Could AOE-4 span other ages like AOE-2 DE is doing with the 'RETURN OF ROME' DLC?

Age of Empires IV IV - Discussion
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Since AOE-2 DE will be expanding on the classic antiquity with this new DLC (Return of rome), I have the idea of something similar for AOE-4. Imagine an AOE-4 spanning all the ages from classical antiquity to the industrial revolution. Wouldn’t that be great? In fact, I came to think that this is how the game would be when I saw the 2017 trailer. Basically a review of the entire saga with concept art from the respective games.

(I didn’t find the original microsoft video that had over 11 million views the last time I watched it, but essentially it’s the same video)

So let’s suppose this game was open to the idea of playing different eras, having a different game mode for each era. That is to say, there will be no musketeers pitted against Roman soldiers, and you will not advance from the stone age to the industrial age. Each era will be a separate game mode and will have its own mechanics, civilizations, etc. That being said, we could have 3 game modes, or even 4:

  • Calsic antiquity (8th century BC and the 5th century AD)
  • Middle Age (The current age in which the game is set)
  • Modern Age (As in AOE-3)
  • We could divide classical antiquity so that it is not so timeless. (Archaic period (c. 8th to c. 6th centuries BC), and then another mode spanning from the end of this period until the fall of the Roman Empire.

Having said all this, personally I think that this is how the game should have been. Pleasing to all tastes.

Let’s also look at the potential of this, all the new mechanics that we could have. For example if AOE-4 wishes to somehow transfer AOE-3 to AOE-4.

Guns and units on the walls
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Star forts
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Walls with cannons

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But of course. If they make the gameplay and beauty, proportions and art style of AOE-3 carry over almost intact to this game that would be awesome. For example the water I would like it to be identical, but of course the game will require a graphic revision for that, since the style is somewhat different.

Personally, i do not think that it is something out of place if each period is handled separately. The game would be more flexible and less arbitrary in this regard.

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Just because they could doesn’t mean they should.

God bless AoE2 and all that it’s done for the franchise in the last 25 years, but it’s an anomaly. It’s saturated with civs and yet the players demand more. Thus the mission drift to classical antiquity.

AoE4 has no realistic need to ever have so many medieval civs that the devs start mining other eras.

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You’re right, but my point is that if people want a new game, they could just expand on the existing game. This is supposed to be the flagship of the saga that brings us all together.

Or maybe the next game in the series could be like that.

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It did bring us together. Just in the opposite way intended.

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That is never gonna happen for any AoE game past, present, or future lol.

Anyway, AoEIV still has plenty of its own stories to tell. The game hasn’t even gotten its own proper DLC yet. Despite my own misgivings towards AoEIV, I want it to have a long life cycle.

This is wicked funny. I laugh.

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I dearly hope that the upcoming DLC contains an actual campaign that they’ve had actual time to create. If the campaign follows the same style that is in the current game, it’ll be a waste of money. Sorry but, the missions were subpar, the maps lacked assets to make it look like what they were meant to look like, the story presentation lacked spirit and felt like a chore, and finally, paying a film crew to read off wikipedia and take some shots is NOT the type of AOE campaign content that people look foward to.

I also hope that they include some actual PvE content with such a DLC. Maybe an ingame editor, or some coop mission stuff. What I really fear is that they’ll pull a paid DLC with no campaign. With the way things have been going, I really would not be surprised.

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AOE1和AOE2整體相似，而且架構簡單。用AOE4 去復刻AOE3 ，你是腦袋被門夾了還是進水？
想緬懷輝煌的殖民時代，你去玩AOE3 就好，DE的畫質也提升了。

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Man I have 500 hours on the game, 278 on the editor it self, I’ve been playing since I was seven in the aoe franchise as a whole

I can ensure, ive never enjoyed the aoe2 campaigns as I did with aoe4, sorry but the way aoe2 presents its campaign it’s OBVIOUSLY inferior to aoe4, and with aoe4 I learned a lot.

I’m not as active on these forums this much as I was many years ago, and tbh this is not even my main account since I lost my old one but I’ve been here since 2018, I’ve seen how aoe4 has developed since the beta and believe me, if I were to criticize something , I would go far away from the campaigns because they truly are fun and most importantly well made, it’s true that they’re kind of linear but that doesn’t mean it’s not fun.

I’m a modder, I make custom scenarios and believe me, relic has done a lot of stuff that I couldn’t even imagine doing.

(So , I wouldn’t change how stuff it’s made, defo top tier and shouldn’t be changed)

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The game already has the answer

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does these look medieval era to you?

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I’m up for anything if it means this game gets some love

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I’m rational enough to admit that AOE-3, good as it is, is getting obsolete. If new mechanics are desired and new features, a new game is better.

I never said it was colonial, I said modern age which is more appropriate for the period that AOE-3 deals with. Classical antiquity should be the next theme that the franchise should address, but apparently it will be addressed in AOE-2.

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The AoE1 portion of AoE2 is going to be separate as far as we can tell. It’s not a mixing of the civ pools, it’s two separate sets and separate campaigns.

This is being done because AoE1 has not really been supported and it’s lacking a ton of QoL features. AoE1 and 2 were already built on essentially the same engine.

What would be the motivation for bringing other games into AoE4?

AoE2 players just want to play AoE2 exactly as it is (seriously even tiny changes make many uncomfortable).

Same with AoE3. They want to play AoE3 as it is and their game engine already has a lot going for it.

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Yes, I suppose so, since otherwise it would not make sense. Basically it will be AOE-1, but finally with doors in the walls and formations in its troops.

It’s just a “what would happen if…?”. It is not a request.

No, this is not the case. People who play AOE-3 are more open to new possibilities. There are even people who even talk about trenches and bridges, units on the wall, etc.

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There is a big difference between porting a game into another game which is really odd imo and being open to new mechanics. And AoE3DE is not in any way ‘obsolete’

AoEIV is the sixth entry in the series, it is next to impossible to make everyone happy. You end up with a game that is a jack of all trades but a master of none. No thanks.

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I think a proper different game for a proper different era would be appropriate.

I see no reason to keep this franchise stagnating in AoE4’s design. AoE4 is a valuable asset to the franchise, but it absolutely never should be the foundation for any future games.

For god sakes, we are 1.5 years in and still cannot rule out that the engine won’t allow for birds to fly around or for the TC chicken to move. And we still cannot press H and build a House. Hard pass.

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I’ve got to say. The reason why I’m sticking to AOE3 is because there is no other major early modern RTS.
If AOE4 set in that timeframe I can’t be sure whether I’ll “betray” AOE3.

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I’m sticking with AoE3 because I’ve been with it since 2005. It is on my Mount Rushmore of games. FE has breathed new life into it and I’m here to enjoy the ride.

I want that for every fan of this series. We may all have our own favorites but mashing these games together will end up making no one happy. These games can stand on their own.

AoE1 is being ported over to AoE2 for the reasons @CRothlisberger stated. Thankfully, I don’t expect this to morph into anything beyond that. From what I’ve gathered, many AoE2 players are rather indifferent about it and would have preferred a proper DLC.

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If both of those things were addressed (magically) today, would that bring you back to the game? I doubt it, personally.

I mean, we’re discussing the future of AoE IV here. It seems counterproductive to discuss it if people don’t want it to have a future. And informing future iterations is a part of the future of any sequel.

It’s undeniable that not just the popularity of AoE II, but the relative unpopularity of III (and Online) informed the direction of IV. And this isn’t to say III or Online are bad games, before anyone attempts to put words in my mouth.

Games are made upfront, with the aim of satisfying players. They either deliver, or they don’t. Lessons are learned, often painfully, with the benefit of hindsight (which is difficult to enshrine in an industry with such a high turnover rate as gamedev).

That said, I agree with the general sentiment that IV has a lot going for it in its current setting, and there’s a lot the developers could be doing to strengthen IV as-is, without resorting to other eras.

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No I mean one can play multiple games at the same time. But if there is another major early modern RTS I’d probably spend more time on it than any other existing RTS that is not AOE3.

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Great. It’s not a problem anymore. All remaining players are not bothered by it. Let’s ban discussions on this and live happy ever after.

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