For my first and likely only forum post, I would like to ask the devs to please change their minds and release the AOE 3 DLC. A lot of people were really looking forward to it since aoe 3 is the only title they play in the series.
In addition to having healthy numbers (more players than AOM, top 10 RTS on Steam), AOE 3 is a much more modern game than AOE 2 (batch training, no farm re-seeding, no depositing resources in random economic buildings, something fun to do at the beginning of the game with the explorer, diverse strategy with the home city shipment system), which makes it impossible to migrate to playing AOE 2 or one of its clones (AOE 4, AOM Retold) if this game dies.
So, I am asking that you please give your most modern RTS game a boost to its growing numbers, and give us something fun to play with, by creating and releasing the DLC. Thanks!
PS. Fixing attack move would also be much appreciated
Yeah, it’s not so much the DLC. It’s the way the entire game was just unceremoniously dumped.
It’s always felt like World’s Edge hated this game. Never talked about it. Never promoted anything that was going on with the community. This just cements all that. No dignity, even in death.
That’s the first time I saw someone calling AoM an AoE 2 clone. AoM is the middle game between AoE 2 and 3 and of course still had some of the design decisions from AoE 2 but already pioneered things you’d later see in AoE 3, such as:
Removing Stone as a resource
Favor being used for special techs and units (kind of like Influence for the African civs)
Farms not needing to reseed
Villagers not needing drop-off sites (Atlanteans)
Wall upgrades and gates as well as Tower upgrades being researched on the buildings instead of having to build an University
God Powers kind of being like Home City Shipments
Interactivity in Age 1. Greeks are arguably the closest to AoE 2 as they only have the scout but Eggy have the Pharaoh that buffs buildings and the Priest who can build Obelisks that grant huge LOS. Atlanteans have Oracles that generate Favor by scouting the map etc etc
Also, modern =/= better. You can like both styles i.e. the AoE 2 style and AoE 3 style, just like I do.
Of course better is a matter of personal preference and I think AOE 2 is a fantastic game too (even though I never played it PvP). I just don’t think AOE 4 or AOM RT are acceptable substitutes for AOE 3 because even with the features of AOM you listed, both are far closer to AOE 2 and still lack many features which makes AOE 3 more fun for its players.
I don’t think it’s wrong to call those two AOE 2 clones either since they’re very clearly inspired by/built off a base of AOE2 buildings, mechanics, etc. and are set in a similar era. It’s fair enough too since AOE 2 is so popular, but I hope the devs will continue working on AOE 3 as it truly has a different flavor from the other games.
You shouldn’t be fighting for your game by downplaying another. AoE II is the most popular game in the franchise when looking at both Twitch and Steam charts.
I don’t wish any ill on the other games, but the reason I mentioned AOM player numbers directly is that one day after they announced the AOE 3 DLC was cancelled, they announced they’re working on an AOM DLC, despite that game’s numbers being worse (why not just delay that DLC until after finishing the AOE 3 DLC that was promised?) .
I also agree with Floos above that more modern isn’t necessarily better, but when you play something with more modern mechanics/quite different from the other games, it would be very difficult to migrate over to one of them if/when AOE 3 dies.
Overall I wish the best for all AOE games since RTS is awesome and more people should play it
They announced, when Age of Mythology: Retold was available for preorder, that the premium edition would include two free expansions: one featuring the Chinese pantheon, and the other yet to be revealed.
This is unrelated to the cancellation of Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition’s development. You are referring to a marketing post showcasing a major Chinese god, which appeared around the same time.
The future of AoM: Retold will be decided by how well these two expansions sell.
But it is sad to see a game like AoE3 DE no longer receive new content, and I feel for the community as a whole.
I hope they’ll show some sincerity with the pre-orders, but I wouldn’t be surprised if all the pre-ordered DLC projects were suddenly canceled one day without any warning.
I don’t trust them anymore.
You shouldn’t. No one should. World’s Edge has openly proven it’s willingness to deceive fans for a full year and then stab them in the back.
They could easily release IM then cancel the 2nd DLC, since they could say between the portraits pack, Freyr, and IM, that customers got their value from the prepurchase, and as compensation everyone who bought it also gets the soundtrack for free.