AOEO remains free to play. Players who join us from Steam will have the option of using their Steam Wallet to purchase our content, such as Civilizations and Boosters, just as LIVE players use Microsoft Points.
When playing the game itself, there is no difference between Steam players and LIVE players; no matter which version of the game you have installed, LIVE or Steam, you will be able to play with anyone on AOEO, and there are no game differences at all. However, one unfortunate side effect of the game being available on both services is the Steam Store and LIVE Store are not compatible with each other.
There are a few possible scenarios:
1.If you are a LIVE customer you will only be able to make purchases on Steam after Uninstalling AOEO first, and then Reinstalling from Steam.
2.If you are a Steam Customer, you will only be able to make purchases through the Steam Wallet. Keep in mind this means that Steam customers will not be able to use Microsoft Points to purchase any content from LIVE.
If you do decide to reinstall, you will NOT lose any progress or items; all that data will still be stored on our servers and be waiting for you after the reinstall is complete. The in-game stores will point to the appropriate store. A few additional notes: If you currently have AOEO installed and you want to switch to the Steam platform.
•Update and uninstall your current game then reinstall via steam. This will ensure the most efficient uninstall process and make reinstalling from Steam much smoother.
•The Steam version WILL include the GFWL platform (i.e. you still sign in with a gamertag etc).