What I will say is this, as a brand new player to the game just last month I see all over Reddit, here and steam people who love the game arguing,
I tried to spark a debate about the steamdb stuff and the research behind it and all I got was massive amount of abuse from people on this “community”
Some people need to take a look at themselves and stop with some of the silly comments I see
I’ll just add a perfect example of their lack of effort:
For 2 years we clamored after the KotM launch tournament for more visibility for other aoe3 events. Eventually we got 1 event put on their esports calender, iirc a ESOC fall event. Then? Nothing. Despite notifying staff there were multiple, even larger events. Even other ESOC events
Even assuming some sort of behind the scenes drama, surely they could have updated the calender a few times a year for those interested. But no, the only event remains the one. And given it’s a community driven event calender this isn’t tied to resources of 1 title or staff overworked, it’s just simply no one cared or wanted to update it for aoe3.
Assuming that some infighting had anything to do with the current state of the game (which sounds highly absurd), it was merely an excuse, not the cause. They have always avoided Age of Empires III as much as possible, regardless of what happens around it.
I don’t lie; I say what I saw and share my opinion. I had the privilege of seeing the whole picture. If you think I’m lying and nothing productive can come from what I say, well, I don’t know what you want me to say?
It wasn’t like that. From the very beginning, when Age of Empires III was released, there were numerous problems with the community, content creators, and other members. I can attest that everything was tried to resolve them. I know it’s super hard to see it after they cancelled the DLC; we’re all upset and angry now, but there really were strong attempts on their part to maintain cordial relations with AoE3. I still have hope that we can rebuild the relationship and that something good can be achieved.
Call me ridiculous, but as the problems became more frequent, WE simply decided to gradually reduce their communication with us until we reached a breaking point. And I’ll say it again: WE has some faults to take. They handled things poorly, and we’ve already had enough frustration. But to say that we, as a community, are saints and did nothing wrong is to deny reality. (I want you to please, please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please, please don’t take that last part the wrong way, I’m trying to be honest)
Dont try
Be honest!
The failure belongs only to the company, not us. If there is something or someone to blame THAT IS MICROSOFT AND WORLDS EDGE, NOT US. That is the point you simply do not understand man!
Is like when a country invades another country and the guilty are the inhabitants just because they make a protest for better life conditions, not the bad goverment that treat them unfair.
What are you talking about? I’ve only seen collaboration and willingness to help problem solve.
Yes, that’s what I always complained about… when AoE 3DE came out, I expected them to put it in the RBW and it never happened… in 2020 they said “it was because it had just come out and they didn’t have it balanced enough” and I said well “I accept it, anything for the sake of balance”. Then in 2021, when AoE 3 was shining with its new DLCs, they said “it was because they wanted to focus the spotlight on AoE 4 and didn’t want AoE 3 to overshadow it”. I got angry, but I said “well, fine, anything for the good of AoE 4”. And in 2022 when they did it again, I complained a lot, I argued with the AoE 2 players who mocked me saying “haha, that’s what happens to you for playing a dead game”… and then in 2023 and 2024 I resigned myself and gave Retold more of a chance and then with the cancellation of the Baltic DLC for 3DE made me swear off WE, but before that I decided to support the Retold devs… and now I’m torn between continuing to support them or letting them finish killing the saga…
I think that World’s Edge were hoping it was going to be like AoE:DE - ‘one and done’. Give the community a DE of a much-loved AOE game and let it be. It turned out to be more popular than they thought and they realised it was a good opportunity to make some money out of it, which is of course fair.
I believe there at that point we get two main trains of thought. WE’s thoughts - make some money until it takes too much resource away from the ‘bigger’ projects then dump, whilst the AOEIII fanbases’ thoughts, unaware of this, just see the excitement of some fairly regular DLCs and the sign that the game looks to have a supported future.
These thoughts don’t truly clash until KotM is out where product support soon becomes quite spartan and dev chat starts getting quieter on here/Discord. Lack of communication and support to address bugs - essentially being given the cold shoulder by the publisher had annoyed the community and still has soured the community.
In hindsight, World’s Edge should have said KotM is the ‘farewell’ DLC (and its accompanying set of updates - particularly update 14.43676) - it has all the hallmarks of a ‘send-off’ update - 2 civs not cut from a completely new mechanic/art-set, but made with mostly existing groundwork, plus a ton of wider, quality of life stuff, including new unique textures/models/cards/etc to existing civs.
Then a series of bumbling, dare-say inept decisions that made the AOEIII community feel like they were being strung along.
World’s Edge is a professional business and we, the AOEIII community are customers. Some customers can be loud, annoying, a minority a bit toxic and stupid even, but the vast majority just want to purchase content and play the game they love. Like any game fanbase!
Blaming 75% of the terrible state of AOE3 on an entire community, or rather the customers is absolute madness.
You reap what you sow. You make a product to which has garned a fanbase who invests time and money with it, to then take really poor marketing and PR choices (basically keeping the third game in the background) and not commmunicating with your community, with the final nail in the coffin being the weird dance of announcing DLC in the midst of the other AOE DLC/update announcements for them to pull the entire thing - well yeah, it’ll get an entire fanbases’ backs up.
Blame is with a business. Customers invest time an money in things a business offers if they appeal to them. Customers are happy when they feel the business respects them and when the business is excited by their own product and can communicate with their audience. Business benefit from this by making more content to sell to a happy fanbase. It’s simple.
Bad business practices just alienate the customers.
And where is that picture coming from exactly? perhaps a place the sun don’t reach
ERM: ey!, is not the multibillion company’s fault, it’s yours!
All: mofo you 4 real?
ERM: LOL, upsy daisy, I mean, there is some sort of lets say, participation in this hole deal by the multibillion company that could be interpreted as, lets say, a word that is the opposite of innocense
Good talk
I’ll be real even as someone who barely played AoE3 as a kid and is more into AoE2 while also being somewhat annoyed at the AoE3 community for their behaviour.
I think you’re frankly mad if you believe the community is to blame for what happened to this game.
I think you’re blaming the wrong side of the community. It was the aoe2 super uber fan boyz that boycotted aoe3 (some of the criticism was rightfully deserved, like leveling up cities and hiding too many cards behind this), and it is a natural reaction of someone to fight back when they are under attack.
This forum is one of the most mature and civilized I’ve ever seen, and I have a few years since i’ve been blocking the sun’s light. So if you’re gonna make such a claim, especially here, you better prepare for the consequences….and be ready to back up your claims.
Again, the timelines do not match. So if you are starting to blame the community, do so with actual concrete proof. Because there’s plenty of proof blaming WE around, that can’t be contested. The internet doesn’t forget!
I think you’re still being a tad naive, despite being a mod and being part of “the conversation“. Low levels (no offense) like mods rarely get the true picture and are often times fed a story that has nothing to do with the real narrative (I know cause I am often part of “the real conversation“ - it is almost always about money - and when it is not about money it is about some middle manager trying to survive / get promoted).
I don’t fully discard that idea that you may be right, but if you are, there’s some very immature people up there.
While everyone has the freedom to express their opinions, I do find OP’s behavior inappropriate as a moderator.
Moderators are expected to separate personal opinions from official moderation actions. However, OP locked his own topic immediately after posting it – before anyone could reply – while the topic is not some official anouncements but rather personal views. Tbh, I have never seen such a thing in other forums. It also feels unfair and an abuse of mod power because we as ordinary forum members cannot do that.
No actions were taken except that the topic was re-opened by an admin. Is it enough? Should this topic be taken down given it is still active? Or further, is OP still qualified for the privilege of being a moderator?
If there is no further actions, I have to say that it will unfortunately put a overall bad look on the management team of the forum.
Of course, unlike AoE 1 DE, which is what it is and won’t change even with RoR, AoE 3 always had strong potential within the saga; it just needed some love and balance. If it weren’t for AoE 2 being the goose that lays the golden eggs, AoM, AoE 3, and especially AoE 4 would have many more DLCs than they do. At this point, AoM would have Celts, Slavs, Indians, Babylonians, or Persians, and obviously the American civilizations (counting both the Extended and Retold editions). AoE 3 would have more Asian civilizations (Persians, Omanis, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Afghans, Burmese, Siamese, Vietnamese, Koreans), American civilizations (Tupi, Mapuche, Argentinians, Brazilians, Gran Colombians), and obviously the Baltic DLC (considering that the DLCs of 2DE would have gone to 3DE)…and AoE 4 would already have the Vikings, Spaniards, Aztecs, Incas, Khmer, Vietnamese, Koreans…
Our friend psionic, an Age of Empires 3 content creator and former StarCraft 2 player, performed a raid on Hera, an Age of Empires 2 caster, after finishing his stream. Everything was fine, unless you read the chat, where they immediately started attacking the game and its community. This happens more often than you’d think.
Watch from 8:58:00
Hera said something about Age of Empires III, but I don’t speak English, so I understood very little. I’d like someone to explain what she said.
___
I don’t know how they dare say we’re the worst community in Age of Empires. Seriously?
This is Psionic’s opinion on the matter when I spoke to him about it:
I think too many AoE2 players wanted AoE3 to be a spiritual successor to AoE2 and never forgave it for being something else. If AoE3 had simply been given a different name it might have been better received as the truly unique and innovative game it is.
Thank god he is totally not biased 
AoE2 players constantly claiming AoE2 is the best reeks of insecurity.
Imagine greeting an influx of AoE3 players that way. What a shithead.
Also, a reminder that Viper’s audiance rioted when he streamed 3DE.
Stuff like this is why I’m insistent Hera is a terrible influence on not only AOE2 but the entire franchise. He’s an elitist (not only against non-AOE2 players, but against anyone he perceives as low Elo in AOE2) and deliberately prejudiced. Imagine saying “I’ve never played it but I hate it” to a bunch of AOE3 fans who showed up to your stream.
I don’t understand why a lot of the AOE2 fanbase endorses him. Regardless of skill level, there are tons of great examples of great AOE2 players who are good for both AOE2 and the rest of the franchise (Viper, Daut, etc.), but Hera… He’s the exact opposite.
This franchise has been held hostage by AoE2 fanatics. You can’t please them no matter what you do. The sooner people realize this, the better off everyone will be.
If AoEIV was a carbon copy of AoE2, they would still find something to hate about it.
