I’ve been playing Age of Empires for 14 years and imagine my excitement when I learned that there would be a Graphical remaster - a definitive edition of AoE. Given the fact that until now the game is in a Beta stage and future information might be included, I would really like to compile my list of suggestions, hoping that they will be released in the definitive edition or in some future updates.
First of all, graphically, I would like that, just like architecture is different between East Asian, Central Asian, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Roman so the unit graphics would differ. For we can agree that it’s quite strange to see a Choson Legion armed as a greek soldier. (Then again, some of these units might be renamed, for example, the Hoplite for asian civs may be named Pikeman?)
Second, gameplay-wise, there would be a few requests to make:
- **Formations **- enable units to “group” in squadrons and make them take various formations. Also, when you task a group of units(separate or in squadron) to attack another squadron, by default each unit randomly picks one of the opponent’s units to attack (generally they take 1 vs 1). Thus the units have better AI and you have a more simple control over the battlefield
- Gates. Well, many people requested this and it would be strategically convenient to have gates.
- Possibility to regenerate automatically and walk over farms like in AoE 2
- At least 1 upgrade for the Axeman and Slinger units. For example, Egyptian armies used Axemen in the bronze and Iron ages it is strange to see that the only Axemen available wield stone axes from the Tool Age. And slingers were employed for example, by greek and roman armies.
Lastly, I know that it is highly unlikely for these to be implemented in the first version of AoE DE, but I would like to post my perfect idea of civilizations. It adds more variety and replayability, and (i believe) fixes some issues such as Assyrians having Egyptian Architecture. Maybe this gets realized in the future of AoE or in some mod:
Balkanic: Greeks, Macedonians, Minoans, Epirotes,
Semitic: Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Akkadian
East Asian: Shang, Yamato, Choson, Xiongnu(Mongolians)
North African: Egyptian, Axumite, Israelite, Numidian,
Roman: Roman, Etruscan, Palmyrian, Carthaginian
Indo-Iranians: Persians, Mitanni, Hittites, Janapadas(Vedic Indians),
European: Celts, Hallstatt(Germanic bronze age), Trundholm(Nordic bronze age), Chernogorovka(Slavic Iron age)
As you can see, two new cultures(Indo-Iranian and European) have been added together with 13 new civilizations and civilizations have been reorganized in order to be more historically-correct.