That being said, it’s clear to everyone, from players to developers, that Age of Empires 2 can’t change…
Furthermore, if the game, 10 years from now, has around 80 civilizations, it will still have the same bugs and 2D graphics, I’ll still need mods to reduce the size of the trees, and everyone, or most people, will still buy it, or not…
AoE 2, in fact, can’t change…
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room to think about a new Age of Empires…
After all, we know the Stone Age in AoE1, the Dark Ages in AoE2, the Age of Discovery in AoE3…
For me, the next Age of Empires could be one of these three games in the franchise: AoE1, AoE2, or AoE3, or even all three at the same time…
I don’t think Age of Empires should die with AoE2…
When I talk about graphics, I mean the mechanics much more than the art style. I like the art style of AoE2…
Having to use mods to remove plants from the map and reduce its size because the 2D hinders visualization, and being forced to play that way because the community doesn’t want the game in 3D, to me is retrograde and strange…
HOW CAN I, IN 2026, PLAY A GAME I LIKE AND BE FORCED TO WATCH THIS GAME NEVER EVOLVE, A MECHANICALLY OUTDATED GAME…?
I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY? EVEN AoE3 IS MECHANICALLY MUCH SUPERIOR, FROM TROOP MOVEMENT TO THE MAP, IT’S SUPERIOR…
IS THE COMMUNITY BLIND?
Look at Age of Mythology: Retold, it’s far superior, and I’m talking about game mechanics…
Is it so difficult to play a game that I’ve liked since 2004, as far as I remember, and that could be mechanically more modern…? It can’t be because players don’t want change…
It’s as if I were a merchant selling a new invention of wheels:
I approach a man carrying a heavy load on a kind of structure made from a tree trunk and say:
Me - My friend, I sell wheels. Could you put these wheels on this wooden structure to help you carry the load?
The man - The man said, “I like this log. I bought it. This is the third model I’ve bought made from this trunk. I call it a log cart.”
Me - But those wheels would reduce the weight; those logs put too much pressure on your spine.
The man - I’m not going to buy those wheels because I like those logs; I decorated them and they’re very beautiful.
Me - These wheels would allow you to carry more weight and go faster.
The man - No, I like pushing those logs…
Me - Don’t you realize you’re straining yourself unnecessarily?
Did you say this is the third trunk you bought?
The man: Yes, and since I bought the first log until this third one, almost 27 years have passed, I’m used to it…
Me: The wheels will make this log cart last longer and help you go further…
The man: I don’t want that wheel, and I’m telling you, you’re annoying, go away… hahaha
Me: My friend, I’ve already sold that wheel to other people in the same neighborhood where you live, you didn’t see how useful the wheel would be for you. You can continue with that log that you drag and carry loads on top of, I only sell wheels, you could put wheels on that log, that would help a lot…
The man: I don’t want your wheels, go away… hahaha
I prefer the style of AoE2…
However, the terrain, troop movement, and mechanics are far superior in AoE3…
I’m saying that this old and mechanically outdated game needs improvements…
YES, of course 3D would help improve the mechanics of AoE2…
2D is an obstacle and hinders gameplay…
But for me it’s clear, AoE2 can’t change…
People don’t even see or understand what I’m saying…
Me - This AoE2 mechanic can be greatly improved…
Fans - I like it as it is…
Me - Okay, then…
I’ve been playing this game since 2004, as far as I remember, and before that I played AoE1, and mechanically it’s the same format, with improvements, which ultimately amounts to the same thing…
I believe that, after 27 years of play, three versions and DLCs, the game could be more refined, and it would be interesting to see the map in 360 degrees. The only things that rotate 360 degrees are the villagers who never stop spinning and the military units… hahaha
But don’t worry, that’s not going to change, not at all…
Repositioning inattentive and overburdened villagers is key to better APM in AoE2…
Yes, it’s bizarre having to use this…
Nowadays I can use mods to visualize the range of the Mangonel, towers, buildings…
There are even mods to show a circle on the minimap so you know where the opponent’s town center supposedly is…
Bizarre… There are mods to alter trees and much more…
I can use mods in ranked matches…
Ideally, mods shouldn’t be allowed in ranked matches…
Ideally, there shouldn’t be any external or artificial mechanisms in the game to modify how things are viewed…
Instead of improving, they create bizarre solutions…
All of this is bizarre…
The game should be what it is and have improved over 27 years what needed improving…
It’s as if the players are saying: This game is so bad that I’m going to create a mod or incorporate a tool into the game to modify it, because the developers couldn’t fix it or improve what needed improving… The developers are working against themselves…
Bizarre…
I’LL REPEAT: I CAN USE MODS IN RANKED MATCHES… “BIZARRE”
Yes, I think the same, although I don’t think we’ll have AoE 5 until at least 2030, since they have to keep making DLCs for AoE 4 (they should leave AoE 2 alone already, but it’s a money-printing machine)…
Yes, in fact Sandy Petersen believed that with the release of AoE 3, AoE 2 players would gradually switch over, as happened with AoE 1, but that never happened…
Yes, anyway releasing 2.5D RTS games in 2005 wasn’t viable anymore because it was too technically limiting, which is why everyone was switching to 3D… RTS games were struggling back then because consoles and shooters dominated…
Yes, it’s between Antiquity and Colonial… if they bring back AoE 3, I wouldn’t complain if AoE 5 were set in Antiquity, but rather that AoE 5 be Colonial and a “well-made” AoE 3 (that is, starting in Europe and then expanding to Asia and then America) (since AoE 3 lacked European campaigns and more Asian civilizations)…
Yes, I would extend it to the end of the Cold War so each age would last 30 years:
Industrial Age (1871-1901): from the creation of the German Empire to the end of the Victorian era
Imperial/Modern Age (1901-1931): from the death of Queen Victoria to the inauguration of the Empire State Building
Atomic Age (1931-1961): from the inauguration of the Empire State Building to Yuri Gagarin’s flight and the detonation of the Tsar Bomba
Space/Information Age (1961-1991): from Yuri Gagarin’s flight to the fall of the USSR…
And if you want, you can add a fifth age in an expansion:
Digital Age (1991-2021): from the fall of the USSR to the end of the Afghan War and the COVID vaccination, which is basically the end of the pandemic…
Empire Earth 3 did that…it only had 5 ages: Ancient, Medieval, Colonial, Modern, and Future, but it oversimplified everything: only 3 civilizations: Western, Middle Eastern, and Far Eastern (with many unique units, though) and 2 resources: Materials and Technology Points, and little else…with materials you create units and with technology points you research technologies and advance to the next age…
3D RTS games offer a more immersive and dynamic gameplay experience compared to 2D RTS games. The depth and free movement capabilities of 3D allow players to explore and control their units more effectively, resulting in a more exciting and satisfying gaming experience. Furthermore, 3D games typically feature higher-quality graphics and greater realism, which can increase player engagement and participation.
I honestly don’t see how you can seriously believe this. AoE2 has changed a lot over the years. The original game, the HD Edition, and Definitive Edition are all substantially different from each other. Even the release version of DE was very different from what DE is like now. New content, balance changes, quality of life features, build orders, and random map design changes have all shifted the game and its gameplay far from what it was originally. The last few years have brought significant changes to the underlying design philosophy as well. To me, it feels like I’m playing a completely different game from the one I played back in 1999/2000.
You seem to be completely fixated on whether the graphics are 2D or 3D, to the exclusion of everything else. It’s like saying the English language hasn’t changed since the 9th Century because it’s been written in Latin letters since then. It’s true that that one feature hasn’t changed, but it completely ignores all other features.
Age of Empires 3 is full of bugs. Graphical bugs, movement bugs, physics bugs…. I have no idea what you think its superior, its the most bug filled age of empires game.
And I have no idea what you talk about “buggy graphics”, as AoE2 graphics are the best in the franchise.
If you think this game is outdated, they literally made AoE4 for people like you. Its the same game but ‘not outdated anymore’.
this is a one-time purchase game. not a live service thing. why should it evolve at all? most games you can buy, maybe get a few bug fixes, then a bit of DLC and that’s it. individual games shouldn’t evolve. evolving happens from one game to the next.