beta=1

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Age of Mythology: Retold is another title that got its debut at our 25th anniversary. Since then, we’ve continued to develop this exciting reimagining of fan favorite Age of Mythology.

Today Art Director Melinda Rose gave players worldwide their first look at Retold via three in-game units, brought to life through amazing AR technology. Showcasing Medusa, Pegasus and Cerberus from the Greek pantheon, Melinda took us through how each unit has been updated, given completely new art and even had gameplay tweaks that will intensify their strengths and unique powers making them even more important in your strategy. They will be stronger, faster, bigger and bolder.

We are also beyond thrilled to announce that players do not have long to wait. Age of Mythology: Retold is coming to Steam in 2024 and is available to wishlist now!

If you want more information about what we showed today, be sure to follow the Age of Mythology social channels and visit http://www.ageofempires.com/.

• Age of Mythology on X
  
• Age of Mythology on Facebook
  
• Age of Mythology on Instagram

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1934680/Age_of_Mythology_Retold/?beta=1

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At our 25th anniversary event we announced Age of Empires Mobile and we’ve been getting questions from intrigued and excited players ever since.

Today we’re so excited to unveil this partnership with the fantastic team at TiMi Studio Group, who are bringing this brand-new Age of Empires world to life. Age of Empires Mobile is a mobile war strategy game where players will embark on an exhilarating adventure and forge unbreakable bonds with friends. Featuring rich real-time controls, stunning visuals and historical heroes on grand battlefields, this addition to the franchise has so much to offer.

The game features elements from Age of Empires games, merged with brand-new and mobile-specific gameplay. You’ll engage in strategic resource management, develop unique technologies and train diverse armies to build and defend your kingdom.

In the New Year New Age show, we premiered the first gameplay trailer for Age of Empires Mobile as well as a behind the scenes look with the team at TiMi Studio Group.

You can pre-register now for Age of Empires Mobile on iOS and Google Play. For more information about the game, visit http://www.aoemobile.com/.

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With such a fantastic roster of titles, there’s never been a better time to complete your Age of Empires collection! We’re celebrating our 50 million players with a New Year, New Age Sale on Steam! From today until the 29th of February, almost everything in the Age of Empires catalogue is up to 50% off. Go on, treat yourself.

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In November, we launched the best-selling Age of Empires expansion of all time, The Sultans Ascend, for Age of Empires IV. We’re so thrilled to see players enjoying the content, which included two new civs, four variant civs, and all new campaign, ten new maps and two new biomes.

If you haven’t yet experienced The Sultans Ascend, it’s available now! Buy now and receive a 10% discount for a limited time.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1959430/Age_of_Empires_IV__The_Sultans_Ascend/

Today we announced that Age of Empires IV will receive its next major update. Coming in early Spring, it will also mark the launch of Season 7.

As an added thank you to our players, if you log in to the game now, you’ll be able to earn a limited time New Year, New Age reward!

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Our partners and friends at Red Bull gave us the great honor today to announce that their next Age of Empires event, Red Bull Wololo: El Reinado will be coming in 2024!

Whilst we’re not ready to share the details just yet, we recommend subscribing to Age of Empires and Red Bull Gaming channels to be sure you don’t miss information when we share it in the not-too-distant future.

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One final announcement for the show was that we’ll be bringing Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition players another DLC at the end of 2024!

Whilst we can’t spill all of the details at this point, Director of Production Earnest Yuen was able to sneak in a couple of spoilers…

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In 2023 Age of Empires:

• Launched two titles on Xbox consoles and cloud
  
• Released the best-selling Age of Empires expansion of all time, The Sultans Ascend for Age of Empires IV
  
• Released the two fastest selling Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition DLC ever, Return of Rome and The Mountain Royals
  
• Managed 51 game updates
  
• Our players performed 200 million Wololos, built 350 million castles and employed 1.5 billion valiant scout sheep

It was truly the biggest year for Age of Empires yet! Thank you to over 50 million players worldwide who have joined us on our journey so far.

We have so much lined up for 2024 and can’t wait to bring you along with us.

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That’s the rundown of the show! Head to the Age of Empires YouTube channel if you want to rewatch any of what we showed today.

A heartfelt thank you to each and every one who’s played Age of Empires so far. It’s your love and passion that has kept this franchise going for the last 26 years and we can’t wait for these new chapters in our epic story in 2024.

We are excited to announce the next DLC for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition: Victors and Vanquished! Coming March 14th, the newest DLC will feature 14 UGC-inspired and fully-updated, polished, and supported scenarios plus 5 exclusive all-new scenarios. Each scenario has been updated with full, professional voice acting, music, rebalancing, bugfixes, achievements, and quality of life improvements. From migration mechanics to choosing your own faction, each scenario provides a new way to play Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. Victors and Vanquished lets you tell your own story like never before!

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https://store.steampowered.com/app/2805510/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Victors_and_Vanquished/

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• 19 fully-voiced, single player campaign scenarios
  
• 5 exclusive all-new scenarios
  
• UGC-inspired and fully-updated, polished, and supported
  
• Original music
  
• New Unique and Original Mechanics

[expand type=details]

1. Gaiseric (406)
   
2. Voritgern (440)
   
3. Charlemagne (768)
   
4. Ragnar (850)
   
5. Ironside (859)
   
6. Finehair (870)
   
7. Robert (921)
   
8. Otto (936)
   
9. Seljuk (985)
   
10. Karlsefni (1000)
    
11. Komnenos (1081)
    
12. Stephen (1135)
    
13. Temujin (1185)
    
14. Mstislav (1203)
    
15. Constantine XI (1453)
    
16. Fetih (1453)
    
17. Shimazu (1545)
    
18. Nobunaga (1551)
    
19. Drake (1572)

[/expand]

Unleash your inner Viking! Send your warbands across the sea on a massive map of Northern Europe. All big empires start from humble origins, and yours will be no different. Begin with raids to pay and recruit warriors. Then capture jarldoms in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden to grow your power. As you become king, more possibilities are at your fingertips: use your achievements to unlock technologies, find powerful heroes, raid wherever you want to, and even worship the gods for bonuses.


You are surrounded by enemies: fearsome Vikings, horse-riding Magyars, and stalwart Franks. But, though you are king, your power is not absolute. You have three vassals. These can be your very best friends, helping you achieve your ambition to become Holy Roman Emperor… or, they will be rebellious thorn in your side. Balance your power against theirs and use well-timed gifts to keep them in line.


Choose to play as one of six different unique factions. Will you lead the Takeda and crush your enemies with the best cavalry in Japan? Or, will you command the Otomo and find your advantage in the arrival of strange people with new weapons? Or, if subterfuge and assassination is more your style, try the Mori clan and leverage your criminal network to recruit unsavory characters.

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https://store.steampowered.com/app/2805510/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Victors_and_Vanquished/

Embark on a thrilling journey with Victors and Vanquished! In nineteen epic scenarios, play as Ragnar Lothbrok, Oda Nobunaga, Charlemagne, and more. Your strategy and choices decide your fate: will you emerge as the ultimate victor, or fall as the vanquished? Available now to pre-order now with a 15% discount on Steam!

Today’s small update is aimed at addressing several pressing issues.

Be sure to dig down into the post below to get all of the smaller details before hopping in-game and checking them out firsthand.

💬 DISCUSS: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition Forum
🗣 JOIN: The Age of Empires Official Discord

Thanks again to our amazing community members, all of whom have helped to make Age of Empires what it is today!

—The Age of Empires Team

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Game

Xbox

• Gurjaras can now upgrade to Elite Shirvamsha Riders, as intended, through the radial menu with a controller.
  
• Bengalis can now upgrade to Siege Elephants as intended, through the radial menu with a controller.

Gameplay

General

• Fixed an issue with units prioritizing farms over other units/buildings when retargeting.
  
• Fixed an issue with units on stand ground not always automatically attacking units within their range. Units will now correctly retarget units within range without a direct order.

AI

Pathfinding

• Fixed an issue with units regrouping after being issued a movement command.
  
• Fixed an issue with units teleporting.
  
• Fixed an issue with Villagers getting stuck in a loop trying to reach a resource to gather from.

Known Issues

• AI: Units on the stand ground attack stance defend themselves if they can’t path find to a targeted unit. To override this behavior, Ctrl+Rightclick can be used on the target (no matter the attack stance).
  
• Gameplay: In some cases, defensive buildings firing multiple arrows can output more damage than intended.

As always, we are continuing to track issues reported by the community for future updates.

For other known issues, please visit this page to see what’s being tracked!

:alertalert: DISCLAIMER

This list is subject to change and should not be considered a comprehensive list of all the known issues we’re tracking. The above is to inform you of the team’s current priorities, which will change as other issues arise or take precedence.

For the latest updates and announcements, please visit our social channels.

Fury, speed, and tarmac...street racing has gone medieval! Test your driving skills in GamerLegion's latest challenge - The Racing Stadium! That's right, now you can finally use the famous cheat code the way it’s meant to be used. Hear those engines roar and outperform other cars in a huge racetrack, while dodging dirty gate traps, gasoline explosion fields, Castles, and Bombard Towers.

Make sure you submit your best runs on GL's Discord channel, and you just might get a part of the $200 prize pool!

It’s a new year and a time to reset, reflect and think about what the next few months has in store.

Here on the Age of Empires team, we’ve got a LOT lined up for 2024. Instead of trying to summarize it in a lengthy blog post, we decided to make a show of it! We’re excited to announce the “New Year, New Age” livestream on February 23rd at 10:00 am PT (1:00 pm ET / 18:00 UTC).

With so much to come in 2024, we want to show our players around the world what to expect from the Age of Empires franchise this year. We’ll be revealing more information on some of our most anticipated titles for 2024 – so expect to see a sneak peek of Age of Mythology: Retold and a first look at Age of Empires Mobile. If you’re eager to know what’s next for our games already in your library, don’t worry, we’ll have updates for those titles too.

• Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition: We’ll reveal a brand-new campaign-focused expansion and an extended look at exclusive gameplay.
  
• Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition: After giving our players a new way to play for free in 2023, we are excited to reveal a new DLC with new civilizations.
  
• Age of Empires IV: Coming off our best-selling expansion ever with The Sultans Ascend, we will share updates on an upcoming brand-new season and a new in-game reward.
  
• Age of Empires Mobile: TiMi Studio Group, the award-winning developer, will share a first-time look at gameplay and give us a behind the scenes look into their studio. The team will share their passion for Age of Empires and their vision to bring the franchise to new and existing fans alike.
  
• Age of Mythology: Retold: The team will take us behind the curtain in the studio to show how they are developing this beloved game for a new, modern experience. Fans can expect a unique unveiling of a few mythological creatures that you won’t want to miss.

Lastly, making a return appearance after hosting our 25th anniversary show, Welyn, will be streaming the event on his Twitch channel. He’ll give his expert impressions and reactions to all the news, reveals, teases and gameplay.

Mark your calendars for February 23rd at 10:00 am PT to watch on the channels listed below:

• Welyn’s Twitch
  
• Age of Empires Twitch
  
• Age of Empires YouTube
  
• Age of Empires Steam Page
  
• https://www.ageofempires.com/

We’re so grateful to get to spend another year bringing established and new players all over the world more Age of Empires content. We hope you’ll join us at New Year, New Age as we take a look at what’s to come.

Stay tuned to Age of Empires channels for more details about the show over the next coming weeks.

See you there!

For more Age of Empires information, visit http://www.ageofempires.com

It's lovely weather to browse the Steam Winter Sale together with you! 🎵 Snag up to 75% savings on the Age of Empires franchise.

Don’t wait – sale ends January 4th at 10 AM PT (18:00 UTC).

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Age of Empires IV

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1466860/Age_of_Empires_IV_Anniversary_Edition/

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Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition

https://store.steampowered.com/app/813780/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1389240/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Lords_of_the_West/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1557210/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Dawn_of_the_Dukes/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1869820/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Dynasties_of_India/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2141580/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Return_of_Rome/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2555420/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__The_Mountain_Royals/

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Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2477660/Age_of_Empires_III_Definitive_Edition_Base_Game/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1581450/Age_of_Empires_III_Definitive_Edition__United_States_Civilization/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1581451/Age_of_Empires_III_DE__The_African_Royals/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1817370/Age_of_Empires_III_Definitive_Edition__Mexico_Civilization/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1817361/Age_of_Empires_III_Definitive_Edition__Knights_of_the_Mediterranean/

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Age of Empires: Definitive Edition

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1017900/Age_of_Empires_Definitive_Edition/

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Age of Mythology

https://store.steampowered.com/app/266840/Age_of_Mythology_Extended_Edition/

A previous update to Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition brought with it two additional campaigns for owners of the Return of Rome DLC! Both of the campaigns selected by community vote; Glory of Greece and Voices of Babylon are now available for you to play and enjoy.

You can access the new campaigns by transitioning your game into Return of Rome, then navigating to Single Player and selecting the Campaigns option. From here, select the new ‘Return of Rome‘ tab on the side of the campaign menu.


You can read more details about the Glory of Greece and Voices of Babylon campaigns below!

• Ascent of Egypt
  
• Trajan
  
• Pyrrhus of Epirus
  
• Sargon of Akkad
  
• The First Punic War
  
• Glory of Greece (NEW!)
  
• Voices of Babylon (NEW!)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2141580/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Return_of_Rome/

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Battle to establish the Greek Empire and create history as one of the world’s mightiest empires across 8 scenarios in the Glory of Greece campaign. Set out and earn the reputation of the Greek Empire, take command of the mighty armies of Alexander the Great, and topple the walls of Troy during the Trojan war!

Follow the Greeks from their Bronze Age beginnings to the height of the Hellenic era. Step into the sandals of famous Greek heroes like Achilles, Pericles, Xenophon, and Alexander the Great to build a civilization spanning the ancient world from the Mediterranean to India.

“War! The rivalry between Hellas and Persia has reignited after the irruption of the Macedonians into the region, and the Greeks have been united under you, Alexander of Macedon.”

[expand type=details]

1. Claiming Territory
   
2. Acropolis
   
3. The Conquest of Crete
   
4. The Trojan War
   
5. Colonization of Ionia
   
6. The Siege of Athens
   
7. Xenophon’s March
   
8. Alexander the Great

[/expand]

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Guide Babylon to power through her struggles, and onto greatness throughout 8 scenarios in the Voices of Babylon campaign. Persuade the neighboring fledgling empires to join you, through persuasion or conquest when necessary. Defend the frontier cities from raiders, and liberate Babylon from the oppression of Assyrian invaders!

For centuries, Babylon was the envy of the world. Her Hanging Gardens and eminent ziggurats inspired legends that echoed throughout the ages. Her greatest king, Hammurabi, gave the world its first law code. Lead this majestic city from its remarkable rise to its staggering fall, and restore it once again to greatness.

“An Assyrian General named Tiglath-Pileser has rebelled against his king and has taken the throne. He is willing to support our new King Nabonassar to retake land lost to the Aramaeans, our common enemy.”

[expand type=details]

1. The Holy Man
   
2. The Tigris Valley
   
3. Lost
   
4. I Shall Return
   
5. The Great Hunt
   
6. The Caravan
   
7. Lord of the Euphrates
   
8. The Conquest of Nineveh

[/expand]

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We hope you enjoy the addition of the Glory of Greece and Voices of Babylon campaigns to Return of Rome!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2141580/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Return_of_Rome/

Show off your love for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition and customize your player icons with glorious new animated options! Each pack features eight animated icons themed around memes, diverse and historically inspired art, and familiar Age situations.

Choose from three new cosmetic DLC packs from Steam and enjoy these incredible animated icons in your favorite game, or collect them all with a discount!

🎨 La Hire's Dry Humor
🎨 Joan's Marvelous Moving Masterpieces
🎨 Barbarossa's Barrel of Pickled Goods

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https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/36502/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Animated_Icons_Bundle_Vol_1/

We've partnered with GamerLegion to promote Mangudai Madness during their December Custom Map Challenge!

Can you defend your Wonder against 20 waves of enemies? Check out their video for tips, tricks, and prizes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFrBE1YDidg

Introducing Mangudai Madness, a new limited-time challenge scenario in the vein of Barbarossa Brawl and Mongol Raiders! Can you defend the Wonder against increasingly challenging waves using only your army of Mangudai?

The setup is simple: you have a Wonder to defend, Mangudai, and access to techs. Strategize how you will spend your resources and use the terrain to your advantage. Take on waves of Teutonic Knights, Throwing Axemen, Onagers, tanky Saboteurs — and a very special campaign hero unit if you can make it to the final wave!

Mangudai Madness is supported with a leaderboard. Challenge your friends and put those micro skills to the test!

Welcome to an exciting update for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition! We’ve got lots of quality-of-life features coming your way, pathfinding and formation fixes, plus a new challenge scenario: Mangudai Madness!

While there are plenty of notable things to look forward to in today’s build, here’s some of the big highlights coming with this month’s update:

• New QoL (Quality of Life) Features:
  
  • Enhanced Unit UI
    
  • Lockable gates during construction
    
  • Enhanced tooltips for unit icons.
• New Mod Validator
  
• New Challenge Scenario: Mangudai Madness
  
• Bug fixes based on your feedback
  
• Pathfinding and Formations fixes
  
• Balance changes

Be sure to dig down into the post below to get all of the smaller details before hopping in-game and checking them out firsthand.

This is just a small taste of what is coming in the latest update. For a more complete list, please visit our site and check out our blog. Happy Gaming!

💬 DISCUSS: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition Forum
🗣 JOIN: The Age of Empires Official Discord

Thanks again to our amazing community members, all of whom have helped to make Age of Empires what it is today!

—The Age of Empires Team

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New Challenge Scenario: Mangudai Madness!

Introducing Mangudai Madness, a new limited-time challenge scenario in the vein of Barbarossa Brawl and Mongol Raiders! Can you defend the Wonder against increasingly challenging waves using only your army of Mangudai?

The setup is simple: you have a Wonder to defend, Mangudai, and access to techs. Strategize how you will spend your resources and use the terrain to your advantage. Take on waves of Teutonic Knights, Throwing Axemen, Onagers, tanky Saboteurs — and a very special campaign hero unit if you can make it to the final wave!

Mangudai Madness is supported with a leaderboard. Challenge your friends and put those micro skills to the test!

NEW! Animated Player Icons

Starting today, you can customize your player icons with glorious new animated options! Choose from three new cosmetic DLC packs from Steam and enjoy these incredible animated icons in your favorite game, or collect them all with a discount!

Please note: These icons provide no gameplay benefit and are purely cosmetic.

• La Hire’s Dry Humor Collection is a set of eight animated recognizable situations, funny animations and memes.
  
• Joan’s Marvelous Moving Masterpieces are a display of eight animated historically inspired art pieces showing the diversity from across all the lands.
  
• Barbarossa’s Barrel of Pickled Goods contains a fine selection of eight animated art pieces and Age of Empires logic and other memes.

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/36502/Age_of_Empires_II_Definitive_Edition__Animated_Icons_Bundle_Vol_1/

This is just a small taste of what is coming in the latest update. For a more complete list, please visit our site and check out our blog. Happy Gaming!

:alertalert: DISCLAIMER

This list is subject to change and should not be considered a comprehensive list of all the known issues we’re tracking. The above is to inform you of the team’s current priorities, which will change as other issues arise or take precedence.

For the latest updates and announcements, please visit our social channels.

Hotfix 99404

Stability & Performance

• Fixed a crash introduced with Update 99311.
  
• Fixed a rare issue where units could move to the edge of the map when issuing an attack move or patrol command.