My strong sense is that there’s a number of things still in the game that will get touched up in short order.
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Sad thing is, if the game succeeded and got away with such a lack of details (which were perfectly done even back in 2000s), they would have little motivation to improve these details at all, and would do the same for later games. If the game fails, there is even less motivation, and later games would not even exist.
The only hope is that they somewhat feel compulsory to polish it if the game sold really well.
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That would require a very strong media/fans backlash - No Man’s Sky or Cyberpunk’s style - in order for a dev/publisher to get to the point of reinvesting a lot of resources to “fix” the game. It has to be something so disastrous that risks the business.
Ironically, the problem is that AoE IV is “good enough” and as long as it’s not a bug fest like Cyberpunk, it will only receive minor changes and of course new DLCs. The core game we have seen already is the game we will have forever.
I hope you are right, but even then we are letting these things happen after games are released and that is NOT fine.
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The good old post-launch patching… Bandaids on bullet holes.
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LaUnCh iS JuSt ThE BeGinNiNg of OuR jOurNeY:tm:
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Right, and to get back on topic and to echo the title of this thread: what’s the excuse for not animating soldiers building siege? I totally understand that games nowadays are extremely complex and it’s impossible to squash every single bug before release, but is this missing animation a bug? I don’t think anyone can say it is. Moreover, if it actually gets polished after release, we will know it was not some sort of engine limitation either, making it simply a case of “let’s release this thing incomplete and patch it along the way”.
We are allowing this behavior from publishers. I can understand a certain level of bugs. What I can’t understand is impossible deadlines that force actual devs to skip low-priority mechanics. Isolated they are not noticeable, but when they accumulate, like in AoE IV, all together become a major letdown.
I told you and I am serious: to justify their extended budget. Why do you think the game is going to launch with such lacklustre hotkey customisation which is something easy to programme? Think about it. It’s the same way road builders leave holes in the streets to justify their budget for next year.
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You said it yourself and it is what this forum thrives on: The individual shortcomings are still “just good enough”. Still somewhat excusable by the more naive fans as long as you don’t see (or close the eyes to) the big picture.
It’s done to perfection here, maybe it’s a new strategy by M$. “Minimalistic development, tested on a big brand title”… nothing surprises me anymore.
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You know when you have a 20 year old daily which you have kept in mint condition and you wash it but it doesn’t look as good as a new car? It’s a myriad little imperfections that you hardly even notice, but the effect amplifies when they are all together: fading plastics and paint, stone chips, stained windows, slightly misaligned panels, etc.
AoE IV is a game that looks good from a distance after a quick detail (X019 trailer), but there’s definitely no new car smell here.
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I know a few of the devs. They are passionate and are going to make this game tremendous.
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Cool. Are they aware of how important a Pause function is for multiplayer RTS games? It looks like the game is going to release without one (single player Pause only), and this really makes me sad, especially considering how AOE games can and do go very, very long.
Imagine losing a one hour plus online game because your dog puked on the rug and you couldn’t pause. Horrific.
Anyway, if you have any communication channels with the devs…this is the #1 thing I would want to ask them about because, well, obvious reasons.
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I have yet to see something raised on this forum that they wouldn’t have already known. They are cranking away behind the scenes.
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This should become a meme
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I know you are being sarcastic… but the utter lack of an animation makes it really unclear who is working on the ram and who is sitting around with their thumb up their ass.
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Right on the nail! If a mesh does not share the same skeleton, with the exact same bones, with the exact same names for each bone, the animations will not play between the two! I found that one out the hard way when 3D modeling stuff for a recent final project.
Its actually smart not to use the same skeleton, because deformations in the mesh could occur, or even animations could be played that just break the model.
Just my 2 cents on some stuff I learned 
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Are those units part of the siege unit itself (i.e., siege crew), or is it just 4 guys who happen to be nearby and so you want them to lend a helping hand while they’re there?
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Why does every thread here have to turn into “the devs are evil” and strawmanning people with differing opinions on the game?
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Exactly… as if the devs really spend their time at work trying to sabotage a franchise or do bad work, when their livelihood depends on it
It’s a given that different talents, goals, abilities, visions, and many other forms of entropy enter the dev equation when making new games. Their product won’t always be in alignment with what each of us wants, but I can’t imagine they have ill intentions
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I agree that the soldiers here need proper animations, hope that it was just not completed in the beta and it will be fine in when the game is released
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Lol so accurate, every single post I do tbh 