According Beasty, AOE4 DLC Will be massive

[hd.age]

I’m.going to make a guess. In the next DLC we Will have:

3 new civilizations: Spain, Incas and Aztecs
4 variants: Rus, english, Delhi and Mongols

[Croissantini]

If we had a third, I’d very much like a southeast asian civilization in addition to Spain and Inca. Would fit the theme of exploration too.

[MUTYLATOR5553]

@hd.age

Rus, english, Mongols

1. Rus - Novgorod, Kievan Rus, Galicia-Volhynia
2. English - Anglo-Saxons, Scots, Welsh
3. Mongols - Chagatai, Golden Horde

[MatM1996]

@jimmy19846071

Sultan’s Ascend have been released with a new campaign, two new civilizations and 4 variants, and some graphic improvements.

Using “Massive” in comparison to the last DLC Is a strong statement so i could think to:

1. two campaigns on a new Dynamic Map (the same Dynamic Campaign seen into Company of Heroes 3);
2. variants Civilizations;
3. massive updates and some new improvements about UI;
4. massive Graphic updates, especially about new 4k textures, new wheater effects, new animations and physics effects. These are the same improvements which have been asked in the last AOE survey.

Hopefully, it looks good… 2 dynamic campaigns plus 6-8 variant civs and UI graphical improvements could be interesting…

@MedicMaaan

Something along the lines of co-op campaigns.

@MuscleChad

Co-op would be a good step, since most of the game is multiplayer already (but competitive). I guess zoomers call it PVE but I’m still trying to remember what the E is for.

And historical battles section, at least 9 or 10 could even bring several AoE 2, even several big VaV scenarios:

1. Tours (732): French vs Abbasids

2. Honfoglalás (895): Rus vs Byzantines, HRE and Rus enemies

3. Otto (936): HRE and French allies vs HRE and French enemies

4. Seljuk/Manzikert (985/1071): Seljuks (from TSA campaign) vs Bizantines, Mongols and Abbassids enemies

5. Kurikara (1183): Japanese vs Japanese enemies

6. Cyprus (1191): English vs Bizantines enemies

7. Bapheus (1302): Ottomans vs Ottomans and Bizantines enemies

8. Lake Poyang (1363) (please make it easier): Chinese vs Chinese enemies

9. Agincourt (1415): English vs French enemies

10. Nobunaga/Kyoto (1551/1582): Japanese vs Japanese enemies

@MedicMaaan

Hoping for new game modes myself. Something along the lines of co-op campaigns. Longest season to date, and a DLC release outside of their standard schedule. At least 2 civs, hopefully 4 more variants.

@MUTYLATOR5553

I hope they add more civs than Variant “civs”.

@TheLiberator236

I think is more about content than QoL stuff, improvements to UX and Engine updates
So, more civs, more variants, and more campaigns
Maybe 2 campaigns, 6 variants, and 3 civs!

@KG19991380

here’s how i read beasty’s word massive (was also said for the sultans ascent in case yall forgot about that), 1 new standard campaign in similar style to sultans ascent, 2 new actual civs, a for now unknown number of variants, i suspect 4 of them again, thats it, not saying they won’t add anything else on top, but i have my doubts till i’m proven wrong

@JuryMusic777863

Bigger than anything we have seen before? So even bigger than variant civs? Then we will probably see 4 to 5 new civilizations.

@OriginalKnot717

I imagine it must be 3 new civs at least and variants for all of those civs that are missing one. Possibly a new campaign and new maps as well.

Yes, it will probably be 2 civs as always and then 4-6 variants… hopefully we will have 2-3 campaigns and hopefully a DLC with 15-20 maps like it happened with AoE 3 TAD…

@OriginalKnot717

I really want some more variant civs, an english variant would be cool.

Angevins would be interesting… a mix between English and French UUs with King Lionheart…

@GoldenArmorX

The only thing I would ask for, Yes or Yes, is that if there is Spain, that in the IV age there are units to represent the Spanish Tercios (Pica seca, Rodeleros, Arcabuceros de Tercio).

Yes, Spain will arrive at some point… Almogavars units, Missionary, Rodelero, Conquistador, Carabel (if they don’t include Portuguese) and I could go on.

@GoldenArmorX

If you make Timurids as a Mongol variant, remember that they stopped being nomads (that could be one of their characteristics), they used Persian-Timurid Architecture for their Buildings, and that Timur was Lame so don’t make him run as an infantry hero; and that he is already a King in the Dominion game mode (that he runs slowly is actually and curiously well represented).

Yes, they would be the Mongols but with the architecture of the Indians from AoE 3 (Delhi too?)…

@hd.age

QoL, UI, textures and graphics improvements should be free, although i would pay for them too, but it would look weird if the base game player had different graphics and QoL than the one who paid for the DLC.

These are probably free updates that come with the DLC seasons…

@MadMax8915

if it is said that it will be much bigger…
I would expect to have between 3 or 4 unique civilizations and 5 or 6 variants!!!

I would also like to see new graphics or at least the addition of many unique wildlife to the biomes.

@GorbMort

But I meant more in terms of getting more out of the existing ambience. People have been asking for animated animals in buildings, Gaia variants, and so on, and so forth. Weapon animations, weapon visuals, etc. Siege death animations!

All of this is smaller, perhaps less impressive polish. But if it were all tackled at once as some large piece of work, the resulting improvement would be significant (opinion opinion opinion).

Hopefully…

@GoldenArmorX

Only the model of the Crusader Knights would remain, and the only thing they could save would be a civ from the “Reign of the Teutonic Order”, but it wouldn’t be a variant, but a new civ.

Meh…I’d give the Crusader troops to the HRE in a subgroup of units simply known as “Teutonic troops”…

@GoldenArmorX

I would say that if they want to make more variants they will have to be very innovative this time.

And while some were made with less effort (Order of the Dragon) for others like Zhu Xi good designs were created, like the Shaolin monks and even new Landmarks. And not to mention the effort in making the Ayyubid, with 6 new unique units (Sultan Tower, Manjaniq, Atabeg, Dessert Rider, Camel Lancer, Dervish).

In any case, i would prefer either New proper Civs, and only make variants if there are enough unique units or design to make them, not for obligation.

Yes, I think Ayyubids would be the ideal variant civ to base future variant civs on… not based on one person, but a sultanate or kingdom and with several UUs (between 5 and 6 UUs)…

@JuryMusic777863

Bigger than anything we have seen before? So even bigger than variant civs? Then we will probably see 4 to 5 new civilizations.

It would be a lot, but I don’t rule it out, although it would be unlikely… since TLK in 2019 we no longer have 4 civ dlcs… it is always 2-3 civs per dlc (and in the case of 3 DE and AoE 4 only 2 civs)…

@OperaticShip743

Could the Atakama map be an indication that it would include Spain and the Incas?

Maybe, but otherwise they would have saved it for the DLC…

@MedicMaaan

So it’s hard to say.

They haven’t been announcing their events super far in advance, the New Year New Age event from last year was announced on January 31 and happened on February 23.

We know something is coming, and they haven’t ever released something without teasing it ~1-2 months in advance. We know it’s more than likely going to come out first week of April (end of season).

It would be safe to assume we’ll hear something by the end of February, but it will probably have very little notice.

Yes, they will do like last year:

AoE 2: Some regional DLC or campaigns dlc like Chronicles of Macedonia

AoMR: They will show a gameplay trailer of the Chinese Immortal Pillars DLC

AoE 3: They will show a gameplay trailer of the Polish and Danish Baltic DLC

AoE 4: They will announce the new DLC but probably by mid-year so they don’t compete with each other…

@Croissantini

They have most of the assets already. It’s just presented in bad lighting, with dull colours, lack of clarity and lack of variety in the usage of assets. Plenty of the desert biomes don’t actually look like deserts, and the same goes for the forest ones.

In other words, I’d like them to properly try to convey the biomes as they ought to look like, instead of simply being biomes that were checkboxed ASAP, which is how they currently feel.

Just look at the water here for instance. While they did fix sea water specifically, anything else really falls short. Rivers are still like they were, puddles are practically invisible, there aren’t any real swamps or anything like that.

And of course, I’d like more biomes too. The selection is too samey.

@Croissantini

You’re probably mistaking what I am saying. In the picture above, you can see how water (and there is water), just doesn’t really work when it is shallow. If you reference the AoE2 picture I posted earlier, you can see the kind of clarity that we should strive for. This is entirely possible, with existing assets and tools. I’m not asking for them to change the artstyle itself, but to enhance what we already have.

Yes…if the remasters can have more varied biomes, then it’s no excuse for AoE 4…

@GorbMort

Couldn’t disagree more. I hope they do more for the game’s visuals, and add more biomes, but without compromising the art direction in IV. If I wanted it to look like another game, I’d play another game.

Obviously, keeping the game’s diorama art style…like the Japanese sakura tree biome…

@FloosWorld

plus Gaia spawning according to biome.

Yes, they should take the fauna of 2 and 3 as an example… Deer, bears, wild boars, chickens and pigs in Europe; water buffalos/yaks, Asian elephants and Bengal tigers in Asia; African elephants, crocodiles, lions, hippos, zebras and giraffes in African maps; jaguars, capybaras, bison and turkeys in American maps…

According to unused art and animation files in the AoE 4 game data, a number of other animals were planned to be added to the game at some point but were never implemented, including foxes, bears, crocodiles and zebras.

@hd.age

I’m.going to make a guess. In the next DLC we Will have:

3 new civilizations: Spain, Incas and Aztecs
4 variants: Rus, english, Delhi and Mongols

@MUTYLATOR5553

• Rus - Novgorod, Kievan Rus, Galicia-Volhynia
• English - Anglo-Saxons, Scots, Welsh
• Mongols - Chagatai, Golden Horde

Yes, exactly… I think the same… although Kievan Rus would be a bit repetitive, it would probably be Moscow or Novgorod and Anglo-Saxons could be interesting, but I don’t think they’ll include more pre-1000 CE civs, although I could be wrong (the Byzantines don’t count because they are from the Palaeologos dynasty)…

[BaxBrad]

This didnt age well did it?

[MatM1996]

Not necessarily…we might still see it later (I thought the English variant was going to be the Angevins or the Tudors, but I guess the Lancasters will be fine)…