Is age of empires 4 any good? I played 2 and when I was younger, but I was shit at both and didn't know what I was doing. Which one should I go play???
*2 and 3FUCK I made a typo. I might as well kill myself now
>>1549843Play all of 2If you finish that and you want something different, play 3Forget 4
>>1549843aoe 4 sux.
>>1549843https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zommN7BT4LI
Its's good. Plenty of variety in civs and much quicker pace than Aoe2. Also love how the music changes with each civ and with each age up.Some downsides are that the scenarios are pretty meh compared to the other games, and the solo AI could use some work; but overall the online scene is pretty active and growing.Two new civs have been announced recently for the next dlc - Japan and Byzantines.
>>1549843>Which one should I go play???If you wanted an order of the games slowly improving with each, then:AoE1<AoE2<AoE4<AoE3<AoM (<AoEO)AoE1 is bitch-basic and isn't really playable today, DUNE 2/WC1 tierAoE2 gets the interface sorted out, is just a solid old RTS, C&C1/WC2 tierAoE4 adds some details and personality to AoE2, but carries on with all of its flaws, Red Alert 1 tierAoE3 adds a fun campaign, meta projection, AI personalities, but it also does some steps backwards, Tiberian Sun tierAoM also adds a real campaign, but a great one, factions are distinct and fun to play, music is bangers, responses memorable, Starcraft tierAoEO finally is a mixed bag, very YMMV, you might find a straight upgrade of AoM in every way, but could also be put off by the quest-oriented SP experience or artstyle, Red Alert 3/Starcraft 2 tierThat's for the real games. The Definitive Editions are just an orgy of every single game mentioned above. They randomly mix the various faction designs, SP experience, top it off with modern graphics, etc. They're a schizophrenic experience that, at least IMO, works best if you've played the originals, found your favorite and now just want more of game X, more UI, more factions, more of random shit. Kind of like a really popular and massive modpack.
>>1549843atrocious art style
>>1550005This editing is so obnoxious
>>1550109aoe4<<<<<<<<<aoe1<<<<aoe2<aoe3<aom/aoeoftfy
>>1549843All of the original Age of Empires series games are worth playing./vst/ is full of aoe2de grognard shills that crap on Age of Empires 4 but if you were to play one aoe game then Age of Empires 4 would be the best. It's the latest game so it's going to have the best graphics, support, and active playerbase. It has a good selection of civs, music, campaigns. Gameplay wise it's the smoothest and most balanced. It's not tedious like the other games and is most gameplay-focused. Easy to get into and very streamlined without being basic. Very underrated on /vst/ for some reason.
>>1550932AoE1 isn't really worth playing except as a reminder of how much better 2 is
>>1550932It's the best one of the series but all the retarded manchildren that use this website can't let go of their 23 year old game due to the sunk cost fallacy and muh nostalgia. If it wasn't for people's weird infatuation with 2 I really think 4 would be considered the best RTS in the last decade. I will die on this hill because I fucking love the game. t. Rajesh and I was paid 1 rupee for this post
>Very underrated on /vst/ for some reason.Because it's a mediocre game that never really outshone AoE2
>>1550941I felt the campaigns in 4 weren't great, and I don't like the history channel direction they took. Maybe time and expansions will change things
>>1550935antiquity>middle ages
>>1550949I liked the campaigns and I liked that I learned stuff and I think most of the hate comes from add zoomers
>>1549843You know how some games feel better than what they objectively should be when you look at their different parts? For me, AoE IV is the opposite. Practically, there’s nothing completely bad about it and it’s coold how they try to diversify the factions in it, but because it takes place in the same timeframe as AoE II, you can’t avoid comparisons to it. And as it is, AoE II is just so much more polished game, a juggernaut that makes for unfair comparisons. In void, AoE IV would be pretty good, but now it kind of gets dragged down by the existence of its grandpappy.
>>1550971>AoE II is just so much more polished gameKEK
>>1550971opinion immediately discarded because you are dumb
>>1551063AoE4 should overtake AoE2, if they just keep adding content, I think.
>>15513404 would be lucky to even match 2
>>1549843I only played in the beginning, but even though I liked it it needed a higher population cap. Limiting to 200 in a army felt really stupid when the maps actually felt good. The artsyle was unfortunately purposefully bland. The game needed custom maps and a sandbox conquest mode desperately, but I haven't checked in recently to know if it has it yet
AoE 1 = umbalanced but hardcoreAoE 2 = brood warAoE 3 = Warcraft 3 kind of shitAoE 4 = Rockefeller grandson influencerAoM = trash AoEO = weird like mobile game
>>1549843It'll never match 2, but maybe it can be useful in eventually funding AoE5.
If you're looking for single player content, then it's worth playing AOE1 DE and see if you like it. It's a bit fiddly compared to later entries, but has the cool antiquity setting.AOE2 DE has insane amounts of single player campaigns and battles are are the best I've played in an RTS, so that'll take up lots of time.AOE3 DE the campaigns were more fictional and silly, but still a cool game.Never played AOE4 campaigns but heard they were set up like documentaries?If you want multiplayer, then it'll depend on what system mechanics you like best. I personally like AoE2 the most followed by 3. I tried 4 when it came out but never really clicked with it. Found that it played like a mix of AoE and something like CoH with unit abilities and really unique faction design. That's not bad at all, but just different, so it's worth trying them out to see what you think, or at least having that knowledge before jumping in.
>>1551437>It'll never match 2What do these 2 trannies base their opinions off, nostalgia? That's the thing with nostalgia that 2tards don't understand, it's better kept in the past because revisiting it will NEVER match the memories. At that point you're muddying those memories. The nostalgic memories I've had over aoe2 have been shit on by you 2 trannies. Not only that but utterly bastardized by the aoe2de mod-tier content. It's whatever now and it is what it is.
>>1551459>AOE2 DE has insane amounts of single player campaignsBro those DE campaigns are jank as fuck. They don't shine a little to the original soulful campaigns. Making and playing your own scenarios is more fun than that.>>1551426>AoM = trashLmao
>>1551971>What do these 2 trannies base their opinions off, nostalgia?We still play the game today. It's a live service game that received a balance patch just 12 days ago.
>>1551971DE has some great campaigns, I doubt you've played even half
4 just can't match 2 and can't ever overcome it whilst they're both being well-supported. In a race, you can't catch up with a guy who started 20 meters ahead of you and matches your pace.Imagine if, for example, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 was still getting balance updates, character DLC, etc. Literally nobody would be playing Tekken 7 and or 8.It also helps that the AoE2 art style/direction is timeless and will never age, while AoE4 will actually begin to look worse and worse relative to newer games coming out, since it went with such an ugly, already dated clash-of-clans art style.
>>1552003>It's a live service gameBased on a 23 year old game engine.>>1552041>DE has some great campaignsJank>>15520452 has garbage AI and terrible pathing issues. That alone makes it worth playing the newer titles over it.>In a raceLolwut. Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings was released and completed in 1999Age of Empires IV was released in 2021. It's not a race.>AoE2 art style/direction is timeless and will never age>sprites and 2-dimensionality is timelessMaybe because of how basic it is.>AoE4 will actually begin to look worse and worse relative to newer games coming outAoE2 has had numerous graphical overhauls so moot point.
>>1552269>Based on a 23 year old game engine.Irrelevant. Latest patch is 12 days old.>2 has garbage AI and terrible pathing issues.2 has the best AI in AoE. It doesn't even cheat. The "terrible pathing issues" are recent, and being resolved. They've shown what they intend the new pathing to look like. It's lovely. It's just only in SP for this patch because they wanted feedback.Obvious troll, but AoE4 kids can't even keep their thread alive.
>>1552269>2 has garbage AI and terrible pathing issuesThe madlads actually went and coded a proper AI that actually plays the game.
>>1550932>AoE4>Good musiclollmao, even
>>1551973do you mean DE ruined the existing campaigns and I should buy HD instead? or you mean that the new campaigns made by the community and for new civs suck.>>1550109Aoe1 is not that bad. it feels about as antiquated as WC2
>>1549843Yes, it is good. Campaign is short but it is more fun than 2. There are still some bugs that are frustrating, but as long as you are not trying to become AOE sweat-lord pro, it won’t bother you
>>1552516Campaign is not better than 2, but overall gameplay and multiplayer is just faster paced with more fluid RTS mechanics — i worded that poorly. Right now rams are overpowered which is lame but there are more viable siege units than 2 anyway, and better counters so it is a moot point and will get patched/balanced.
>>1552518>but there are more viable siege units than 2 anywayAnon, mangonels ARE the anti-crossbow meta, and trebs are a wincon. What?
>>1552514AoE2 DE is the pinnacle of Age of Empires and this is reflected in strong consistent player numbers, don't let a lone schizo tell you otherwise
>>1552544Now post gamepass numbers. Most of AoE2fags are povertyfags in third world shitholes that can't afford a powerful enough PC to play anything more than a $20.00 20 year old game being propped up by non-canonical mod-based content.>>1552531>trebs are a winconThat's one reason I don't like AoE2. There is a narrow meta that punishes players that want to get creative and play their way. AoE4 is more flexible, partly because of civ asymmetry. AoE2 the civs are largely the same which is why the meta is as narrow as it is and why build orders are critical.
>>1552678>That's one reason I don't like AoE2. There is a narrow meta that punishes players that want to get creative and play their way.You learn to operate within the existing framework, and you'll find that you have more options for expression precisely because there are limits on what's viable. It doesn't encourage degenerate playstyles like massing light cav from start to finish just because you're playing "the light cav civ". Age of Empires 4 is not "flexible". It doesn't have strong enough core gameplay for that. Each civ has a set of options, and those options are either generic, or heavily customized to encourage one style of play. They have less "uniqueness" in their attributes within each civ than AoE2 does, because the differences are designed to be meaningless.>AoE2 the civs are largely the same which is why the meta is as narrow as it is and why build orders are critical.AoE4 was made for people like you.
>>1552678>non-canonicalthis isn't one of your animes schizo what the fuck are you talking about
>>1552544nah. I've played since the 90s. DE is good for multiplayer because everyone is on, but that's it. they have too many civs and they vary in quality enormously (not to mention 'pay to win'). they also fucked up campaign voice acting and they keep messing up the code.im specifically wondering if the campaigns have been made worse besides what I mentioned
>>1552719I disagree, people do just build whatever their civ has a bonus for, and all the new civs encourage that by seriously buffing one unit type and leaving the others out to dry.civs originally emphasized- a portion of the tech tree- a unique unit- cool looking buildingsall of this has been way over blown with the focus on bonuses.another thing constraining the meta is people watching too much YouTube and copying pro players.niggas out here splitting archers and repairing magonels when they don't even produce villagers constantly or understand how to build a unit comp.
>>1552800>I disagree, people do just build whatever their civ has a bonus for, and all the new civs encourage that by seriously buffing one unit type and leaving the others out to dry.In AoE2? Maybe if you're playing against inflated-elo Frank/Ethiopian/Briton mains, or civs designed to be one-trick ponies like Celts and Gurjaras, but if your civ doesn't railroad you down a unit line, you get plenty of variation.>another thing constraining the meta is people watching too much YouTube and copying pro players.Lemmings being lemmings isn't a game design issue.
>>1552795>they have too many civsUpgrade your brain, brainlet. >and they vary in quality enormously (not to mention 'pay to win').All of the civs are pretty well-designed, anon. Name examples if you want to say some aren't.>No one knows how to play Burgundians, >Sicilians have been a meme since LotW>Poles have a powerspike that only lasts from the time they research Szlachta to the time their enemy puts chem on arbs,
>>1552719>They have less "uniqueness" in their attributes within each civ than AoE2 does, because the differences are designed to be meaningless.Copium overdose
Behold, Jerusalem!Seriously, even garage-made indie games put more effort into presentation than these guys. Just how bad are their sales figures to work with what's essentially 13 year old's deviantart commissions?
>>1552819Burgundians are easy, you use economical to tech use your early knight rush before either moving into unique units or moving into gunpowder overdrive Oh.. if you dare attack my base farmers of the world will rise up
>>1552795>they have too many civsThis is a huge gripe. Original AoE2 civ count was fine but the spam of civs from HD and DE is ridiculous. It's impossible to balance that many civs which leads to players gravitating towards the few strongest civs. That is for certain considering how sweaty AoE2 is.
>>1552879>4 variant civilizationsWhat did they mean by this?https://youtu.be/xaG5P85RwHg
>>1552886That's where Ai should be used to calculate and balance them all evenly
>>1552881>Burgundians are easy>you use economical to techEnglish?>use your early knight rushDon't have one>before either moving into unique unitsThere's no reason to make the Coustillier>moving into gunpowder overdrive Their Hand Cannoneers are just a bit better against cavalry. It's not your generic power unit.>Oh.. if you dare attack my base farmers of the world will rise upAnd then you spend the next 10-20 minutes trying to piece your eco back together while your enemy switches into arbs and fucks you sideways.>>1552886>It's impossible to balance that many civs which leads to players gravitating towards the few strongest civs.Almost all of them have winrates ranging between 45 and 55% (if their sample sizes are decent). The ones that don't fit in this range get attention from devs and players, unless it's a pubstomping issue.You just got filtered by a game having a knowledge floor.
>>1552888Wait...were they using the first 10-12 civs as templates for future civ types?If so, then bravo, devs.
>>1552888>Calling Romans the Byzantines>Eurocentrism in 2023Romanbros, not like this...Why did they have to do us dirtyhttps://medium.com/exploring-history/there-was-no-such-thing-as-the-byzantine-empire-87b68fd95631
>>1552888Just what eveyone loves; palette swap characters
>>1552963???AoE2 units are literally all the same besides uniques.
>>1552981???Isn't Aoe2 the most beloved game in the franchise?
>>1552888variant for french like franks, if I had to guess then its going to be a few units that are different or somethingso mostly same as the base civ but depending on what is changed I guess the variants could play quite differently in multiplayer? like if they have some strong unit or mechanic that is different that gives rise to new strategies
>>15525074 has some absolute bangers you massive fucking retardhttps://youtu.be/RTBq-OyVZdY?si=COV-6LhWNjadRXxAhttps://youtu.be/b8lw9Pnh_yc?si=uCfrz-UMAYAU9es-
>>1552819>>1552815hey faggot. you made two comments that contradict each other. one you claim the balance is pretty good and all the civs essential and the next you list a good number of unbalanced civs.>>1552886exactly. it's interesting to have say an infantry civ and a cav civ and maybe a hybrid that's not as strong at either.but the way it is now is there is a strong civ and stronger civ. >>1552889can I get a onions face reply to this one?
>>1553197What compels ""people"" to shit on AoE4 so much? Fear of having to learn a new build order?
>>1553203It's literally as simple as "old good new bad". I loved 2 dearly but 4 offers much more diversity in gameplay because it requires significantly less build order autism to have fun with.
>>1553240Are you joking? 4 has way more build order autism than 2. In 2 you can learn a basic fast castle and be fine with all the civs. 4 basically forces you to hyper specialize in one civ since they all have wildly different troop compositions available in Dark and Feudal ages.
>>1553240If it's as simple as old good new bad then why isn't 1 more beloved than 2?
>>1553203it was in a pretty bad state at release, missing a lot of basic features, buggy as shit which affected balancemuch better state now though but I guess the first impression is what most people will continue to have (well first impresison, took like a year to get into a good state and after fixing bugs they had many rounds of balance updates with some pretty retarded metas, but after balance stuff, adding new mechanics to civs, 2 new civs added for free, mod support, basic features added its pretty good now I guess)
>>1553203While the game did deserve criticism, I think some people just love to hate stuff. You can see how they root for the worst to happen, how they cherry pick the flaws and make a big deal out of them, how delighted they are that a game is a flop because it didn't sell a trillion copies. Maybe that's how they cope with inability to enjoy stuff or having no time to play new games anymore? Also, vocal minorities are the ones who complain while the rest just play and stay quiet.
>>1552902Byzantine is an accepted term in historiography, brainlet.
>>1553539>Byzantine is an accepted term in Western school of historiography, brainlet
>>1553546I don't give a fuck what non-westerners say about Rome/Byzantium
>>1553550>I don't care that I'm ignorantOk so why bring it up?
What the fuck are the devs smoking with these variant civs? This shit is straight out of World of Warcraft.
>Campaign based around Muslims defending against the CrusadesJesus christ how fucking cucked is this game?
>>1553563Well the plus side is that it's only $15.
>>1553647I see what you did there
>>1553563What do you mean, AoE has found a successful audience.The key to success being low-risk, low-budget much like any remastero-remake out there.People like these anons are happy to have a supported game >>1550932>>1550941, Microsoft makes a few hundred thousand bucks along the way.As long as the price is right, and it is >>1553650.Food analogies uber alles.You need some low-budget, low production value offerings to cover the full range of the market.And AoE is not the main course of McMicrosoft, it is the soda/fries you pay an extra buck for as a side.
>>1553563what the fuckthose don't sound like actual empires or nationshow does that make sense
>>1553722but it is getting 2 new civs retard
>>1553563Funny with the warcraft reference cause the variant civs are getting hero units, guess we WC3 now
>>1553563>Yo what civ are you picking>Jeanne d' Arc>What, I said civ?>Jeanne d' ArcBruh. This is like AoE4 and AoM, the game just turned in a whole different direction.I can't say much yet I have to try it and see but this was certainly unexpected and I'm excited to see.https://www.ageofempires.com/news/aoeiv-the-sultans-ascend-pre-order-now/Also reminds me of MTG Commander and with more creative freedom the devs have than before.
>>1553563Now in your historical strategy game:Order of the Dragon vs Empire of JadeThis will be $15. Than you for your cooperation.And also on that note, how did empire of jade even make it through the diversity officer. This is the one time they were supposed to do their job.
