Suggestions for AOE IV

Improvements:

  • Should not apply to units already built. So for example if you research an archer improvement that only applies to new units going forward, not existing units

Supplies:

  • Armies should require a supply train. Either they are near a keep or TC, or should require trader-style workers to bring supplies to them
  • Archers, cannoneers, cannons, trebuchets, etc (anything with ammo) should not have unlimited ammo. They should need to be resupplied to keep the fire up
  • Non-ammo units should need food to stay in the field, else they slowly take damage then eventually die

Walls:

  • Given the usual rarity of stone, stone walls should be significantly stronger and should be able to withstand more siege engine fire
  • Stone walls should be able to built in two styles… tall/thin (harder to see over, easier to destroy, but better vision for the defenders) or short/thick (harder to destroy with cannons, easier to see over by offense)
  • As has been mentioned in other threads, units should not be able to see over or around walls and target units unless on top of the wall.
  • Non ballistic siege engines (cannons) should not be able to shoot units on the other side of a wall. Archers/trebuchets…sure.

Unit count:

  • Villagers should only count 0.5 (not 1) towards the max unit count

Trees:

  • Allow users to replant trees, like they do farms, making trees a more unlimited resource like farms

Siege engines:

  • Generally are overpowered, and should have their firing rate and damage reduced dramatically

Terrain:

  • Mountainous terrain should be able to be dug out (albeit slowly) by villagers to create new paths thru mountains. For maps with a single mountain chokepoint it would make it interesting to be able to cut a new path thru mountains for flank attacks.
  • Moats… allow users to build moats around castles.

Keeps/towers:

  • Should only fire arrows/cannons/springalds if occupied by your troops or villagers. No occupants, no shooting.

Formations/movement:

  • When you right click and hold, show the user what the final formation will be with the yellow circles before letting go of the button. Right now you only see the expected formation once you give them movement command. It should show up once you click and hold.
  • Patrolling should be added
  • Cavalry and priests tend to not want to stay together when moving under the same move command. They should move together; helps protect priests as they go out to get a relic.

This idea is accompanied by too much fatigue compared to the added fun.

4 Likes

Most of these are complete departures from the AoE series, and will be met with serious pushback. For example, if you implement the thing with upgrading units, people will just not make units until they have maxed everything, because there is no point in making something that doesn’t have much long term viability, except to rush the opponent or otherwise surprise them. It’s also not how any of the AoE games have ever worked to my knowledge. Most of the ideas are finicky, and or detrimental to the game.

4 Likes

These idea’s sound interesting for a mod.

let them balance something first for the begin and after maybe they can implements some of your idea ^^

Most of these ideas do not fit with aoe and would just being super annoying like supplies, digging roads through mountains, upgrades only counting on units built after researching, I will agree that siege needs to be nerfed, by damage reduction, slower firing rate, packing, and movement speed.

I can see this work as a mod, otherwise would change the game into something else and no longer be an AoE game at it’s core. Interesting ideas though.

Supplies

  • There is a happy medium betwixt manual operations that the player must perform and automation in the game. Your proposal here, while fun for many players, could slay the fun for those with time constraints.

Walls

  • Making walls & their utility too effective can halt gameplay and lead to more issues for those with time constraints.

Unit count

  • Perfectly reasonable change. This game could use a small increase to the population limit.

Trees

  • I’d opt for having trees replant themselves slowly overtime as they do in some other games, however, I wouldn’t want them to become anywhere close to an infinite resource.

Siege engines

  • There is a fine line betwixt overpowered and completely useless. I believe reducing fire rate and damage dramatically would be the end of siege in this game. Just give a bit of anti-siege damage to archers so fourty longbows can one shop a bombard.

Terrain

  • Too large a change for this game from my point of view.

Keeps/towers

  • You can test that out in AoE2 to see if you like it or not. It isn’t really as much fun, in my opinion.

Formations/movement

  • Agreed. I always liked it when game Devs made formations transparent and functional.

Thank you for all the responses. Maybe some of these could be toggles that you could turn on or off.

I think the game has potential, but so many of the matches devolve into 5 cannons + 50 of my strongest unique units. I guess the better question is… what’s a good round of AOE4 look like? Blob vs blob (what it is now) or more strategic flanking & unit micro?

Those ideas are good for a siege defense game against AI.

More strategic flanking and micro would be my preference.

Blob vs blob is fun sometimes, but it gets old quickly compared with unique and well thought out small fights around the map throughout the game, as with older AoE titles. Variety like that gives game commentators on Twitch and YT more action to break down for the viewers.

I’m sure the Devs are intending to bring us closer to that already as community interest is important to further support.