Two weeks ago, we kicked off our semimonthly Age of Empires II civilization update with an in-depth look at the Japanese civilization. For the next six months, we'll be working with Ensemble Studios and Microsoft to give you an exclusive peek at each of the game's 13 civilizations. Today, our second update turns from the Land of the Rising Sun to England, where the sun never sets on the British empire.

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Just as we did with the Japanese update, we'll provide you with some historical context for the Britons and then give you information on their in-game benefits and units. We'll also reveal their unique unit and provide thoughts from the designers. We've decided to bring you a close look at one building in each update, so in addition to learning about the civilization in question, we'll also spotlight one of the game's structures and its attendant units. Two weeks ago it was the archery range. This time, it's the stable, with an emphasis on what the Britons can produce there. You'll also find a screenshot gallery at the end of this update with lots of in-game screenshots, renders, and sketches.

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For those of you who are new to the updates and Age of Empires II, Age of Empires II: Age of Kings is the follow-up to 1997's hugely successful pseudo-historical real-time strategy game, Age of Empires. Ensemble Studios and Microsoft teamed up to create an RTS that had much of Warcraft II's style of gameplay and some of Civilization's flavor. You could control one of 13 ancient civilizations and turn it into an empire, guiding it through four ages of advancement while fighting with other old cultures. But Age I ended around 100 AD, and the Rise of Rome expansion pack then picked up the Age timeline from that time period to around 500 AD. Around this time, the Western world was plunged into what we call the Dark Ages, and the proud civilization of the Romans was dismantled. In this era, the European continent had to rediscover civilization - a convenient time to start Age of Empires II.

Among the many new additions to Age of Empires II is the presence of Western Europe. Chief among the Western European civilizations in Age II is Britain, the land whence came Shakespeare, the longbow, and the Magna Carta.

Keep in mind that all statistical information in this preview update is subject to change. Specific bonuses and costs of units and buildings are always being tested for better play balance and could change in the final product.

Next: Historical context