I actually even prefer hybrid maps like Four Lakes/Nomad over arabia (AoE 2) as there are more different openings and decisions and the early game is alot faster with the addition of fish. Full water maps like Islands are with the landing meta fun aswell - like scout landing with some waterplay behind etc. Of course full water play in Imperial Age is a bit boring in AoE 2.
I’d love naval gameplay to be a bit more dynamic - boarding ships, ramming (meditteranean galleys alla Lepanto, etc). Rise and Fall managed it almost 20 years ago so don’t know why this shouldn’t be able to implement it
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I dont know, I dislike the idea of boarding. ramming may be neat.
Its ust that ships are more of a siege unit in a way, than anything else.
And apart from monks, you also cant go ahead and steal enemy rams. If you add boarding into the game, similar tactics should be possible on land. and it might work, but I woul rather have this in a new RTS IP than age.
Age was always more chesslike to me, specific pieces with not too much interaction…
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Spanish Cannon Galleons : Let me to introduce myself
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On the other hand there are those like me who love ancient naval warfare (hence my avatar) who really want to see naval treated as something special. (good thing there are maps for all types and we can choose what to play)
I think the direction to go would have been larger fewer ships in AOE 3 style. with more abilities like the way I think boarding and ramming could be implemented and still stay within the AOE world.
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You must have been fighting with someone using the fire pit by those canoes. It makes the weak units pretty OP, as that was the way they chose to balance it, since otherwise no native fleet would have a chance with arrows vs a frigate. with things like boarding, fleet fires, ramming etc… canoes could have been balanced in better ways had they gone a route like I outlined.
It does not feel like new IPS, it feels like one that has evolved and progressed. and makes it even more chess like to have to position ships for good ramming angle and boarding to entangle ships for that rather than just ranged units shooting at each other with an occasional shorter ranged fire ship.
By your logic, if a monk on land yelling wollo can convert units, or holding a relic convert armies, then ships should be able to convert each other.
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Ramming is more like ancient era thing.
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Yes, that would make IT Fairer. No, a Monk is Part of the chessplay, similar to a pawn reaching the other Side and converted.
Yes, IT would make IT more strategic. Far more actually, to complicated in my opinion.
If you conpare Boarding of Ships, AS Said, IT would be comparable to stealing RAMs.
Or maybe RAMs vs RAMs in the end changing Sides instead of being destroyed. Which i assume with Boarding.
But now writing this I realize you probably dont mean Capering(basically controlling the enemy Ships after success), but somewhat a Version of Close Combat. That would make Sense and be Progress indeed.
Indeed. I would Still Like that though. I mean IT probably still was done in medieval
It needs to exist at least for Campaigns. The PvP side of ships are really bad and most people does not even touch it and would not even notice they are gone.
So in the end they should exist but they at least must make them fun. And I had to say, getting troops on Transport Ships are a REALLY boring part of naval warfare.
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From the naval video we show that if you have power to sea, you can support and your land units. There are ships that throw arrows to long distances (obviously they do not make a lot of dmg like cannons) .
So a naval dominance will be a key to victory in some maps etc. I like this idea a lot, and in my opinion the sea will be a good area of the game too (although at AoE2, I didn’t liked naval battles).
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Should check out this video on Ancient- medieval naval warfare combat evolution. Goes up until gunpowder units. It explains the use of siege and ramming and boarding, and how effective and widespread they were. And how powerful the siege engines were etc…
From it, I determine boarding really needs to be part of the game as much as horses for cavalry.
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I like the naval battles before the rework. Now gunpowder warships are rendered much weaker than they should be.
I like it much better now, it feels more fair at least, and more interesting in feudal age, but I think there is still work to do.