[Guide] How to watch recorded games: Voobly/WK/UserPatch

There are 2 ways to watch recs:

1) on Voobly (benefit over way no.2: Spectator overlay/dashboard, co-operative/shared rec watching)

2) Offline, with a standard UserPatch installation (made on top of the Compatibility Patch) and/or Offline WK-installation

PERKS:

can open AoC-recs (not WK-recs) directly from SaveGame-folder at

...\Age2HD\savegame 

or

...\Age of Empires II\savegame 

depending on version, and all it's Subfolders (this works with even the old format .MGX recs)

Newest UserPatch recs have a Spectator-statistics(pop/vills/military etcetc) applied to the Score section in the lower right corner, making Spectator Overlay/Dashboard less needed for non-casting purposes, but it only works for newest recs that have been played on UP 1.5.

1):

For WK, you install it without selecting the option "Create an Offline installation". See the respective WK readmes/notes for reference. Once installed, it'll be selectable as a Mod in a Voobly Room's Settings like this: http://prntscr.com/i5jw0e

The recorded games will go to

...\Age2HD\Voobly Mods\AOC\Data Mods\WololoKingdoms\SaveGame 

or

...\Age2HD\Voobly Mods\AOC\Data Mods\WololoKingdoms FE\SaveGame 

or

...\Age2HD\Voobly Mods\AOC\Data Mods\WololoKingdoms AK\SaveGame 

depending on the version you have (topmost if you own or have installed all HD DLCs).

Once the (downloaded) recs are in those folders (cannot be in subfolders), you can select them in Voobly Room's Settings page, in menu Watch Recording, which reads the recs from the respective folder of the Mod selection.

2): Offline (personal preference and recommendation)

If a normal UP is installed (=non-voobly version) the installer will have created an "age2_x1.exe" to

...\Age2HD\age2_x1 

which can be used to watch recs normally via ingame menu, as well as the aforementioned direct AoC-rec doubleclick-opening from the SaveGame folder (UP is capable of auto-selecting the correct version depending if the rec is MGZ or MGX, so the doubleclick method is far superior QoL wise).

If WololoKingdoms installer's option "Create an offline installation" has been used, it has created a "WK.exe", "WKFE.exe" or "WKAK.exe" to folder

...\Age2HD\age2_x1 

which can be used normally to surf recs from folders by using the ingame Recs-menu. The Folders for Offline installations are:

...\Age2HD\Games\WololoKingdoms\SaveGame 

or

...\Age2HD\Games\WololoKingdoms FE\SaveGame 

or

...\Age2HD\Games\WololoKingdoms AK\SaveGame 

respectively.

Note: yes, there is a lot of recs-folders now, as WK-recs are version-dependent, like on HD...

Note2: WololoKingdoms does not support direct recorded-game opening by doubleclicking from within the savegame folder(s), this is a Standard-UserPatch-only feature so far.

Note3: having an Offline version, or versions, installed is not mutually exclusive to Voobly Mod installation (when not selecting "Create an Offline installation", it creates a Voobly Mod), and they do not inhibit each other's function in any way.