Useful Pointers for an Optimistic Gamer

  • This topic has 12 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 1 year ago by zeacliff.
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  • #22967

    Hello, I am currently on the lookout for a new game and I am interested in trying out Aoe2.

    However, I have a few questions that I hope someone can help me with.

    Firstly, I had assumed that Aoe2 was the latest in the series, but I have discovered that there are more.

    I am wondering whether Aoe2 is the best game to start with and invest my time in.

    Additionally, I am curious to know whether the game still has an active playerbase and if the multiplayer options are still functional.

    If you could provide me with any information on these topics, I would greatly appreciate it.

    Thank you.

    #22968
    jimrobertbird
    Guest

    1) aoe 2 is a twenty year old game, aoe 2 definitive edition is the current active release of it; new content is coming out all the time with consistent patches.

    In my opinion it’s the best aoe game.

    2) there is a large and active player base, as well as a very active eSports community.

    In fact, aoe 2 has a larger player base than aoe 4 which just released recently.

    Aoe 1 has a definitive edition, but it’s generally a worse game and essentially abandoned by Microsoft.

    It is my understanding that the original CD release still has a massive player base in Vietnam.

    Aoe 1 might be getting a remake or port to the aoe 2 engine soon.

    Aoe 3 is actually very good, but quite different; It’s the black sheep of the series.

    Definitely worth a try if it’s on sale.

    Aoe 3 has a cool deck building system.

    Aoe 4 just came out recently.

    It’s got a decent player base.

    The game received a lot of backlash from aoe 2 fans for being half baked at release.

    It’s since been updated to a better state, and is a genuinely fun game.

    I still prefer aoe 2.

    Aoe 4 has far fewer civilizations but more asymmetrical design.

    Age of mythology is a kick-ass sequel to aoe 2.

    It’s old, but actually quite good.

    I might sleep on this one, because it should be getting a remaster soon.

    It’s player base is small but dedicated.

    #22969
    ShinraMox
    Guest

    1.

    There’s a reason this game is still getting updates and events after 20 + year.

    It’s fantastic.

    I haven’t played 3 or 4, but heard 4 isn’t very good.

    2.

    Multiplayer is active, although I don’t play it at present.

    It has vast campaigns that will make you have to think alot, although I spend most my time learning and improving against ai in skirmish mode (basically you vs ai or you + ai vs ai) I also do private games with my mate teamed up against ai.

    Plenty to do, plenty to learn gameplay wise, bit of history.

    All in all highly recomend.

    #22970
    Exe0n
    Guest

    You want to get AOE2 definitive edition, it’s very alive, has a great community and professional tournaments go on on a regular basis.

    The game has never been this alive.

    For queue times it’s anywhere between 1 and 4 minutes from my experience.

    The expansions are nice but not mandatory to play competitive on multiplayer.

    The game still receives regular updates and another expansion is expected this year.

    #22971
    Slothjawfoil
    Guest

    Theres never been a better time to play AoE2.

    There are newer games that other commenters have already described well, but AoE2 DE is the way to go and is being updated to this day.

    It’s really brought the game up to modern standards.

    It feels so good to play and looks a lot fresher than the original.

    It’s better than I could’ve wished for.

    The player base is still huge and has been for years.

    Even during the Voobly years where there was no official support people kept the game going.

    I don’t think this game will be dead any time soon.

    Mp is bustling with new updates and balancing.

    Map rotations and new strategies and trends.

    If you like watching stuff, tournaments and video content are plentiful.

    Yearly tournaments at Heidelburg castle and now theres a pro league format too.

    There’s even different tournaments for different game modes, and this game has so many game modes!

    Theres nomad, regicide, empire war, and even 8-way free-for-all.

    I could recommend particular casters if you want.

    There’s more than you could conceivably watch.

    AoE2 is more alive than ever and the community is largely enthusiastic for it’s future.

    I also think our community tends to be slightly nicer than other RTS communities that I can think of off the top of my head.

    #22972
    WentyTwonPilots
    Guest

    I agree with most comments, but just wanna add: there’s a tournament going on this weekend if you’re interested, check out Nili AoE on twitch or YouTube.

    It’s been the most entertaining one IMO, the competitive scene is a lot of fun

    #22973
    Vaanns
    Guest

    I’ve only played age of empires 2 so I’m biased, but I’ve sunk a lot of hours into this game, and I’d say it’s definitely worth it because you find yourself getting better and better as each game goes on, the player base for this game (which is 20+ years old) is insanely strong considering how many changes have been made to the game.

    I think you will have a great time playing and I’d suggest just playing against bots to start.

    Multiplayer works just fine and is waiting for you to play at any moment!

    #22974
    Loxodontox
    Guest

    This is the BEST BY FAR.

    Most popular and has received significant resources from Microsoft in recent years despite being released first in 1999.

    Think about that, the game has a level of layered complexity enough to keep you guessing for 24 years…and it has been picking up steam.

    Get AOE2 DE, not any other AOE before age 2 DE.

    The others are fine, but AOE2 DE is generally the consensus greatest RTS ever along with the starcrafts

    #22975
    Scoo_By
    Guest

    Aoe2 DE which is the latest version, currently is the biggest aoe in terms of playercount.

    Take a look at the steam charts.

    Last i heard, it’s averaging 25k~ per day.

    And I’m at 14xx elo, top 10% of playerbase, and it takes 2 mins in average to get 1v1 ranked matches.

    The professional scene is bigger and better than aoe4 even.

    The prizepools are better for aoe4 through.

    #22976
    Twuggle
    Guest

    AoE2 has a very large following.

    In recent years Microsoft has begun putting out content for it, so the player base has grown.

    I think it’s the best AOE to play, but that is subjective.

    If you’re wanting to play online I suggest playing ranked que.

    It may sound intimidating but it’s the best way to get a competitive game.

    You’ll probably lose a lot your first 10 matches because the game is finding your skill level, but after that it’ll be 50/50.

    #22977
    onzichtbaard
    Guest

    I think aoe2 is the most
    Popular out of all
    Of them

    But aoe4 is also reasonably populated

    You can look for gameplay on both
    Of those and see which one you want to get

    Aoe2 has the benefit
    Of being able to run on virtually every computer

    I personally feel like aoe4 controls sluggish compared to 2 but there are people who don’t enjoy how old 2 feels

    #22978
    WanderoftheAshes
    Guest

    Best one to start with I could never answer fairly with this being the only one I’ve played, but there is definitely an active player base and a very active community too.

    There’s plenty of YouTube channels dedicated to helping newer players too, off the top of my head SurvivalistAoE being a prime one, and if you follow on Twitch most big streamers have active Discord communities where you can find both help and opponents.

    In answer to the question of if it’s worth investing your time?

    Only you can answer that.

    It has a very high skill ceiling and most of us could never hope to reach the top 100, but it can be enjoyed at all skill levels.

    And I can say for certain that it’s been going 20+ years and is currently experiencing its biggest years yet so you definitely have nothing to worry about in terms of the player base falling off for something new.

    If you get into it, it’ll be around for as long as you want to play it.

    #22979
    zeacliff
    Guest

    I’d just watch some YouTube videos on aoe2, 3 and 4 and see which you prefer.

    3 has the most strategic depth with a high variety of asymmetrical civs, the deck system, tribes you can all with etc.

    I never got super deep into it though, it was tough to learn with how many different units/civs there were, some of the counters seemed really wonky and not intuitive.

    Multiplayer also seemed very rush heavy and fast

    2 is the most polished.

    Endless content, commands are responsive, most bugs were fixed long ago, awesome competitive scene with great players and casters

    4 is in a very good place right now and only getting better.

    The asymmetrical civs add a lot of strategy and there’s some QOL features that make it very smooth to play.

    Since it’s still pretty new and there are somewhat frequent balance changes the meta is constantly changing, so it’s really fun to watch the different strats the pros come up with.

    Lots of different viable strategies/builds.

    Personally I like them all and if I had more time I’d probably play all of them.

    Right now I’m focusing the most on learning aoe4 and really enjoying it, but also enjoying watching aoe2 content and playing occasionally.

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