I almost did something the other day I promised myself I would never do. I went to check out the Zone while at work. Good God, can it be I am so addicted to(or obsessed with, as my wife so kindly put it) AOE that I'm looking for a way to play it while at work. I almost started a game on UR MUD ( really like that name, so redolent of Sumerian civ and German language), just for the hell of it, to pass the time. I think the job is just plain boring. I mean, fighting fires has its moments, but there's a lot of down time.
Believe it or not I'm not an online player. Takes commitment to usually odd times to coordinate a game with players is widely separated time zones, and I find it hard to spend time at the comp except for particularly defined periods. Then they take sharp implements away.
Anyway, figured the Zone might be more flexible than some of the other gamesites I've explored. Being totally unfamiliar with it I could use some basic pointers from others who visit there routinely. Is it play for pay? Is it preferable for me to access it with Explorer rather than Netscape (my default)? The AOE site seems to offer several different games of varying levels simultaneously. Do I just jump in and start swinging?
Any insights, please.