New Civs? New CO-OP Mode? Vote now!

Age of Empires II: DE II - Discussion
1

One of the most possible solution to end the forum wars between the players who want new civs and those who don’t is to actually have a separate Co-op mode similar to SC2 Co-op Missions. I know this is quite a lengthy post but please kindly read to get the idea for this suggestion and vote accordingly.

  • What is SC2 co-op?

As you have seen the video, Co-op Mission is a collaborative game mode that offers a progressive gameplay for all type of players whether you’re new to the game or a veteran. It is the perfect haven for players who finished the campaigns and wants an alternative besides the multiplayer.

Why is Co-op more popular than multiplayer in SC2? Imagine that in AoE 2 DE, this will bring more casual players further leads to a larger audience for both AoE 2 casual and esports community.
https://www.reddit.com/r/starcraft/comments/4yznw6/coop_is_more_popular_than_multiplayer_combined/

  • How will this Co-op mode work for AoE 2 DE?

Just like Starcraft 2, AoE 2 DE is one of the most beloved RTS game that caters to different types of players whether be they campaign completionists or competitive ranked player. With the advent of Battle Royale, there is a need for another game mode. One that focuses purely on the collaboration of 2 players against A.I in various mission types. This game mode is intended to promote cooperation and team work for players working on shared objectives.

Suggested placeholder name for the Co-op Mission in AoE 2 DE is the Theater of War. This is due to two players acting as the “actors” for their respective missions with war as the stage of conflict.

  • Overview of some of the features in the Theater of War

A co-op mode similar to SC2 or something similar to provide monthly fresh content for players who like playing against the A.I (Not the coop vs A.I. in a multiplayer map) besides the monthly events. I’m referring to official co-op campaigns style/historical scenarios with quality of life features.

  1. You can invite a friend or queue with a random stranger then play some tactical missions against A.I. campaign like missions.
  2. Gameplay may last up to 30 mins depending on difficulty and mission type.
  3. This game mode is meant for new and casual players who finished the campaigns and historical scenarios but don’t want to stress themselves in multiplayer.
  4. A way to add more civilizations without affecting multiplayer balance.
  5. Mission type may include tower defense, escort the payload etc.
  6. May have their own profile levels and leaderboards like speed runs, etc.
  7. Exclusive rewards like Civ banners, Heroic Icons, Titles, Unique Unit Skins etc.
  • What are some of the mission types/scenarios to be found in the Theater of War?
  1. Majestic Towers - A tower defense mission.
  2. Survival of the Fittest - Endless waves of enemy barbarians assault your base.
  3. Escort the King - Make sure the king reach the checkpoint while surviving any threats.
  4. Save the Queen - Assault the enemy and safely bring back the queen to your base
  5. Hold the Line - Survive until reinforcement comes.

It is up to the imagination and creativity of our beloved AoE 2 Devs to implement new mission types/scenarios and community voting like the current map voting.

  • That is too easy! I want some more challenge? Behold the Parallel Universe, these modifications affect missions in the most adrenaline and wackiest style. (Similar to mutations in SC2)

Credit goes to Among the Hidden, creator of the video.

  • How are the civs for the Theater of War different from the 36 current civs in the multiplayer?

Basically for this mode you still have the same 36 civs currently in-game with the possibility of adding new ones to the game. There will also be a third unique tech and having atleast 2 unique units for each of the civs. Civs like Tatars with 2 unique units will remain the same while Britons who only have 1 unique unit will have an additional unique unit.

This won’t affect any balance changes at all in ranked since it is separated from the multiplayer and have its own leaderboards (for speed runs).

Some civs that might be added are Zulu, Siam, Georgians, Polynesians, etc. up to community voting. Also besides the umbrella civs like Indians and Chinese, there will be a separate sub-faction feature to include Tamils, etc playable as separate civs.

  • What are the benefits of a Co-op Mode/Theater of War for Aoe 2 DE and its community?

The benefits of this suggested game mode are;

  1. This game mode can serve as the next steps for new players after the Art of War and Campaigns before heading into multiplayer. Below is the flow of a new player to ranked games;

    Learn to Play (William Wallace Campaign) → Art of War → Campaigns & Historical Scenarios → Theater of War → Quick Play (Unranked) → Ranked Multiplayer

  2. Lower toxicity and promotes teamwork since it allows 2 players vs A.I in campaign like missions without ladder anxiety. May have mission types that caters to 3 and 4 players in the future.

  3. Since the enemy is A.I., the A.I. in the missions can be further improved and may help in resolving bugs.

  4. One of the possible ways to add new civs into the game without affecting balance in the multiplayer.

  5. Increases the game’s replayability further and rewards players meaningfully.

  6. Create new content creators and further market the game to more communities.

  • What is the drawback of this suggestion?

Most likely this new game mode will be an expansion level DLC for the devs to invest resources and time. This mode will also support the game longevity and replayability while even bringing in more of the “casual” players.

Do you want an official Co-op Mode?
  • Yes
  • No

0 voters

I firmly believe there is a lot of potential here in AoE 2 DE to have its own co-op community perhaps if successful the same mode can be transferred to the other Age of Empires games like Age of Mythology.

P.S. These are just draft ideas for a new game mode which I plan to add more in detail in a later date. Every suggested ideas here are tentative. Bookmark this for updates. I also look forward to your ideas and feedback.

4 Likes
2

So in other words you are asking the devs to make a new game?
New civs, new mechanics, new AI, new everything. And people voted “yes” too. Am I the only one who thinks that this is too much work for the devs, too optimistic and not viable at all?

The co-op campaing alone is a nice idea, as it has been discussed heavily.

P.S.
The whole point of ranked MP is that you can practically start right away. After the ~10 games your elo will stabilize, which means that you’ll be facing oponents at your skill level. You don’t need to be able to perform a Lithuanians 3 minutes rush to enjoy MP.

2 Likes
3

yeah i think co-op would be nice but we don’t need new civs for it or anything like that. just make some campaigns that can be played co-op

5 Likes
4

It’s good to hear your perspective. Basically I’m not asking the devs to make a free co-op mode. I know the resources and time that this suggestion entails to create another game mode. Most likely this will be an expansion level DLC which some of us will happily support to increase the game longevity and even bring in more of the “casual” players. Not all players are interested in the multiplayer side of AoE 2, I do however enjoy viewing the tournaments.

One of the major intention of this suggested game mode is to unite both players who want to add more civs and those who don’t want in a win-win scenario.

5

By looking at the release of AoE II HD, new expansion for Age of Mythology, AoE I DE, AoE II DE and now AoE III DE, everything for devs is “too much work”.

1 Like
6

I agree wholeheartedly with this. I don’t enjoy playing 1v1 and I have played about 700 TGs, as well as about 300 unranked games (“BF NO NOOBS VS EX AI JOIN FAST WALL PLS GREEN PING”). I reached a point where I launch the game and I don’t know what to do, since the unranked games are not challenging and the TGs feel like “tryharding” (scouts-archers, knights-xbows, paladins-arbs, win, repeat).

However, I understand that the game was played like that for 20 years and since its popularity increased with DE, now it is (kinda) an esport. I don’t think your suggestions are realistic. You ask too much from the Devs, while at the same time the have to think about the competitive aspect of the game (balances, pathfinding), improving the casting overlay, maintening the servers etc.

In the meantime, every update is prone to bugs (maybe due to the age of the game, old code/engine).

I think what we should be asking for simple things. Maybe a new campaign (3 to 4 missions every month). Maybe a co-op campaign mode (either new ones or utilizing some of the old ones, where the 2nd player acts as one of the allies or controlling half of the initial army).

Asking for new civs, including sub-fuctions, new UT, 2 UU, new various scenarios etc, while at the same time (since this will be official release and not just a mod) they have to make sure that all these are playable, seems simply too much to me.

7

I would be satisfied with co-op campaigns and/or new campaigns in general. New civs should only be added if they don’t overlap with existing civs, which could be difficult. It would feel a little weird if you have new civs for this hypothetical game mode only and not have them available for A.I. skirmishes and multiplayer. So if they decide to add new civs (which they probably won’t), they should only add one at a time (once per year for example) and for free, so you don’t seperate the player base. The development could be financed with campaign DLCs, cosmetic DLCs or something like that.

Historical co-op campaigns sound like a lot of fun though, so there’s nothing to say against this.

8

Not all suggested features will land in a single day. Remember this is just an idea/suggestion to have an official co-op mode implemented in-game. The regular updates to include additional features such sub-factions are tentative. At the end of the day it’s all up to AoE 2 Devs. The goal is to provide players who wanted new civs without affecting the multiplayer balance so it will be forever 36 civs in ranked play.

1 Like
9

I am not really sure why we want this. I dont really think it that popular. I think the effort is much higher than the final reward. Estefanus already point out some of these points. I dont really think it is worthwhile.

Seem like you ask for a complete rework of the current civs for just this game mod only. That seems pretty confusing. Why do we need a different tech tree for civs for this game mod? I have no idea.

Also just having civs for only this game mode seems pretty strange, since all civs are available to all game modes. I have no idea why we need game mode exclusive civs. I think that is confusing as well. I also have no idea how this will end the debate about new civs either.

You also asks for a completely new AI. The current AI is already pretty terrible. Getting a good AI for the current modes is already hard. And you want a new AI for this new game mode as well? I also have no idea how the AI for this game mode will help with improving the AI in the other modes. This new game mode will probably needs a stand alone AI, since it will be played much different then just a RM or DM game. So i dont really think this game mode result in a better AI for RM or DM at all. It will only result in slower progress, since the devs needs to update both the AI for this game mode as well as for the AI for the game modes RM and DM.

To be clear: I am not against some co-op mode, but this idea doesnt really seems to be well thought out for me.

1 Like
10

i don’t want it like the OP envisions, but i definitely want Co-Op campaigns.
(as in simply campaigns where two players work towards teh objectives).

2 Likes
11

I think for one you didn’t bother to understand the idea.

First I stated that idea of an official co-op mode might be as popular here in AoE 2 DE if implemented correctly similar to co-op in SC2. Second, there will be no complete rework of the current civs, just additions like a third unique tech and each civ having atleast 2 unique units to differentiate from the civs in the multiplayer. The idea regarding the additions are tentative. Thirdly you really have no experience/idea of the co-op mode in SC2 even with the shared video, I suggest you download the game, it’s free to play now and 3 commanders are free. Fourth I didn’t ask for a new A.I., I stated that it might help in some of the bugfixes regarding A.I.

Lastly, once you tried the co-op missions in SC2, comeback and share your experience. I tried my best to explain the idea of uniting the two sides regarding the addition of new civs as simple as possible.

That’s idea campaign like missions where two players work to achieve the objectives. As I mentioned in one of my replies, the other features are niche to include some of the demand for new civs and subfactions, etc.

12

Yes and no. If it’s the only way we’re going to get new civs in SP then yes, if they’d decide instead to release an expansion of the past which can be used in SP skirmish instead only, I’d rather pick that instead of having to play another game mode than the traditional skirmish mode.

13

The new civs will only be playable in the co-op mode similar to commanders in SC2. The reason is not to affect the balance for the permanent 36 civs in multiplayer. This is an alternative since it’s less likely to have an expansion level of new campaigns like the rise of the rajas. It’s hard to have high hopes for another forgotten empires expansion in a “Definitive” edition.

14

Have SP only traditional expansion packs. If MP doesn’t want to have new civs but SP does, so there could be SP only expansion packs.

It might be really unlikely to happen, but I personally wouldn’t mind that.

15

Yes that’s how it works, the co-op mode is actually designed more for casual single-players. The competitive will always focus on ranked while us the casual SP can have this mode and the new civs which are always frequently suggested.

16

But a mode has a special rule set. If I’d like to play with the standard rule set as Kongolese, I could do that in singleplayer without affecting MP at all.

MP would even benefit from that, considering that those SP expansion packs would fund their servers.

I don’t want to have to do special things with those new civs, like saving a King, just play as Mvemba a Nzinga or Hiawatha :smiley:

17

Well this is more of a game mode that requires two players to complete shared objectives. That’s why it is a Co-op mode. Well there can be a mission type that is almost identical to the normal gameplay which require you and your ally to completely eliminate the enemy.

18

Off topic, I really don’t understand why your reply was friendly towards my posts and then you went full bananas against @WoodsierCorn696, since we make pretty much the same points with the same tone.

19

Still require more voters before I close the poll. Thanks all for your cooperation.

20

I’m sure a lot of people would have fun with co-op missions, but I don’t get the rest of the proposal. You’re basically asking the developers to declare an as of yet non-existant co-op mode the main meat of the game, getting new civs, new unique units and new balance changes, with traditional multiplayer becoming a legacy thing that only exists because they still had it laying around anyway. I don’t really see how such a complete 180 would be a good move on a 20 year old game a year into the lifetime of its second remaster. That’s something George Lucas would do. Just make a new movie Lucas, if you need a place for those CGI space-dinosaurs.