"the biggest content update in Age II: DE history"

[MatM1996]

@Pulikesi25

Could be a rework of water gameplay, more buildings, more technologies, modifications to something generic like university techs, DWL 9 vill start as a new game mode, Lobby improvements, matchmaking improvements - could be one or more of these or something else totally new as well.

@xWHIT3W0LFx

For me, it also reads as if the update and the DLC are not related. I really hope for a water rework and an improved UI on PC.

Sure, also…

@Skadidesu

I think the “biggest content update” and RoR are two separate things.

@Skadidesu

One thing that fits the description of balance and content would be alternative Unique Technologies.
In the Romae at Bellum introduced the feature that you can select between two Unique Technologies in each Castle and Imperial Age.
This would allow to give more civilisations options for different map types like open vs closed maps or land vs water maps and 1v1 vs team games.
So you wouldn’t have the issue of having completely useless unique technologies.

Yes, it can be…

@SMUM15236

Originally there was plan for 2 different buildings - Port for non-combatant ships and Dock for warships. There is a small chance on that.

In AoM too…

[Skadidesu]

@SMUM15236

I’ve seen that video. I don’t think something like this big overhaul will ever happen.

I would see it that way:
Water is the only place in the game where a big overhaul is still possible.
Not likely but possible.

@SirWiedreich

I think this is on the right track; the new update will surely feature thousands of (mostly Medieval) recipes added to the civ history section

Yes cooking is definitely underrepresented in the game.
Please add 50 new types of food and force players to give their people a good variety of different meals too keep them healthy.

Having different farm textures for the different architecture sets might actually be nice though.
Give Burgundians vineyards!

Not sure how easy that would be considering that farms are actually ground textures and not a building sprite.

Also spices! Spices were very important trade good in the Middle Ages.
That could be used for a fun gamemode. Some trade related victory condition? Something like that.
A game mode where the Trade Workshop and the Trade Goods resource is actually used in or something like that.

@WoodsierCorn696

This statement is probably as true as the things promised in the road map for 2022. I dont think these things seriously until they be more specific and really clear about it.

You mean that we are still waiting for some popular mods to become game settings?

Other then that the roadmap looks good so far.
One thing was probably the Xbox version, then we have RoR coming this year and likely another DLC that is in some way like Dynasties of India.
They even managed to do monthly patches so far.

[TheConqueror753]

@Skadidesu

Not sure how easy that would be considering that farms are actually ground textures and not a building sprite.

I don’t think it would actually be that hard. Similar to how you can edit values for only certain civs in the Genie Editor, you could just change the ID of the terrain they use for their farm texture.

[Skadidesu]

I don’t know how easy it would be to add more terrain textures.

Some farms would also need to be “3D” so have plants grow taller.
Not sure how easy it would be to have multiple rows of wheat that goes up to hip hight of the villagers for example.

Farms already look a lot better then they did before the DE.

[MatM1996]

@Skadidesu

Having different farm textures for the different architecture sets might actually be nice though.
Give Burgundians vineyards!

Not sure how easy that would be considering that farms are actually ground textures and not a building sprite.

Also spices! Spices were very important trade good in the Middle Ages.
That could be used for a fun gamemode. Some trade related victory condition? Something like that.
A game mode where the Trade Workshop and the Trade Goods resource is actually used in or something like that.

Yes, or at least they are farm textures based on those of aoe 3 per region… in Europe it would be wheat, in America it would be corn, in Africa it would be tomato and in Asia it would be rice…

@Skadidesu

Other then that the roadmap looks good so far.
One thing was probably the Xbox version, then we have RoR coming this year and likely another DLC that is in some way like Dynasties of India.

I don’t know if we will have another dlc besides RoR this year…the FE guys are very busy with AoM RT and porting AoE 4 to Xbox, not to mention that they are also developing another dlc for AoE 3 DE…they have a lot of work this year year, maybe they will announce another dlc but by 2024…

[Skadidesu]

AoMR is very likely made by a completely different team. If anything it’s the AoE3DE guys that work on it.
Most of the RoR work was done last year and the same is true for the Xbox release.
It’s February. Even if RoR is 3 months away that still leaves more then half a year for the next DLC.

[TommoChocolate]

@Skadidesu

I don’t know how easy it would be to add more terrain textures.

What part of it do you think would be difficult? Artistically I think it must be easier than adding a new building sprite, since it’s just a texture with no 3D rendering. From the data point of view, they’ve added new terrain types in expansions (most recently Palm Grass in DoI) without a problem.

@Skadidesu

Some farms would also need to be “3D” so have plants grow taller.
Not sure how easy it would be to have multiple rows of wheat that goes up to hip hight of the villagers for example.

If it’s done with sprites, this could work in the same way as AoE1 shallows used to, i.e. each tile of farm contains a (non-interactable) wheat object.

@Skadidesu

Farms already look a lot better then they did before the DE.

Agreed. The AoK farm texture has a weird fade in it, and then in HD it was underscaled as well.

@Skadidesu

Also spices! Spices were very important trade good in the Middle Ages.
That could be used for a fun gamemode. Some trade related victory condition? Something like that.
A game mode where the Trade Workshop and the Trade Goods resource is actually used in or something like that.

I would really like a non-combat economic game mode. The closest thing we have is the Art of War economy scenarios.

[SirWiedreich]

@Skadidesu

I don’t know how easy it would be to add more terrain textures.

Some farms would also need to be “3D” so have plants grow taller.

Corn fields or riot. Would be quite easy TBH. And I’ve said this before, but adding new visuals for resources (fruit trees, new crops, silver mines* etc) has an incredibly low Effort-to-Awesomeness ratio. The biggest hangup might be needing slightly altered gather animations for higher-up res, but even that’s pretty straightforward.

@TommoChocolate

I would really like a non-combat economic game mode.

I’ve had lobby teammates who seem to have been playing this game mode 11. Sim City, as they say. Or [Empires] of Catan. Guess I’m curious what the objectives would be without combat.
Racing to get 5K “Spice” before anyone else without then being able to use it to fund a massive campaign seems anticlimactic. There’s also “Wonder Race,” which is a non-combat game mode.

[Jergosurb]

@TommoChocolate

I would really like a non-combat economic game mode.

AoE 3 has something similiar, it’s called Tycoon mode, I belive.

[MatM1996]

@Skadidesu

AoMR is very likely made by a completely different team. If anything it’s the AoE3DE guys that work on it.
Most of the RoR work was done last year and the same is true for the Xbox release.
It’s February. Even if RoR is 3 months away that still leaves more then half a year for the next DLC.

Of course, it could be that by the middle of the year we will have another dlc, maybe July or August…

@Jergosurb

AoE 3 has something similiar, it’s called Tycoon mode, I belive.

Sure, I tried it and it’s good…

[TommoChocolate]

@SirWiedreich

Guess I’m curious what the objectives would be without combat.
Racing to get 5K “Spice” before anyone else without then being able to use it to fund a massive campaign seems anticlimactic.

I don’t have anything specific in mind. I think it would need some new mechanics, probably involving more resources and/or more interactions between resources. Otherwise you’re right, it’s just booming with no real reason.

[SMUM15236]

I’m hoping we will get more generic technologies. Some useless UTs like Nomads can be moved to University as a generic tech for some civs. Or more infantry/militia line specific tech can be introduced in Barracks or Blacksmith. Also since you’re talking about water overhaul, more generic techs in Dock will also be welcomed.

Maybe even some regional technologies can be introduced. Old Indians Camel bonus +1PA can be a regional tech for some weaker camel civs. Similarly Persians UT Mahouts can be a regional UT for some civs. Bengalis elephant bonus damage reduction bonus is also worth to consider, at least for BE.

[Skadidesu]

@SMUM15236

Some useless UTs like Nomads can be moved to University as a generic tech for some civs.

Normads is really unsuited for a generic technology.
Maybe it should just be a civilisation bonus.

There are a few unique technologies that should probably be civilisation bonuses instead like 20HP/Minute for Elephants.

Some UTs should make have a weaker generic equivalent like Drill (faster Siege), Chieftains (anti Cavalry bonus damage for all Infantry), Furor Celtica (HP for siege units) that are available to some civilisations.

[SMUM15236]

@Skadidesu

Normads is really unsuited for a generic technology.
Maybe it should just be a civilisation bonus.

Just giving some example.

@Skadidesu

There are a few unique technologies that should probably be civilisation bonuses instead like 20HP/Minute for Elephants.

Pretty niche but why not.

@Skadidesu

Some UTs should make have a weaker generic equivalent like Drill (faster Siege), Chieftains (anti Cavalry bonus damage for all Infantry), Furor Celtica (HP for siege units) that are available to some civilisations.

I don’t think weaker version of Drill or Furor Celtica can be available for more than one civ. Weaker version should be a civ bonus. Chieftain, however, is possible. Even only +2 for spearman will be great help for civ that are horrible against knight civs.