Tech trees, with actual unlocked technology stuffs!

I checked 'Skip Tutorial' with such speed and force I nearly dislocated my mouse clicking finger.

Make it rain XP on this piece.

Night and day. That's the best way to describe the difference between the early stages of AoEO then compared to now.

Yes, old man, I will gladly accept this quest.

The original iteration of Age of Empires Online epitomized the "free to try" trap a number of studios have fallen into in failed attempts to make a free to play game. Check that: ...the "free to try" trap a number of studios havein failed attempts to get you to pay for a game labeled "free-to-play." That's better. I originally downloaded and played AoEO back in March and quickly discovered a painful grind and "gimme money" walls that killed the AoE experience I know and love. That was then. Now, AoEO is on Steam (though still painfully linked to Games for Windows Live), XP gain has been greatly accelerated, there's an all-new currency system, and Microsoft unlocked a number of its paid doors in an effort to make it, you know,. How did they do? I ventured back to ancient times to find out.Microsoft's free-to-play version plays like the lovechild of the classic Age of Empires 2 and 3, but with one distinct evil-twin birthmark: the MMO grind. AoEOthe deep RTS we know and love,we have the grandfatherly patience to unlock (through an investment of timemoney) all of the units, structures, and upgrades that create the variety -- and in turn the strategic options -- that actually make it fun.Here's what my major problems were: a torturous tutorial that all must play through; a fairly cool new inventory system that Microsoft likes to clog up with paid items your filthy unpaid hands can't have; a seemingly fun, free Skirmish mode that unlocks all of your Empire's units, but none of the technology; and a ridiculously slow MMO grind that forces you to slog through repetitive mission after repetitive mission in an effort to unlock items.Ahh, much better. The moment I named my Greek Empire, I was offered a box to check: Skip Tutorial? I checked it with such speed and force I nearly dislocated my mouse clicking finger. And once I arrived in my capital city of Sharkacus, I discovered I was already at level three, Age II (Bronze), had 17 different technologies unlocked in my tech trees, and seven points to spend on additional unlocks. Comparatively, before the massive AoEO update, I was forced to play through the tutorial, started out in Age I, had no tech unlocked, and no points to spend. Worse, back in March it took me roughly three hours of god awful quests to make it to the point where I was now starting.Night and day. That's the best way to describe the difference between the early stages of AoEO then compared to now. And the XP gain on the quests has been sped up greatly, making the grind far less of a... grind. In fact, because I now had plenty of units and tech on hand with which to play these missions, they actually became fun. In my experience, the XP gain rate has roughly doubled. Before it took me eight painful hours to reach level eight and even then I was only Age II (I still can't believe what an awful, unrewarding grind that was.) This time around? Right around four hours to hit hit level eightAge III. Yup, perhaps best illustrating how the entire experience has been improved: Age III and Age IV are now unlocked at levels seven and 15. Before it was 20 and 30.Still, a handful of disappointments have yet to be addressed. Microsoft still likes to throw paid/locked Heroic items into my inventory, and Skirmish is still a tech-free frustration. Good news, though, you can now pay 450 Empire Points (roughly $5.50) for a Skirmish Booster. Do that and you'll have all of your unitsyour entire tech in Skirmish mode. Not a bad deal. And a good segue to...I paid $10 (800 MS Points) and upgraded to the "Pro" level, instantly giving me access to those tantalizing Heroic items and unlocking "Champion" PvP, a mode in which you can play with all of your faction's unitstechnology unlocked. Finally. And while Champion PvP mode is actually fun and, for me, worth the $10 investment alone, upgrading to Pro made no discernible difference in single-player mode. Sure, I got a handful of Heroic items to make my soldiers respectable in battle, but I'm still grinding my way through boring, repetitive quests and ever-so-slowly earning XP to unlock enough units, structures, and upgrades to make the campaign worthwhile.Age of Empires Online now has its own currency system, Empire Points, replacing Microsoft Points. This makes a world of difference because you can not only buy Empire Points, you can earn them simply by playing the game. It appears Microsoft has seen the free-to-play light.Still, for the sake of consistency, I once again paid $10 to upgrade my empire to Pro, and wouldn't ya know it: the cash actually made a difference. A huge difference. Not only did I unlock the Heroic items taking up my inventory and gain access to Champion PvP, I immediately jumped to level 20, and all the perks that brings with it: all of my empire's units and technology were unlocked. Finally!If Rube Goldberg made a free torture device, I imagine it would look quite a bit like the free-to-play model Microsoft has built around AoEO. The depth and variety that make Age of Empires so fun is impossible to get to without grinding through a never-ending series of boring, repetitive, and simple missions. And even then you'll have to spend some money to unlock Champion PvP. If you're still jonesing for a new AoE fix, I recommend you think of AoE Online as a $10 game: buy the Pro Persian faction to instantly jump to level 20 (while the jumping is still good as this appears to be a limited-time promo) and spend your time in Skirmish and PvP. Otherwise, avoid AoE's evil free-to-play twin like the plague.It took almost a full year, but Microsoft has finally figured out how to make Age of Empires Online free-to-play versus free-to-try. Better, AoEO is now actually. The endless, unrewarding grind is gone for those who want to play for free, and if you want to skip right to the front of the empire line, $10 will now buy you what it should have in the first place. Along with AI and UI refinements, it plays like an actual Age of Empires, and there is even a fun new endgame mode, Alliance Wars, for you veterans looking to put your RTS skills to the test.Age of Empires Online is now worth your time, and if you choose to spend it, your money.: I've been trained to compartmentalize trauma, but man, the original version of Age of Empires Online still makes me openly weep. Gotta admit, though, I'm glad Microsoft finally saw the light. I'm an old-school Age of Empires fan, and I look forward to finally getting that RTS experience I love. Are you?