Initialization failed and CRC mismatch

[Marked One]

Hi there, I have had AOE 3 for a little while (I am on Win 10 btw) and the past few times when i have gone to play it, it encounters problems. If i try to launch the complete collection the game tries to boot and then I get the initialization failed error and it crashes, then if i launch asain dynasties it starts fine but when I go onto multiplayer all matchs says CRC mismatch. I have tried to validate files and reinstall (I can retry if needs be) But none of this seems to work. Can any one help me please?

[Cooper Kid]

CRC mismatch means that your game files are different from the ones of the host youre trying to join. There can be quite a few CRC mismatch games in the game browser because some people play online with mods to add more civs and options. You can't join these games unless you have the same mod installed.

If most of the games in the browser say CRC mismatch, it's more likely to be a problem on your end. Try another re-install of the game, but also make sure to remove the Age of Empires folder in your documents (My Documents/My Games/Age of Empires 3). This folder has some residual files that aren't always deleted when you uninstall. But it's also where all of your saved games, scenarios and screenshots are stored, so make backups if you want to keep them!