Most Esport games maybe. But most esport RTS games works different. Maybe ballancing heroes is easier than ballancing fractions.
We have different expectations about this game. And its ok. I play only competitive RTS games like SC2 and AoE2 and if this game won’t be competitive I will just back to AoE2 
But I understand your point of view. More new content = better. I get it.
Others: The Roman Empire: first two ages you are a republic (economic boost, culture, tech, etc), last age you become an Empire (unit strenght, wall defence, etc). Possibility for interesting game mechanism with tech tree and the transition to become an Empire (maybe you would have to build lots of town or something).
i played total war competitively in Shogun 2 and Rome 2, and i have never suggested they shouldn’t add more content.
Imo AoE2 is pretty well ballanced, but you’re right there are some better and worse matchups. Maybe I’m overly panicking about new civs. Just seeing thread like this when game is new, ballance is bad is little bit annoying to me.
And sure, medival game deserve Byzantine Empire and Ottoman Empire, but for me competitive side of this game is way more important, thats why I didn’t answer for issue which turned out to be the most important for you. Because for me its aint most important. But I trully respect thats important for you, my friend 
I hope devs somehow will satisfy casual players and competitive ones.
I think Total War is different game genre, but I admit I have no clue about this game. I talked about RTS games I know. Blizzard, Microsoft and Relic games where I came to conclusion more asymmetric fractions = more ballance problems.
Anyway its obvious that they will add more fractions. I just think its better for this community to have some skeptical people, because most of community will always wants new content event if they aren’t playing multiplayer at all. And thats why I wrote my first post in this thread
skepticism is always great, gotta be honest i dont own AOE 4 yet so i am definitely not an authority or super positive dude for it.
have a nice day though 
I believe they will refine AoE4 balance soon, like make Delhi elephants more useful somehow. It’s still easier to balance 8 civs (or even 12, 16) than 40 civs, more asymmetric or less.
For me that’s most important, because I’m an Age of Empires fan, a fan of real History (for me SC is so funny and cute, I just can’t…). However I respect esports a lot and I hope AoE4 satisfies competitive players as much as you do bro.
Have a great week!!
Why Spanish is not in the list? Lol
Like every fan list, is biased.
yeah every list is going to be biased, you cant help it.
sure there are obvious choices, for AOE4 i think Japan and Byzantine are probably obvious choices that almost everyone would accept but maybe I’m biased for saying that.
i think civ discussions are the best if you focus on a region and then figure out region by region first and then you can make a super thread for like all the factions you would like to see. but again i have my own biases, maybe more so for AOE3 but still i have ideas about what factions should be added and which shouldn’t and if i made a list id probably exclude the ones i dont think are worthy, which is a form of bias even if i can argue for it.
I’m really looking forward to a Celtic (Gael/Scot/Pict) or “Viking” civilization. My ancestors were a mix of the Norse in Ireland and the Gaels, so I have a very clear bias.
Unfortunately though I doubt there will be either for several reasons. If there were though I’d be overjoyed.
i personally hope that if they go with Scandinavian they just call them “Danes” then you could include both the viking age, the high medieval and the kalmarunion, so many interesting things to show.
Quite interesting, why do you think so? Nothing against Japan but it was never an empire in AoE4 time. It mostly wasn’t even a unified country (there was no ‘Japan’ for the most of it), and had close to zero interaction with the outside world. Even Indonesia/Majapahit and Mali had empires within the timeframe, but not Japan.
The Turks had several major empires during the timeframe, like the great Seljuk Empire and the Ottoman Empire, the WORLD’s MOST powerful empire in the last 300 years of the game. And you didn’t even mention them.
Shouldn’t actual history of AoE4 time matter in AoE4?
Japan was constantly moving north during the periode, had a couple of civil wars got involved in Korea a few times, had extensive trade with China without being a tributary state and was the first country to repel the mongols.
the ottomans didn’t even exist until the end of the periode, they are far better of a fit for AOE3 where they already are. I genuinely ain’t exited for turks, sorry.
J’aimerai voir des civs grecque comme sparte
Mate give it a ■■■■■■■ rest. You go into any thread, respond to random people with “I WANT OTTOMAN EMPIRE”.
They’re probably going to be added. And your wailing on these forums will not speed it up.
sparta is a good 1000 years before this games start.
To be honest, Id rather have Expansions rather than dlc. That way, they can add more stuff and better quality after they clean up the base game.
For example:
Expac 1: add Japan, Norse, Celts, and Ottomans. Do Campaigns for Norse (raiding of England and France) and Japan (Mongol invasion of Tsushima). Introduce weather mechanics like snow, rain, storms, and blizzards.
Expac 2: add Spain, Portugal, Aztec (Or Mayan), and Incans. Do campaigns for Spain (conquering of Aztecs/Mayan) and Inca (Eldorado). Add a new mechanic.
Expac 3: add Mali, (and other african civs). Do campaigns for Mali and another civ. Add a new mechanic.
etc.
Undoubtedly I would love to see a Norse civilization! If my girlfriend also played she would probably vote for Japanese
If it was up to me though, I would no doubt put one or all the major Baltic Factions
@Jonasnee8581 'm just exchanging ideas with you about history and facts, nothing personal ok… not really about personal preferences either, as I’d like Japan too, just like you, you see?
“Constantly moving north”… I’m not sure what you mean my friend, especially since there was no ‘Japan’ for most of the period. Japan had trade with China? Yes, it had. So did Lan Xang (Laos). Is that a major thing? Not sure.
Now honestly my friend, there’s something extremely, DOUBLY wrong there… Japan was absolutely NOT “the first country to repel Mongols”…
It was NOT “the first”. The Mamluk Sultanate, a major islamic world power in Cairo, Africa, ANNIHILATED the Mongols FOUR times in open battlefield(!) before anyone else in the world:
Battle of Ain Jalut
2nd Battle of Homs
Battle of Elbistan
Battle of Marj el-Saffar
The Mamluk Sultanate (‘Mamluks’ were AAA-level elite Turk cavalry) basically DESTROYED the Mongols every single time in open battlefield, except in Wadi al-Khasnadar, the only Mongol victory. They were the first, not Japan (later, the Mamluk Sultanate was obliterated and conquered by the Ottoman Empire with massive guns, and disappeared forever).
In addition, Japan did NOT quite “repel” the Mongols as much as a sea STORM which wrecked much of the Khan’s fleet.
That’s so far from the truth. Ottoman state is from 1299, AoE4 ends in 1644. It not only existed… it was the WORLD’s greatest power for 300 years (!!) during AoE4 time. Not having it is unimaginable. Plus it was the earlier powerhouse Seljuk Empire (Ottomans are just a continuation) which defeated the Byzantines and the much of the Crusades and conquered today’s Turkey, not Ottomans.
Oghuz, Ghaznavid, Seljuk, Ottoman, it’s a single ‘Turks’ civ (exactly like they did with ‘Delhi Sultanate’, we can just group them and call the civ ‘Ottoman Empire’). It extraordinarily fits AoE4, not AoE3, as one of the most important civs in the WORLD at AoE4 time by far. It’s not about who ‘likes’ Japan or whatever.