Lit since April we don’t get nothing major and the last patch was like 2 months ago, I know AOM RE is out and needs work but pls don’t forget AOE 2 DE, today AOE 4 got announced a PUP for tomorrow, but when will be the time for AOE 2 DE to get something?, enough tournaments and data we have to see some new balance changes (esp nerfs to Georgians and their Monaspas), and if finally gets better than now…
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Maybe the patch will launch with the new DLC. PUP is usually opened 2 weeks earlier. I don’t think DLC will be launched within 2 weeks.
I don’t think is hard to at least drop one patch before the supposed DLC comes out regardless if is something major like DOI or not, I mean remember one year ago, before ROR (the biggest DLC released) the biggest balance patch was released wth the PUP several weeks before (and even some changes were made before release).
ROR didn’t add Romans on Aoe2 ranked. This DLC will probably add more civs on Aoe2 ranked. So they will release the patch with the DLC. Or else they need to add another after DLC release.
Yeah if you exclude the “map balance changes” updates (which if you look through the changelog are mostly bug fixes or other polishings), then yes it’s been 4 months and counting since the last actual balance update.
And while I can’t be 100% sure (I didn’t double check the date of every single update since the release of DE, tho I know we’ve had a bi-monthly update schedule for a long time, sometimes with smaller updates in the in-between months) I’m pretty sure this is the longest we’ve been without a balance update since the release of DE.
So getting into the why I guess there are a few possible reasons.
- RBW. It’s possible that they wanted to be able to conduct the entire tournament, from the ladder that started in july i think, all the way to the main event in october, on the same patch.
- Staff was stretched too thin. AoM:Retold is a big project, and if they’re also working on a large DLC as is theorized (not to mention the aoe3 dlc, and Aoe mobile, and the aom china dlc), perhaps it was decided that staff would focus on the projects with deadlines, instead of balance changes which needn’t come out on a specific schedule.
- DLC 5 is introducing BIG changes. I think this is getting too far into the wish-casting, but if we assume that BIG changes are on the horizon, better to release it all at once, as a package, give it time to cook, instead of doing some stuff now and then having to backtrack later when you have a firmer idea of what you want to do for the rest of the planned changes.
- After disappointing sales of V&V it was decided to reduce the frequency of balance changes to reduce costs. I don’t think that’s the case. It’s hard to know sales numbers. the closest thing, which isn’t particularly close, is player numbers, and that reached a two year high right after V&V. It’s possible I suppose that V&V was more popular with dormant players, so that even after selling poorly, player numbers overall rose. But I think it’s just simpler to assume V&V sold well.
If it’s just RBW I’d expect a pup soon. The current patch would stay live thru the end of RBW, but shortly thereafter the pup would become live.
Otherwise if it’s not RBW and we have to wait for the next DLC, I wouldn’t expect a pup until late october at the earliest. DLCs are historically announced 2 weeks in advance, and I just don’t see MS announcing and aoe2 dlc right on the heels of releasing AoE Mobile on October 17th. You want each release to have a moment to be hyped, release, have it’s moment in the sun. So i think earliest you can announce a DLC is very late october, with the DLC releasing mid november.
Hopefully afterwards balance updates return to their old bi-monthly frequency.
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Unless it’s announced before/right after RBW. While we can go “they traditionally release it X weeks after reveal” that has not always been the case, and we shouldn’t be expecting it for certain.
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I suppose that’s true. If it’s truly the case they only want to not have RBW played with multiple patches, then while they needn’t wait any longer than right after RBW to release a new patch, but I suppose that doesn’t preclude the possibility of them just deciding the next patch isn’t that urgent, and waiting an additional length of time. I’d think after what will be five months since the last balance change, by the time RBW finishes up (if again that is the motivation for they delay) they’d be chompin at the bit to release the next balance update, but maybe not.
I have been wondering about this situation. About which is the reason, DLC or RBW? It honestly might be a bit of both, as I feel if it was just RBW I feel like there would have been some sort of post about the game being kept stable for a while.
Patches are generally not released near DLCs…as frankly there isn’t really a point anyway. So I am expecting the next patch to be part of the DLC, as it’s clearly coming in this last part of the year.
My expectation/suspicion is to announce it (or even pre-announce it) on AoE2’s 25th Anniversary. And likely release it after RBW. That would give a decent window between announcement and release, while also using RBW as a springboard to hype it.
maybe this game is in perfect state no need for further changes or updates
absolutely. I didn’t make it very clear in my post, but yes. It can also be an mix of reasons.
I haven’t been impressed with dev communication, so IDK if I have enough faith to believe they’d have done the smart thing, but I agree, that would have been the smart thing to do in that circumstance.
I’ve seen some people theorize a 2025 release date. I think it’d be a huge shame to let the 25th aok anniversary AND the 5th de anniversary to pass without at the very least an announcement, and announcing a 2025 dlc mid november is far earlier than most previous dlcs. So yeah, I think the smart money is DLC 5 sometime this year, but I suppose they could just opt to not do the smart thing.
I think that only works if MS is ok with having dlc 5 released so close to AoE mobile, which releases on october 17th. Using an anniversary to make an announcement and then having a tournament right after to hype it up isn’t a bad idea.
It varies tbh…
2025 is doomposting. We already have hidden achievements up, longest gap between that and release is 3 months.
Depends on the audience for AoE Mobile. I don’t think it’s being aimed at current AoE players.
It would also stop people angrily posting about where updates have gone during the tournament. You don’t want to host an event under a dark cloud.
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That’s actually a huge open question in my mind.
I don’t think many aoe2 players will become aoe mobile players…but I also think MS wrongly thinks lots of aoe2 players will become aoe2 mobile players.
These are the same guys who thought adding koreans to conquerors and lac viet to RoR would drive sales to those offerings respectively.
IDK for sure tho.
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It only will happen when no one ever play this game again.