AOE 4 Beta on Paperspace and Parsec (tested on M1 Mac)

Readme.md

NOTE: This guide was written for the Beta, but may work for the production version as well.

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1. Sign up for Paperspace virtual servers, add a credit card ($10 coupon below), and request permission (reason: “cloud gaming”) for the cheapest GPU+ Machine. .54c USD/hour + $7/month for 100GB storage. 50GB not enough.
2. Wait 24 hours for approval
3. Once approved, launch new machine with the following
   • DO NOT use the Parsec template
   • Select region closest to you
   • Licensed Windows Server running as Windows 10 Desktop
   • Cheapest GPU+ offering, 100GB storage. AOE 4 highest settings works perfectly
4. Install Paperspace native app on your client machine, and login, so you can remote control the paperspace instance
5. Create a Parsec account and install the Parsec app on the paperspace instance (Parsec is free)
6. Open Parsec, login, in settings under the host tab, select “allow connections to this computer”. Leave all other settings AS-IS
7. Leave the Parsec app running on the virtual instance and close the Paperspace app on you client machine. You should not run two remote control apps at the same time
8. Download Parsec on your client machine, login, and you should see your Paperspace instance. Click to open it and you now have full control of your Paperspace instance
9. Install all Windows Updates. You MUST do this as the Paperspace image is old. You MUST do this before installing Steam
10. AFTER installing updates and restarting, install Steam
11. Install AOE 4 Beta (instructions in your invite email)
12. Enjoy and let me know if you experience any issues.
13. Make sure to shutdown your Paperspace instance from the Paperspace web console after you’re finished. You will still accrue the monthly storage cost, but not the hourly cost. You can maybe set the automatic shutdown when idle to 1 hour, but I have not tested this.

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• Use my referral code: get $10 Paperspace credit. https://console.paperspace.com/signup?R=LMUHWV9

I have since stopped using Paperspace since it was too finnicky and the streaming quality was not as good as expected. You can try PortingKit, directions for AOE 2: DE are listed below but should be similar for AOE 4. Let me and everyone else know what worked for you and if you have any improvements!

First of all, thanks for posting this. This is how I play the game now that it's released with my m1 mac. One thing I wanted to note was that you shouldn't use the "automatic shutdown after 1 hour" setting. Paperspace seems to look for new connections and doesn't seem to recognize when you have an active session. My VM kept shutting down in the middle of my games, and it took me awhile to realize that setting was why.

Thank you for your response! Glad to hear someone else using the same methods for playing popular PC games on the M1/Mac. I noticed the automatic shutdown after 1 hour as well. I've lost a few multiplayer games like that :(

To keep costs low, however, I've switched away from this method and instead recently installed Portingkit: https://portingkit.com/game/1545 Getting the game to launch is a bit of a magic trick--it may need 5-6 tries and a full restart of macOS. But everything works well with the enhanced graphics pack and native resolution on the 16" M1. Something worth trying. Make sure to follow the instructions exactly.

EDIT: Just realized this PortingKit was for AOE 2: DE. I'll leave it here in case anyone else comes across this

@klische have you done anything else besides clicking install now on this link https://portingkit.com/game/1545 and I assume installing Age of Empires IV instead of Age of Empires II - Definitive Ed. ? Did you change any settings to get it to run or remove any of the files? Can't seem to get it to run on my 16'' M1 Max.

@hjalmers I just realized that the directions I gave in https://gist.github.com/klische/5497ffd2a82b8788fa790f6e7dc4925f?permalink_comment_id=3992995#gistcomment-3992995 were for AOE 2: DE, and not AOE 4. I do not have AOE 4, so I am unable to test the PortingKit method. Can you file an issue with the PortingKit person? They seem to be responsive.