Hello friends,
I’d like to share with You my thoughts of the game so far and address some alterations that, at least in my opinion, would help AOE 4 to became a worthy successor of what is one of the oldest RTG series at all.
To start with, I’d like to say that I am an enthusiastic player since the very start of AOE I and was eager (as most of You) to see what the 4th. title has to offer.
Now, after playing about some 20 matches and having lvl ~20 I think I got a clue of the basic mechanics, thus can reliable value the content of the game.
The game itself seems to me to fit in its style the classic series genre, however we must note that as like amongst many other games, time is a variable that brings improvement changes to their contents throughout the years, just as computer become stronger and programs more complex. To be fair, AOE I and II reflected the technical possibilities of the 90s PCs and so did AOE III in 2005, all of this games had shown improvements in both - graphic and gameplay (content). Now after 16 years of progressing computing power you may expect an adequate huge impact on the next game’s reveal too but this is the point. The game absolutely lacks of this progression.
Let us assume that the developers wanted to keep this partially odd graphic textures (rather comical) for the series heritage sake and focus only on the gameplay - content. Thinking back in time, putting many infrastructures, units and behaviors was very demanding to pc’s and I believe that AOE I was just as good as the technical limitations allowed. Now in 2021 however the situation has dramatically changed giving developers mind blowing horizons of workspace that just isn’t exploited in AOE IV at all and I ask why that is?
The game feels tremendously like a rip off from AOE II with just improved graphics adopted to somewhere between 2005 and 2010 games.
I really feel the lack of improvements, the gameplay is flat, hell, even trivial and gets after the 10th match uncomfortably … boring. There are 4 ages that cover only some 10 units, with 3-4 upgrades each. All players tend to rush to age IV best skipping all before. You have still only 4 different resources that when mined (gathered) magically turn straight into food, weapons, armors and siege elements – does it has to be really that trivial?
Fortifications are way too useless, palisade walls “poofing” out of existence by sword or arrow hits and heavy stone walls or keeps falling apart after a few shots from a trebuchet…
The ability of stationing troops (archers favorable) on walls is only then useful, if they really can act in any way. As for now they just stand still and wait until the way overpowered siege from behind fog of war bombs them into heaven and what’s left gets raided over by cavalry. Keeps are useless as they don’t even have the farther sight to spot incoming troops with siege weapons and can’t withstand even 25 horse riders…
What I suggest is to detail out the gameplay and add especially following things to tailor this game for the coming years of 2020:
- Add an intermediate step between the gathering of resources and the processing of them, e.g. when mining for steel or gold, let the blacksmith actually melt it and shape swords, spears etc. and have this as a separate “resource” that is then used by the actually barrack, stable etc. to arm the troops. This would immerse the gameplay, make it more complex and in my opinion – enjoyable.
- Add more research and items to each age, process technologies and troops. Let every age get the feeling that it is an important playable part of the game and not always an obstacle to the play scene.
- Make fortifications sturdier and add functionality for an actual usage of it. Let the keeps and towers spot enemies from a far distance – greater than any siege can shoot.
- Remodel the attack attributes, do not let swords and arrows break keeps, walls or buildings. Incineration would be here appropriate (e.g. foot troops can lay fires to buildings and if they continue to burn for a given amount of time, the building destroys unless they get extinguished)
Those are things that I can think of at the moment that would help out the game to become more attractive and innovative and not a fail in reintroducing a majestic RTS series back to life. The stakes are too high!
For future projects I would have also a private suggestion for the devs to issue a solid beta-phase game that would be accessible for all players and work out the gameplay ideas together as it is eg. in the game Escape from Tarkov, where players put up their ideas and points of view and the makers actually respond with suitable patches. This way, both parties are happy!
Have a nice one mates,
Maczuga39