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AGE OF EMPIRES 4!

    • 1467 posts
    August 24, 2017 8:20 PM EDT

    You there, silence yourself. Yes you, stop being excited about whatever it is that's exciting you (Or just get excited about this if you aren't already excited). Age of Empires 4 has officially been announced by Mircrosoft with an unknown release date, an unknown concept and...well it's really just been announced as a thing that is happening and probably not this year.

    That's really all there is to it at this point, but with Age of Empires: Definitive Edition (the first game but in 4K) coming out in October we've kind of got an awesome amount of content to look forward in the future. 

    Are you excited about Age of Empires 4?

    Which was your favourite AoE game?

    Do you think this will be based off of some of the previous entries in terms of mechanics, or try something entirely new?

    What Civilizations do you want to see 

    Do you think this will be a post AoE3 game in terms of the timeline, as in we're going to start getting into more modern Civilizations or do you think they'll move closer towards AoE 2's timeline?

    • 1467 posts
    August 24, 2017 8:50 PM EDT

    Since I'm kinda lame, I'll answer my own questions before I see anyone else jump in.

    Are you excited about Age of Empires 4?'

    100% yes, but I'm also aware of the fact that there are things that would turn me off the game (moving closer to WW1 and the more modern era of 'Empires.) We kind of saw the start of America, well upto really the invention of the Railroad in Age of Empires 3 and the equivalent time period in Asia, so if we're going forward...Well I'm no expert on modern history but really it kind of feels like World War 1 would be the next logical step?

    Anyway, I'll talk about that later. That's my last question, but it's important to my excitement levels.

    Which was your favourite AoE game?

    I dunno, it was certainly the Age of Empires 2 set of games but that includes Age of Mythlogoy, Age of Empires 2 and Star Wars: Battlegrounds (yeah there's a Star Wars AoE, it's fucking awesome) and I can't decide between the three. I probably like AoE 2 the most because, well it's just pretty great and they're still making content (well people are, not the same ones) for it so.

    Do you think this will be based off of some of the previous entries in terms of mechanics, or try something entirely new?

    I assume they'll stick to a combination of two and three. Some elements like the Home City from AoE3 might return becuase that was actually really cool but I think they might turn away from the whole 'card thing' but then again. Card games are popular again so maybe they'll double down on it. I think building and troops will return to Age of Empires 2 rather than being as limited as 3 but then again it's being made by the same people who made most (if not all of) the Warhammer 40K PC games which are very similar to Age of Empires 3 (or the other way around), so it's possible they'll stick with what they know and you'll see things like training 'squadrons or groups' rather than individual units, you'll only be able to build like 6 towers (because fuck towers) but really that all depends on when they frame the game.

    What Civilizations do you want to see 

    It depends on the time period. My main hope is that they move back to between AoE and AoE2 and then it's really just about everyone. But if it's WW1, well I don't care that much. 

    Do you think this will be a post AoE3 game in terms of the timeline, as in we're going to start getting into more modern Civilizations or do you think they'll move closer towards AoE 2's timeline?

    I feel like they're going to move forward but I think that'll suck balls. There's a reason that they didn't make more games and Age of Empires 3 is the main reason. They went so far forward that most of the really cool aspects of the previous games were replaced and it totally blew off some of their long time fans. There aren't many people who love all three main series games, and 3 tends to be the most disliked by people who enjoyed the first two. So really what I hope is either going backwards, closer to 0 BCE or before it, or at the very least sticking to something before the Dark Ages (you've got about 1000 years you can work with there.)

    On top of that, I think it's potentially dangerous to really focus on more modern warfare. You've always got the chance of alienating fans of the series based on their nationality when you're talking global war, modern war and well...actual countries that exist today even if most of the people aren't around. So I don't know how they deal with that, it's possible that telling the story from an unbiased viewpoint would work but then again...probably not because there is no unbiased viewpoint in History.

     

    Anyway. I really don't know. I can't see many periods they could work with post AoE3 but pre WW1, I don't see them making it futuristic (because just play Warhammer damn it...this is Age of Empires not Age of Startspace Explosions) and it'd be kind of weird if they went backwards...weird but what I want so.

    • 140 posts
    August 25, 2017 6:39 PM EDT
    1. See below*
    2. Much as I like 3 and it's expansions (Muskets and sailing boats, 'nuff said), I probably have to give it to 2. It's just so damn timeless, and the civs are all just great! One problem I had with 3 was that it seemed to be more dumbed down (As all newer games are...), with artillery beating infantry, infantry beating cavalry, cavalry beating artillery, and so forth, whereas 2's units all seemed to have more unique roles, like how the swordsman/militia line was better against buildings. Also, I liked 2's Unique Units more, since most of 3's just seemed to be stronger versions of existing ones (Redcoats and Musketeers, for example). Still, I did like Home Cities quite a bit, so hopefully they'll make a return.
    3. As I said, I'd like to see Home Cities return, or at least a similar mechanic to suit the time period. I'd also like it if they get rid of the tower limit, and allow more than one Fort. It was kind of irritating waiting for the little wagon to arrive, only to have it killed before even getting to build the damn thing. One thing that I'm a bit torn over is training units in groups, like DB said. On one hand, it'll probably suit the time period (assuming it goes forward), since there'll be more resources with the Industrial Revolution having happened, thus you coud field larger armies. On the other though, I do like being able to make just single units if I want. It really gets on my OCD having armys that aren't in multiples of ten or five (Looking at you, Russians!)
    4. Based on the point below, I'd say Germans, Brits, Ottomans, and maybe a couple of Balkan civs (Bulgarians and Serbs would be nice). Oh, and probably the Yanks too, since they'll be around then :p Basically any of the other major nations from the 1860-1918/45 era, really.
    5. Definitely forward in time. I'd say from the time just after the U.S. Civil War to the First World War/1920's sort of time (Titled as "The Great Wars", with WWII as well, perhaps?). Honestly, with 2 still getting new content, I just don't see them going back to that Era. Of course, they could pull an Assassin's Creed and go further back, but I think the first AoE was good enough for the ancient-classical times. I'd actually be quite excited with seeing an early modern AoEto be honest. It's one of my favorite time periods in history, and with all the new technology being introduced around that time I could see it being pretty fun. I've always wanted to do a heroic cavalry charge against machine gun fire!

    *Now, just to sum up my thoughts on this in a singal word; OhmygoditsfinallyhereAoEIVYEEEE!!!


    This post was edited by Caesar at August 25, 2017 6:43 PM EDT
    • 1467 posts
    August 25, 2017 8:44 PM EDT

    My issue with going forward more is just more based on the fact that there are already plenty of games of the genre that do that you know, there are plenty of 'slightly historical' RTS games that are probably going to do it really well, and AoE's trademark has always been that really there's AoE and there's Civ...They don't really have any other competition there you know, at least nothing that I can think of (and really Civ is so different since it goes through all the stages that AoE kind of has it's own territory). 

    I don't know. I was hoping that re-watching the trailer would give me an idea but it seems like they start at Rome (AoE 1) then Constantinople (AoE 2) then you've got what looks like the general sort of story of the Aztecs in AoE 2 with the Spanish and what very much looks like Aztec-esque buildings. Then clearly it moves forward to AoE3's Native Americans vs. Colonists and...the Japanese maybe? So it could bea  kind of breakdown of 1, 2 and then 3 to show where AoE has already been or...They're going to be totally interesting and focus on Rome ----> Pre-Modern Japan. Don't know, I'm betting it's the first but really the trailer is just stuff from the time periods they've already done.

    But yeah, I feel like moving forwards would just kind of disrupt what kind of makes AoE feel really unique to me.  

    • 277 posts
    August 26, 2017 9:22 AM EDT
    Ow f#ck yeah, I am excited!! Age of Empires 1 is what introduced me to gaming as a kid. From there onward over the years I played some great rts games: Age of Empires 2, Starcraft, Age of Mythology, Rise of Nations, Warcraft 3 and others. I should get to replaying Age of Empires 3 since I can't say it left a mark on me. My favorite game in the aoe series is 2 - Age of Kings and its expansion. Ow boy, I still remember wrecking havoc with those blue shelby cobras. I hope we get to see as many civilizations from the game'a chosen timeline as possible. In a way I hope the new game will still be set in the medieval era because I miss building walls within walls of defences.
    • 275 posts
    August 26, 2017 11:36 AM EDT

    I prefer Evony myself. AOE is very boring to me.

    • 224 posts
    August 26, 2017 5:10 PM EDT

    Hey Dragonborn1921, Oh, yes!!

     

    Are you excited about Age of Empires 4?

    Yeeees, I hope the graphics will be realistic, I will hate some "shinny graphics", I hope the game will be at the level of the name of the saga.

     

    Which was your favourite AoE game?

    Age of Empires II, :)

     

    Do you think this will be based off of some of the previous entries in terms of mechanics, or try something entirely new?

    I hope the game take the best of past titles and add new and improved mechanics, some better combat animations and physics would be great.

     

    What Civilizations do you want to see 

    As the trailer suggest, seems will be Civilizations of past games and some new ones, about eras, seems will be consider also Civil War of different lands, U.S, South Amercia, Africa, Asia, will be really cool they delve on more Colonization wars. This is just for say but, what If they consider add Colonization of Chile, :B, hehe, Chilean Civilization xP.

     

    Do you think this will be a post AoE3 game in terms of the timeline, as in we're going to start getting into more modern Civilizations or do you think they'll move closer towards AoE 2's timeline?

    I think they will consider medieval time lines from AoE II, to AoE III, and even maybe a bit more modern timeline, just the most at Reinassance, but I'm pretty sure they will add new histories, considering new cultures and lands.

    Also as trailer suggest will be naval combat, I hope they improve it on this new title, better physics, mechanics, etc.

     

    Nice post Dragonborn1921 :D

    • 1467 posts
    August 28, 2017 11:30 PM EDT

    Ow f#ck yeah, I am excited!! Age of Empires 1 is what introduced me to gaming as a kid. From there onward over the years I played some great rts games: Age of Empires 2, Starcraft, Age of Mythology, Rise of Nations, Warcraft 3 and others. I should get to replaying Age of Empires 3 since I can't say it left a mark on me. My favorite game in the aoe series is 2 - Age of Kings and its expansion. Ow boy, I still remember wrecking havoc with those blue shelby cobras. I hope we get to see as many civilizations from the game'a chosen timeline as possible. In a way I hope the new game will still be set in the medieval era because I miss building walls within walls of defences.

    I was a big fan of walls as well, nothing was more fun than watching a futile army try and get through your walls only to constantly kill them with so many Archers that even a Battering Ram would die quickly. Really my number one strategy was to use Mounted Archers + Walls to win everything (though I do know that almost all of my strategies were useless online so...). Age of Empires 3 is..really weird, I never know how to feel about, its not terrible but 2 is just so good.

    As the trailer suggest, seems will be Civilizations of past games and some new ones, about eras, seems will be consider also Civil War of different lands, U.S, South Amercia, Africa, Asia, will be really cool they delve on more Colonization wars. This is just for say but, what If they consider add Colonization of Chile, :B, hehe, Chilean Civilization xP.

    I think the trailer is more a 'this is what we've done, GET HYPED' sort of thing rather than anything that hints towards what's coming up next. I mean I think every time period in the trailer has already been covered by 1-3. So for now I just won't be using it as an indicator of what's coming. Oh shit, better Naval combat wouldn't suck, I thought that was a bit they really missed in AoE3, it just never made much sense to play as a Naval Civilisation in that game (and they were only so powerful in 2).

     

    • 277 posts
    August 29, 2017 5:40 AM EDT
    I remeber an article that explained how microsoft wanted to get Age of Empires to a time period in which mecha robots are a common thing.