Hello everyone 
I read and also heard from some of my friends that AOE4 is after a couple of matches rather repetitive and not very entertaining. (Please note: This is not my personal opinion. I like AOE4 and I want it to be successful)
I started this post in order to collect ideas how to make AOE4 less repetitive and more entertaining. Hopefully this would help AOE4 to become more popular. Provided the developers listen to the feedback.
Here are some ideas from me (not conclusive):
- AI with character like in AOE3 or better like in Stronghold.
- More to explore on maps like villages / natives, something like treasures, more animals, plants, special terrain and other things
- Advanced mega random: Besides the random maps there is more randomness. You don’t know the civ from your opponent before you scout it. Every game starts differently. One time with 10 villagers, next time everyone starts with a Keep, then everyone has 2 TCs and so on. No game is like the other this way and no fix build orders can be used. This could be implemented as an additional option for mega random.
- Day / Night and Weather Cycle which impacts gameplay
- Make positioning units on walls more useful
- More entertaining campaigns like in AOE2
- Hero units for each civilization. Similar to Dschingis Khan.
- More micro, but just in battles. For example more units like English langbow with special attacks which are relevant.
- Game mod similar to battle Royal where everyone starts with a castle and military buildings which constantly produce units in a time interval.
- For every civilization and every Age each landmark decision should be hard. So that you don’t play every game with the same landmarks
How do you think can we make AOE4 less repetitive and more entertaining?
Kind regards
Firstly & most importantly*: add more micro
Nothing can expand possibilities in RTS games like complex micro management, for examples look at the SC, or C&C series’ use of micro to eliminate a lot of repetitive gameplay, even in the case of mirror matches.
AoE2 had a lot of nail-biting micro, however, it didn’t have quite the same kind that other RTS games have brought to the table over the years.
AoE4 has no meaningful micro. It is possible to micro manage certain units in certain situations, however, and especially in team games, numbers are more important than micro. That leads to the inevitable snowball gameplay that repeats, at some point, every game without exception. There are no moments at which one player has brought back a lost game via super micro alone, as is seen in other RTS titles.
Those who have not played more than the AoE series, especially those who have only really invested in 4, may have difficulty understanding just how impressive the micro in some other games is in comparison, and, for purposes of reducing repetitivity, how it improves the overall experience of matches with similar settings over long periods of time (see C&C / SC2 static map design & match settings).
*to me
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I have played AoE 2, and I understand it has less micro than some other RTSes, and I wholeheartedly support the decision to have less micro in AoE 4.
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This.
Micro makes the game more dynamic. You’ve done a costly mistake and are behind in military and economy? Do the extra clicks and try to outshine your opponent by making good micro decisions. Lure him out. Create an ambush, doge his attacks/arrows by reading into your opponents mind. As of now once your behind your options are very limited. At the time you might have found a way to catch up your opponent might have built walls and keeps making the game even more static.
And again, add more options to end the game in feudal age. Currently it is limited to building rams. Maybe add extra unit armor tech that is quite costly and only counts against buildings. I just got completely bored building rams whenever I wanted to end the game in feudal.
Or just make players leaving their base more rewarding. Like adding more boars or ressources that are not located nearby ones base but have e.g. a higher gather rate. Sitting in the base creates static and boring games and should be punished a lot more already in mid-late feudal age.
Gimme some Early Elephants in Feudal Age and then we’re talking.
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It depends what you mean by micro. I’ve seen games where TheViper has used his superior APM to overwhelm the opponent by splitting his army into multiple groups and fighting simultaneously in multiple locations. To me, that is still micro.
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Yea it is micro but you don’t often get to do that. Micro is just very limited in this game.
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as aoe gamer since 1997 let me tell you my opinion about your ideas:
- AI with Character - good one! I also like some kind of different tactics and playstyles of the Characters.
- i love the maps in aoe4 over all other maps of the aoe francise. they landscapes are totally fun to explore. the worst maps for are for me in aoe3, they are to small, looking everytime the same and the treasures and buildings dont make them interessting, i dont like this kind of gamemechanic at all. BUT: Aoe4 need more animals (birds, fish like aom in the oceans. that would be nice.
- we need a day night cycle! loved it in the campaign!
- weather would be also nice, but please no gameplay impact
- your idea with walls is good, love it in the beta alot - but miss the “stronger” towers now in the game. aoe4 could be a lilttle more like stronghold (kind of stronghold lite) to make it more useful to construct walls.
-campaigns in aoe4 are the best campaigns i played for years! i love the documentary style and i wanna more of it. i hope they keep away from some experiments like in aoe 3 (for me the worst campaings of the aoe-series)
- keep away from micro. we are NOT at starcraft! maybe give us some heroes with abilities to train as compromise
- gamemodes like fightiing agains waves! yes more gamemodes are allways good
thank you for your ideas! i hope we see some in game soon
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" * More to explore on maps like villages / natives, something like treasures, more animals, plants, special terrain and other things * " it worked in III ,but it’s not for free
" * Day / Night and Weather Cycle which impacts gameplay * " NOOOOOOOOO
" * Hero units for each civilization. Similar to Dschingis Khan.* " Leave it as unique for mongols.
" * For every civilization and every Age each landmark decision should be hard. So that you don’t play every game with the same landmarks * " PLSSSSS MORE RANDOM!!!
Rest is okay.
From the most important to least:
- More maps.
- Do not play ranked. RTS ranked always result in less innovation and better execution. Test strats in team games or quick match.
- Play more civs yourself.
- Wait for more game modes and DLC, and more people.
In AoE3 the campaigns represent the past of the game. In AoE3 DE, there is something called “historical battles” that wrap you better in the story and make it more interesting.
Regarding the small maps, you can make a custom game with XL maps.
AoE3 DE, with its balance issues and other unresolved issues, is seriously underrated.
Add ballistics
Totally change naval mechanics.
Add physics
Archers are useless in imperial, allow an upgrade for them to deal more dmg vs heavy.
Units never ever should use torches vs siege
Allow buildings to produce 2x units with an upgrade, is stupid to see the late game barracks spam, it looks ugly.
Sacred sited is not allowing proper walling game play, if dacret sites are removed walls will be more important.
Change the Disney art style.
Add more unique units
Don’t allow tower rush tactics, is stupid
Don’t allow castle vs castle battled it looks even more stupid, castle should have a some range in which other military building shouldn’t be allowed to be build.
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also the xl maps are to small, or has been added some new size since 10/2021? i do not like that my base is always next to an npc and the game tells me i can not build where i want… in aoe2 and ao4 the maps have a nice size to enjoy.
the historical battles are indeed very nice!
Oh yeah, more micro clickfest, only the 300 apm Korean rules, you guys like that?
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I would implement auto-queue, up to a certain elo, and add special abilities to all units (some automatic on upgrades and some manual) and maybe it wouldn’t hurt to dodge arrows when you’re already out of range.
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Why are you going into the extreme here?
I am not talking about making Aoe4 a micro heavy game like Sc2. I don’t think there’s many people who would want that. I am talking about giving the player actual micro options to turn the game around when finding intelligent army control solutions. There needs to be more than forth and back when controlling an army. That’s all im asking for. Aoe4’s pace is way too slow anyways for it to become a micro fest like Sc2…
I like Aoe4’s potential for making macro decisions, but there should be options for making micro decisions too. Otherwise it gets boring way too easy. Having to go for rams in every feudal aggression attempt is just really dull.
Controlling things around the map is sometimes refered to as macro, but I get your point.
I made reference to the micro in other games, in which the impact is rather significant at all levels.
In this game, micro is not impactful as it is in some other games that were more popular than this one.
I love that. It adds many more layers to player skill groups, unlike in this game where macro all day in my base is the winning strat.
Then go play Starcraft 1.
Some of us did, if you look at the playercount. Most of us left for more satisfactory titles, not better ones, just those that satisfied. Most.
That isn’t good, you should want more players via compromises, not fewer players via Good-Riddence mentality.
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