With AOE4 out, and remembering old promises of getting to AOM after it, it seems perhaps the right time to say this. There were a lot of issues with the last attempt at updating AOM (Extended Edition AND Tale of the Dragon), and this is not an attempt to rehash any of that. This is an attempt to prevent something like that from happening again. The AOM community is very different from the AOE2 community. What might make for a great update/remaster/expansion/remake for AOE is just as likely to flop with AOM fans. What AOM players love about their game is often very different from what AOE players do, so I do think community input is very important here.
The first thing I feel like needs to be said is that the AOM is, in many ways, a tale of two communities. The more hardcore competitive community migrated to Voobly a long time ago, and has lived there, more or less in isolation, since. However, there is also a huge more casual community out there for this game that never made that transition, and a significant portion of which likely don’t even know Voobly exists. There was a long time when I and the people I would play with fell into that category.
As a result, we have two, very divergent communities, which don’t even really talk to each other, but both really invested in this game. The best competitive players may be found at the top of the Voobly ladder, but the things that are important to them about the game are often very different from the things that are important to the larger casual community. And unlike other games where the casual community might follow the lead of the top players because of the cultural connection created by streaming, in AOM there really is much more of a disconnect between the top players and the rank and file. They have been living in different worlds, playing significantly differently balanced versions of the game, for a very long time.
And this is where Boit comes in. He, more than anyone else I have seen, understands that casual community and what matters to them in this game. I think that is in part because he kind of started out as one of them – an old single player guy who made his way to caster and higher level player. I also think it is because a lot of his viewership is people being brought in from the casual community to a more competitive play style. But at the same time, he is also tuned into the competitive community as much as anyone. He is the bridge that links the two is many ways. He has his foot in both worlds. And if you are looking for someone with insight about what matters to the community in this game. He is on the top of the list of people I think you should talk to.
To be clear, I am not just some Boit fanboy, and I don’t agree with everything he has suggested (e.g. weaker more numerous god powers). But I want to see what comes next for this game turn out right. And I think he is someone who can help make that happen.
Secondly, I mention ChronoJJ because he has been deeply tied into the Voobly community for a long time, but has since taken a step back for the hardcore competitive side to it. At least to me, it seems that the Voobly players are often very invested in protecting their particular play-style from changes. And I think the insularity there has created a very competitive (and what many would also call toxic) environment. ChronoJJ very much seems to have checked out of that mindset. He was literally on the balance team for quite some time, and has played a huge role in the Voobly community. But he is also detached enough to give reasoned and unbiased input.
Anyway, just my 2 cents. I know it’s long. But I think it was worth saying.