CaptureAge
CaptureAge is a Windows spectating client for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.
What CaptureAge is
CaptureAge is a Windows spectating client for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. Its CA:DE client renders supported game modes with a custom overlay and additional statistics. Listed modes include 1v1, team games, free-for-all, AI games, and Battle Royale. The free version includes patch-agnostic recording playback, full zoom, essential statistics, an integrated creator scoreboard, and a replay browser. Pro adds recording generation, match timeline controls, reverse playback, bookmarks, a unit-follow camera, and more statistics and unit breakdowns. Pro costs €5/mo; Pro Plus costs €10/mo and Pro Legend costs €25/mo. Both higher plans include custom CA:DE skins that users can customize with their CSS and assets. Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition must be installed. The FAQ describes preliminary support for non-Steam versions, including Microsoft Store, and asks users to test Xbox PC versions. Running CA:DE alongside the game uses more system resources than running the game alone; the FAQ recommends CA:DE Recordings for best performance. The privacy policy says the service may collect email, cookie, IP, browser and device identifier, and application interaction data.
Good
- Free version includes a replay browser and full zoom.
- Supports several game modes, including Battle Royale.
- Pro adds timeline controls and reverse playback.
- Pro Plus and Pro Legend include customizable skins.
Watch out
- Requires Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.
- Available for Windows.
- Running it alongside the game uses more system resources.
- Non-Steam support is preliminary.
Who it suits
CA:DE suits Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition players, casters, and enthusiasts interested in spectating or match analysis. Its paid features may appeal to users who want timeline controls, camera options, or additional statistics.
Verdict
CA:DE provides spectating and analysis features, with a free tier and paid additions for timeline controls, cameras, and statistics. The game requirement and stated performance demand are important considerations.
Plans and prices
From CaptureAge's own pricing page, checked 15 Oct 2001.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | core CA:DE features · available forever · no timeline control · no special camera controls · no advanced statistics graphs · no custom skins |
| Free | Free | Core CA:DE features · no timeline control, special camera controls, advanced statistics graphs, or custom skins |
| Pro | €5 a month | Timeline control · special camera controls · advanced statistics graphs · €5/mo |
| Pro | €5 a month | timeline control · special camera controls · advanced statistics graphs · supports ongoing development · €5/mo |
| Pro Plus | €10 a month | Pro features · custom CA:DE skins · custom CSS and assets · €10/mo |
| Pro Plus | €10 a month | Pro features · custom CA:DE skins · €10/mo |
| Pro Legend | €25 a month | Pro Plus features · custom CA:DE skins · custom CSS and assets · €25/mo |
| Pro Legend | €25 a month | Pro features · custom CA:DE skins · €25/mo |
The facts
Each one read from CaptureAge's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Analytics
- The privacy policy names Google Analytics and Mixpanel as service providers used to monitor and analyze service use.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Anonymous statistics
- The settings documentation says users can allow anonymous user statistics and that no personal data is stored for this setting.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Architecture
- A developer AMA describes a C++ DirectX 11 renderer with a Chromium and React frontend.checked 15 Oct 2001
- Audience
- The download page describes CA:DE as advanced spectating for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, while the product documentation describes Pro for analytical players, casters, and enthusiasts.checked 7 Oct 2001
- CA:DE recordings
- CA:DE recordings allow spectating without the game running, reduce performance impact and are designed to remain usable across game patches.checked 15 Oct 2001
- Compatibility
- The FAQ says CA:DE has preliminary support for non-Steam versions, including the Microsoft Store version, and asks users to test Xbox PC versions.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Custom hotkeys
- Custom hotkeys are configured by editing persistedState_prod.json, and malformed JSON can reset or blank settings.checked 15 Oct 2001
- Documentation scope
- The help center includes overview, versions, time controls, recordings, skins, statistics, settings, known issues, subscriptions and FAQs.checked 15 Oct 2001
- Game modes
- The documentation lists 1v1, team games, free-for-all, AI games, and Battle Royale among the supported modes.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Game requirement
- The installer requires Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition and a legitimate installation with its assets.checked 15 Oct 2001
- Licence terms
- The terms grant a limited personal, non-transferable licence, prohibit redistribution, reverse engineering and hosting, and keep ownership with CaptureAge.checked 15 Oct 2001
- Limit: crashes
- Users report crashes during long replay viewing and cases where CaptureAge and Age of Empires II fail together.checked 15 Oct 2001
- Limit: display support
- Uncommon and ultrawide resolutions are not well supported, with ultrawide improvements on the roadmap.checked 15 Oct 2001
- Limit: performance
- Running CA:DE live beside the game needs more resources and may perform poorly on computers that run Age of Empires II smoothly.checked 15 Oct 2001
- Limit: replay compatibility
- Community reports say game patches can break older replays or cause desynchronization after only part of a recording plays.checked 15 Oct 2001
- Limit: screenshots
- The FAQ states that CA:DE has no built-in screenshot function.checked 15 Oct 2001
- Limit: shortcuts
- The FAQ says custom shortcuts are not currently supported through the normal interface.checked 15 Oct 2001
The company
- Company headquarters
- LinkedIn lists CaptureAge headquarters in Mechelen, Belgium.checked 15 Oct 2001
- Company legal facts
- CaptureAge BV is a Belgian private limited company incorporated in 2019 with enterprise number 0734.747.383.checked 15 Oct 2001
- Company size
- The careers site describes a fully remote team of roughly 30–35 coworkers across more than 20 countries.checked 15 Oct 2001
- Founded
- 2018checked 28 Sep 2001
Money
- Free features
- The free version supports patch-agnostic CA:DE recording playback, full zoom, essential statistics, an integrated creator scoreboard, and a replay browser.checked 7 Oct 2001
- Free playback
- The free edition supports patch-agnostic CA:DE recordings, a replay browser, full zoom, essential statistics and an integrated scoreboard.checked 15 Oct 2001
Where it runs
- Limit: Linux
- Users report that there is no officially supported Linux version.checked 15 Oct 2001
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