IAmNotIronMaiden Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 (edited) History (Minor additions or editing not included) 1.00 (1/13/23) Title - An Open Letter to AoM Managers and Developers Regarding 1v1 High-Ranked Competitive Aom 1.01 (1/14/23) Title - An Open Letter to AoM Managers/Developers on How to Save Competitive AoM 1.02 (1/19/23) Section 2.0a - God Power Alternative: Weaker GP's 1.03 (3/4/23) Section 1.0 - AQ further explanation 1.04 (3/15/23) Section 1.0 - Ending note 1.05 (3/26/23) Section 2.2 - Free units tweaks additions 1.06 (3/30/23) FAQ - Additions 1.07 (4/29/23) Section 1.0 - AQ's "strategy" explanation 1.08 (5/7/23) Removal - Norse Tweaking (originally Section 2.4) Section 1.0 - AQ's ending note 1.09 (5/24/23) Removal - Age of Empires Forums introduction (White goes first). What is wrong with this picture? In a 1v1 high-ranked Supremacy match, assuming both players were of equal skill (one move per turn): Thor loses to Heimdall , regardless of which Classical Age god he chooses to Advance under. If the Loki player Advances under Forsetti , Thor Hersirs still lose to Loki Hersirs. If the Thor player manages to Advance under Skadi , a wise Loki player would have already Advanced under Bragi and sat on the Thor player's second gold mine with several units to bait Frost. But even if the Thor player is slightly more skilled (black goes first), his choices are limited against a Loki player who has a good BO and "strategy" (Semi Heroic). So, how can we turn the game from this: to this? How to save competitive (1v1 high-ranked Supremacy) AoM A topic so hot you literally get Table of Contents Definitions i Common definitions ii Critical definitions How to save competitive AoM 1 Remove AoT 1.0 Remove everything of AoT 1.1 On feedback 2 Tweaks 2.0 God Powers tweaking introduction 2.0a God Powers tweaking idea 1: Weaker GP's 2.0b God Powers tweaking idea 2: GP's are researchable (single-use only) 2.1 Favor tweaking 2.2 Free units tweaking 2.3 Water tweaking 2.4 Miscellaneous tweaking 3 DLC's 3.0 On new "civilizations" (tech-trees) 3.1 New "civilizations" (tech-trees) alternative 3.2 Miscellaneous ideas Conclusion FAQ Sources Definitions i Common definitions Spoiler Title definitions AoM: Age of Mythology Vanilla: Original game (Age of Mythology) AoT: Age of Mythology: The Titans Expansion Pack TT: The Titans Expansion Pack AoMEE: Age of Mythology: Extended Edition EE: Age of Mythology: Extended Edition TotD: Tale of the Dragon Expansion Pack AoE2: Age of Empires II Miscellaneous definitions Casual: Those who chronically play any of the following: Team games Unranked games (any level) Mid-to-low ranked 1v1 Supremacy games Mods Single-Player DLC: Downloadable Content (or Expansion Packs) Fog of War: The map blackness/shadow covering areas unscouted/scouted by the Player GP: God Power HP: Hitpoints/health LOS: Line of sight (area of vision of a unit/building) Main: The player's original/best Major God MU: Myth unit OP: Overpowered Redzoning: The inability to build Walls around a particular Resource as indicated by the red shade on the Wall-icon cursor Smurf: A player playing under an alias Economy and military definitions AQ/Autoqueue/Auto-queue: The feature to repeatedly create the selected units from a building BO: Build order Boom: To aggressively pursue economic progression Kite: To retreat quickly Rush: To attack early (without researching Hunting Dogs (original definition)) TC: Town Center 2TC: The feature to contruct Town Centers on Settlements in Classical Age ii Critical definitions APM: Actions (keypresses, mouse clicks) per minute; often misused as "micro" Micro: To (verb) or how (noun) one manages their units or buildings; often misused as "APM" Macro: To (verb) or how (noun) one manages their economy Meta: "Outside the game" The current tactics or strategies most effective at winning the game, can be separated into: Micro-meta ("micro-" as in "small"): The tangible meta that can be used in a game "Against Heimdall, it's better to Sphinx/Axe instead of Fast Heroic or 2TC..." "3v3? You two rush blue while I (middle) Fast Heroic..." Macro-meta ("macro-" as in "big"): The general conclusion based from the context of the overall micro-meta "Loki beats Gaia..." "There is only one way to play this game..." 1 Remove AoT Spoiler 1.0 Remove everything of AoT In order to appeal the game to new players and Casuals, the features introduced in the rushed expansion pack forever changed AoM's competitive (high-ranked 1v1 Supremacy) landscape by: Punishing aggressive playstyles Rewarding unprepared/boomy/lazy/auto-pilot/casual playstyles Destroying balance Automating the game * Assuming both players are of equal skill... Shooting Docks* (garrisoned Docks can fire arrows) punish the player who optimized their BO; for wanting to Advance faster, they are rewarded with half-HP ships. Against a lone arrow ship or two, the unprepared defender can tuck away their fishing ships and deal damage for the meantime, protecting their Dock HP and fishing rights™, and queue an arrow ship at their convenience. So unless the aggressor commits to investing in a larger fleet, Shooting Docks punish small raids and early aggression. And by the time the boomer/defender Advances to Classical Age, they'd have an extra Villager or 2, thereby solidifying water dominance from their extra lumber production. Whatever happened to "first come, first serve"? The game basically plays by itself: You snooze, They lose! Age of Free Insurance™! Regarding shooting Docks* for Norse, Norse already struggles to compete on water with their 2-Villager starts. Greeks have 3 Villagers and Egyptians have 2 Villagers Empowered by a Pharaoh. Norse has dwarves, but they do not cut wood any faster than a Gatherer! Free MU's* simply reward the boomer for booming, punishing aggressors with: Fast MU's that raid enemy hunt/gold and scout the entire map for free (e.g.: Centaurs, Sphinxes, Valkyries...) Slow/ranged MU's, basically functioning as free, mobile towers (e.g.: Clyclops, Wadjets, Trolls...) They punish players who don't have access to a "water" Minor God on water maps. They punish defenders with cheese. The most egregious example being Hathor, spawning both a flying transport (15-unit carry) and a ranged unit that could kill a villager in two shots! What should have amounted to a grand total of 350 Gold and 30 Favor and 34 seconds of training time was instead a blank check. Two free Myth Units! In Vanilla, the Gold would have been used to construct a Migdol (Fortress), but now, they can bypass Walls and terrain to wreak havoc via endless guerilla sniping for gratis! What was even the point of having MU costs?! Regarding free MU's* for Norse: Against a fast MU, a Norse rusher has to remove 2 Hersirs from combat to defend both hunt and gold. Especially in the early game, every hersir counts towards their rushing! Against a slow/ranged MU, Norse has to trade/sacrifice a few Hersirs else lose their free MU and human military to it over time! That is why Norse rushing is not (macro-meta) "meta"! Khopesh! The roles of attacker and defender have been thwarted! Age of Free Insurance™! Titans* punish late-game players by giving the undeserving player a get-out-of-jail-free card. So instead of opting for a Wonder, establishing a decent trade route, or strategically placing towers on the map, it is easier for them to soft-reset the winning player's progress by trashing their bases and all of the effort they have put into establishing map control for the past 15 minutes - Age of Free Insurance™! Regarding Titans* for Norse, Norse is already at a severe disadvantage because their Villagers cannot build it. They have to either Ragnarok or REap SIGNificant losses. In other words, with or without Ragnarok, Norse's infantry will still have to build or counter it, thereby removing their offensive ability and map control! Also, Norse Titans are disadvantaged because of their attack animation. High hunt maps* punish the defender who was denied of hunt (Shifting Sands onto hunters, Pestilence denial, Athena Rush). By this point, the game already plays by itself: the aggressor can either amass "infinite" hunt-based military to steamroll, or, Advance to the next Age quicker with a free God Power to dominate (Flaming Weapons on Migdols, Frost, Underworld) - Age of Free Insurance™! Regarding high hunt maps* for Norse, it creates the macro-meta illusion that Norse is overpowered because of their hunting bonus. However, on Vanilla maps, the truth (less hunt) clearly reveals itself. Atlanteans*: With Citizens being the rough equivalent of 2.3 Villagers, Atlantean players barely need to macro as they have "twice" the amount of free time than the other civilizations to focus on their micro-meta! Turmas: They are literally Egyptian Chariot Archers in Classical Age, but with half damage and deal bonus damage to counter-infantry and counter-archers! On water maps: Atlanteans can comfortably Advance to 4:30 (or earlier if they have a specific strategy). Shooting Docks are no issue to them when most Civilizations are still struggling to Advance to 5:00! Their Arrow Ships are extremely fast, allowing them to kite from arrows and perform unprecedented guerilla attacks. Their Hammer Ships have range. They have access to offensive water MU's in Classical Age! Multi-usage GP's - Age of Free Insurance™! Regarding Atlanteans* for Norse: Regarding Stymphalian Birds, there was a reason why Ensemble Studios had offensive flying MU's only available in Mythic Age, not Heroic Age. And since Norse has no archers, the Axe of Muspell was simply a reaction Tech hastily given for Norse to research... in Heroic Age?! Massed Classical Age Throwing Axemen are needed to defeat one Bird, which are easy pickings to Turmas, which deal bonus damage to anti-infantry! If the Norse player chooses to Tower instead, they lose both map control and Throwing Axemen. 2TC's*: Turns Heroic Age into the new Classical Age Discourages early aggression in the macro-meta Severely favor civilizations with a boomier disposition With 2 Villagers pumping out non-stop from 2TC'S, the game is already automated to the same, lame late-game; the game plays by itself! What used to be a savage landscape of Classical Fighting to determine who claims the right to expand their Population and economy was simply undone by allowing 2TC's available in Classical Age, rewarding boomier civilizations without having to contest for it (Ceasefire, Shifting Sands, free MU) - Age of Free Insurance™! Regarding 2TC's* for Norse, although Norse can albeit boom, Ensemble Studios designed them to aggress instead, as evident by: Buildings are weaker (made of makeshift materials, temporary lodgings quickly assembled on enemy ground) Infantry can only build (forward building; offensive playstyle) Wonders cannot be built by Villagers (offensive playstyle) Villagers cannot build Walls (offensive playstyle; under-defended base) Heroes cannot be queued in Town Centers (except in Temples or Barracks; offensive playstyle, under-defended base) Hack-only ("unsophisticated barbarians") Limited ranged attacks until Mythic Age ("unsophisticated barbarians") Odd unit composition ("unsophisticated barbarians", Anti-AoE composition) AQ* does allow the player to micro more. It is good for the micro-meta (please read section Definitions). However, many players fail to realize that it establishes and locks the macro-meta (please read section Definitions). It simply streamlines production, thereby removing the burden of prioritization, creating the illusion that the match was won by sheer skill and "strategy", when in reality, it only serves to inflate both players' APM to executing the same macro-meta gameplay of near-perfect logistical management, turning AoT akin to a 20-minute "repetitive testing simulator" instead of a RTS game. Real-Time Strategy is a game genre in which players execute multiple real-time decisions in response to their opponents' moves across a large map, all the while restricted by their screen size and mouse/keyboard input; it is a game of immediate wits, the "'Strategy'" in RTS. Having the insight to prioritize on the available options does not equate to tedious meticulousness, a flawed argument disgruntled Casuals commonly use, "If you remove AQ, you must also remove all hotkeys". AQ basically masks "low intelligence" and steals the glory from worthy players by robbing them of the opportunity to fully utilize and show off their skill (APM, attentiveness, prioritization, intuition) and simultaneously robbing viewers of an interesting game because all of AoT's "meta" (macro-meta) is a byproduct of AQ'ing from 2TC's. By resolving entire logistical inconsistencies due to player inattention, AQ also removes match entropy, therefore increasing the need™ to resort to (rotational) balance™ patches and fan-made "random" maps of near-symmetry - the irony! (Because with AQ, the game is so standardized that any small map-imbalance will throw off the entire trajectory of the disadvantaged boomer's macro-meta!) These mask the glaring symptoms of imbalance by only addressing the micro-meta (by changing unit stats or adapting core build orders to the map) instead of the macro-meta (which stems from AoT's core mechanics: 2TC's, AQ, Free MU's, Shooting Docks, etc.)! All of this inadvertently wedges the skill gap by maintaining the elitists' status-quo for their having years of experience with the AQ-meta/2TC-meta, leading to brilliant comments like, "Well, there is more than one way out of that scenario," (i.e., the micro-meta) "You are just not playing the game correctly"™ (i.e., the macro-meta). Whatever happened to risk-taking or player skill?! It is no longer you who is playing, but AQ (and 2TC's and free GP's)! AQ does not belong in PC RTS and is better suited as a quality-of-life improvement for platforms with even less input or screen size, such as the console or smartphone. AQ simply amplifies the imbalances of the "expansion" pack. ... AoT players fool themselves in thinking AQ saves them from tedious button spamming, allowing them to execute more "strategy". If "strategy" (military) could be described as long-term, abstract, planning, and "tactics" (military) as short-term, concrete, performing.... Then what AQ proponents are really saying is: AQ allows them to have more time in executing their tactics (i.e., the micro-meta). Which is the point of this entire topic. Re-read the AQ section (or the entire open letter), but this time, interchange each word: "macro-meta" and "strategy", "micro-meta" and "tactics". AoT players often accuse AQ abolitionists of being "braindead APM junkies" or "hotkey supremacists", hellbent on denying new players a chance to compete. However, AQ downplays/removes entire sections of macro-management, lifting the burden of prioritization, effectively hand-holding the "strategic" player so they can execute grand "strategies" from their years of being familiarized with advance/attack timings. A quick look at their games reveals they only need 2 - 3 control groups (or 1 - maybe even 0 - the "meta") to demonstrate their complete mastery of the game and superior intellect. The days of mindlessly spamming hotkeys are over, for with AQ, they now have more time to tediously spam mouse buttons instead. The Titans has never been a game of real-time "strategy"; it was always an automated simulator for players to adaptively execute tactics the quickest with a mouse. AoT players are literally doing the same thing as no-AQ players, but, artificially: hand-held and standardized. Yet, no-AQ players are accused of doing the same things that AoT players cannot do without AQ! How about that for GATEKEEPING NEW PLAYERS? Strategy (military), like BO crafting, is done prior to the match. It is simply preparation. That is why recorded games exist, so players can review their matches and avoid making the same mistakes by adjusting their strategies next time. If they cannot comprehend: That hotkeys are simply placeholders of thoughts/ideas, like translated "words" RTS players use in their "game" of "debate"... That prioritization is akin to knowing when to "argue", rationally choosing the best placeholder/"hotkeys"/"words" to form elaborate "sentences"/decisions with their limited time/"air"/"breath"... ... then it cannot be helped. Spoiler Standardized macro standardized timings standardized matches Strategy (planning) Tactics (execution) spamming unfriendly mainstream tactics/BO's matches/streams/replays unfriendly way to play the players for other // players : "civilizations" (tech-trees), GP's, modes, mods, maps, balance players : balance™ : "random" maps of near- : mods/modes players or or Spoiler Spoiler read read read It is truly amazing to see how unaware they are or in denial to any of these points, especially to the unintended consequences of automated macro as well as their hypocrisy. And then they go about, giddily flaunting their recorded games like some valedictorian's diploma from community college, ever insisting on how they won by their own efforts and "strategies", when their matches were as organic as Legacy Applicants' degrees from Ivy League schools. Call AQ defenders out for what they really are: braindead mouse spammers, Atty Mains/origins, boomy-civ gatekeepers, 1-BO strategists, boring people, BoIt-worshipping new nice fanboys, happy mouse-clicking casuals. ... AoT pros assert AQ makes the game play by itself - ironically, they defend the very mechanic AQ automates: 2TC! A confused boy. AQ is simply an extension of 2TC. Regarding AQ* for Norse, it gives the defender even more time to micro against a Norse rush; AQ's benefits for a rusher are negligible compared to a defender - Age of Free Insurance™! ... Without AQ, matches are doomed to further chaos. Dying units from the lack of reinforcements, insufficient food for new workers, housing crammed beyond its limits, enemy banners sighted.... In light of all this, windows of opportunities are present for the player to prioritize on, all throughout the game. Making the best with what one has, in spite of the increasing cries from the minutiae, ever in submission to the whole picture, tearing through Fog of War's embrace.... And that is the brilliance of RTS games, radiating from within their players, what makes matches unique, elaborate, and so memorable. The player is in control of every single one of their actions. "Real-Time Tactics" is a more suitable title for the genre of RTS. * Assuming both players are of equal skill... Players nowadays are ever constantly seeking for new experiences. Casuals get high on anything that brings about a semblance of "new" gameplay, be it maps, modes, or mods. Balance be damned. Team games hinge on power spikes and on abusing the "meta". Balance™ be damned. Why are so many players defaulting to team games or mods? Because they are seeking for entropy, for randomness. BALANCE™ BE DAMNED! Locked by AoT's core mechanics, players have little space to flesh out their creativity and true micro. Team games and mods are the last resort for AoT players as those give temporary bouts of "fresh" air to the stale, cramped playstyles of the stinking auto-pilot 2TC/AQ/free-GP "meta". No wonder why the majority do not touch high-ranked competitive 1v1 Supremacy. It smells. Many have attempted to solve the problem, but they only see the micro-meta, never the macro-meta! The only version of "balance" the balance™ team ever do is maintaining the well-oiled machine that is the 2TC-AQ meta! Micro-meta is downstream macro-meta, downstream AoT. 1.1 On feedback If you are asking AoT pros for feedback, you'll only get pro-AoT opinions. It is no surprise that most AoT pros do not Main Norse. They are the first responders to say maps must be standardized™/symmetrical and civilizations need™ more™ balancing™, but on the issues of free MU's or 2TC's, they are silent. And no wonder, because it offers variety to their Mains: boomier civilizations. 2 Tweaks Spoiler 2.0 God Powers tweaking introduction A recurring theme in AoT and AoM: the player didn't earn it, but they get it for free. That is why players would often hear complaints, like: "Nerf SS" "Nerf Zeus" "Nerf Ragnarok" "A/E OP" Balancing™ God Powers will never solve any of the problems because the game will still look like this because of power spikes! ™ Power spikes are powerful because of the timing at which they were used. Consider: Why does Deathmatch restrict players from using God Powers after Advancing? Consider: Why do MU's cost resources? Spoiler AoL_Iron_maiden JohnArbiter117 https://www.twitch.tv/johnarbiter117/clip/BlitheFineLyrebirdPJSugar-X1vcXT8THHWQ89Hf 2.0a God Powers tweaking idea 1: Weaker GP's Alternatively, if free God Powers are to be kept.... Spoiler 1. Revert all GP balance™ changes to TT Patch 1.03. 2. And God Powers cannot prevent other God powers from being Invoked... 3. And... Greek Archaic Age GP's: Bolt: Cannot kill Ulfsarks whose controllers are in Archaic Age Cannot kill Villagers whose controllers are in Archaic or Classical Age Deals 80% ratio-damage:* Ox Carts* Rocs* Transport ships* Deals 100% ratio-damage: Everything else* * For example: If a Roc has 10 HP left, Bolt would deal only 8 damage (80% ratio damage). Lure (1,000 food): 250 Food Greek Classical Age GP's: Ceasefire (60 seconds): 15 seconds Pestilence (45 seconds): 20 seconds Restoration (8 seconds): 1 second Greek Heroic Age GP's: Bronze (90 seconds): 15 seconds Curse (800 HP): 450 HP Underworld (1,800 HP): 25% HP (450 HP) Greek Mythic Age GP's: Earthquake (12 seconds): 2 seconds Lightning Storm (15 seconds): 5 seconds Plenty Vault (3 resources/second): 0.75 resources/second Egytian Archaic Age GP's: Prosperity (50 seconds): 20 seconds Rain (60 seconds): 15 seconds Vision (20 seconds): 5 seconds Egytian Classical Age GP's: Eclipse (65 seconds): 15 seconds Shifting Sands (4,000 HP of friendly units): Can transport 450 HP of friendly units Cannot transport: Enemy units Mother Nature units Egytian Heroic Age GP's: Ancestors (60 seconds): 20 seconds Citadel (10 population): No population Locust Swarm (20 Hack damage): 15 Hack damage Egytian Mythic Age GP's: Meteor (15 seconds): 10 seconds Son of Osiris (420 HP): 25% HP (105 HP) Can be healed Tornado (20 seconds): 3 seconds Norse Archaic Age GP's: Dwarven Mine (500, 1,000, 3,000, 6,000 Gold): 200, 400, 1,200, 2,400 Gold Great Hunt (750 Food): 200 Food Spy (27 LOS): 6 LOS Norse Classical Age GP's: Forest Fire: 5 seconds Undermine: 25% total damage Norse Heroic Age GP's: Flaming Weapons (60 seconds): 15 seconds Frost (50 seconds): 15 seconds Norse Mythic Age GP's: Fimbulwinter (30 seconds): 15 seconds Nidhogg (2,000 HP): 25% HP (500 HP) Can be healed Ragnarok: 20% Villagers 2.0b God Powers tweaking idea 2: GP's are researchable (single-use only) Spoiler When cost is required to invoke God Powers, there should be fewer complaints. Because, whenever a player Invokes a God Power, it meant they had paid the price for it. Therefore: Whenever a Zeus player Bolts an enemy Villager in Archaic Age, their opponent cannot say, "Bolt is OP!" for the former had lost 30 seconds of Villager production prior to Invoking it! If a Hades player researches Earthquake (single-use only) , their opponent may have 75 seconds to research Masons ! If a Set player researches Shifting Sands (single-use only) , their opponent may have 75 seconds to queue enough military to defend their hunters! If a Thor player researches Ragnarok (single-use only) , their opponent may have an extra 75 seconds to create counter-infantry units before Ragnarok Heroes even walk to their base! The purpose of researchable God Powers (single-use only) is to: Prevent undeserved power spikes Free the players' playstyles, undenied by "GP chess" by allowing players to trade their economy (Villager production ) for a powerful game-changing "spell". Requirement 1: God Powers (single-use only) can only be researched in Town Center . Explanation: Bad ideas: If God Powers (single-use only) could be researched in: The toolbar, it would still create a power spike because it is a simply a time bomb after the player Advances. Temples, it would still create a power spike because the player's economy is unaffected, and it would also punish Norse players who queue Hersirs from Temples. Requirement 2: God Powers (single-use only) cost time and Favor to research. Ideally, as with MU's, each God Powers should have their own research time and resource costs. But, as for simplicity (for the Developers), I suggest: Archaic Age GP's cost: 30 seconds, 0 Favor Classical Age GP's cost: 75 seconds, 10 Favor Heroic Age GP's cost: 75 seconds, 15 Favor Mythic Age GP's cost: 75 seconds, 15 Favor For example: Bolt (Archaic Age GP) will always cost 30 seconds and 0 Favor even if the player is in Mythic Age. Explanation: On time cost: With Archaic GP's (single-use only) costing 30 seconds to research, early matches are less imbalanced, as these Major Gods are less likely to: Zeus : Bolt builders Poseidon : Steal huntables (imbalanced on low hunt maps) Odin : Have an unfavorable hunt advantage (imbalanced on low hunt maps) Loki : Free espionage Archaic GP's 30 seconds is based off of Zeus' Bolt and the Villager Training Time (14 seconds). If Bolt costs 15 seconds (~1 Villager) to Invoke, it would still be beneficial for Zeus to Invoke it early on (for example, Bolting a Villager/Ulfsark building a Dock/Temple), a 1:1 loss. But if Bolt costs 30 seconds (~2 Villagers) to Invoke, the Zeus player would, at the very least, be more disadvantaged for Invoking it, a 2:1 loss. Classical/Heroic/Mythic GP's: 75 seconds give enough time for players to prepare against God Powers - for reference: Ceasefire : Denying rushes Pestilence : Denying military for 45 seconds Greek Villager Barracks/Archery-Range/Stables building time: ~23 seconds Training times: Hoplite (14s), Toxote (15s), Hippikon (20s/15s) Egyptian Villager Barracks building time: ~43 seconds Empowered Egyptian Villager Barracks building time: ~25 seconds Training times: Spearmen (9s), Axemen (10s), Slinger (14s) Norse Barracks building time: ~28 seconds Ulfsark Temple building time: ~37 seconds Training times: Ulfsark (9s/8.1s) , Throwing Axeman (16s/14.4s), Raiding Cavalry (18s/16.2s), Hersir (23s/20.7s) Shifting Sands : Teleporting onto hunters, stealing herdables, or shifting Villagers Undermine : Destroying Tower or Walls On Favor cost: Archaic GP's Favor cost is 0, otherwise, certain playstyles would be limited, and Zeus would also have an unfair advantage. Classical/Heroic/Mythic Favor cost: for reference, the lowest offensive MU Favor cost for Greeks is 12 and for Egyptians/Norse is 15. This would also create for interesting games where players can target enemy Temples or Monuments to hinder their researching a God Power (single-use only). Bad ideas: If previous Age God Powers: Are free after Advancing, it would still create a power spike; it's like getting free MU's from the previous Ages; the player didn't earn for it! Have lowered costs, it would still create a power spike; it's like lowering the prices of previous Age MU's! If there was an announcement: Any time someone begins researching a God Power (single-use only): The announcement can be spammed (For example: cancel research, research, cancel research...). It will remove the element of surprise. Whenever a God Power (single-use only) is fully researched, it will remove the element of surprise. If God Powers only cost: Time, it would still create a power spike because it is simply a time bomb whenever the player Advances. Favor, it would still create a power spike as it does not give the opponent sufficient time to react to it. Idea 2 Continued... Researchable God Power (single-use only) tweaking ideas: Spoiler Revert all GP balance™ changes to TT Patch 1.03 Explanation: Once GP's (single-use only) are researchable in Town Centers , power spikes would frequent less, so certain GP's need to be tweaked (to their supposedly intended effects). Bolt : Deals ratio damage: 50%:* Nidhogg * Son of Osiris * 80%:* Ox Carts * Rocs * Transport ships * 100%: Everything else* * For example: If Nidhogg has 2 HP left, Bolt would deal only 1 HP (50% ratio damage). Explanation: Nidhogg and SoO are Mythic Age GP's, and to be killed by a mere Archaic GP is quite anti-climatic as it denies the purpose of even researching the GP (single-use only). Lure : Food drawn (1,000): 3,000 Explanation: If Archaic GP's (single-use only) take 30 seconds to research, this is acceptable. Sentinel : Sentinels (4): 8 Explanation: If Archaic GP's (single-use only) take 30 seconds to research, this is acceptable. Pestilence : Effect (45s): 60s Explanation: If GP's (single-use only) take 75 seconds to research, this is acceptable. Curse : HP (800): 1400 HP Explanation: If GP's (single-use only) take 75 seconds to research, this is acceptable. Eclipse : MU cooldown (50% faster): 75% faster MU pierce vulnerability (0.00x): -1.15x Monument Favor rate (1.30x): 15.0x (fifteen) Explanation: If GP's (single-use only) take 75 seconds to research, this is acceptable. Serpents : No debuffs against Villagers or Fishing Ships Villagers cannot deal bonus damage to Serpents Snakes (9): 16 Explanation: If GP's (single-use only) take 75 seconds to research, this is acceptable. Shifting Sands : Friendlies transport (800 HP): Unlimited Explanation: If GP's (single-use only) take 75 seconds to research, this is acceptable. Ancestors : Increase Minions (13) to 23 Explanation: If GP's (single-use only) take 75 seconds to research, this is acceptable. Locust Swarm : Increase Hack (20) to 25 Explanation: If GP's (single-use only) take 75 seconds to research, this is acceptable. Meteor : Adjust Crush damage so 1 Meteorite deals 95% damage to a full HP Town Center (140 HP left) Adjust Hack damage so 1 Meteorite deals 100% damage to a full HP War Elephant (0 HP left) Explanation: Since the original Meteor is random, this change is acceptable. Dwarven Mine : Gold (500, 1,000, 3,000, 6,000): 1k (2x), 1,750 (1.75x), 4,500 (1.5x), 7,500 (1.25x) Explanation: If Archaic GP's (single-use only) take 30 seconds to research, this is acceptable. Great Hunt : Food bonus (750): 1,600 Explanation: If Archaic GP's (single-use only) take 30 seconds to research, this is acceptable. Forest Fire : Increased Pierce and Crush Damage Increased range Doubled burning time Explanation: If GP's (single-use only) take 75 seconds to research, this is acceptable. Healing Spring : Heals (3 HP/s): 6 HP/s Explanation: If GP's (single-use only) take 75 seconds to research, this is acceptable. Undermine : Wider area of effect Deals 70% damage to TC's and Fortresses Explanation: If GP's (single-use only) take 75 seconds to research, this is acceptable. Walking Woods : Controllable Speed (3.50): 2.20 Explanation: If they are not controllable, the AI can be baited away by a single unit. 2.20 speed makes up for their original Hack and Crush damage values. For reference: 2.20 speed: Caribou, Deer, Elk, Gazelle, Giraffe, Zebra 2.40 Speed: Petrobolos, Catapult, Ballista 2.90 Speed: Helepolis, War Elephant, Siege Tower, Ox Cart Fimbulwinter : Controllable Spawns at all settlements No Crush damage Length (30s): 45s Explanation: If they are not controllable, the AI can be baited away by a single unit. By allowing Fimbul Wolves to spawn on all settlements, the GP can be used defensively as well instead of simply being 30 seconds of Christmas holiday for Markets. Nidhogg : Speed (3.70): 4.40 Explanation: For reference: 3.60 speed: Priests, Son of Osiris 3.80 speed: Gastraphetes 4.00 speed: Toxotes, Pharaohs, Slingers, Throwing Axemen 5.00 speed: Chariot Archers (Odysseus (4.30), Hippolyta (4.30), Chiron (5.30)) Ragnarok : Speed (4.80): 3.80 Explanation: For reference: 3.80 speed: Villagers, Caravans, Gastraphetes 4.00 speed: Myrmidons, Toxotes, Pharaohs, Slingers, Throwing Axemen 4.20 speed: Hypaspists, Hoplites, Axemen 4.80 speed: Ulfsarks 5.00 speed: Chariot Archers, Spearmen "Wouldn't Thor be restricted if Dwarven Mine (single-use only) is researchable?" Explanation: The Thor player will survive; he'll just research Pig Sticker (single-use only) later in Archaic Age as his Dwarves' gathering rates: Hunt is the same as Gatherers Berry/herdable is 0.01 slower than Gatherers Instead of letting free God Powers decide/automate the game, let the players' skill (attention to detail, micro, macro) dictate their victories and losses! 2.1 Favor tweaking Advancing requires Favor: Classical Age Favor costs: 0 Heroic Age Favor costs: 25 Mythic Age Favor costs: 50 Explanation: Classical Age costs 0 Favor so to not deny certain playstyles, and also because Zeus has 10 free Favor. Heroic Age cost prevents power spikes as many players have excess resources to "skip" to Mythic Age. This also creates for interesting games where players can target enemy Temples or Monuments to hinder their Advancing. In other words, if the player is in Heroic/Mythic Age, they've earned the "right" to be there. Remove Favor costs from Wonders and Fortresses Explanation: Fortresses and Wonders are not power spikes. Wonders can be rebuilt, unrestricted by Favor. Wonder Favor cost is already paid by Mythic Age's cost. Fortress Favor cost is "reallocated" to the TC. TC's include a 5 Favor cost Explanation: Streamlining villagers is a power spike. Favor bounty Serpents have 0.48 Favor bounty. Walking woods have 2.16 Favor bounty. Walls have 2.16 Favor bounty. Explanation: Killing MU's obviously should give Favor bounty, regardless if it was created from a GP. Attacking Walls uses the Norse player's time. 2.2 Free units tweaking Regarding free huntables Set does not receive free animals after Advancing Explanation: Free huntables are imbalanced, especially on low-hunt maps Free animals are like free MU's Regarding free scouting Poseidon's Hippocampus spawns in Classical Age Explanation: Without this tweak, not only does the Poseidon player save Advancing time and resources by not scouting with a Villager/Fishing-Ship, they have free LOS on areas of interest! Without this tweak, Poseidon players on: Anatolia-styled maps: can adjust their BO/strategy early for a full-scale water fight if they discover an opponent dock on their Hippocampus spawn side. Mediterranean-/Midgard-styled maps: can know if their opponent is commited to water or land fighting. Alternatively: Hippocampus can be queued from Docks and cost 50 Food. Odin's Ravens spawn in Classical Age Explanation: Undo the balance™ change that allows Odin's Ravens to spawn in Archaic Age. There was a reason why Ensemble Studios had Archaic flying Scouts cost Resources. The balance™ change gives Odin 60+ seconds of extra scouting (after the Temple was built and during Advancing) than any other Major Gods in the very early game! And compound that with: 2 flying scouts Free LOS on areas of interest Consider: What if maps have Fog of War removed? That is what Archaic Ravens do! For reference: Raven 4.00 speed 0 Food, 0 Favor, 0 Population Available in Archaic Age (balance™ patch); Classical Age (Vanilla) Pegasus 5.00 speed 50 Food, 2 Favor, 2 Population Available in Archaic Age Winged Messenger Pegasi have extra LOS, halved training time, and do not cost Food 50 Gold and 10 Favor Available in Classical Age Regarding free military Poseidon's Militia : Cost 0 Population Last 10 seconds Explanation: Militia punish opponents, especially their siege units, for destroying Poseidon's buildings. The tweak allows Militia to function like defensive Mercenaries. As an unintended bonus for the time limit, Militia thematically serve as temporary minutemen. Hades' Shades : Cost 0 Population Last 45 seconds (or 30 seconds, if they deal MU damage) Do not receive Armory upgrades (undo the balance™ change) Explanation: Shades punish opponents for killing Hades units. The tweak allows Shades to function like Mercenaries while lasting long enough to traverse larger/asymmetrical 1v1 land maps. Myth Units should not receive Armory upgrades. As an unintended bonus for the time limit, Shades thematically serve as vengeful spirits that haunt the ones who sent them to the Underworld. Loki's MU-spawns: Last 45 - 60 seconds, randomly Explanation: Mu-spawns punish opponents for existing fighting against Loki's Hersirs. 45 - 60 seconds (randomly): The tweak buffers Loki's random power spikes, allowing his MU spawns to function like Mercenaries while lasting long enough to discourage opponents from retreating in battles on the basis of waiting for MU spawns to expire. No 0 Population: Since Loki is the only Norse Major God to not have any hunting bonuses, Ensemble Studios gave him MU spawns (and faster Longhouse training times). Although Loki's Hersirs are rather limited in the late-game (especially so at full Population, unable to spawn free MU's), hunt should be depleted by then. As an unintended bonus for the time limit, MU spawns thematically serve as deceived/coerced units fighting on behalf of the trickster god. 2.3 Water tweaking (AoM's Water balance was a rushed development). Make military ship stats the same for all civilizations Explanation: May the player with the best micro win water fights! Because Greek ships have extra range: they shoot further and kite better. Because Norse ships are slower: they receive more arrows when kiting (and their extra damage is negligible when their wood economy can't even pump out ships as well as the Greeks/Egyptians!). Egyptians: Fishing Ships do not build First Dock costs 50 Gold , but subsequent Docks cost 75 Gold Explanation: Egyptians build "infinite" Docks. By the time 1 Dock is down, 2 more spring out of nowhere! Consider how different Water meta would be if Greeks and Norse could build 50-Wood Docks with their fishing ships as well! Dock Cost: Greek Dock Wood cost (100) ÷ Greek/Norse Wood gathering rate (1.08) = 92.5 seconds per Greek Dock 92.5 seconds per Greek Dock × Egyptian Gold gathering rate (0.82) = 75.85 Gold (As with Norse, building time not included (otherwise: Egyptian Dock costs 65 Gold; Norse Dock (speed included) costs 85 Wood). 2.4 Miscellaneous tweaking Revert most balance™ changes to TT Patch 1.03 Explanation: There was a reason why Ensemble Studios had Technologies cost their prices and training times. Players are not entitled to a Minor God's Techs simply by booming/advancing; this is Age of Mythology, not Age of Co-Pay Insurance™; players must earn the resources to research the technology. Since Minor God Technologies are exclusive, by tweaking them to become more potent, along with cheaper prices, the balances™ effectively turn them into "Armory"/"Granary" upgrades (cheap, accessible), giving the player many undeserved advantages. Most mythological balance™ changes are unnecessary if there were no free MU's or GP's (please read Sections 1.0, 2.0a, 2.0b)). Map balance™ (adjusted seeds) or nearly-symmetrical maps undo the purpose of Random Maps and furthers the auto-pilot, booming playstyle by saving the player the effort to scout thoroughly. (Resolving map screws is not the same thing as balancing™ maps). Fine-tune "The Unknown" (map) and introduce it into ranked matches Explanation: To add "infinite" variety to ranked matches. Alternatively, hire the individual who created Mega Random Map. Add 1 Wall-connector distance redzoning to these buildings: Docks Towers Wonders Explanation: Buildings were not meant to be immortal, but that is exactly what Wall-connectors do to them. Regarding Docks, half of its building is in the water, already reducing its surface area of attack for land units. Regarding Towers, 4-Wall-connectors relies on the honor system, which is not always followed. Alternatively, for Towers, create a separate Tower with 4-Wall-connectors attached, but with 2-wall-connector redzoning (to account for diagonal 1-Wall-connector placements). Reduce the redzoning distance of these Resources to 1 Wall-connector: Gold Mines Town Centers Explanation: By default, Gold Mines and Town Centers have 2 - 3 Wall-connector redzoning, which prevents: Defenders from walling-off invaders effectively Aggressors from walling-off resources effectively Reduce Wall's Line of Sight Explanation: So they cannot see how much Gold is left on a mine when Walls are placed near it. Dwarf Ulfsark models Female Ulfsark models Priests can pick up relics Explanation: They are Hero units. Shades deal MU damage Explanation: They are Myth Units. Garrison/transport limit is Population-based instead of unit-count-based For example: Town Centers can only garrison 7 Toxotes instead of 15 Toxotes. Rocs can only transport 3 War Elephants instead of 15 War Elephants. Remove the announcement whenever an opponent Aged up or built a Settlement Explanation: This encourages scouting This can provide the element of surprise (Players can always F7 to "scout" Age statuses via the God Powers list) 3 DLC's Spoiler 3.0 On new "civilizations" (tech-trees) Unlike AoE2, AoM has 3 tech-trees called "civilizations", whereas AoE2 has only 1 tech-tree, but many "civilizations". By creating a new "civilization" (tech-tree), Developers must come face-to-face with the maths Ensemble Studios have based AoM's balance upon. All attempts at creating a new tech-tree ("civilization") have ended up as pseudo copies of existing ones: AoT: Atlanteans are simply an Egyptian-based tech-tree ("civilization") with Greek undertones. TotD: Chinese are simply a Greek-based tech-tree ("civilization") with Egyptian undertones. Coming soon™: Aztecs are simply a Egyptian-based tech-tree ("civilization") with Norse undertones? And why is that? Because Ensemble studios had centered its version of balance across a rough rock-paper-scissors formula and civilizational themes: Spoiler Military counters: Myth Units > Humans > Heroes > Myth Units... Human military counters: Infantry > Cavalry > Archers > Infantry... Water military counters: Arrow > Hammer > Siege > Arrow... Civilization combat: Aggressive (Norse), Defensive (Egyptian), Mixed (Greek) Civilization Age: Classical Age (Norse), Heroic Age (Egyptian), Mythic Age (Greek) Civilization counters and damage: Greek (Pierce) > Norse (Hack) > Egyptian (Crush) > Greek (Pierce)... Damage counters: Crush (Siege) > Pierce (Buildings) > Hack (Human) > Crush (Siege)... Greek valued resources: Wood, Food, Gold Islands have plenty of ore, but fewer trees than larger land masses. The ocean provides much seafood. Egyptian valued resources: Gold, Wood, Food The Nile River allows for high yields of crops and animals, but the scarcity of trees and other resources in the desert meant trading is paramount to survival. Norse valued resources: Food, Gold, Wood Scandinavia has many trees, but the cold requires more effort for food output. Dwarves are legendary miners. But new titles never learn: The Titans Expansion Pack introduced Free MU's to "balance" aggressive playstyles... Extended Edition introduced a new unit to each civilization to "balance" what each lacked in... That was why balance was disrupted when introducing a new tech-tree ("civilization"). That was why Vanilla players eventually dropped the game after TT was released. That was why even AoT players rated TotD negatively on Steam. (Consider if TT had a Steam page in 2003!) And that is why Aztecs and etc. will make the same mistakes (regardless of fan mod testing). History repeats itself. The game was already mathematically determined. For starters, try calculating every civilization's Villager gathering-rates-to-training-times ratio. Ippert's Encyclopedia (Excel spreadsheets): https://aom.heavengames.com/downloads/showfile.php?fileid=11472 https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2151972324 AoM does not have the luxury to add new "civilizations" (tech-trees) and balance™ them all, unlike AoE2 (which has 1 tech-tree, which is easier to introduce new content and balance them). 3.1 New "civilizations" (tech-trees) alternative Many of AoM Gods do not have GP's, MU's, Techs, or Perks that reflect them. For example, Bragi (Norse god of poetry) has nothing to do with: Flaming Weapons Ulfsarks Battle Boars (which was crafted by dwarves!) Therefore, when creating new AoM Major/Minor Gods for the existing 3 civilizations, they do not need to be lore accurate! Greeks can use https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Greek_mythological_creatures Egyptians have thousands of gods https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Egyptian_deities Norse have Giants, Elves, etc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Creatures_in_Norse_mythology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_jötnar_in_Norse_mythology Being lore accurate actually creates even more imbalances and restricts development creativity. (Source: TotD). Idea: Create new Major and/or Minor Gods for the existing 3 civilizations: Greeks can use nymphs, or, reuse Atlanteans (because their MU's were based off of Greek mythology!) Egyptians can use some cat Norse can use a giant Sample template: Spoiler Major God: Hodr (the blind Aesir, tricked by Loki to accidentally kill Baldr) GP: Literally anything! Tech: Literally anything! Perk: Literally anything! New Classical Age Minor God: Aegir (sea giant) GP: Literally anything! MU: Literally anything! Tech 1: Literally anything! Tech 2: Literally anything! New Heroic Age Minor God: Ran (Aegir's wife) GP: Literally anything! MU: Literally anything! Tech 1: Literally anything! Tech 2: Literally anything! New Mythic Age Minor God: Alvaldi (giant) GP: Literally anything! MU: Literally anything! Tech 1: Literally anything! Tech 2: Literally anything! In this way, Developers can always create new content; Casuals and competitive players will be satisifed: Casuals get new content Competitive players need not worry about balance™ because there would still be the same 3 tech-trees 3.2 Miscellaneous ideas Idea: New Campaign scenarios do not need to include Arkantos and the gang; it can be separate stories like "The Golden Gift" Campaign. Idea: Release mini DLC's for a fraction of standard DLC prices? Idea: Introduce an expansion pack titled, "Enemies"? The Campaign is about the resurrection of enemies of the Major Gods. Introduce new antagonistic Major/Minor Gods for the existing 3 civilizations. Idea: Introduce a light DLC that expands water combat titled, "The Depths"? Have a new map: With a high-HP Kraken in the middle surrounded by a half island and Walls? Or spawn Krakens every 5 minutes? Introduce water myth units to each Minor God? Idea: Create a new map with localized Tornados/Lightning-Storms on contested Gold Mines? Idea: Free-to-play? Paid players get the base game (Campaign, Multiplayer, old music) Free players get: Randomized God per day No Walls No Towers In-game currency can be used to rent or purchase: Music (old/new) Single-player Campaign Editor Major God Civilization Skins Taunts Gifting F2P friends Daily/Weekly tasks (for example: Kill 10 Villagers with Locusts) Tournament wins shall be awarded in-game currency Conclusion Spoiler AoM is like "Bloodborne" of the "Age of" series. In Age of Mythology, Ensemble Studios intended for games be even aggressive and quicker than AoE2 as evident by: Settlements Lowered Population cap Smaller maps Three main resources Redesigning Walls Explanation: Settlements meant Population and the production of Villagers had to be earned (fought over); players cannot sit comfortably within city Walls and outboom their opponent like in AoE2. Lowered Population cap meant: Units are worth more in stats (which is why Villagers could fend off military units); they are not as expendable as AoE2 units. Buildings were also scaled along with the lower population cap, and therefore cannot be "spammed" like in AoE2; they are fewer and must be placed wisely. Smaller maps meant: Tighter matches instead of the standard boomy longplay of AoE2 Slower units Lowered population 2TC's in Heroic Age Three general resources meant players have more time to implement their micro-meta instead of gathering resources. AoM players cannot wall like AoE2 players because AoM Walls are weaker, more expensive, and have longer build times. Ensemble Studios designer, Greg Street (September 27, 2002) To summarize, AoM was meant to be very micro-intensive, unlike AoE2 (macro-intensive). All of which run contrary to what Casuals desire https://forums.ageofempires.com/t/what-would-you-like-to-see-in-myth-retold/217173 Casuals want: New tech-trees ("civilizations") Higher or unlimited population cap Removal of settlements Larger maps Symmetrical maps Stone Multi-usage God Powers Why cater the game to an inflated majority who'd never touch the game again? Maybe during the weekends or the holidays? https://www.reddit.com/r/AgeofMythology/comments/ye4rda/do_you_want_to_have_autoqueue_in_age_of_mythology/ The same Casuals who'd show up at every showcasing of re-releases, gobbling content from social media, only to hibernate until the next game's re-re-release or sequels? https://steamcharts.com/app/266840 AoMEE released on May, 2014 TotD released on January, 2016 COVID lockdowns: 2020 - 2023 AoM Retold announced on October, 2022 Occasional Steam sales Even if AoM Retold were to release without: AQ AoT New "civilizations" (tech-trees) Free GP'S The threats to boycotting AoM Retold will not happen because Casuals will continue to consume. Developers and Managers must know there will always be Casuals in any game. Refer to AoE2's population (nearly 10 times the size of AoM): AoE2: https://steamcharts.com/app/813780 AoMEE: https://steamcharts.com/app/266840 Are all 25k players like Viper? Yet, 10,000 AoE2 casuals did not find it difficult to memorize "Ctrl & 1" for grouping or "Q" for Hoplites! The reason why AoM is filled with Casuals is not because it is a Casual's game. It is because The Titans Expansion Pack and free God Powers punish you for your: Efforts (practicing, BO crafting) Aggressive play Risk-taking/creativity (microing outside of the established macro-meta set by free GP's and AoT) Playing Norse as Ensemble Studios intended And reward you for picking the few, right choices: Pick any one top Major Gods (1.03 pantheon) TheMista interview (2015). 2TC TheMista interview (2015). Advance to Heroic age Lame Win Repeat! Those who have played enough high-ranked 1v1 Supremacy games know there is a glass ceiling. The diversity of choices is an illusion for 1v1 high-ranked Supremacy games. There is only one way to play this game. And AoT pros know it. Though they deny it, it is evident by their silent retirements or taking a break from the game (indefinitely). Why? Because there is no one else to play with besides the same abuser smurfs! With free GP's setting the tone of the game, With free MU's establishing 2TC-raid playstyles, With 2TC's acting like mini-fortresses for map control, With Villagers streamlining from 2TC's like a factory, With AQ automating all individual tasks, Of course, "The game plays by itself"™! In other words, what got boomy Casuals to become AoT pros in the first place is the same reason why they stopped playing the game! (Regardless of new maps, mods, or balance™ patches!) Burnout? No, burned out of players. History repeats itself! Is it any wonder why high-ranked 1v1 Supremacy quickly became so depopulated following the release of the "expansion" pack after catering to Casuals first, then boomier civilizations? Why AoM is saturated with Casuals and boomy Mains? You can spend hours crafting the perfect BO or practicing against Titan Attacker AI, but the reality of the "meta" (macro-meta) is this: The game simply does not reward effort (practicing, time spent on creating a BO) or skill. There is only one way to play this game. TheMista interview (2015). Any fresh or open-minded players see these grievances very clearly; they are the middle-class players, not bound by low standards (Casuals) or nostalgia (AoT pros (boomy Mains)). They clearly see, that no matter how much effort they put into the game, they will not be rewarded. No wonder why AoT fails to maintain a healthy high-ranked 1v1 Supremacy population! What could have been interesting plays and innovative breakthroughs were all used to be determined by how fast a player could respond to and prioritize each scenario, making for exquisite matchups and interesting replays. Now? Everything is automated, the same games at the top level. But, if Managers/Developers were to remove free GP's, free MU's, 2TC's, AQ, shooting Docks, and Atlanteans, then those middle-class players will see that the more effort they put into the game, the more improvement they will gain. Because, they can improve their APM; they can try different strategies (risk taking); they can play, knowing they wouldn't be denied by some cheap GP or 2TC machine automation; they can create unique Build Orders; THEY CAN LEARN HOW TO USE HOTKEYS. Free the players! Let the players work for their matches! Let their micro be the determining factor of their winning or losing! It will create for genuine and unique games, not cookie-cutter "choose your counter-civ, God Power chess, and press AQ 2TC auto-pilot outboom" banality! Allow "Real-Time" back into "RTS" for AoM. Spoiler TheMista interview (2015). TheMista interview (2010). FAQ Spoiler FAQ Table of Contents "How many Age of Mythology games are there?" "How many AoT multiplayer platforms are there?"/"Is the open letter outdated?" "Nobody plays this game? Nobody cares?" "Why should Casuals have to suffer for competitive players' sake?" "Can't there be a compromise?" "Wasn't the 2002 AoM competitive scene not good?" "Aren't maps just maps?" "But isn't Norse already too overpowered?" "What is this 'Age of Free Insurance™'?" "What is this '™'?" "What if your suggestions create even more imbalances?" "How many Age of Mythology games are there?" PC: Ensemble Studios: 2002: Age of Mythology 2003: Age of Mythology: The Titans (expansion pack) Introduced a new "civilization" (tech-tree): Atlanteans Introduced casual game mechanics (AQ, free MU's, Shooting Docks, Titans, 2TC's) Skybox Labs: 2014: Age of Mythology: Extended Edition Was built on The Titans, and introduced: Regressed textures overhaul (water, landscape, trees, etc.) Bloated graphical features Broken AI (easier to fight against) Broken campaign (easier to complete) A new unit to each Civilization to "balance" their specific weakness Skybox Labs, Forgotten Empires: 2015: Age of Mythology EX: Tale of the Dragon (expansion pack) Introduced a new "civilization" (tech-tree): Chinese Board game: Eagle Games: 2003: Age of Mythology: The Boardgame Nintendo DS: Griptonite Games: 2008: Age of Empires: Mythologies "How many AoT multiplayer platforms are there?"/"Is the open letter outdated?" As of May 2023, there are three main platforms to play AoT online: Gameranger: Balance™ maintained by: None The Titans Patch 1.03 The epitome of imbalance from the core mechanics introduced by The Titans expansion pack Consequences: The game plays by itself There is only one way to play the game Demographics: Casual > competitive Few 1v1's, mainly team games, mainly mods Lobby system (peer-to-peer connection) Requirements: Gameranger client, The Titans Patch 1.03, CD/crack Voobly: Balance™ maintained by: Dedicated balance™ team https://www.rts-sanctuary.com/Age-Of-Mythology/showtopic=242441 Seeking balance from TT's core mechanics by: moderately equalizing all "civilizations" (tech-trees) and liberally buffing unpopular Minor Gods Consequences: The game still plays by itself Fan-made "random" maps of near-symmetry Unpopular gods (of The Titans Patch 1.03) receive unnecessarily powerful GP's and perks An entirely different game Demographics: Competitive > casual Mainly 1v1's, some team games, some mods Lobby system (peer-to-peer connection); ratings system Requirements: Voobly client, CD/crack Steam: Balance™ maintained by: The current maintainers of AoMEE (undedicated) https://meta-plays.com/forums/topic/1426-ee-patch-28-most-complete-and-correct-changelog/ Added a unique unit to "balance" each civilization's weakness Chinese "civilization" (tech-tree) Seeking balance from TT's core mechanics by liberally equalizing all "civilizations" (tech-trees) and moderately buffing unpopular Minor Gods Consequences: The game still plays by itself Resource-equity "random" maps "Civilizations" (tech-trees) lose their identities (weaknesses) An entirely different game Demographics: Casual > competitive Mainly 1v1's, few team games, some mods Matchmaking system (dedicated Steam servers or peer-to-peer connection); poor lobby system; ratings system Requirements: Steam client, AoMEE (DLC not required to play with Chinese civilization players) The conversion of real-ratings between Steam and Voobly is variable as Steam's deflate during the weekends or holidays (excluding high-ranked rr). https://imgur.com/a/V21HOVb https://www.reddit.com/r/AgeofMythology/comments/bb2n78/converting_ratings_between_platforms/ "Nobody plays this game? Nobody cares?" Even with the rise of smartphones and Battle Royale games, there were periods of player influxes to AoMEE, clearly showing that RTS games are not obsolete. The population can still grow (so long as automation and Age of Free Insurance™ are removed). AoMEE released on May, 2014 TotD released on January, 2016 COVID lockdowns: 2020 - 2023 AoM Retold announced on October, 2022 Occasional Steam sales https://steamdb.info/app/266840/graphs/ Please read Section Conclusion regarding the state of the game. "Why should Casuals have to suffer for competitive players' sake?" Why is there even a ratings system? How can 10,000 AoE2 Casuals learn hotkeys, but not AoM's Casuals? https://steamcharts.com/app/813780 Why should those who practice the game have to suffer for Casual players' sake? Please read Section Conclusion regarding the state of the game. "Can't there be a compromise?" Trying to please everybody via compromises, in the end, pleases nobody. Please read Section Conclusion regarding Casuals and the state of the game. "Wasn't the 2002 AoM competitive scene not good?" They only had less than a year to flesh out their macro-meta before the wrecking ball that was AoT came in. They simply didn't have enough time. Suppe/Love_soup interview (2009). "Aren't maps just maps?" Ensemble Studios didn't intend for AoM to be some muscle-memory game with the same map, like StarCraft, a game of perfectionism. That was why they created randomized maps so players could scout the map and use everything to their advantage. May the person with the best reflexes and intuition win! Random maps and relics (and no AQ) mix things up. But, no, you have players who just want to do their usual 2TC. They already know the point of the game (macro-meta (AQ-meta/2TC-meta)). If someone else has an extra gold mine, they cry. They don't want to scout. They don't want to use the terrain. Everything must be standardized™ like chess pieces on the board. Because they don't want to put in the extra effort to Classical fight (that is, to create a new BO). Right. Because 2TC's and free MU's basically rewards the boomer - Age of Free Insurance™, not Age of Mythology! Do you know who always complains about map balance™? Boomy players. Because all they do is the same thing over and over again: 2TC, AQ, raid, lame, 2TC, AQ, RAID, LAME! Pro recs are a joke for scouting: they always miss 1 or 2 gold mines or hunt. That's why they always complain about map balance™. Because they never put in the effort to scout thoroughly. Resolving map screws is not the same thing as standardizing™ maps. Having nearly-symmetrical maps actually favor boomy civilizations! Please read Section 1.0 regarding AQ. "But isn't Norse already too overpowered?" Norse is the most difficult civilization to play in 1v1 high-ranked Supremacy because of: Build Order complexity 2-Villager start Acute map dependency Hack-only Odd unit composition; anti-AoE logic Each of the 3 Norse Major Gods have different perks, meaning their BO's are not interchangeable amongst each other as with the Greeks or Egyptians! I challenge all to consistently create sub-4:30 Norse BO's on-the-go; unlike the Greeks and Egyptians, Norse cannot change Dwarves/Villagers/Ox-Carts/Ulfsarks midway and still achieve the same timing. And although every high-ranked player can make a sub-4:30 Norse BO, the question is: is it effective - can that BO produce units from 3 military buildings on AQ non-stop, after the infantry built them immediately reaching Classical Age? Norse BO's are harder to standardize because of Random Maps. TheMista interview (2015). That is why BO crafting is critical to any competitive Norse Mainers. On low hunt maps, Norse is at a severe disadvantage because their hunting bonuses are neglible! On Water maps: Norse has 2 Villagers to begin with, unlike the Greeks (3 Villagers) or Egyptians (2 Villagers and a Pharaoh). Dwarves do not cut wood faster than Gatherers! Their Arrow Ships: Have the slowest speed, meaning they receive extra damage when retreating. Their extra damage is "useless" if their lumber output cannot keep up with the Greeks or Egyptians. That is why, for all of their disadvantages, complexities, and customizability, if the player could win as Norse, they deserved it. Because they had the skill (high APM, good micro) and/or the preparation (excellent BO's). Please read Section 1.0 regarding Norse. "What is this 'Age of Free Insurance™'?" See: Terms and Conditions may apply. Although "Age of Mythology" does not have "Empires" in its title, it retained a core concept from the series, namely, the Advancing system: A considerable amount of resources was spent to Advance During Advancing, the researching Town Center could not produce Villagers for a minute In other words, what could have been used to build one's military/economy for 60 seconds was instead spent as a long-term investment for access to better Techs, MU's, GP's, Villagers (2TC's), and Population (2TC's). As you progress through the Ages, can your Empire withstand the "barbarians" during and after that time of vulnerability? Instead, upon advancing, you receive: Free God Powers Free Myth Units 2TC's Titan Gates In other words, the game rewards you for your efforts of simply DOING NOTHING OTHER THAN BOOMING/ADVANCING. Terms and Conditions: Spoiler Free for boomy civilizations, at the expense of: Norse players, creative risk takers, and aggressive playstyles. In AoFI™: Your APM does not matter. Your Build Orders do not matter. The Norse playstyle Ensemble Studios envisioned for AoM does not matter. The "meta" (micro-meta) is an illusion. There is only one way to play the game. TheMista Interview (2015). Creativity and risk taking are not effective in the macro-meta. Because free God Powers robbed any risk-taking initiatives. Because free MU's have robbed aggressors of their initial firepower. Because shooting Docks robbed aggressors from advancing/attacking earlier. Because 2TC's have robbed raw Classical Age fighting. Because AQ automated the game; your macro-meta micro or BO's do not matter as much. Because Atlanteans can Advance quicker than you can. ("Look, Ma! No hands!") Please read Section 1.0 regarding AoT. "What is this '™'?" The majority of balancing™/standardization™ only address the surface-level symptoms, not the original problem (Age of Free Insurance™). The balancing™ team is composed of several (old) AoT pros who excel(led) in the "meta" (macro-meta) established by Age of Free Insurance™. (Can the reader guess what their Mains are)? "What if your suggestions create even more imbalances?" Then balance™ the unit imbalances. Just get rid of the automation (2TC, AQ) and Age of Free Insurance™ (free GP's, free MU's) which lock the macro-meta in 1v1 high-ranked Supremacy matches. Please read Section 1.0 regarding AoT. Sources Spoiler Maps of Mythology (2002) https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/09/27/maps-of-mythology INTERVIEW WITH SOUP (2009) https://www.rts-sanctuary.com/index.php?s=428ee2657f29a7d44998c1336814849f&portal=AOM&showtopic=128850 Interview with mG_TheMista (2010) https://www.rts-sanctuary.com/index.php?s=428ee2657f29a7d44998c1336814849f&portal=AOM&showtopic=186108 CENSORED SINCE JANUARY 9, 2023 Spoiler (Registration required to view since January 9, 2023) AQ Removal Yes/No (2013) https://www.rts-sanctuary.com/The-Titans/showtopic=226742 (Topic created by TheMista) Why is AOE2 more popular than AOM? (2014) https://www.rts-sanctuary.com/The-Titans/showtopic=231170 Interview with TheMista (2015) https://www.rts-sanctuary.com/Age-Of-Mythology/showtopic=235604 Time for new balance patch? (2022) https://www.rts-sanctuary.com/RTS-Sanctuary/showtopic=250020 Should I retire? (2022) https://www.rts-sanctuary.com/RTS-Sanctuary/showtopic=250066 AoM Retold MUST NOT Include Auto Que #aom #ageofempires (2022) https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Lq2tXofg8lw/maxresdefault.jpg January 13, 2023 Edited 3 hours ago by IAmNotIronMaiden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IAmNotIronMaiden Posted January 13 Author Share Posted January 13 (edited) Reserved 1 RESPONSES On 4/1/2023 at 2:52 PM, simtom said: I don't know why you think a Loki Heimdall is an auto win Assuming both players were of equal skill, Loki wins against Thor on the open battlefield because of free™ Mu spawns (Age of Free Insurance™), leading to.... On 4/1/2023 at 2:52 PM, simtom said: Thor can go Forseti - Hersir + TA + trolls and Loki can't get in So why then would the Loki player want to invade? The Loki player gets map control: free hunt and gold, revealed resources through scouting, and Spy (Age of Free Insurance™). The Loki player can also advance to Bragi quicker. Also, an experienced Loki player wouldn't have forward built or advanced with 14 villagers or less. Instead, he would have been pumping military from 3 buildings (immediately built once reaching Classical Age) on AQ non-stop. Which leads back to the beginning of this section. Finally, the Loki player will steamroll with infinite hunt, 2TC's, and Einherjars, and invoke Undermine/FW. On 4/1/2023 at 2:52 PM, simtom said: even Freja can work because Loki will need to keep a Hersir back to defend vs Valk raid Against the free™ Valkyrie, an experienced Loki player would have already kept two Hersirs behind. Against multiple Valkyries, the experienced Loki player rejoices because the Thor player cannibalized their Advance food (herdables) for mere scouting (useless raiding). Against 1 Valkyrie + 1 Ulfsark + 1 TA raids, the Loki player can always respond. In Norse wars, Loki has all the lockdown perks: His philosophy is to react accordingly to the Spied unit, gain map control, then overwhelm with free™ MU's (and Einherjars). "Show me rec". "1v1 me". Did you read anything? Consider - assuming both players were of equal skill: Who would win on the open battlefield? Why should players (especially Norse) fight under TC/tower fire? Do Heimdall players have to advance with 14 villagers? Do Heimdall players have to forward build? Do Heimdall players have to attack early? Why should Heimdall players attack at half population? Are Hersirs the only choice for Loki? No wonder Norse players have such a poor reputation (and playerbase). Edited Wednesday at 06:37 PM by IAmNotIronMaiden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IAmNotIronMaiden Posted January 13 Author Share Posted January 13 Reserved 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AoL_Iron_maiden Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 I'M SP... IRON MAIDEN!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leinadarcher Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 (edited) Well, as well written and formatted as this is, I don't know if they would need to change the game so drastically to achieve what you are seemingly after. They could first of all try changing some of the stat values of units/buildings, and see if that can encourage a more aggressive playstyle. Likewise they could simply add a 'Vanilla' gamemode alongside Deathmatch/Lightning. Edited January 23 by Leinadarcher Me wording bad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simtom Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 Quote In a 1v1 high-ranked Supremacy match, assuming both players are of equal skill (one move per turn): Thor loses to Heimdall , regardless of which Classical Age god he chooses to Advance under. If the Loki player Advances under Forsetti , Thor Hersirs still lose to Loki Hersirs. If the Thor player manages to Advance under Skadi , a wise Loki player would have already Advanced under Bragi and sat on the Thor player's second gold mine with several units to bait Frost. But even if the Thor player is slightly more skilled (black goes first), his choices are limited against a Loki player who has a good BO and "strategy" (Semi Heroic). That's just not true. I think of Thor vs Loki like this, if Thor survives to ragnarok he wins. So Loki has to kill or do a lot of damage and, when both players know that, a good Thor will make it very difficult for Loki. I don't know why you think a Loki Heimdall is an auto win; Thor can go Forseti - Hersir + TA + trolls and Loki can't get in; you can also do an early ulf flood, remember Thor has stronger eco and fighting close to your base is an advantage.. even Freja can work because Loki will need to keep a Hersir back to defend vs Valk raid. In general rushing Thor with Loki is not that viable. I wouldn't do it in a serious game because it's too risky. But playing Forseti is tricky too because if you're not far ahead by heroic age you'll lose to Ragnarok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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