We always have time to point out the bad of this game, and what needs to be fixed (themed UI and in-game user friendly editor PLEASE)
But this game has some very good improvements compared to the other ‘Age of’ Games.
Here are some of the good things this game has and if you are a new player on this forum, this will help you knowing the good of AoE4:
-In-depth Civilizations: Each civs has more work into their architecture, VO and uniqueness. no copy-pastes. Even villlagers look different.
-More Civs abilities (chinese dynasties, Ottomans schools, Mali auto-gold mine thingy, ect)
-Auto-seeding farms: fantastic QOL change.
-Naval Combat: feels very good and every ship has a different type of attack. Cool all-around
-Landmarks: fantastic idea for passing of age and of their use in-game.
-Better pacing: The time spent on each age is just right. Not as fast as AoM, but not as time-consuming as AoE2. Just perfect. Also each age is important. If you stay on feudal, you can pack a good punch to your enemy, but if they go castle, then you can be in trouble. Each age is important on its own right.
-No friendly fire: Who in its right mind think this is cool in a RTS?
-Very good sounds: The trebuchets, the army war-cries, buildings reciving damage, scouts screaming spotted enemies… all good.
-Late game gold generation methods with neutral trading posts and faction specific gold generation mechanisms
-Units feel good at what they do. Cavalries make charges, bombars are intimidating, mangudais auto-attack while moving, you feel me?
Those are the good of AoE4 Out of the top of my head. If you have anymore improvements, do comment it down below.
I’d say alot of the points already exist in aoe1-3, aom and aoeo. For example, AoE3 Asian civs age up using landmarks (with unique abilities attached), AoM civs are unique, and auto-seeding farms have been around since AoE1 DE. Still, I do agree the audio in AoE4 is the best of the series with the detail in how the audio changes between the different ages and depending on the environment (e.g. units sounds hushed in stealth forests)! A few other points I’d add:
The stealth forests and units on walls introduces new strategies / gameplay.
The auto generated roads are a nice aesthetic.
The documentaries between campaigns show some interesting stuf# ##.#. visualizing how battles could have looked on location)
Yeah, the campaigns are really interesting, in that people either really don’t care for them at all, or people really enjoy the way they’ve been structured (with the videos and whatnot). I like them myself, but it’s been interesting to see such a Marmite-like* reaction to them.
*sorry, this probably only makes sense if you’re British.
Pacing between AoE 2 and 4 is very similar. Keep in mind that AoE 2’s ingame timer runs at 1.7 speed. A perfectly executed 22pop Dark Age takes 8 minutes ingame but in reality just about 5 minutes and I’m talking here about one of the slowest Dark Age builds.
I do. That’s one of the things I really miss in AoE 4 in addition to Mangonels/Onagers being able to cut down trees.
Already exist in AoE 3 for the Asian civs.
Also already exists in AoE 3 in shape of the Factory and Estate
Also exist in AoE 3 in shape of mills. They’re expensive but a good late game food source
Kinda exist in AoE 3 as well (Ottomans auto train villagers, the entire Home City system that allows for a very flexible handling etc)
I think people get too bogged down in “technically existed in AoE III”. The point isn’t that these things are copied, the point is how mechanics are refined and brought into some kind of core design.
Landmarks are a good example of this. They’re fundamental to AoE IV; every faction has them, and there’s a game mode that revolves around them. Technically existed for certain civs in AoE III isn’t quite the same thing.
Comparing faction-specific stuff to faction-specific stuff is completely fair I think, but comparing faction-specific stuff to evolutions in core design is, in my opinion, not doing IV enough justice.
Also i want to point out the ease of building on most places at the expense of ‘‘losing’’ that terrain. And in turn it creates a kind of environment around the building with decorations and yeah, roads.
I love it as well! Ok, im dreaming about a future age of empires based around bronze age, with every civ completly different, with a dark bloody graphic, detailed models. Ageing up with landmarks and perhaps choises of gods btw, to me it gives a completly other feeling when i play unic civilization in rts game…
The problem comes with overstating or misrepresenting AoE4’s achievements, diminishing what other games in the series have contributed. AoE3, with its smaller player base, has already been mentioned, but this also applies to other games too (AoE1 DE introduced auto-seed farms, AoM introduced unique, asynchronous civs). Sticking with the landmark age up topic, giving that mechanic to all the civs does not seem like an improvement by itself. But Relic has expanded the concept with the likes of the Abbasid wing extensions or the landmark victory. To me, those are innovations to be praised.
Yeah, I mean I think a lot of it comes from what Age games we prefer the most, whether or not we’ve had time with the Definitive Editions vs. the originals / HD versions, etc.
Definitely “THE FIRST GAME EVER” is rarely true. It’s rarely true for any game. But in terms of popularising a particular design, it becomes a lot more arguable.
It’s definitely good to remind folks that despite leaning on AoE II a lot, IV does appear to take (increasing) inspiration from AoM (and I like that tbh) as well as AoE III.
What is missing to improve the Meta is that: at least mirror game, there is a tendency towards a rock-paper-scissors system, between the different strategies
the “Fast Castle” should beat the “Bonm”, the “Bomm” should beat the “Rush” and the “Rush” should beat the “Fast Castle”, which is not the case.
actually is the worst aspect on aoe 4. every aoe 4 civ has a basic spear and a ma type but nothing unique liek an flexible anti inf but with no pierce armor qith fast speed, and age 2 anti melee cav, etc. The most unique ones that breaks the rule are nerfed to ve iuseless or too situational which it didnt happened with aom or aoeo which are betetr example of civ design. in aoe 4 the units thta are used are the genreric oens or the ones that feels like that.
the only one that is done gud but that dont cover other weakness.
aoe 2 thing. nothing special. aoe 3, aom , aoeo has no auto seeding but infinite food collection.
that one is fine but not the best multiple resorce requirement cost means they want full water map matches btu water unts lacks deep for that purpose
aoe 3 thing that is done horrendously except the one that were remade like english one with abbey
aoe 3 has similar ones
aoe3, aom, aoeo. nothing special
aoe 3/aom thing, someone remenber arkantos?
aom/aoeo thing which the only novelty is the trading post which is more aoe 3 thing with trading post on trade routes.
cav charge came from aoeo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_09rZiy9krc) and if you dont know that oen you have aoe 2 port ones. bombards feels better on aoe 3 bcuz they don’t make ton of dmg on a single unit which makes the siege non intimidating compared to the aoe 3 ones which can make units fly. mangu auto attack is the only one that has some cool but the balance makes it irrelevant which you dont see much of that.
btw, to me it gives a completly other feeling when i play unic civilization in rts game…