AOM2 vs. AOM: DE - What features do you want in a sequel that a DE can't deliver?

There are a lot of requests for AOM2 on the internet, however I don’t really know what people want from a sequel of that game. I mean if we just want new graphics and new civs, then surely a DE would be enough to deliver on that request.
A sequel is only really needed, if one was to introduce somewhat radical changes to the gameplay mechanics.
So to everyone, who advocated for a sequel: What would you like to see in a sequel?
What new gameplay mechanics should there be?
What features should be introduced, that can’t be introduced by a Definitive edition and/or new expansion?

2 Likes

Favour Rework

I think there should be shared common ways of gaining favour. Different civilisations and gods have bonuses on certain ways of ad unique new ways.
I think it should work more like XP from AoE3 than a resource that is limited to 100 (200 for one god)

Less Asymmetry

The asymmetry in AoM was to extreme. It made balancing hard and in the end the game is only balanced by giving everyone different OP things.
It’s ok for Norse Infantry to build (military) buildings but let the Villagers build civilian buildings please.
It’s extreme that all Egyptian buildings cost nothing or gold. I think they should cost Wood like for everyone else.

Stone

I think an AoE need Stone and that includes AoM. Stone is important for the offensive/defensive balance of the game.
Favour is no replacement for Stone, it fills a completely different role.

A modern Engine

The Engine form AoM is even older than the one from AoE3 and AoE3DE is kinda at the limit of what the Engine can do. It’s 20 years old already.
If they would release AoMDE it would be technically worse than AoE3DE that is already out. AoE1DE is worse than AOE2DE but AoE2DE released later.

Remove some unfitting design

AoM has some design decisions that don’t fit the Mythological setting like the Greeks very much look like Hellenistic Greeks with all the upgrades at the end. That doesn’t reflect that the latest upgrades in the game are Iron weapons. The Bronze Age Greek units in the game also clearly have Iron Armour for some reason.

More AoE1

I think the game should borrow more of the Techtree, Unit and Architecture design from AoE1.
AoM had a bit more “cartoony” design because of the early 3D graphics. They needed the units to be recognisable with only a few polygons and low res textures.
Now we have the visually awesome AoE1DE (looks even better than AoE2DE) and modern computers can easily render those units in 3D in real time.

8 Likes

Just watch the trailer of Age of Empires 4 and imagine a mythological version. Ships will be larger, units will walk on the walls, walls will be really strong and when they collapse, you are dead. The game will be even more assymetric, just watch the mongols and britons. Early rushes will be more difficult, because the majority of players hate to die soon. It’s the future. It may be an other Relic Entertainment project.

5 Likes
  1. Having different mechanics such as how the favour works in AoM is welcome and makes the game more interesting. Of course, there is going to be balance issues but I’m OK with that in order to get uniqueness between every civilization. Changing it to how it works in AoE3 is a boring and not interesting mechanic.

  2. Again, we need to keep the uniqueness between each civilization and that has its own strengths & weaknesses to play around with, and it’s okay that some things aren’t balanced 100% because different civilizations had unique battle formations, soldiers, technology ideas etc before it was all common and shared to the world.

Otherwise let’s just have no civilization and we can all play around with the same units, technology and mechanics which will end up being boring and dull really quickly. The Settlers series is a good example of that, where both Settlers 3 & 4 had unique civilizations and then later in the series they changed that so everyone plays the same. Boring! People want to feel different and unique when playing one civ over the other and it’s an important value when making an RTS game like AoM.

  1. I’ve nothing against releasing a more modern engine that allows bringing a better overall experience to the game and I count on that if a DE/AoM2 comes out.

  2. I really don’t see any issue with this as Ancient Greeks used both bronze and iron to make better equipment over the years. You are playing Greeks which are Hellenic in other terms hence the look they got in the game according to me is fine. I’d welcome more detailed looks and not remove them.

  3. I think it’s important to not change the way AoM look too much or it won’t feel like an AoM game. Having a better engine that allows for better graphics is one thing but to change the overall design & look of the game to look more like another in the series is the wrong move in my opinion to go, and if you want to play a game like AoE1, well then you have AoE1 DE :slight_smile:

I’m a big fan of the Age of Empire & Mythology series and I hope this isn’t taken the wrong way, I just am so passionate about this and worried it will damage the game more than making it greater hence I voice my concerns. Take care!

4 Likes

3 out of 5 civilisations get Favour by building buildings. Not very unique.
The Norse also get favour from just having Hersirs (they jsut make twice as much when fighting). So most civilisations have a passive trickle. Very boring.

When I said like XP from AoE3 I didn’t mean exactly like it. In AoE3 everything gives XP but I think in AoM2 not everything should give Favour.
For example fighting or killing units for favour would be unique to the Norse or Aztecs.
But sacrificing Livestock would fit most civilisations.

What I meant with like XP is that it’s not a resource that you collect and than spend but it unlocks the equivalent or a home city shipment.
You can choose between using it for Mythical units, technologies or god powers.

I like it when each civilisation is unique but there has to be limits.
There are reasons why game like Stracraft only have 3 civilisations or AoM originally also only had 3 civilisations.
Plus it’s hard to come up with new unique things. People called the Chinese boring because they didn’t come up with enough new unique ideas.
I think AoE3 balanced the uniqueness of civilisations very well with the Definitive Edition.
I hope AoE4 perfectionizes this so AoM2 can build ontop of those concepts.

I think you understood me wrong.
In the Heroic Age (Age 3) the names for the upgrades are “Bronze” but the Greek units very clearly wear Silvery (Iron) looking armour. That feels wrong. They should have Bronze looking armour when they get Bronze upgrades.
So either name the Technologies like
Bronze → Iron → Steel
Or make the design fitting. I always liked the Heavy Infantry upgrades visually more than the Elite ones.

More detail of course of course. Like the Armour upgrades don’t change the look of the units but the Medium, Heavy, Elite upgrades do. It would be awesome if all upgrades did.

The Hellenistic Period is the last period of the ancient Greek after Alexander the Great conquered Persia (333 BC). It’s very far away from the mythical Age that is basically the Bronze Age with the Trojan war (1250 BC). All heroes in the game are rearing to that time period and the unit Upgrades imply that Age 3 is the Bronze Age.
Units shouldn’t be designed after the Macedonian that was nearly 1000 years later.
The same partially applies to the Egyptians too, like the Lighthouse was build under Greek occupation 2000 years after the pyramids.

AoM is kind of a successor to AoE1. Seeing that they also went for an ancient setting with Age of Empires Online shows that they felt like that’s the main setting of Age or Empires.
I think some of the AoE1DE unit design would fit nice into an AoM2 next to polished reinterpretation of AoM units. The AoE1DE Babylonian buildings would fit well for a new Babylonian civilisation in AoM2.
AoE Online also has some interesting concepts but please don’t use the graphics.

2 Likes

everything what skadidedsu said +

- more changes to myth units (swapping ages, replacing with new ones etc)

- every race should have at least 3 named heroes (don’t have to be historical accurate but in my opinion especially herser for norse and making every unit a hero like atlantean is just boring)

- every myth unit should have two special attacks (from minor to bigger ones depending on costs and age)

- even bigger maps would be cool with some environmental things like mud which slows movement speed maybe or high grass/forest for hiding or strong wind which slows building speed maybe?

- no titans - i think titans were cool at first but on the long run its too op and no real mechanic or something also most look really gimmicky beside atlantean in my opinion

  • norse needs some better units or new mechanics cause atm it seems at least for me they are quite strong early, fall of hard late, have most melee units but most of those are worser than most other melee units…

  • maybe letting archers be on walls? (walls obviously have to be bigger for that)

  • maybe a few vertical segments on maps? like underground/abyss, or more high ground like cliffs?

  • better balances myth units - atm in my opinion most of atlanteans beside a few like hecagigant or wadjets/anubites are… meh

these are just things right of my head. skadidedsu said already most and the more grounded things

ew to everything except better accuracy to upgraded unit design

2 Likes

Just saw this video, it has some nice features that should be considered for AoM DE (in case it ever comes) that affect some unused on underexploited Myth units.

3 Likes

Civilizations:
Celts
Egyptians
Greek
Norse
Chinese
Toltecs
Indians

3 Likes

The Essentials, really.
Throw in Atlanteans, which are actually standing in for the Romans, and have a few Levantine Myth Units that the Egyptians did not catch (Behemoth).

1 Like

Got a great idea, let’s not just have the Greeks, Egyptians, Norse, Atlanteans, and Chinese return, keep the Definitive Edition for that (if it even gets made) I’d much rather a new 3 civs that would fulfil similar voids, but as a whole be unique.

Best fits would be Romans, Babylonians and Celts, familiar but fresh.

Romans, Celts and Babylonians were not from the same timeframe.
Romans are from the Iron Age, and would be a lot more advanced than the Babylonians, for example.

you could still switch and swap a few units or remove some entirely. like behemoth for scarab and add a new one for atleanteans. i personally think for example units which can be easily swapped between ages are e.g. trolls, cyclops, hydra, valkyries and sphinx. and i personally think you could easy replace/add some new units like werewolfs, harpies, dragon/nidhoeggr, ushabti for x creature.

you could also massively improve the visuals of units espeically the atlantean ones for example. and add as mentioned new passiv and active skills to them.

many forget its primary a fantasy rts game and then a more historic/religious game. ^^

1 Like

It doesn’t really matter. The game is more about mythology than history. The Egyptians are from the Bronze Age, the Greeks from Classical Antiquity, the Norse from the Middle Ages, and the Atlanteans are fictional. It still works.

7 Likes

modern controls, good pathfinding and functional attack move will get me in the door and consider it. new features, awesome gameplay, unending graphical spectacles, and diverse civs will keep me coming back.

That’s why AoM 2 would be better than DE.

2 Likes

image
Potential AOM DE?

4 Likes

still think too an AoM would be better cause i think there would be way more new options and technologies to put in. i mean there is AoE2,3 and now 4 so why shouldn’t there be AoM2 and maybe 3? just cause we had to wait 20 years unlike AoE fans?

Yes, it seems like DE is coming.

interesting idea but i doubt it cause it would be kinda late to search now if 20th birthday is next year. if they planned something for AoM they are already on it to release it next year.