why do people play this game

[120 BPM]

for me its one of the most boring rts games ive ever played.. everything is so repetitive, all nations feel the same and have only 1 unique unit, no historical accuracy, economy and combat are very basic and on top of everything there are terrible animations. i only played for a few hours but whenever i force myself back into trying this game i end up quitting before the map even ends since the pace is so slow and there is nothing to hook me in.

[gagman]

Originally posted by 120 BPM:

why do people play this game

i think because everyone has a other point of view :)

[120 BPM]

Originally posted by gagman:

Originally posted by 120 BPM:

why do people play this game

i think because everyone has a other point of view :)

yeah thats why i created this thread, i want to know what the community has to say :)

[Fireandsteel]

Most of us grew up with age of empires.
I don't know how old you are, but depending on your age, we might just start to understand why you find it boring. Well that is not entirely true, anyone can enjoy aoe, just as long as they aren't exposed to newer games with better graphics. As for some reason, that is all newer gamers care about these days. Though outliers can occur.
But the main reason i love aoe 2 is gameplay, it is more advanced than almost any other rts game. Sure factions have the same units, but it is the simplicity of the game which makes it so awesome. Also has one of the best sound tracks ever. And again brings back child hood memories. Other people have other reasons. These are mine.

Also just a note:
Newer games like rome 2 are complete letdowns compared to their older brethren.

[AJAJP_Alejandro]

I really like the complexity it has. Lots of units, lots of play styles and strategies... You can create your own strategies and try them against human opponents to see if they are good enough, for example. This is one of the things I like about it, it may seem simple like chess but, like chess again, it's very complex in reality. Also, I don't care much about historical accuracy in a game like this. What other RTS/Strategy games have you played?

[ProGamer]

I love the counter systerm, calvary rush archer, archer beat infantry, infantry beat spear, spear beat calvary. and then there are unique units like cataphract (calvary) but it beat spearman, each civ has different bonus, like the chinese started extra 3 vil, goth barrack is faster, some can build camel, some can't, some have paladins, some have arablest, together it 's beautiful with so much strategy, town center rush, scout rush, MAX PETARDS,.. so on
This game graphic look simple, but I think it's the best RTS.

[Decomposed]

I love this game because I played it all the time when it came out and I still fire it up from time to time. Most people have some games that remind them of their childhood and stick with them as years go by.

[Feeder_Goblin]

I love it, because I grew up with it. If you didn't grow up with it you probably wouldn't like it, because you are probably used to better graphics and more depth in games. This game would only be enjoyable to those who played these games back then.

[Theodamus]

Originally posted by 120 BPM:

for me its one of the most boring rts games ive ever played.. everything is so repetitive, all nations feel the same and have only 1 unique unit, no historical accuracy, economy and combat are very basic and on top of everything there are terrible animations. i only played for a few hours but whenever i force myself back into trying this game i end up quitting before the map even ends since the pace is so slow and there is nothing to hook me in.

play more than a couple of hours before passing judgement m8. I once held the same opinion but if you just dive a little deeper im sure you'll love the game.

[Experienced Noob]

I bought the game the day it came out because I loved AOE1. I actually didn't like the game for the first day or two, but within a week I loved it, and now I'd say it's without doubt my favorite game of all time.

Curious as to what RTS you think has a more complex economy? It took 10 years for experts to figure out the optimal starts for this game. The 4 resources, plus the many different ways of gathering food (all at different gather rates) makes it pretty complex. And there's still arguments all the time about when is the best time to get wheelbarrow/handcart lol.

I never really liked the campaigns. It's the MP that is the big draw. Especially on Steam because you'll see all kinds of different strategies all the time.

[Miiiiiiiiiiiiike]

Back in the day it was top notch.

Now it is mostly outclassed, but people still like it because of nostalgia, and because they like it, just because they do.

You can try playing the mode with turbo resources or something. Where less time is spent getting resources and doing economy stuff, and more time is fighting.

What can you really expect in so far as animations for a game that came out over 15 years ago on computers that had less power than an iphone.

It can't be 100% historically accurate, otherwise some factions would be far better than others. But each faction does had it's abilities and upgrades rougly corresponding with history. Think Chinese and gunpowder, Japan and navy, Aztecs and no horses as well as upgrades like garland rose for +4 attack for infantry highlighting their warrior society.

A lot of games are repetitive. All games can be boiled down to being repetitive. Of course, if you loose then repetitive is no fun, and boring. But if you win it's great.

[TheBadGuy]

Originally posted by 120 BPM:

for me its one of the most boring rts games ive ever played.

ANY game you play in any genre is "boring" or "sucks" if you dont know how to play, try to get better, have friends to help/your alone, or dont know any strategies. I've never had a boring match in aoe2, this game has broken records and its held as one of the best rts games ever...so your simply just bad at this game.

[leow193]

Originally posted by 120 BPM:

for me its one of the most boring rts games ive ever played.. everything is so repetitive, all nations feel the same and have only 1 unique unit, no historical accuracy, economy and combat are very basic and on top of everything there are terrible animations. i only played for a few hours but whenever i force myself back into trying this game i end up quitting before the map even ends since the pace is so slow and there is nothing to hook me in.

Have you tried to turn it off and on again ? No seriously if you find the game too slow, you can just press + ( you can choose speed x1,x1.5,x2,x4,x8)

[120 BPM]

thanks for you input guys. A few people asked what strategy games I played - these are the ones I grew up with and enjoyed the most :

stronghold 1 & crusader - probably my favorite

empire earth 1&2 - similar to age of empires, you play starting from caveman age to the robot sf era

heroes 3 - not a 100% strategy but still amazing

all rts games from gsc game world - cossacks, american conquest series, annihilated empires - most of their games are focused on massive battles with hundreds of units and there is an economy system aswell

the first shogun total war

settlers 3

later on I started playing civilization and starcraft 2

Originally posted by Fireandsteel (Is A Beef Roast):

Most of us grew up with age of empires.
I don't know how old you are, but depending on your age, we might just start to understand why you find it boring. Well that is not entirely true, anyone can enjoy aoe, just as long as they aren't exposed to newer games with better graphics. As for some reason, that is all newer gamers care about these days. Though outliers can occur.
But the main reason i love aoe 2 is gameplay, it is more advanced than almost any other rts game. Sure factions have the same units, but it is the simplicity of the game which makes it so awesome. Also has one of the best sound tracks ever. And again brings back child hood memories. Other people have other reasons. These are mine.

Also just a note:
Newer games like rome 2 are complete letdowns compared to their older brethren.

graphics are not a problem for me if the gameplay is good, I actually prefer hand drawn 2d to 3d which gets old pretty quick

Originally posted by Pernell McPhee:

Curious as to what RTS you think has a more complex economy? It took 10 years for experts to figure out the optimal starts for this game. The 4 resources, plus the many different ways of gathering food (all at different gather rates) makes it pretty complex. And there's still arguments all the time about when is the best time to get wheelbarrow/handcart lol.

this would definitely be stronghold, you need to take care of the entire resource chain in order to create and maintain your army and castle. also this game came out about 15 years ago

Originally posted by Drake of 5D:

I love the counter systerm, calvary rush archer, archer beat infantry, infantry beat spear, spear beat calvary. and then there are unique units like cataphract (calvary) but it beat spearman, each civ has different bonus, like the chinese started extra 3 vil, goth barrack is faster, some can build camel, some can't, some have paladins, some have arablest, together it 's beautiful with so much strategy, town center rush, scout rush, MAX PETARDS,.. so on
This game graphic look simple, but I think it's the best RTS.

Originally posted by leow193:

Have you tried to turn it off and on again ? No seriously if you find the game too slow, you can just press + ( you can choose speed x1,x1.5,x2,x4,x8)

Originally posted by Miiiiiiiiiiiiike:

You can try playing the mode with turbo resources or something. Where less time is spent getting resources and doing economy stuff, and more time is fighting.

thanks for those suggestions, I'm gonna give it a try again to mess with resources and speed settings, maybe ill like the pure combat setup more :)

[Fireandsteel]

You can also play multiplayer with another person as one player, just set your player number the same as theirs, and you are good to go. I find these matches quite fun.

[EOG]

I suggest to try to play online. I wonder if the pace will be still "slow".