Age of Empires IV (Spiritual Successor to AOE II, Due Fall 2021)

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Age of Empires IV – Age of Empires (Official Site)

Age of Empires IV on Steam (steampowered.com)

 

Look at it from an AOE2 fan (AO2 is The One True Age of Empires).

Age Of Empires 4 looks like it's got the right balance between old and new. And Elephants. | Rock Paper Shotgun

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One thing I love: units whisper their acknowledgement sounds when they're waiting in ambush within a forest. Also, the languages they speak in (all real) change throughout the four ages, to reflect the evolution of real dialects. Attention to detail!

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The four launch campaigns for AoE4, of which only the Norman conquest of England has been announced, look like they’re going to be much grander affairs than the already excellent single player offerings of AoE2, with stories spanning generations, buckets of voice acting, and - in an unexpected twist - more than three hours of exquisitely produced documentary footage linking the scenarios.

 

Edited April 11, 2021 by atomheartbevo

[atomheartbevo 89618]

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Speaking of things that have and haven't been changed, it's worth pointing out that there's still going to be a multiplayer unit cap of 200 per player, although with maps capable of handling 1600 units overall (for a 4v4 battle), there's apparently scope for bigger armies in campaign missions such as this one.

 

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[atomheartbevo 89618]

Some tidbits

• Naval combat
• Launching with 8 civilizations 
• Launching with 4 campaigns. 

https://www.pcgamer.com/age-of-empires-4-is-coming-this-fall-with-asymmetric-factions-naval-combat-and-4-historical-campaigns/

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Units in each civilization now speak their own native tongue—or, rather, tongues. "Playing a civ like the English, they start off and are very hard to understand in the first age. By the time you hit age four they're actually speaking Old English and you can understand what the units are saying," said creative director Adam Isgreen. "Instead of doing any kind of translation, when you play the Chinese, you're going to learn some Chinese, because your units are all going to be talking to you in that language. That goes for all the languages and cultures in the game."

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Age of Empires 4's four planned campaigns also sound ambitious: instead of focusing on individual historical figures they'll tackle a longer view of the civilization's history. The Norman campaign begins with William the Conqueror, then moves to the conflict between his children Henry I and Robert II, and then their children, and then their children, over the course of more than a century.

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"You get the whole story of the Norman conquest, from the time this ambitious duke made his way across the channel and said 'this is mine,' all the way to the point where you're signing the Magna Carta and laying the foundations of what England is today," said narrative lead Philippe Boulle. "We bridge the gap between missions with these wonderful historical films. We worked with documentarians to go to all kinds of locations like Hastings and Dover, where these events happened. And that's just one of the four campaigns we're shipping with."

More at the link

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Came out a few days ago.

$60 for the regular edition

$80 for the Deluxe Digital Edition.

$100 for everything (Halloween sale).

I don't think it's worth $80 for the Deluxe edition, but If you have never played the series and prefer to get the deluxe stuff, it might be worth the extra $20 on top of that to get everything.  If you can wait, it will go on sale.  

If you liked the older ones in years past, the definitive editions are very nice, including 4K graphics that look damn nice.

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/22390/Age_of_Empires_Anthology/

• Age of Empires IV - Digital Deluxe Edition: Make History Your Story as you are placed at the center of epic historical battles that shaped the world. Featuring both familiar and innovative new ways to expand your empire in stunning 4K visual fidelity, Age of Empires IV brings an evolved real-time strategy game to a new generation. Featuring 8 diverse civilizations, 4 distinct campaigns that include legendary historical figures, 8-player multiplayer modes, a tutorial system that teaches the essence of real-time strategy and a Campaign Story Mode designed for first time players to help achieve easy setup and success. The Digital Deluxe Edition adds digital bonus content which includes the official Age of Empires IV soundtrack, Unit Counters Chart, art compilation from digital painter Craig Mullins, and exclusive in-game content including a Coat of Arms, Player Profile portrait, and Monument.
   
• Age of Empires: Definitive Edition brings together all of the officially released content with modernized gameplay, all-new visuals and a host of other new features, including over 40 hours of updated campaign content with new narration and pacing, and up to 8-player battles with new competitive features and modes.
   
• Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition celebrates one of the most popular strategy games ever. Explore all the original campaigns like never before, as well as the best-selling expansions and brand-new content, “The Last Khans” with 3 new campaigns and 4 new civilizations spanning over 1,000 years of human history. Also includes recently released expansions, “Dawn of the Dukes” and “Lords of the West.”
   
• Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition lets you command mighty civilizations from across Europe, the Americas and the battlefields of Asia. Experience two new game modes, including all previously released expansions* and 14 civilizations, plus two brand new civilizations – the Swedes and Inca. Also includes recently released expansion, “The African Royals.”

*Anthology does not include the “Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition – United States civilization.”
**Includes entitlement to Age of Empires II: DE - Dawn of the Dukes expansion as a pre-order bonus for Age of Empires IV

 

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As posted in the other thread, it's a part of GamePass too, so if you subscribe to that you can play for free.