0 voters
For now, fixing the issues is a must. Really long-term speaking, rewriting the engine would be the way to go. It is the source of all the madness we see in the past year. Of course, that will mean yet another version of the game but oh well, whatever, I guess it is better to have a new, functional engine rather than staying with this mess just because we already have too many versions of the game (which is true). Of course, this will never happen, but I can dream.
I have been saying for almost a year now that the game engine is severely outdated and is the source of most, if not all, of the problems we are facing.
sorry I made an edit after some votes guys 
had an item repeated.
I don’t think constantly introducing balance changes should be a goal in itself. Having a good balance is a great goal, and that means making balance changes where needed. But if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
The next big update should only focus on bug fixing. There are so many known bugs which are dragged along update by update and they should all be fixed in one big update. The update shouldn’t just be released like any other update, there should be some kind of beta to test the hell out of it. Only when most bugs have been fixed the update should be released. After that, the developers should generally think about how to improve the update process. In my opinion, a beta program would be the best way to improve the quality for future updates (especially if they have limited resources for testing). Then new content, features, balance improvements, etc. can be released again.
I don’t know if Microsoft puts that much pressure on developers regarding deadlines, but I can’t imagine it any other way since most developers are community members who love the game, and why would they want to release one broken patch after another?
Well I aggree on most parts with you… but without a beta testing or at least waaaay improved QA, it would be better to bring out weekly hotfixes, one bug after another and not mess with the whole codebase at once
Yes i agree, this could also be a possibility to handle it, may actually be better than a big update.
You can’t sell bug fixes, optimizations or generally speaking technical support.
There’s a reason why we’re getting new DLCs; it’s a sign of long-term support. No financial interest-no patches, as simple as that.
That’s totally true. But AoE2:DE (and the DLC) is sold for a couple of reasons:
The popular opinion in the community seems to be “Fix the f—ing bug before making stupid sh-- like fighting snowmen”.
I agree that there should be more testing behind the scenes and that we could well live without fluff like Snowmen etc. I’d prefer getting unique castles e.g.
Forgotten Empires, on their defence, do a great job at listening to community feedback as well as trying to balance 37 civs accordingly.
I expect a Lithuanian relic and Wall bug hotfix this or next week and rebalance of Burgundians and Sicilians after a sufficient amount of games have been played with them.
if they keep adding small kingdoms from europe then NO i don’t want any more civilizations.
We still need the papal states with the Swiss guard
Another Indian faction, and kongo or Mozambique
40 civs would be a great number
I would’ve stop at 15 
Just my two cents regarding a specific talking point here.
Microsoft builds AOE2 DE with tons of QoL changes, some controversial (auto scout), some well praised (auto fish trap, auto farm). However, to maintain a healthy community and keeps the game alive, new players coming is a must.
So, how to bring new players? Imagine this: you are an AOE2 player spending hundreds of hours into this game. One day you want to bring a friend to join you and play team game online. Do you think he would be excited about “hey, Portuguese research techs 30% faster” or “hey bud, there are two new civs with a tech that spawns a lot of units after researching it”? For a new player who does not know much about AOE2, exciting new mechanics, new civs, new maps and new campaigns would more likely attract their attention rather than “Goths now have free loom” or “hey Persian has trash bows”. Yes, for old players those changes would draw attention but those means nothing for new players or return players. BeastyQT made a similar point on why Starcraft 2 is stagnated and dying, because there is no new units, no new mechanics, and no new exciting stuff.
Microsoft keeps pumping out events, fancy icons etc because eventually old players will leave and go on with their lives while new players would join in and enjoy this franchise. I’d argue its their best interest to keep the game refreshed instead of doing the balance change and bug fixes forever. Those who blames Microsoft adding new civs, just look at how Blizzard treats Starcraft 2, and ask yourself: are you going to hang on AOE2 like dead Starcraft 2 forever?
Hope my points are clear. Also to that one guy who wants to nitpick my civ balance examples, i wish you best luck.
for a new player, I dont think they will be interested in new civs at all, as all civs look new for them.
Better and a more modern interface, faired TG matching would be great for new players.
Once this is achieved, place more competition, promotion, would be the key point to attarct new players.
How often do you see the high elo steamer playing TG in ranked?
I dont see a lot, because everyone agrees the TG matching is sick.
Exactly this, if only AoE 2 DE can have that sweet co-op mode.
Well, for new player kinda yes but for return player, I don’t think they would return just because Persians got trashbow. Also, just by having flashy new mechanic to play with could mean a lot of fun for new players.
I just came to leave my “11”
11
I do not get how you can be that optimistic. Man the 256x tech bug in ranked was for over a month in the game without fix. I would bet they need more than that this time
The fact that you are literally wrong about it, is pretty hilarious.
Then the new player will complain about how impossible is to learn to play with so many civs and game mechanics, which is already a thing.
In addition to this, you will make the life of the older player even harder due to clear balance issues. I don’t really get the point of you guys continuously demanding new stuff.