Rise of Nations--Basic Edition

[mihai7192]

I have the basic edition of Rise of Nations. It is unplayable on my edition of Windows, so I came here. I entered the CD key code and it tells me 'Invalid Code'. I don't want to spend $20 for Steam to give me a nearly 20 yr old 'updated' version of the game. Is there a way to get this code on there or am I just SoL? Thx

[feytharn]

The CD key is not a Steam key, so you won't be able to activate the game on Steam. You can put the game on your wishlist so Steam will notify you when the game goes on sale, where you should be able to get it for ~$4.

[B l u e b e r r y P o p t a r t]

No, there is no way to add that key to Steam as it's not a Steam key, as said you can wait for a sale and get at a massive discount or wait and see if they ever give the game away for free at some point (as many do here and there).

[ReBoot]

Originally posted by mihai7192:

I have the basic edition of Rise of Nations. It is unplayable on my edition of Windows, so I came here. I entered the CD key code and it tells me 'Invalid Code'. I don't want to spend $20 for Steam to give me a nearly 20 yr old 'updated' version of the game. Is there a way to get this code on there or am I just SoL? Thx

Have you checked if there's tweaks, fan patches & whatnot for that old CD version? PCGamingWiki is a useful resource.

[mihai7192]

I had Medieval Total War II and entered the CD key and I can play that anytime I like

[ReBoot]

Originally posted by mihai7192:

I had Medieval Total War II and entered the CD key and I can play that anytime I like

Well, Medieval Total War 2 isn't the same game as Rise of Nations. They're not even by the same company.

[feytharn]

Originally posted by mihai7192:

I had Medieval Total War II and entered the CD key and I can play that anytime I like

You noticed that it is not the same game, did you? Some Publisher decided to enable some cdkey of pre-steam games to be activated - Supreme Commander is another example of that, but that still does not enable any other totally unrelated cdkey to be activated.

[J4MESOX4D]

Originally posted by mihai7192:

I had Medieval Total War II and entered the CD key and I can play that anytime I like

That's nice but that doesn't mean you can enter a random CD key into Steam and expect to play the game in question on this platform.

Rise of Nations: Extended Edition was literally 75% off 2 weeks ago so I'm not sure why you didn't pick it up then or anytime in the last 4 years.

[crunchyfrog]

Originally posted by mihai7192:

I had Medieval Total War II and entered the CD key and I can play that anytime I like

Sadly, this isn't how it works.

I mean, I understand why you thought this, and it's not exactly uncommon for people who don't know how thse things work to make the assumption that a CD key for old games means it's a Steam key.

But it's not true.

I'll explain this for you, and anyone else who comes across this thread thinking the same, as it's a quick history lesson.

Basically, back in the day, when physical releases for PC games were still a major thing, the common anti-piracy thing was the plain old CD key. The kind you find printed on the back of a manual, or on a sticker in the CD case.

These were PURELY for the purpose of anti-piracy. If you copied the disc, then that meant another person couldn't also use that same key (well, most of the time at least).

But when Steam started taking off and evolving into a platform where other parties could also sell digital versions of their games, or just straight up host their game here, you could still buy disc versions, but they would often have that key being a Steam key.


But there's an easy way to tell if this is the case - it says so.

It will normally say something like this on the cover "requires Steam to run" and have the steam logo thereupon somewhere.

Or it will be on the manual near the key or something.

In other words, if you see NOTHING, then chances are, it ain't a Steam key. I hope this explains things easier.

[L1QUIDO]

thank you!
you helped me a lot.

[mihai7192]

"Rise of Nations: Extended Edition was literally 75% off 2 weeks ago so I'm not sure why you didn't pick it up then or anytime in the last 4 years." I've been on Steam a while. I've only played my Medieval TW. It was only last week that I dug out my Rise of Nations to see if I could enter my CD key. I normally play WoW, just wanted an extra game to play when I'm bored of my main game. Didn't know they had another version of the game and don't want to buy it again--idc if it's 50 cents. Was just wondering if/how I could get MY version to play. It's stupid that I payed for the game once, only to have to pay for it again cuz Windows' NEW version can't play an old game!

[ReBoot]

Have you checked if there's tweaks, fan patches or similar available?

[Crazy Tiger]

Originally posted by mihai7192:

It was only last week that I dug out my Rise of Nations to see if I could enter my CD key.

That only works with some games. It all depends on the publisher, as they have to allow the conversion of CD key to Steam key. Many never did, although one can always try and contact the publisher to ask for a Steam version. That too many won't do, and with Microsoft one can already guess the answer unfortunately.

Originally posted by mihai7192:

Was just wondering if/how I could get MY version to play.

It seems some people had luck with compatibility modes and reinstalling VCRedist packages.

Originally posted by mihai7192:

It's stupid that I payed for the game once, only to have to pay for it again cuz Windows' NEW version can't play an old game!

Do keep in mind that you never paid for the version that is now on Steam and the Windows store.