Some of us would like to play the game as it was when DE first came out. All the balance changes, new civs, etc., are disruptive and are not how some of us want to play (all one of me). The DE improvements for global queue were the last features that were a good improvement.
Or could you add a way to get back “AoE2, 2019 balance” as a data pack?
Returning to AoE2 HD edition is not an option for you?
Hard disagree on asking them to stop changing things. The new content is what keeps the game alive. However, I do like your idea of a Datapack as an option for someone who wants to play old balances.
Why would someone who initially paid for something should buy a different product to get the same things?
Many games, including AoE2 HD, allow loading an older version on Steam. No idea why AoE2 DE doesn’t.
Because he’s looking for an unaltered version of the classic game, and it’s clear that AoE2 DE isn’t that option.
It wasn’t meant as an attack; I was just asking whether it might be an option for him. I meant, the game still has players
why would they stop updating the game?, they like money
Developers doesn’t seem interested in adding old versions back and you would probably be able to play multiplayer with almost no-one in older patches anyway.
If you want an unaltered version, go to hd version (not updated anymore) or someone would have to make and update a mod.
Easy just add a AoK, AoC, HD dataset option to the game while keeping all quality of life features like queues, auto farm reseeding and so on. I think those 3 would probably make most people happy already.
Obviously not available in ranked, just custom lobbies and single player. Optionally they could also add the OG campaigns with the old dataset but new graphics and QoL.
A global setting that disables regional skins should also exist and be independent of the Dataset option being chosen. This way everyone can play the game the way the want to.
I don’t know what they are looking for, so I am talking for myself: I like the quality of life updates, the graphic overhaul etc. Those were the things we were promised when aoe2DE was announced. They also said that they would not add any further civs and that future content would be optional.
All I really want is a stable game that respects its source, where I can play with friends (and ideally also with strangers)
You want a “classic mode”, an “old meta”. That’s perfectly fair, it should be available in the game as a customization option. Something like an “Old Meta” or “Classic Mode,” with no new civs, no reworks… basically AoE2 HD Edition but with the DE graphics.
People like me look forward both to new content and updates to the old content. For example, I hope that at some point they add regional skins for all units (they’re already doing it slowly, monks, kings, trade carts, etc.) and maybe some small tweaks, like the dynamic markets that I mentioned in another thread recently…
Everything should be compatible. And both people like you and people like me might want to switch between the new version and the classic depending on the day.
No you can’t and a whole bunch of civs were so ridiculously broken. Cuman 2 tc into 1.8 speed steppe lancers. If you don’t want just that, next patch Khmer got the farm bonus without rate adjustments, so broken. Mayans had the ridiculous obsidian arrows and dirt cheap plumed. Franks had 25% faster berries, 25% cheap castles and chivalry in castle age for very low cost. All so broken. On the other end, Koreans, Vietnamese, Tatars and a bunch of civs were completely useless. That’s an awful balance. If you want too much advantage over your opponent by picking these civs, use 10% handicap option in the lobby.
Personally, I would like to be able to play the CD version on Windows 10 & 11, as it was a much more difficult game than the online version.