How to Add a Higher Resolution to "Rise of Nations" in Windows 7

Microsoft Game Studios released "Rise of Nations" in 2003, before computer monitors with widescreen display resolutions were common. As a result, the game allows you to select only non-widescreen resolutions when you view the Graphics tab on the Options menu. To resolve this issue and run "Rise of Nations" at a higher resolution on a computer running Windows 7, modify the configuration file included with the game.

Open the Start menu, and click your Windows user name in the upper-right corner.

Click the "Organize" button in the upper-left corner of the window, and then click "Folder and Search Options."

Click to select the "View" tab at the top of the Folder Options window. Scroll down to the "Hidden Files and Folders" heading, and then click the "Show Hidden Files and Folders" radio button.

Click "OK." You should now see a folder named "AppData" in the Windows Explorer window.

Double-click the "AppData" folder, and then open the "Roaming," "Microsoft Games" and "Rise of Nations" folders.

Right-click the file "rise2.ini," and then click "Open With" and "Notepad."

Change the number next to "AllowAllResolutions" from "0" to "1." Close Notepad, and then click the "Save" button to save the file.

Launch Rise of Nations. When the main menu appears, click the "Options & Profiles" button.

Click the "Graphics" tab at the top of the menu.

Click the drop-down menu next to "Resolution," and select your preferred display resolution. The drop-down menu now lists all of the resolutions your computer supports.

Click the "Change Resolution" button.

Click "OK."