I see AoE3:DE got an update:
“NEW! View the range of your units with a new Attack Range Indicator option!”
Please, devs, don’t do this for AoE2:DE Seems gamey and gimmicky, and is, essentially, a cheat without calling it a cheat. If you add it do AoE2:DE, make it a cheat so you have to enter a cheat code to see it – thereby making stats not accumulate just like any other cheat makes happen. This and mods that do it don’t have any place in ranked play, imo. (I know there’s already an AoE2:DE mod that effectively does what this AoE3:DE update does.)
Another quote from the AoE3:DE patch:
“The team’s focus is very much on improving the quality of life of the game while ensuring that it is more and more accessible to a larger audience”
That might work for AoE3 for reasons I won’t go into detail on… but please be careful of making AoE2:DE ‘more and more accessible to a larger audience.’ The philosophy is good and noble, in theory, but can easily get out of hand if not careful. Sometimes (often) this translates into making the gameplay experience more and more watered-down and gamey, as you try to attract everyone in the world to it. In doing so, you can end up with a game nobody wants to play; neither long-time fans, nor the “larger audience” you were seeking. (I’ve seen this happen with other franchises before (‘Thief’ franchise comes to mind), and don’t want AoE2 to suffer the same fate.)
Click here to expand section and see more of my thoughts
Adding sci-fi “attack range indicator options” in a medieval game makes no sense to me; and slick modern-day menu UIs in a medieval game don’t make sense to me either. Just as resource teleportation in AoE3 doesn’t make sense to me, GoPro webcams on trains in AoE3, and playing cards that teleport 10 units and a wagon to you from nowhere in AoE3.
I’m okay with making the game more accessible with things like colorblindness options, zoom levels, text-to-speech, and such. That’s great stuff. But I think you’re instead meaning your statement more along the lines of, “Let’s make AoE3:DE appeal to everyone like Star Wars, GTA, Mario, or Fortnite do!” Again, nice in theory – every business loves to make money – but I really think you should be careful trying to do that for AoE2:DE. Some games are meant to be a little more niche, and that’s okay! Keep it more of an indie (non-AAA) budget/game so you don’t need to try to appeal to 7.8 billion people to turn a profit
That’s just my two cents
Dear Community - Please feel free to chime in and share your thoughts, no matter if you agree or disagree with what I’ve said. I would love reading what you have to say. Just please be kind