"Wait for instructions" is the most unnecessary objective

Age of Empires II: DE II - Discussion
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I get it, there’s dialogue that’s going to tell me. The thing is, I need to start playing because the game will not playback any dialogue while paused. So if you give me Town Centres and everything I have to focus on playing immediately, I’m not going to assume the enemy is going to chill and wait for me to figure out dialogue while the game clock is running. And while I’m playing the game, figuring out what all starting units, starting buildings, and starting resources you’ve given me (none of this is ever in the objectives tab by the way, so the player is forced to orient himself with all this once the game starts and the game clock is running, WHILE you play him the dialogue he’s supposed to pay attention to at the same time), I can’t really pay attention to both the dialogue and the game at the same time if you give me a whole economy and a bunch of idle villagers everywhere.

And then the objectives will come after like 5 seconds into the game anyway, so then I have to stop just as I’ve started and go back to the objectives menu which was opened just a few seconds earlier. Which I never remember to do because then I’m focussed on playing. It’s really annoying because it’s disruptive to the immersive experience, you forced me to close an empty “wait for instructions” objectives tab, then you started the game for me, and THEN you add the objectives to the objectives menu which I then have to remember to re-open if I want to read.

I’m more than willing to read all the objectives and hints before I start the game, and I do. But a blank page with the one-liner “Wait for instructions” really grinds my gears.

New objectives added upon something happening later in the middle of the game is reasonable.

“New” objectives added upon… simply the game starting in the beginning… is not reasonable. They should be there from the start.

Even just leaving the player aimless and without objectives for 5 minutes would be much better. THEN it’s actually wait for instructions - and you let the player orient himself with your scenario in peace. But Wait for instructions just to give me them 10 seconds later… grrr

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I agree, and I also generally dislike these kinds of introductory in-game cutscenes/dialogue sections – especially when they don’t let you select your units, or take control away from you in some way.

I’ve been playing the original AoE1 campaigns recently, and it’s glorious not having to deal with this kind of thing: you read the objectives first, then once you start the scenario you’re never not playing.

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