The present state of the game

[Whitby96]

In light of the topics being discussed heatedly on this forum at the moment, I’d like to give my very long and completely unsolicited opinion.

Mostly though, I just want to point some things out.

Currently, I’m extremely hopeful there’s a new DLC based on the SteamDB updates. If it’s merely a balance/bugfix patch, I’ll still be happy for it. If it’s nothing, I’ll be disappointed. I’m only human.

But, nonetheless, I am extremely happy with what the devs have done for AoE3 over the last few years. I really appreciate it. I strongly think the community has forgotten the state AoE3 was in, for the 13 years between TaD and Definitive. For good reason, too, because it wasn’t that great of a game. It was unbalanced, ran terribly and generally felt like it had been rushed out and forgotten. It’s the black sheep of the family for good reason.

Whilst AoE3 is still not perfect, the current state of balance is something upon which there is at least some debate. This alone suggests it’s not too far from being perfect. Does anyone remember being on the receiving end of the old Ashigaru spam? How about the instant Cuirrasser spam? How many games online had neither of these? Nowadays, things are much more diverse.

Look at all the new cards, techs, age-ups and customisations we’ve been given, which are in many cases, game altering instead of short-lived. Longbows or Rangers, Logistician plays, Landwehr vs faster firing Needle Gunners, Red Lancers vs hussars, Spanish Haciendas, British Harquebusiers, etc.

Look at all the cool new units that sit in really neat little niches and are super fun and asymmetric to play with. Humbaracis, Azaps, Mounted Riflemen, Counter-Skirms, Leather Cannons, GrenMusk hybrids, etc.

Civs now are so much more customisable, theory craftable and unique. In usable ways.

Then there’s the new civs. All of which feel unique. Mexico and the US take the theory craft to the extreme with the federal card system. Mexico also brings a whole new revolution playstyle. Malta has a totally unique defensive game plan with fixed guns and depots. The African civs with their alliances and cow stuff are truly their own thing. Then there’s Italy and Sweden and the Incas, too.

Then there’s the revolutions. Too many changes to count. Econ revolts, all-in revolts and revolts in-between. The vast majority of which can in some situation be used effectively, too. Many offering totally different and asymmetric endings for civs, such as Gran Colombia for Portugal or France’s Napoleonic arc.

Then there’s the new skins. AoE3’s devs are churning out new skins like McDonald’s makes burgers. Not only are all the new civs hardly sharing any legacy units at this point, but even the old civs have unique skins for every royal guard unit I can think of. I love how French the French look with their Voltiguers. I love how British the British look with their Redcoats and Rifles. I love the Independence Guards. I love the Needle Gunners. I love the Recruts and Poruchiks.

AoE 2 got a very limited version of this same treatment and their devs got celebrated for it. Yet still, their Aztecs are still training European champions. The Italians still having wings on their hussars…

I think the statements we see here about the devs hating this game are nonsense. AoE3 has had the biggest glow-up of any game in the AoE series. It’s not even close. There’s so much new content and solid enough balance that we’ll still be theory crafting this game for years to come.

AoE3 didn’t die when they unannounced the Baltic DLC. It just felt like it.

We’ll look back in another 13 years from this point at the eventual resumed support or the community patches (or likely a mix of both, possibly not in that order) and we’ll have an even greater version of this game.

I’ll bet anyone who disagrees a dollar on that.

[GwentMaster2163]

(My original text was in Chinese; the Google Translate version is as follows)

I largely agree with your point of view. Most of us, without a doubt, continue to discuss, debate, and even get emotionally agitated here because of our love for Age of Empires III. However, I believe there’s a crucial, often misunderstood, premise to clarify regarding the negative sentiment accumulating in the forum: the vast majority of active players clearly distinguish between “developers” and “publishers/administrators.”

In the context of Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition, these two are not the same. The developers are primarily Forgotten Empires and Tantalus, while the publisher and overall administrator is World’s Edge. Their roles, authority, and responsibilities cannot be confused.

Players aren’t directing their anger at the developers; quite the opposite. During the development team’s development phase, they continuously brought a wealth of content to Age of Empires III: new civilizations, new mechanics, new units, new cards, new revolutions, new skins, and systemic improvements to overall balance. This is undeniable.

In fact, I myself have publicly praised the development team on numerous occasions. The forums have long been filled with similar positive reviews. Even during periods when the game wasn’t updated for extended periods, players rarely vented their frustrations directly on the developers. The reason is simple: anyone with even a basic understanding of the development of Age of Empires III knows that the developers had already done their best within their authority.

The real source of the frustration wasn’t “the cancellation of a particular DLC.” Many mistakenly believe that players were only angry because the Poland/Denmark DLC was canceled. But this was merely the trigger, not the root cause. The real problem is a long-standing, systemic form of differential treatment that players have been observing for years.

Here are a few of the most frequently cited examples: Official social media (especially Twitter/X) almost never mentions Age of Empires III, and even when they do, it’s extremely rare, perhaps only once or twice in hundreds of posts. Even if such instances occur once or twice, players will realize they have absolutely no understanding of the game (for example, the screenshots they posted about Age of Empires III showed no signs of ever playing the game). Some images and texts are even more inexplicable, sparking strange associations (for instance, after widespread questioning of the official Twitter account on forums, X posted a strange image and text, leading to numerous speculations on the forums, only later realizing it was just an official response).

There is a severe imbalance in official tournament resources. Major tournaments like Red Bull Wololo have never featured Age of Empires III, while Age of Mythology, with a smaller player base, received official tournament and resource support from the beginning. Age of Empires III has never received stable, formal official funding or tournament support; much of its content and community ecosystem is almost entirely “generated by the developers and the player community out of love.”

Reports indicate that developers were restricted from direct communication with players (around 2023), further exacerbating the lack of transparency and erosion of trust.

Even earlier, there were multiple instances where patches were completed but forced to “make way” for the Age of Empires IV DLC, resulting in delayed releases (I clearly remember this).

These incidents didn’t happen once or twice, or even just once or twice; they occurred repeatedly over many years. This is how player frustration gradually built up.

Worse still, the management’s attitude wasn’t one of “cold treatment,” but rather “blocking communication.” The problem wasn’t just “indifference.” My personal experience was that I repeatedly and rationally reminded the official Age of Empires account on Twitter to pay attention to Age of Empires III, mentioning their failure to fulfill their promises regarding the Poland and Denmark DLC. The result—I was directly blocked by the official account. As far as I know, this is not uncommon. I also know a very active Chinese player on the forums who consistently offered constructive feedback, and they were also permanently banned. And from what I understand, this is by no means an isolated case. The feeling it gives isn’t “we’re not in a position to respond,” but rather “we don’t intend to communicate with you.”

Ultimately, those who remain, besides the players who truly love the game, are often a small group who unconditionally follow the management, including even some so-called volunteers.

Therefore, I want to emphasize that players can distinguish who is putting in the effort and who is undermining trust. Players have never systematically blamed the developers. Players are very clear that Tantalus is working diligently, and Forgotten Empires is working diligently.

Similarly, players are also very clear that World’s Edge has repeatedly eroded trust, broken promises, avoided communication, and even humiliated players. This is the true source of the current emotions.

Therefore, I completely agree with your assessment of the achievements of Age of Empires III itself. However, without clarifying this background, it’s easy to mistakenly simplify the issue to “players are too emotional” or “it’s just because of a DLC.”

That’s not the case.

[MatM1996]

Yes, exactly, the cancellation of the Baltic DLC was just the spark that ignited something that had been brewing since 2022… perhaps the players weren’t understanding enough with the devs, but it’s also their fault for a lack of communication and disappointments, and then, after canceling the DLC, they started blocking people en masse… after that, the relationship between the players and Forgotten Empires was completely broken (like a romantic relationship that, due to lack of communication and infidelity, ends completely; it happened to me in 2014 on a graduation trip, my girlfriend found me dancing with a bunch of girls and things fell apart between us, and I had to work for three days to repair the relationship, and in the end, it strengthened our bond)… anyway, the devs could still regain the players’ trust if they have the interest and the desire to do so; there are plenty of examples (No Man’s Sky, Fallout 76, Cyberpunk 2077), but they’re going to have to work hard to do it… first they’ll have to start with a small patch, and if people approve it, go back to work on the Baltic DLC to release it along with a console port (PS6, Xbox Series Z, Switch 2) in 2030…

[TheLiberator236]

TL DR
The present state of the game is full of bugs and the company do not give a shit about fixing those
Pretty rough times, but we march together!