I’m not watching a 7 hour stream to find a point, you have to provide it to the table, but that is not the problem, rather that the players play the game, the game is made in a certain way, therefore if they do anything to win using the game’s mechanics as fast as possible in the majority of the games, it makes it a competitive game. How competitive depends on how determined the players are to just win the game and nothing else matters. Sure there are some who use tactics but have no experience, but they also add to the problem when looking from a perception where every player encountered plays like the pros teach them to play.
Now we could argue that playing casual means just doing Sim City as I have seen others accusing some before, but the reality is that the casual wants to get all ages, establish an economy and improve its combat skills and tactics by having fun and getting a feel of the game and of what it has to offer in civs, and aesthetics. The game is not fun and you don’t learn anything when your options are limited and you get destroyed due to handicap inflicted by mechanics. Therefore as you said, you play against the game by that point but the game is played by the player thus why so many struggle to be the best when they know the game has balance issues and create a competitive perspective to casuals like me? If it’s really the option of the day to play the game that’s broken, why struggle so much? Why learn if there isn’t a ranked even? For tournaments? Sure but not like tournaments will bring the balance back. That is the problem. The player lacks the common sense to enjoy itself while playing.
Now one may argue that fun comes in different tastes but I would challenge that idea by saying that fun is not an equivalent of won games but of feeling the game, making memories, seeing the passion of childhood reborn. You want to remember AOE IV as ‘‘that game I once played that brought me great times’’.
Taking both perspectives into account to what conclusion did we arrive? Should casuals retire to AI games and leave quickplay and future ranked to this type of behavior just because they can’t compete with someone obsessed with proving themselves to a world that probably doesn’t care about such achievements because each looks for glory in its own way?
This is why the game is not fun to play. So if we take both your perspective and mine, both looking seemingly not pleased with this situation, how are we to discuss the balance of a possible siege friendly fire update? When the game cannot hold it without dropping on casuals because it doesn’t provide with the necessary aspects for it to be a casual game while it doesn’t meet the standards of others like you?
It’s a very sensitive ground and I don’t believe it’s necessary for such mechanic to exist YET if that’s the case, because the game needs more to be able to hold something like this for both types of players to be happy. Maybe in some years when most of it will be finally finished, we may be able to talk about siege friendly fire. Until then I believe other things are a priority in terms of changes.