Everytime I feel the need for AoE2 I get a slight downer because my Frank bowman looks like a Japanese bowman or Ethiopian bowman. What I would like is for DLC skin packs to be added to the game, each representing a regional look so that militaries look different and soldiers n’ villagers can have skintones befitting origin country.
And should you not want these DLCs, to preserve quick battlefield readability, save space on hard drive or any other reason, you then do not download them. The DLC only affect the user of the DLC, like the High Resolution pack did before it.
Apart for continual support for the game, this is what I want the most for AoE2 DE. And animated oars.
Having this as an official, supported feature means the skin packs should fit every new version of the game released, unlike mods that die if mod author has moved on.
They’ve just anounced the monks will get regional skins in the next update, they might do it for other units in the future but I doubt it will be through dlc at this point.
The demand for regional unit skins is clearly there. Just a hand full of people being afraid to be forced to learn new sprites.
After the release of the next DLC I’ll make a new bigger poll about Regional Unit skins again now that we already got regional monks and unique elite unit skins.
I am going to be completly honest, I believe the people who throw readability either dont do it in good faith, or dont understand the concept doesnt apply to RTS as it does to TF2
When you have multiple unit types fighting in melee, they become a blob and good luck with that “readability” when sprites are on top of each other
There is already a lot of inconsistencies with the “readability” that people have no problem with. Look at the Elite Skirmisher and compare him with spearmen and pikemen, they have the same static pose, meanwhile the harbedier, has a completly different pose with its pass upgrades, meanwhile militia and xbow lines change every upgrade.
I could go in a bigger tirade, I could even go and said regional unit skins will improve readability because then you can recgonize which civs are you fight against, but I thik I already made my point that readability is over-hyped in rts games
The real issue is change. When something is new people need to get used to it.
It doesn’t take long to get used to it but people are confused for a few when they try out a new game like AoE4 and then just stop playing before they get used to it and blame it on readability.
It’s pretty random if units with shields hade good or bad pierce armour in pretty much every AoE/AoM game for example. Saying Skirmishers are more readable in AoE2 compared to AoE3 makes little sense. They have a tiny shield and have a minimal range despite looking like they could just poke the enemy with their spear in melee.
If they would force regional skins 90% of people would be used to it within a week.
It depends on how different new skins are from the default. It can cover the full spectrum from most players not even noticing unless zooming in and focusing on the details, to having to relearn everything.
The trick is finding the Goldilocks middle ground : looking distinct enough while still being instantly recognisable.
Not even the worst about skirms’ readability. Their attack is quite pathetic in AOE, to the point of being negligible for heavy units.
Now try the same in Mount & Blade, at high level javelins is one of the few attacks you’ll still fear alongside a cavalry lance charge and getting hit by a trebuchet (yes it’s that powerful…).
At this point, I don’t know why the devs didn’t make regional skis for AoE2 ages ago. Not a big fan of them myself, I’d like to play the game without them, so it’s a good thing they are optional, but there is a market for it.
As I’m currently revising my Viking map, it occurs to me again how cool it would be if they would give all the heroes of the “old days” a graphic makeover after all these years.
The sheer number of Viking heroes would open up so many scenario possibilities if they were at least slightly visually distinct from the standard units.
For example, The Middlebrook or Leif Eriksson…just slight, unique modifications to the sails would make a big difference.
I really hope they revisit the “old heroes” someday.
