AOE4 All We Know From April 10th

[duckzilla]

I just need to know one thing to know if i will play aoe 4 or not, does the multiplayer platform will look more like eso (wich is really good, and perfect to talk with friend etc etc) or does it gonna look like the DE multiplayers platform who are totally shit

Biggest bummer and incomprehensible that modern developers can't even reach a simple design from 15 years ago.

[Cocaine]

All I care about now is if there will be something like PR.. LOL cuz we all know that PR is worth more than actual money.

[RefluxSemantic]

Some thoughts on the latest reveals:

- some of the criticisms regarding animations seem to have been adressed. The arrows in particular are fine now.

- visually speaking, I think it will range from just fine to great. It looks clean and decent to pretty. Im confident it wont be something that turns me off and thats good enough for me. A game is primarily about gameplay after all. In some of the gameplay snippets shown in the latest interview I actually thought it looked quite great.

- units seem pretty responsive in the bits that show actual gameplay. It looks like you can actually micro, so thats nice.

- civ design seems similar to aoe3. Cant claim Im disappointed about that. It seems landmarks and unique technologies, plus aoe3 style bonuses will give some nice diversity.

- strategy wise I think the landmarks and unique technologies can be really interesting. I believe these have the potential to make the game feel a lot like aoe3. I also noticed some of the technologies have very long research times (longest is 90 seconds so far), and from experience of sc2 this adds some interesting strategical elements to build orders (eg delay units so that you can get some tech started faster so that you can hit a better timing). Quite positive and optimistic about these things.

- it also seems like certain map elements give you a reason to leave your base. This is quite speculative, but there is some wording with regards to trade that makes it seem like you have traders moving out on the map and back to your base. One of the screenshots shows a ton of map icons too, which are presumably points of interest on the map that you might want to control. Another screenshot shows a 'sacred site' which could have a similar function. I would like such gameplay mechanics, where map control gives you bonuses but doesnt necessarily give you an overwhelming advantage (which is kind of the case for aoe3).

- the stuff about their campaigns is actually intruiging. They are talking about actual documentary style campaigns, with real world footage being part of the cinematics. Im casual enough that I will probably love this.

Overall I am pretty optimistic. Graphics are good enough for me. I like the general gameplay direction that seems to have elements from aoe2 but also plenty of elements from what I like about aoe3. Unique civ design is something I always love. Gameplay might not be super deep (its impossible to tell atm), but I am convinced it will have enough depth to entertain me for ~50-100 hours in the worst case (that'd be a bit disappointing, but still def worth the money). And honestly, I feel like the systems that they have shown so far totally have the potential to be great.

[princeofcarthage]

It also seems that map terrain will play important role in fights, fogs, cliffs, forests.

[RefluxSemantic]

It also seems that map terrain will play important role in fights, fogs, cliffs, forests.

If they pull this off it's going to be big. It seems the game uses a sort of 'true sight' system, were LOS actually can be obstructed by things like cliffs, trees and walls (this sort of system was already in CoH). I always found that terrain elements in CoH2 added a lot to the gameplay, even if that system was somewhat forced. If they pull this off in a natural and more subtle manner, that's going to be huge.

[princeofcarthage]

It also seems that map terrain will play important role in fights, fogs, cliffs, forests.

If they pull this off it's going to be big. It seems the game uses a sort of 'true sight' system, were LOS actually can be obstructed by things like cliffs, trees and walls (this sort of system was already in CoH). I always found that terrain elements in CoH2 added a lot to the gameplay, even if that system was somewhat forced. If they pull this off in a natural and more subtle manner, that's going to be huge.

Total war series have been using this in limited manner for quite a few years now.

[Dolan]

It also seems that map terrain will play important role in fights, fogs, cliffs, forests.

If they pull this off it's going to be big. It seems the game uses a sort of 'true sight' system, were LOS actually can be obstructed by things like cliffs, trees and walls (this sort of system was already in CoH). I always found that terrain elements in CoH2 added a lot to the gameplay, even if that system was somewhat forced. If they pull this off in a natural and more subtle manner, that's going to be huge.

That's the only new interesting feature of AOE4 that actually adds some new mechanic to the game imo. But from the gameplay previews I've seen, walking on a map is visibly slower than in AOE3 and, with bigger maps, it makes this terrain elevation feature less usable for surprise attacks. The enemy would see it coming fast enough to already have defences put in place.

The gameplay mechanics from these trailers seem made to give you a more reassuring feeling about the safety of your base, like you couldn't suddenly be targeted by an attack that came out of nowhere. It's probably to make the game more appealing to a larger audience than just diehard competitive players, since casual players always quoted this as a reason why they never liked AOE3. Casual players hate rushes and sudden threats that come to their base, they want safety, long booming games, buildings that die very hard, strong walls, lots of options to defend.

So, I think AOE4 will be made to have mechanics that are more friendly to casual gamers, who like to play more defensive, build a base, develop it, fend attacks without much effort etc. I doubt it will have this Starcraft-like dynamic that AOE3 has with a fast paced gameplay, sudden turn of events with big shipments, smaller maps that can be travelled faster.

[aaryngend]

So, I think AOE4 will be made to have mechanics that are more friendly to casual gamers, who like to play more defensive, build a base, develop it, fend attacks without much effort etc. I doubt it will have this Starcraft-like dynamic that AOE3 has with a fast paced gameplay, sudden turn of events with big shipments, smaller maps that can be travelled faster.

This is what I'm thinking too. No way it will be as fast as aoe3 or SC2. I hope it's not too slow.. we don't need an RTS/SimCity hybrid.

[RefluxSemantic]

Aoe3 trailers also showed huge walled off cities. Sc2 trailers showed huge lategame armies, only for players to 6 pool, 2rax or 4 gate you. These trailers are usually not very representative of competitive gameplay.

[aaryngend]

Aoe3 trailers also showed huge walled off cities. Sc2 trailers showed huge lategame armies, only for players to 6 pool, 2rax or 4 gate you. These trailers are usually not very representative of competitive gameplay.

Do you remember the SC2 Battle Reports? They actually showed early game rushing and agression.

[RefluxSemantic]

Aoe3 trailers also showed huge walled off cities. Sc2 trailers showed huge lategame armies, only for players to 6 pool, 2rax or 4 gate you. These trailers are usually not very representative of competitive gameplay.

Do you remember the SC2 Battle Reports? They actually showed early game rushing and agression.

I dont exactly remember these, only for the expansions.

But to be fair to aoe4, gameplay showed some examples of early game rushes too in that gameplay trailer. Ultimately they'll try to highlight the grandness, as thats what sells. And I gotta admit I am kinda excited for having cool big walls with units on top of it. The kid in me is beyond excited about it. And so is the casual gamer in me. And the part of me thats a huge fan of stronghold crusader.

[LegalPenguin]

Aoe3 trailers also showed huge walled off cities. Sc2 trailers showed huge lategame armies, only for players to 6 pool, 2rax or 4 gate you. These trailers are usually not very representative of competitive gameplay.

Do you remember the SC2 Battle Reports? They actually showed early game rushing and agression.

I dont exactly remember these, only for the expansions.

But to be fair to aoe4, gameplay showed some examples of early game rushes too in that gameplay trailer. Ultimately they'll try to highlight the grandness, as thats what sells. And I gotta admit I am kinda excited for having cool big walls with units on top of it. The kid in me is beyond excited about it. And so is the casual gamer in me. And the part of me thats a huge fan of stronghold crusader.

If the trailer was a highlight to the grandness, then I'll pretty disappointed, to be honest.
I was hoping for more daring gameplay: grappling hooks to let sneaky units scale walls, ships that can enter and capture other ships, a unique way of strategically engage in a fight etc.
More than big walls with units on it.

Might just be me though.

Time will tell, but for now I'm praying that the game will be good.

[n0el]

Show hidden quotes

Aoe3 trailers also showed huge walled off cities. Sc2 trailers showed huge lategame armies, only for players to 6 pool, 2rax or 4 gate you. These trailers are usually not very representative of competitive gameplay.

Do you remember the SC2 Battle Reports? They actually showed early game rushing and agression.

I dont exactly remember these, only for the expansions.

But to be fair to aoe4, gameplay showed some examples of early game rushes too in that gameplay trailer. Ultimately they'll try to highlight the grandness, as thats what sells. And I gotta admit I am kinda excited for having cool big walls with units on top of it. The kid in me is beyond excited about it. And so is the casual gamer in me. And the part of me thats a huge fan of stronghold crusader.

If the trailer was a highlight to the grandness, then I'll pretty disappointed, to be honest.
I was hoping for more daring gameplay: grappling hooks to let sneaky units scale walls, ships that can enter and capture other ships, a unique way of strategically engage in a fight etc.
More than big walls with units on it.

Might just be me though.

Time will tell, but for now I'm praying that the game will be good.

There’s been several screens showing siege towers, so I assume you can garrison infantry into siege towers and pop them on top of the stone walls. That seems more realistic than grappling hooks.