Some things to consider for the developers (FE) and Microsoft here.
Pricing
If Return of Rome proves to be succesful, the original AoE DE will be left to its own with no further updates (not like it was really cared for in the first place).
There are players that own AoE DE on either MS store or Steam. Now since the MS store version is sub-par (admit it, store sucks, no modding since everything is locked) compared to Steam, I reckon many who own the MS store version would want to migrate to Steam. ALL AoEDE owners should be given a discount and incentive if they were to purchase what is essentially the same game (albeit with a host of AoEII DE features and a new coat of paint).
There are also numerous players who donāt own AoEIIDE yet, and since RoRDLC will be released on that client, would have to purchase that as well - while some might not even care or want to pay for AoEIIDE, and just want to play AoEDE on the AoEIIDE client instead. Then there are also players who already own the original AoK who might not feel like paying a second time.
This all needs to be taken into consideration, and be priced fairly and accordingly so customers and players WANT to migrate. Even though we donāt know exactly what the RoR DLC will entail fully, it has been confirmed that it will be a port of AoEDE, which means all civs and campaigns.
Taking into account all of the above, what do you think would be a fair price to ask for Return of Rome DLC?
For players who:
Do not own AoE DE or AoEIIDE:
$/ā¬ 14.99 - Combined package of AoEIIDE Client + RoR DLC
Do own AoE DE but not AoEIIDE:
$/ā¬ 9.99 - Combined package of AoEIIDE Client + RoR DLC
Do own AoEII DE
$/ā¬ 4.99 standalone
This is just my interpretation which to me seems reasonable. Feel free to add your own price suggestions. One of the main incentives to migrate and purchase RoR DLC is what seems to me the one reason why the games are being merged: Future DLCs and new civs. AoE has not had an expansion since the Rise of Rome, so this is long, long overdue.
Now on to feedback. Quite a few suggestions have been #### but I would like to add my own here, feel free to add or discuss yours.
Feedback
As we all know and as mentioned above AoE DE was never properly taken care of in the sense of major updates or DLCs. Some parts of the game are still unfinished to this day. I get it, AoEIIDE has priority because that is where the main money comes from. But money alone should not be the driving force, rather it should be passion for the game and itās history. One should not forget AoE DE, it needs to survive - and let me say that with this announcement of porting AoE DE to the AoEII DE engine, I think this is a wise move.
We now get the best of both worlds - Ancient history with the features of AoEII DE. Finally, we get improved gameplay, actual triggers, better pathing (alhough it still needs improving), garrisoning, formations, gates, game replays and much more. This merging is what many players including myself have always wanted.
It more or less has been confirmed AoEIIDE will get a Roman civ, a good way to bridge the gap between ages and both games.
Civilizations and future DLCs
What I am most looking forward to is new civilizations, specifically Indian civs and Celts/German and maybe Scythians civs. These played a significant role in ancient history and would be a most welcome addition to the game and fit the timeline. This is a must if AoE DE/RoR DLC is to move forward into the future!
Other features I would like to see include:
- Land trade - this is a must, maybe use the trade workshop for this. Market exchanging resources too.
- New random map types similar to or like Arena, Black forest, Arabia.
- New game modes.
- Expanded and revised campaigns, with narration.
- Bigger random map sizes. The game allows up to
ludakris map sizes, which is 480x480 tiles. 360x360 random map size would be nice. - Updated cheat unit models.
- A few new unique (editor only) units (spearman) and heroes with custom skins. Caesar should look different and not the same as Vercingetorix. Bring back Jason (charioteer)!
- Editor objects/embellishment such as pottery and the like, and some more unique trees, statues, flags.
- New terrain types, snow and ice, snow covered pine forest is a must. Add snow patches on buildings too!
- Perhaps Aquaducts for Rome, placable like a wall would be nice.
- Palisade wall.
- Add visibility to berry bush on the minimap.
- Flares.
- Herdable animal, like a goat.
- Female villager.
- Unique wonders for each civ.
Things of concern
DLC name
I am not sure how to see the announcement title, sounds as yet another DLC for AoEII DE. I think both games should presented on equal terms, and in my opinion the game cannot be called Age of Empires II with a sub section called Return of Rome while the game is still called AoEII DE. That does not do the original Age of Empires justice, instead, make them seperate games within the same client, and when starting up, give the option on which game we would want to play: either Age of Empires DE (Return of Rome), or Age of Empires II DE.
Performance and optimization
Over the past few years I have also followed the AoEII DE forum and noticed that some users are still having issues with stuttering, memory leaks or dowright crashes. Performance must be a top priority and these issues must be adressed and fixed. MS and FE, you need to seriously work on this and invest time and money so that the game works as intended within the parameters of required user/system specifications. Too many times I have seen āthank you we are working on the issueā and nothing comes of it. Do not ignore this very important part of your audience. We love the game and simply want to play without issues.
Developer engagement with community
Kind of expanding on the above here, I almost never see any developers interact with people on this forum, which is a shame. Again, something like āwe have noticed the issue and are working on fixing itā is fine and at all for technical help and support, but there is no engagement otherwise. I know you are busy but at least let us know we are not simply talking into a void once a while. The AoE DE forum has been way too quiet. You are as much part of the community as the rest, and representative of your product. It helps if we hear from time to time from you as a forum user.
Chat function
Then there is the Chat function and is as far as I know still very bad. Not only is there absurd censorship on the most harmless of words, the chat is extremely slow and apparently filtered through an external server. Now itās fine if spam and trolls are banned or blocked but you canāt even talk normal with your teammate without seeing a bunch of stars (which is essential in competitive games). This is to me simply unacceptable and above all a most annoying and lazy way to prevent trolling. You should allow direct communication and the option to simply type /MUTE any player that either is annoying or harmful to you, next to reporting trolls. That way you can satisfy everyone. This should be taken very seriously Microsoft, because this policy is harmful and has been driving many players away from what otherwise is a good communicative and engaging experience.
Building/tile size
AoE DE increased the buildings and tile size over the original by 25%. Will this remain the same in RoR DLC or change and be similar in size to AoEII DE? I am personally divided on this, I would like to see a comparison for both to see how this would be better or worse. I like the bigger maps in AoEII DE however.
Modding
This one should speak for itself. In the MS store version you simply cannot mod the game, which is really dumb. DE is found on the modding community, and the game should remain moddable because it is exactly the one thing that keeps the game alive and thriving.
I hope the above mentioned is taken into serious consideration, in the end we all love Age of Empires and want Return of Rome to succeed!
By the way, about time we get an update on the RoR DLC which reveals more details, pretty please.
