The mini map as seen in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.
Mini maps are small maps found at the bottom of the screen in the Age of Empires series. They are used to help the player identify the location of other players, resources, terrain, and other important map features.
Overview[]
Every game in the series has different visual styles on their mini map, but all share certain things in common. The mini map is usually found in the lower-right hand corner of the screen, and surrounding the map are icons that can change settings such as map size or display filters, or send pings for other players to see. Unexplored territory is usually indicated in black, while explored territory has different colors for different terrain types are color coded based on their appearance. Shades of blue typically indicate bodies of water while both light green and light brown represent open land, and dark green terrain indicates trees and forest. In some games, white terrain can also indicate snow-covered land. Elevation is displayed through different shades of the main terrain color, while impassable cliffs or mountains typically show up as dark brown or gray terrain. Each player's units and buildings are displayed on the mini map using a distinct color, separate from any of the colors used for terrain (although some colors are quite similar and do cause reduced visibility on certain terrains). The player's Line of Sight on the mini map is indicated by increased brightness on that particular area, while areas covered by Fog of War are dimmer. The location on the map which the player is currently viewing is indicated by a white outline. Depending on the game, various symbols may appear on the mini map to indicate important map features, buildings, or resources. Resources may also just be shown as different colors.
Age of Empires[]
The mini map of Age of Empires is the simplest of all games in the series. The player can toggle score displays and adjusting the map to display military or economic units or both. Help can also be turned on or off. In Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome, the edges of fog of war and unknown regions are changed from a jagged to a curvier appearance to make it look more natural.
Age of Empires II[]
There are several improvements made in the mini map in Age of Empires II. There are more icons facilitating gameplay efficiency. The player can now signal allies which places an X on the mini map where it alerts allies of strategic locations. Identifying idle Villagers is made easier with an icon at the bottom left hand corner outside the mini map. In team games, there is an additional option that allows the mini map to display only two colors with blue and red representing allied and enemy forces respectively. Wonders are represented by a small white square.
Age of Mythology[]
Unlike the Age of Empires II version, the idle Villager icon is found to the top right corner of the screen, next to the heroes icon, rather than close to the mini map. Nonetheless, the signal option remains, as well as the option of adjusting the map to display military, economic units or both. In this game, the color of the mini map's border changes based on the team color of the player.
Wonders are represented by a large yellow star, whereas Titans are represented by a large yellow T in the mini map.
From The Titans onward, players can press the Tab key to toggle a larger version of the mini-map, called the strategic mini-map.
Age of Empires III[]
In Age of Empires III, the mini map is located to the lower left corner of the screen and of circular shape. Special buildings are represented on the map by special symbols, such as Town Centers (symbol of a house), Forts (pentagon), and Trading Posts (coin at trade route, arrowhead at native settlement, unused Trading Post sites are represented by a white coin/arrowhead). Treasures are marked by an X on the mini map. The Explorer/War Chief/Monk is represented on the mini map by a star in the color of the respective player.
Age of Empires IV[]
In Age of Empires IV, the mini map is located to the lower left corner of the screen and appears as a square (or diamond) with a golden border overlaid on a golden circle. Each corner represents one of the cardinal directions and there are also eight spikes on the circle which serve to mark the orientation of the mini map with regard to the standard orientation. The default orientation is with the northern corner of the map, marked by a golden "N", pointing up.
Next to the mini map are two corner command panels, at the top-right and bottom-right. The top-right panel contains three "Ping" commands which serve to send instructions to allies: a Look Here! Ping, an Attack! Ping, and a Defend! Ping. The bottom-right panel contains a button that allows the player to change the size of the mini map (up to two sizes bigger), and three for orienting the camera: one to rotate the camera left by 45 degrees, one to the right by 45 degrees, and a third to reset the camera to the default orientation. The camera can also be rotated to the player's liking by holding down the ALT button while moving the mouse.
The mini map design shares most of the same conventions described above in the overview regarding terrain colors. Additionally, tan colored terrain indicates Stealth Forest, a feature unique to the game. As in previous games, various units, buildings, and other features are marked by special icons on the mini map. These are shown below:
Resource icons[]
Map feature icons[]
Gallery[]
