Interesting analysis, but I think you omitted something. At release (the older games at least) you’d have limited resolutions o choose from. For example in AoE2 the maximum resolution was 1280-1024, with most players playing on 1024-768 or even 800-600 back then. This meant a way smaller field of view than what you see today in the upgraded editions. So not sure Ensemble new of that goldilocks zone back in the day.
3 Likes
Yes, I’d be very curious to compare with screenshots around launch of all games.I’m on mobile for the rest of the weekend, but maybe I will next week unless someone beats me to it
3 Likes
The one thing that bothered me about the screenshots so far is how all the houses are practicing social distancing. I like placing my houses in rows or clusters to give it more of a natural town look. Hopefully houses dont have huge footprints.
I do appriciate the effort to make the settlements more immersive but forcing large spacing might have the opposite effect and give the towns a ‘Pyongyang’ effect with lots of wide open empty streets.
2 Likes
To make settlements “more immersive” they would actually have to be stacked all close together, like in the real Middle Ages.
This very seperate “everyone gets their own backyard” thing is a product of the Modern Age, not the Medieval Period.
1 Like
I am no expert on this matter, but I’m unwilling to totally agree that it’s more realistic to give houses 0 pixels of land around their walls. Others who have studied ancient city and town design will know better sources than me, but I offer this image in support of at least the possibility that Europeans around 1620 had yards, gardens, animal pens and enclosures. This is a drone shot of a recreation here in the US of the layout of the original Plimouth settlement by the English. Certainly there are factors at work not perfectly inline with European settlements during our game’s era (this settlement was built very quickly and with defense in the forefront of their mind and with whatever resources they had immediately available and by a very specific group of individuals, etc.) but it does suggest that the Devs may be edging towards realism were they to provide larger footprints. Personally I think that decision would be at the cost of better game design, but I think I would concede it’s not inconsistent with history, at least in some places.
5 Likes
Certainly in medieval England people would have small practical gardens to grow their own vegetables and herbs, I think that kind of visual could be part of the house building itself though. I did wonder if houses might have looked better if each house represented a small cluster of houses a bit like how Anno 1800 does it rather than just a single house.
1 Like
At this point I am just waiting for the beta to get an actual grasp of all these things and see myself which screens are relevant, which are not and provide feedback.
Being able to zoom out far enough without reducing too much the units’ readability sounds like a good solution to me. I remember the readibility issues of AoEIII:DE during Beta, wasn’t fun.
Scale looks indeed slightly more off than what I would also like but I’m not willing to cede all the spacing of the buildings, for I like the idea of not being able to wall with them. Or else the huge walls won’t be making much sense.
If it’s possible to improve the proportions without taking away this design, then I’m all in, go for it.
The spaces between houses shouldn’t really be an issue, you can see 2 of them being very closely placed. They must be serving promotional needs here.
3 Likes
Also, I don’t know for which historical accuracy are you guys talking about. City planning varied a lot from place to place and from time to time, especially when comparing small villages like London or Paris at the time, to developed megalopolises like Baghdad, Cairo, Constantinople,Angkor, Chang’an, Gangaikonda (the capital of the Chola dynasty) and many others outside of Europe. I like some more realistic tones here and there but realistic doesnt have to mean historically accurate and I think the way we build our cities has been one of the least historically accurate things so far.
2 Likes
The problem is you have played the game we didn’t, the open space around every building kill some potential comeback from a defensive player, also like killing the only landmark to win kill potential comeback.
Imagine in multiplayer 4v4 game, 3v1 strategy focus on killing landmark or 2v1 situation in people base is gonna be a nightmare in aoe2 building balance that a bit by stoping a bit more here and there it will have 0 comeback mechanic, but we don’t know how theses new mechanic work because we have not played this game maybe its goo and it’s your own thought about it or it not and we don’t know…
Blizzard has a 6months open beta and they change a lot of mechanics and gameplay features during this time. council is good but many people playing the game is also important to see how mechanic work together and people like playing the game.
If you can push WE and Relic to start beta and stay longer than 10 days it will make sense and change and rework will be starting, because pretty sure a shitstorm will begin on the 28th who can be resolve before .
1 Like
My opinions here are based exclusively on the publicly revealed info.
You are really right and I’m even more worried about AgeIV now. I hope team games won’t turn into “landmark sniping”. Judging by screenshots I think Mongol landmarks should be the easiest to destroy thus easy to eliminate Mongol player.
2 Likes
Denying a landmark to prevent aging up is ofc going to be a thing.
Just pay your team to wall your town in or maybe moving your landmarks inside a teammates town will be a good strategy. If team games turn into landmark sniping then they will likely change it cause no one will find that fun.
1 Like
Honestly sniping an age up building can be balanced easily enough. Have any of you seriously had major difficulties with this in your experience with this exact mechanic in other Age games? You all have played more than just AoE2, right?
2 Likes
Because its not the condition in victory on other age of, it kill more and more comeback mechanics as spectator or players.
3 Likes
Oh I don’t know about those victory conditions. Those arent my cup of tea. I hear you though
I believe i seen a bit of that in AoE3 with the Asian civs, I don’t believe its common though because, Regradless, it might not work out, Could ruin someone’s day either way.
Also, I don’t think there was a Build a structure to advance in AoM… but I could be wrong…
There’s also the Egyptians and Babylonians in AoEO.
1 Like
Forgotten about them, truth be told, Than again, I normally played celt and norse in AoEO but I don’t recall ever a landmark sniping strat in AoEO at all
It doesn’t matter. people often uses mods like smaller trees to make gameplay easier than realistic. The games are made for playing not just for scenario editor eye candy.
2 Likes