Windows 10 only = REALLY BAD!

@Penguin said:
Wait are you saying I have to buy Windows 10 just to play this game? What?? I don’t understand any of these decision they’re making; they would make many more sales if they release the game on steam and for many different operating systems, so what is their reasoning for this?

Also, do they not know how many non-gamers are coming back to play this game? This cuts off a larger portion of people for AoE than it would for most other games.

You don’t have to buy win10 to get a legit copy of win10, you have to search a little, but still free. While I don’t have many issues with win10, making it restricted to win10 is a bad move.

@kylobeetle said:
Everyone arguing about if they should release it for windows 10 or windows 7 but you are leaving behind some important public… Mac and Linux users… Come on, they also do matter too :frowning:

It’s clear that MS game developers don’t really care about any other OS that isn’t windows, this has been an issue since 2000s, and there is no change in the horizon.

@Interjection said:

AoE:DE will be a Microsoft Exclusive:

  • -Many people are disappointed that the beta will not initially be available on Steam or to non-Windows10 users.
  • -Many say this isn’t user friendly and could result in a smaller player base!
    So why is this the case?
  • -Steam takes a huge chunk of the sales profits and providing support across multiple operating systems (Vista, 7, 10, Apple etc) is expensive. Continual support for older OS surely cannot go on forever?

Steam only distributes the games and provides many tools, also operates on an industry standard of 30%, so no, they don’t take a huge chunk, and are better suited for the job.

  • -Microsoft is also looking to push their own platforms. AoE:DE might not be enough to make everyone switch but this isn’t their first game on the platform (and it certainly won’t be the last!) With each new game added, the reasons to take the plunge grow.

There were much bigger releases on the windows store and no one bothered to use the platform, AoE doesn’t look like the chance the windows store desperately needs in order to be considered ok at best.

  • -There is also some speculation that this is a ‘litmus test’ of of sorts… to gauge interest in the AOE franchise and Windows Store for potential future big releases.

Possibly, but futile, the store has been a failure since the beginning, if they are gauging interest in the windows store then, they are doing something wrong by not seeing the obvious. For the AoE franchise, well, it’s been kept alive by its fans, not thanks to MS, they killed ensemble after all, and if it wasn’t for the pressure of the fans, then we would have no AoE 2 HD.

  • -Finally, this is just a beta for now, a post launch Steam release (with support for other OS) could well still be on the table. This certainly wouldn’t be the first time a company has done this. Enthusiasts and early adopters will be happy to play the game no matter where it’s released and this is a good time to show them your own platform/ecosystem without paying a big cut to Steam! Later the game can be sold to the masses (and yes, the two multiplayer communities can be merged… in fact that’s exactly how AOE3 functions to this day so that those who installed from the CD or Steam can play together.)

Yes, it’s true that the franchise needs the help from the fans in order to be a success, but when you have nothing to provide but this spectacular game eclipsed by its terrible execution on release then there is nothing we can do. The windows platform/ecosystem is this so called “xbox goodness”, no one wants xbox goodness on their PC, thats why you buy an xbox, crossplay could be an issue as CoD proved when people bought it on the windows store and it was isolated from the rest of the world.

@kylobeetle said:
Everyone arguing about if they should release it for windows 10 or windows 7 but you are leaving behind some important public… Mac and Linux users… Come on, they also do matter too :frowning:

It’s clear that MS game developers don’t really care about any other OS that isn’t windows, this has been an issue since 2000s, and there is no change in the horizon.

:cry: the sad truth hurts.

This would be weird if they starting care Mac users.