Is this better than AoE 4?

[keba]

Is this better than AoE 4?

i am deciding to buy one of the games, which one is better?

[FloosWorld]

Originally posted by Wyldren:

Was going to ask a question like this, was wondering how is the MP scene? Good for noobs?

Definitely. You obviously need some practice before but the game has a tutorial called "Art of War" that teaches the basics

[keba]

Ok thanks for answers. What about Multiplayer - it is better with AoE4 or 2?

[FloosWorld]

Originally posted by keba:

Ok thanks for answers. What about Multiplayer - it is better with AoE4 or 2?

I prefer AoE 2 here. In ranked, the pool rotates every two weeks (including a vote on the upcoming map pool), for 1v1s you can ban 3 maps and pick one as your preferred map. For Team Games, it depends on the number of players in your group.
In unranked, you've got some custom scenarios and game modes to choose from like TTF Racing (kinda like Mario Party/Fall Guys for AoE 2), Dodgeball, CBA.

AoE 4 has seasons that last several weeks and the map pool doesn't change much there.

[Dayve]

Originally posted by keba:

Ok thanks for answers. What about Multiplayer - it is better with AoE4 or 2?

AoE 2 multiplayer is very popular and there's never a problem finding a game (whether it be ranked or unranked you be wanting to play). It also has double the amount of players as AoE 4.

I think in the future AoE 2 will continue to be popular just because it's such a legendary and beloved game. There's a pretty good chance AoE 4 wall fall off eventually.

[Carnagath]

AoE4 is definitely better in its functionality, pathfinding and unit responsiveness. It's a modern RTS with units that go where they are told instead of running 3 circles around each other every time you issue a move command. AoE2 DE however has a lot more content and variety due to years of additions, so more single player content. Unfortunately, the difficulty scaling and AI is all over the place, while in AoE4 it has been properly playtested, so "easy" is actually "easy". There is no "easy" in AoE2 DE, even on the lowest difficulty the AI cheats heavily and throws non stop attacks at you and rebuilds every building you destroy at random locations around the map, so many campaign levels can be several hours long exhausting attrition. If you are a casual player that just wants to chill and build up at your own pace and crush your opponent in campaign, AoE2 DE unfortunately doesn't allow you to do that.

[FloosWorld]

Originally posted by Carnagath:

AoE4 is definitely better in its functionality, pathfinding and unit responsiveness. It's a modern RTS with units that go where they are told instead of running 3 circles around each other every time you issue a move command. AoE2 DE however has a lot more content and variety due to years of additions, so more single player content. Unfortunately, the difficulty scaling and AI is all over the place, while in AoE4 it has been properly playtested, so "easy" is actually "easy". There is no "easy" in AoE2 DE, even on the lowest difficulty the AI cheats heavily and throws non stop attacks at you and rebuilds every building you destroy at random locations around the map, so many campaign levels can be several hours long exhausting attrition. If you are a casual player that just wants to chill and build up at your own pace and crush your opponent in campaign, AoE2 DE unfortunately doesn't allow you to do that.

The Easy AI in AoE 2 actually is very passive and waits for your attack before it strikes back, given you play on recommended settings. The AI also doesn't cheat anymore in sense of getting resources. The only "cheat" is has is knowing how many military units you have, but not your exact composition.

[Carnagath]

Originally posted by FloosWorld:

Originally posted by Carnagath:

AoE4 is definitely better in its functionality, pathfinding and unit responsiveness. It's a modern RTS with units that go where they are told instead of running 3 circles around each other every time you issue a move command. AoE2 DE however has a lot more content and variety due to years of additions, so more single player content. Unfortunately, the difficulty scaling and AI is all over the place, while in AoE4 it has been properly playtested, so "easy" is actually "easy". There is no "easy" in AoE2 DE, even on the lowest difficulty the AI cheats heavily and throws non stop attacks at you and rebuilds every building you destroy at random locations around the map, so many campaign levels can be several hours long exhausting attrition. If you are a casual player that just wants to chill and build up at your own pace and crush your opponent in campaign, AoE2 DE unfortunately doesn't allow you to do that.

The Easy AI in AoE 2 actually is very passive and waits for your attack before it strikes back, given you play on recommended settings. The AI also doesn't cheat anymore in sense of getting resources. The only "cheat" is has is knowing how many military units you have, but not your exact composition.

The post was about the campaigns, not skirmish. In campaigns the AI doesn't wait for anything and spam rallies units at you while having 10 villagers total and pretty much no economy, so yes, it cheats.

[Dayve]

Originally posted by Carnagath:

Originally posted by FloosWorld:

The Easy AI in AoE 2 actually is very passive and waits for your attack before it strikes back, given you play on recommended settings. The AI also doesn't cheat anymore in sense of getting resources. The only "cheat" is has is knowing how many military units you have, but not your exact composition.

The post was about the campaigns, not skirmish. In campaigns the AI doesn't wait for anything and spam rallies units at you while having 10 villagers total and pretty much no economy, so yes, it cheats.

Well yeah in campaigns, sure. The campaigns are depicting historical events. The nations which historically attacked strongly in that campaign have to be able to do that, and to make sure they can do it they're allowed to cheat.

[Carnagath]

Originally posted by Dayve:

Originally posted by Carnagath:

The post was about the campaigns, not skirmish. In campaigns the AI doesn't wait for anything and spam rallies units at you while having 10 villagers total and pretty much no economy, so yes, it cheats.

Well yeah in campaigns, sure. The campaigns are depicting historical events. The nations which historically attacked strongly in that campaign have to be able to do that, and to make sure they can do it they're allowed to cheat.

Come on man, that's like the dictionary definition of copium. The AI has infinite resources, spams huge attacks, rebuilds everything instantly, the campaigns have no difficulty scaling but just random spikes everywhere and the lowest difficulty setting is actually not easy, but spammy and tedious. Those are facts about the campaigns that a new player should be aware of. There's no reason to try to hide them because you like the game.

[FloosWorld]

Originally posted by Carnagath:

Originally posted by FloosWorld:

The Easy AI in AoE 2 actually is very passive and waits for your attack before it strikes back, given you play on recommended settings. The AI also doesn't cheat anymore in sense of getting resources. The only "cheat" is has is knowing how many military units you have, but not your exact composition.

The post was about the campaigns, not skirmish. In campaigns the AI doesn't wait for anything and spam rallies units at you while having 10 villagers total and pretty much no economy, so yes, it cheats.

You should've clarified that.

It actually depends on the mission.
AoE 2 has a broad spectrum of missions between building up peacefully or just moving on the map (Joan 1, El Cid 1) and being pushed by the enemy (Attila 5, Saladin 6). With "La Noche Triste" from Montezuma, there's even a mission that you can finish in under 5 minutes.

The AI in AoE 2's campaigns can be generally baited by just attacking a building, running away and keeping the swarm that follows you busy.

AoE 4's campaigns on the other hand feel kinda like on rails with the narrator telling all the time what's happening.

[Shiro]

WHEN you want play ranked and multiplayer? so yes... aoe 2 De IS BETTER . much better. much dlc, patches etc...

[Carnagath]

Originally posted by FloosWorld:

The AI in AoE 2's campaigns can be generally baited by just attacking a building, running away and keeping the swarm that follows you busy.

Yes, there are many ways to bait the AI and glitch its pathfinding by using your opponent's walls to wall yourself in or making a palisade maze that leads to a wall of fortresses, but you shouldn't have to do those things in order to not get crushed on THE EASIEST DIFFICULTY SETTING, that's my whole point. In AoE3 DE, easy is easy. Same in AoE4. In AoE2 DE, they didn't bother to include a more passive campaign AI that lets casual players breathe, so I'd hazard a guess that most casual players who buy this to play through its 30+ campaigns are going to end up so exhausted so quickly that they're just gonna spawn machine gun cars a few times and then uninstall the game, and that's a shame.

[FloosWorld]

Originally posted by Carnagath:

Originally posted by FloosWorld:

The AI in AoE 2's campaigns can be generally baited by just attacking a building, running away and keeping the swarm that follows you busy.

Yes, there are many ways to bait the AI and glitch its pathfinding by using your opponent's walls to wall yourself in or making a palisade maze that leads to a wall of fortresses, but you shouldn't have to do those things in order to not get crushed on THE EASIEST DIFFICULTY SETTING, that's my whole point. In AoE3 DE, easy is easy. Same in AoE4. In AoE2 DE, they didn't bother to include a more passive campaign AI that lets casual players breathe, so I'd hazard a guess that most casual players who buy this to play through its 30+ campaigns are going to end up so exhausted so quickly that they're just gonna spawn machine gun cars a few times and then uninstall the game, and that's a shame.

Standard is actually quite easy in AoE 2's campaigns. That's one of the rare cases where I hear someone struggling with it.

[Carnagath]

Originally posted by FloosWorld:

Standard is actually quite easy in AoE 2's campaigns. That's one of the rare cases where I hear someone struggling with it.

Yeah, that's why in other RTS games the campaigns is the most played feature of the game and have been completed by the vast majority of players, while in AOE2 DE only like 5% have completed even a single campaign without cheats. Noone has ever struggled with them.

[FloosWorld]

Originally posted by Carnagath:

Originally posted by FloosWorld:

Standard is actually quite easy in AoE 2's campaigns. That's one of the rare cases where I hear someone struggling with it.

Yeah, that's why in other RTS games the campaigns is the most played feature of the game and have been completed by the vast majority of players, while in AOE2 DE only like 5% have completed even a single campaign without cheats. Noone has ever struggled with them.

Because most in AoE 2 play Skirmish vs AI or Casual MP. Which applies to the rest of the series as well.

Similar picture in AoE 3 DE btw, where 11.1 % of all players completed "Blood, Ice and Steel", 8.2 % completed "Fire and Shadow" and 6.4 % completed "Asian Dynasties":
https://steamcommunity.com/stats/933110/achievements

Same-ish in AoE 4 - 21.7 % for Normans, 11.7 for Hundred Years, 10.7 % for Moscow, 9.3 % for Mongols and 6.4 % for all campaigns:
https://steamcommunity.com/stats/1466860/achievements