Alot of things have been and are discused about the state of the game so i’m not going to touch those.
What are in my opinion (might be wrong, we’ll see) the things that contribute to the slow growth or stagnation of the game.
First is the Theme.
- This is a prety important factor in chosing a game especially to new players.
We have 3 major types. History games and Fantasy, Sci-fi games.
-Here history games are mostly limited by the period the game takes place. You can’t take liberty with tech wich is limited to that part of history.
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The timeline is an important factor as well. EX: I wont be playing WW2 games as i’ve played alot of them in the past.
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Then there are Fantasy and sci-fi where there is no limit to what can be done because you are not limited like in the history theme.
Second is the complexity.
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This is a highly debatable topic but it is another important factor in chosing an RTS game.
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Here i will mention 3 tipes of players first. Players who played other Aoe games, players who come from other RTS games and players who are new to RTS games in general. In my opinion all 3 are equally important.
Alot of complains i’ve seen outside this forum is that the game is either a bit complex or hard to get into (mostly from new to the RTS games players and even from casual players from other RTS games.).
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And here i will compare to starcraft mostly but is not limited to.
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One point is in the Draft. In starcraft for example you choose a race and stick with it and improve (i’ve hardly seen players change races). So the only draft is in chosing the maps. In Aoe you need to learn more than one civ especially if you want to atend tournaments. Plus in Aoe the map influence the Civ choice more than in other RTS games.
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Another point of complexity is the scout.
In Starcraft the scout role is mostly to find the base of the opponent to see wich strategy he builds and keep in check his army and base vulnerabilities.
In Aoe games the scout plays a more complex role. You need to see where the opponent is, you need to scout the resources (because the resources in this game are randomised on the map) , you need to get early food , you need to scout for opponent armies and you need to fairly know where the 5 relics are on the map…
There are other factors that ad to complexity but i’ll stop at those 2.
-IMO the more complex the game the less new players it attracts (especially new to RTS players).
Diversity is another topic that often apears in alot of RTS games.
- No matter how many new units or diverse units you put into the game. The pros will always manage to find the most efficient ones to use and discard the rest. EX: Siege tower.
Plus the more units and tech the game has , the more confusing for a beginner it becomes.
Third and the most important in my opinion is TIME.
-Thats why no matter how much nerfs you do to alot of strategies people still try to find a way to rush theyr opponent.
- Hardly the most complains i’ve seen is that the game takes to long.
For example Starcraft has an average of 10-15 min last time i’ve checked. AOe has alot more.
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This is very important for tournaments and casual play as well.
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Most people dont have alot of time to play so for them is important how may games they can squese in an hour or thwo per day.
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In Tournaments the audience gens impacient and bored if the game takes more than 40 min. And 1h+ games are …
Another example about time choice. I’ve seen a few days ago is from the Moba genre.
- Someone asked a Lol player why he did not chose Dota. And the player (streamer) said that he played Dota an he likes it more but the games are longer than lol (i cant confirm this statement as i’ve not watched/played Dota myself).