The classic argument of pro-US players are always something like “Aztecs fighting Japanese in Siberia is unrealistic so… MURICA!!!” and yeah we do get wacky scenarios but you know what, EVERY civ in the game can be put in a context where they make sense in the Exploration Age, the US can’t in any way make sense in Age I and it’s questionable if they even do in Age II.
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Unfortunately a part of AoE3 has always been that later civs like the Native Americans and Asian Dynasties civs are way more unique than the most of the base Euro civs. Look at the Swedes, extremely unique compared to other Euro civs. Newer civs will always be more unique. It would be cool if the base civs got some more love but at this point we shouldnt expect anything massive to change.
Idk how you argue US doesnt deserve to be unique because they descended from Europe, the US was a ‘melting pot’ which is why they have immigrant cards. Asian immigrants were coming to the US in 1815.
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What are you even basing your criticism on if not history? You want it to ‘make sense’ but also admit the game shouldnt be 100% historically accurate. So basically you only want it to make sense up to a point and that point is 100% arbitrary on some random line in the sand you decide? The entire game especially in regards to multiplayer is fantasy.
Not an arbitrary line. A civ that was invented in the late 18th century has no place in a game that focuses on early modern history.
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Lets make the thing clear.
I wrote a million posts about how US is not the best choice, and one entire thread about how it is OP and old civs need to be adjusted.
I cannot deal with people who are building a religion about the “theory” of the game.
Now would you please respond to the "AGE DOES NOT MAKE SENSE" now?
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A civ that exists in Asia has no place in a game that focuses on America.
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The immigration cards are fine, I’m bothered a bit by the rest, and more by the image that the US civ gives.
I get, they had to have more unique features than the standard european civ, but they are really too many:
- A unique explorer
- That can plant a flag that boost everything
- That can build forts and not TC
- Steam powered ships that also build docks
- Exp crates
- Unique age up sistem
- Unique buildings with unique features
- A ton of UU
- Unique shipments that get what is unique of other civ
- Default factories
Did I miss something?
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Game has not been about America since the Asian Dynaties, and it has had European theater-only units since vanilla.
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Data science education to the public is imminent. Seriously.
As people cannot distinguish between “contents that fit in a theory” and “theory that fits in the contents”.
A lot of cards that give Free upgrades, better versions of European Unique Units, can get 3 Ironclads while Euros can only get 2 Monitors…
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I think its disingenuous to say the US has no place in a game focused on this particular time period. Especially considering all the other inconsistencies. Aztecs were defeated in 1521, the Mughal empire was later conquered and ruled by the British, Japan wasnt a colonizing force until 1895, Incas conquered in 1572, the Native civilizations all were present in America but are they really considered a colonizing force during the time period?
The entire argument is flawed. Its a video game that takes civilizations within the time period, makes them unique from a game play perspective with some nods to their culture and history and doesnt care about anything else.
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Yeah that’s the same argument I’ve been raising a million times and you agreed with that, right?
My argument has always been “the game has been about sth” does not equal to “the game should aways be about sth”, and you know that.
We all know there are “colonial only” purists here which means people cannot even agree on where the line is.
Let’s finish the discussion about the US being a nonsensical civ. Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do about it. The creators did the USA and that’s it. We have to accept it. I myself am not a supporter of this civ.
All we can do is boycott this challenge and the DLC, but the US will be part of the game anyway.
We should ask for the USA not to be OP civ. Some Home City Cards should be better balanced and others changed.
I wonder why USA civ will appear in this game now? After all, they could wait until July 4 with it - it could be a perfect theme. Maybe no one would even criticize it? xDDD
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Yes but the Aztecs and Mughals were significant powers that actually were in the time period whereas the USA basically weren’t. Japan didn’t do much outside its borders but they did have the Imjin War.
Also, “whataboutisms” are a very weak form of argumentation. Doing something unjustified in the past doesn’t justify doing something unjustified in the future.
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Because they didn’t intend to make it a standard European civ (otherwise the same people here will be complaining “low effort quick cashgrab”).
But indeed it is very OP.
Why? They have a unique house (like british, japs, incas), an advanced arsenal (the same that others get through a shipment) and a bonus for mercenaries (like germans).
How are they different from russians with an unique barrack, or from britain, or french?
The raw number of unique features of swedes are really at the same level of the US in your opinion?
They have to be different from european units, yes, but the age up, the exp crates and immigrant cards weren’t enough?
And it’s not about descending, it’s about historical accuracy.
Native civs were substantially different from europe, you can’t make them too similar. Asian civ too. But why US have steam powered ships when all the eurpean ships have just sail ships.
And then there is patriotic nonsense (I don’t mean to offend anyone, only that it’s not historical accurate) like a general that explore and fight in the front line. At that time, in that context, generals were well behind the front line in a safe spot and for sure didn’t explore.
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Yeah the Swedes were OP but I didn’t think they were too unique. The Torps fit since log houses were basically the defining feature of the Swedish Empire. My first time playing with Swedes I felt I got the basics down fairly quick unlike I would playing an Asian or Native civ for the first time.
I dont know where to start and to spend much time on it…
AoE is historically based game where I can expect historical events, units, nations and culture (etc.). Its the game so I cannot expect historical encyklopedia but its gameplay, tech tree, building set up must be set within its historical frame.
AoE3 was about colonialism, to be more accurate about European colonialism in America. Yes, there were some “exceptions” like Ottomans and Germany which did not set a foot in America like a state-organised colonialism.
(then TWC and TAD and DE but thats not the story here)
The way the game is played is clear like it was in AoE 1 and 2. A player starts in Age 1 simulating the beginning era in every time frame. Through upgrades player improves his units, production similarly like in history of human being. In AoE 3 the player can decide in a certain moment to revolt. Again, inspiration in history and “making sense”. By this the player can obtain new set of unique units. OR he can remain loyal to European nation and continue. Both ways are copying history - US and Canada for example. It was not 100% accurate but it was historical. Not ahistorical.
Now comes the US: From nowhere US has emerged. They appears in Exploration Age like any other nation which in fact really existed in that time.
Why did devs miss the great opportunity to smoothly include US as fully playable nation by adding it right in the game through revolution? It would be historical, for me it would be fun. I would never know what strategy my opponent will pick - will he stay with with British (so I must expect lb/musks/grens…)? Will he switch to US?
In fact the missed revolution opportunity causes me more pain than ahistorical addition in age 1. Additionally, another pain comes with Brits revolting into US. Will the devs fix this? Why my post-british US differs from that of new US?
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You probably meant "US DOES NOT MAKE SENSE" .
Look above to my previous post.
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They could have made a hybrid Euro-Native civ, with Euro units but not all features, and a few Big Button techs and Native mechanics.
Instead, they just made it a frankenstein’s monter of all European civs.
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