Age of Empires 4 is a thing!?

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TheFlamingo352

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#1  Edited By TheFlamingo352

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RYwZ6GZXWhA&persist_app=1&app=m

Polygon: https://www.polygon.com/2017/8/21/16180714/age-of-empires-4-pc-relic-entertainment-definitive-edition

I think this is a legit announcement? I haven't played AoE since 3 came out a while ago, curious to see how similar this one will be to the originals.

(Edit: Being made by Relic, so I guess the RTS isn't dead?)

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JoeyRavn

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Yes, it's legit. Also, AoE II and AoE II are getting the Definitive Edition treatment, like the original AoE (which is due out next Oct.)

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Seikenfreak

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#3  Edited By Seikenfreak

Exclusive to Win10.. eh And I won't get my hopes up until I see what the visual and gameplay styles are.

Kinda off topic but is Forza 7 also Win10 exclusive? Would mean skipping that as well, even on the fence as I am.

Edit: Thought I'd pull these out. My original copies from 17 years ago. This makes me want to pull out my old 2000 ish era PC build. I do have that map/level design text book/CD they released as well (as seen in the History of AoE video down there) because I thought I was actually going to make stuff haha

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And props to them for mentioning Rise of Nations on the conference because RoN was kinda the last classic RTS IMO. Then everything went 3D and eschewed base building. Meh.

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MocBucket62

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This is pretty exciting! It should be noted that Relic Entertainment is the developer, which is an excellent choice to develop a new Age of Empires. Makes me wonder what era in history they'll go with, or will it be like Civilization where its goes from one historic era to the next?

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Cybexx

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I'm surprised Relic is the developer considering they are owned by Sega. I was expecting this to be Skybox Labs since they did all the Age of Empires HD stuff but hey Relic has the pedigree and they are also a Vancouver BC developer so that is cool.

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BaneFireLord

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Well, holy shit. This is great news.

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e30bmw

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Yes, it's legit. Also, AoE II and AoE II are getting the Definitive Edition treatment, like the original AoE (which is due out next Oct.)

I'm real curious what this is gonna be for 2 considering AoE2:HD edition already exists.

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achillesforever

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Hope this succeeds enough that they make Age of Mythology 2, mainly because Age Of Mythology is the RTS I consider the best. I just want to see RTSs make a comeback like the good old days

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ZolRoyce

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So far I've not been let down by an Age of Empires game (though 2 wololo's my heart) so I shall remain cautious but excited.
I wonder if they

Makes me wonder what era in history they'll go with, or will it be like Civilization where its goes from one historic era to the next?

That's what I'm wondering about too. I think I'd like for it to stick to one era (give or take the tech advances within said era of course) but I'm curious if they'll go the route of 3 and bring it into the future some more, or go back to medieval stuff or what.
Whatever it may be, fingers crossed.

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jkz

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That's actually legitimately exciting. Relic as developer makes me hopeful. I love older style, less competitive RTSs, hope this is something I can get into.

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chrispaul92

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Bill Gates must've looked into it.

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TheFlamingo352

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#12  Edited By TheFlamingo352

@zolroyce: Trailer had a whole bunch of civs--Rome, American Revolution, Feudal Japan, etc. So I'm guessing one era might be a long shot.

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kdenicolo

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#13  Edited By kdenicolo

Looks pretty awesome actually. I'm excited to try it out. Its crazy on their youtube channel they uploaded a ton of Behind the Scenes videos about AoE that are fascinating. Crazy they are suddenly giving it all this attention

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4AfZqb9pxY&t=2s

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deactivated-5b85a38d6c493

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Uhh, I don't know what was going on but after clicking your mobile Youtube link it was constantly redirecting me to the mobile Youtube layout no matter what. Clearing cookies fixed it, that was weird though.

Anyway, that's cool. Maybe I'll finally try and play an AoE game without using cheats and just fucking around.

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Wandrecanada

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You should totally watch this restrospective on Age of Empires by the people who made it.

Amazing video.

Loading Video...

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Jurck

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I have a bad habit of buying way too deep into this trend of old franchises returning, but boy have I been waiting for this! To me, Age of Empires has always been a much more casual-friendly, accessible alternative to most RTSes on the market. I'm terrible at micro-management and my APM is probably 6, but I love to play RTSes regardless. AoE II was my first and is still my favorite.

@zolroyce: Trailer had a whole bunch of civs--Rome, American Revolution, Feudal Japan, etc. So I'm guessing one era might be a long shot.

I think those were all references to previous AoE games; the first was Roman empires, second was Middle Ages, its expansion was mostly about Conquistadors, III was the American Revolution, the first expansion was Native American tribes, and the second expansion was Asian Dynasties. So the trend would suggest something even more modern, but I kind of hope they stick with history.

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mikemcn

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The demo for the original Age Of Empires may be the first game I ever played. This is great, I hope it's a good one.

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frytup

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Well, that's unexpected. Unless it's a total disaster this is a guaranteed day 1 purchase for me.

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isomeri

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@seikenfreak: Yes, Forza Motorsport 7 is most definitely a Windows 10 exclusive.

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Atlas

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I am very conflicted about this.

Age of Empires II is one of my favourite games of all-time, easy top ten if not top five. It's one of the most formative and important games of my life, as it was a big part in my becoming more interested in history. Original AoE was also great. AoE was...not good, but hey, it had some interesting ideas. In theory, I am super excited about a new AoE game, not just for nostalgia but also because it's been so long since I've played a proper RTS; my interest in the genre waned significantly when I starting playing turn-based games, because I always liked the strategic macro-management more than micro-management. Plus, I don't care for MP, which is obviously a huge part of what draws people to RTS games; all of my time with AoE2, hundreds of hours, was singleplayer. I bought AoE2 "HD" edition on Steam on day one, but ended up playing very little of it. I don't know if I'm capable of loving an RTS in 2017, but if I am, then this will be the one.

But I have so many questions. First off, the trailer seems to suggest that the game will cover multiple historical eras, rather than focusing on specific time periods like the previous game (AoE1 was ancient, AoE2 was medieval, AoE3 was Age of Exploration/Early Modern). So are we just going full-on Civ style anachronism stew? Are they really going to try and cover hundreds, if not thousands, of years of technological advancement? One of the things I really liked about AoE is that the time frame was more focused, and I think that applies to a lot of strategy games - one of the things I love about Shogun 2: Total War is how narrow the scope is, allowing for greater detail and more immersion.

Second, Relic is obviously a well-regarded studio with a track record of making good RTS games, but the impression I always got is that the early Relic RTS games were popular because they were a response to the traditional RTS. They shrunk the scale down and focused on smaller units, rather than the wider scope of empire-building, and were more micro than macro with a focus on "hero" units. In essence, the Relic games were antithetical to the old-school RTS, including AoE. So if they are the people who make RTS games that are sort of the opposite of the traditional RTS, how are they going to go about making the new game in a very traditional RTS franchise? Plus, Relic's recent track record hasn't been that great; I've not played them, but I've heard a lot of negativity around Company of Heroes 2 and Dawn of War 3 (partly to do with business practices rather than gameplay, but still).

Third, and perhaps my biggest concern, is the development balance between singleplayer and multiplayer. As mentioned, I'm far less interested in MP as a rule - I don't play MOBAs, online shooters, online strategy games etc. - but I seem to be in a minority, and the popularity of eSports and Twitch has skewed the media more towards MP than perhaps ever before. I would really want Relic to focus more on robust A.I. and compelling campaign content than making sure their game can be an eSport, or supports Twitch integration, or whatever, but my hunch is that their approach will be completely the opposite of what I'd want. Maybe I'm not giving them enough credit - I always got the impression that people have enjoyed Relic's RTS games both for SP and for MP - but on this point I'm not sure I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

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soulcake

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#21  Edited By soulcake

Wait whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat ! this just made my day. Whose making it ? Oh Relic that's weird there my favorite RTS developer hope it's better then DoW III that was a big disappointment.

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Fredchuckdave

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Since Relic is making it it'll be better than the old Age of Empire games, it will still be RTS and not sell though.

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Tennmuerti

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#23  Edited By Tennmuerti

Color me suuuuper skeptical.

Microsoft's last attempt to revive Age of Empires was the colossal fuckery that was the AoE Online, with all that juicy F2P grind bullshit.

Relic is not exactly in the RTS community's good graces atm. Latest Company of Heroes was a shaky game that disappointed some people and was lousy with aggressive nickledimey DLC. DoW3 is fair to say was a massive let down for most Dawn of War fans whether you're a fan of the first game or the second one; for many many reasons that's not worth making a list over right now. Atm Relic very much appears to be backsliding.

Windows 10 store/platform exclusivity doesn't inspire any confidence at all.

I love rts games, it's one of the main genres I've started gaming with and Age of Empires has a special place in that pantheon and in my heart too as cheesy as that sounds. So I would like nothing more then for this new game to be great and to succeed. But I've been burned a few too many times recently by a big publisher trying to make a nostalgia play, so combined with the above I would rather remain very cautious and see where this thing goes first before getting my hopes up.

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mavs

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@cybexx said:

I'm surprised Relic is the developer considering they are owned by Sega. I was expecting this to be Skybox Labs since they did all the Age of Empires HD stuff but hey Relic has the pedigree and they are also a Vancouver BC developer so that is cool.

CA is a Sega studio and they did Halo Wars 2. Seems like the Sega-MS relationship is ongoing.

AOE is almost as far from Relic's games as you can get while staying in the RTS genre, so I'm not sure how this will turn out.

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ArbitraryWater

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I'd like this to be good. That'd be nice. Like a lot of people, I have a soft spot for Age of Empires II, even if I was never very good at it.

That said, people seem pretty cold on Relic right now after Dawn of War III managed to disappoint both Dawn of War and Dawn of War II fans. And of course, I'm not sure how much I trust Microsoft not to try and "streamline" it for no good reason, but I guess we'll find out?

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Cybexx

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@mavs said:

@cybexx said:

I'm surprised Relic is the developer considering they are owned by Sega. I was expecting this to be Skybox Labs since they did all the Age of Empires HD stuff but hey Relic has the pedigree and they are also a Vancouver BC developer so that is cool.

CA is a Sega studio and they did Halo Wars 2. Seems like the Sega-MS relationship is ongoing.

AOE is almost as far from Relic's games as you can get while staying in the RTS genre, so I'm not sure how this will turn out.

Oh yeah it totally slipped my mind that Sega owns both. That makes more sense then, established relationship and whatnot.