Age of Empires IV released last week. Is anybody else playing it?
I've been an AoE fan since the original, playing every game and most of the expansions. Age of Empires III was maybe the only time I was truly competitive in online play. So I've been very much looking forward to the long absent AoE IV.
I haven't played any true "skirmish" battles yet but have put some time into the beginning campaign about the early days of the England. The gameplay so far seems a direct growth on top of Age of Empires II: familiar and yet polished. Much of the evolution and new systems from III has been stripped away, which I think many will find refreshing. I respect and love III, I think it's a great game honestly, but after so long of a break, I understand a bit of a "back-to-basics" approach.
What is truly remarkable so far is AoE IV's embracing of the history it portrays. In the past, Age of Empires games used their time periods as set dressings, but here it is front and center, absolutely central to the experience. Familiar systems are bent in such a way as to tell stories of the past through gameplay with a lavish and completely unnecessary (but greatly appreciated) presentation of mini documentaries and supplemental materials about the peoples you are playing in the game. For instance, the after the last campaign mission I played, I unlocked a gorgeous mini doc about medieval falconry of all things. It wasn't directly related to the battle I had just replayed as an AoE mission, but instead tried to broaden my understanding of how these people lived. I'm not sure if every civilization's campaign has similar thought put into it, but if it does, it will be a massive achievement. Telling my friend about it, he said it sounded a bit like Microsoft's old Encarta multimedia products and upon thinking about it, I could really see the connection, which sort of makes me love it all the more.
I've been an AoE fan since the original, playing every game and most of the expansions. Age of Empires III was maybe the only time I was truly competitive in online play. So I've been very much looking forward to the long absent AoE IV.
I haven't played any true "skirmish" battles yet but have put some time into the beginning campaign about the early days of the England. The gameplay so far seems a direct growth on top of Age of Empires II: familiar and yet polished. Much of the evolution and new systems from III has been stripped away, which I think many will find refreshing. I respect and love III, I think it's a great game honestly, but after so long of a break, I understand a bit of a "back-to-basics" approach.
What is truly remarkable so far is AoE IV's embracing of the history it portrays. In the past, Age of Empires games used their time periods as set dressings, but here it is front and center, absolutely central to the experience. Familiar systems are bent in such a way as to tell stories of the past through gameplay with a lavish and completely unnecessary (but greatly appreciated) presentation of mini documentaries and supplemental materials about the peoples you are playing in the game. For instance, the after the last campaign mission I played, I unlocked a gorgeous mini doc about medieval falconry of all things. It wasn't directly related to the battle I had just replayed as an AoE mission, but instead tried to broaden my understanding of how these people lived. I'm not sure if every civilization's campaign has similar thought put into it, but if it does, it will be a massive achievement. Telling my friend about it, he said it sounded a bit like Microsoft's old Encarta multimedia products and upon thinking about it, I could really see the connection, which sort of makes me love it all the more.
