Not Bad For A 20 Year Old Game

[EvieTheAvocado]

My favorite game ever, age of empires 2, is 20 years old.

There's a live LAN tournament happening right now that lasts for several days ... it's live on Twitch.tv and has over 7400 live viewers right now.

https://www.twitch.tv/nili_aoe

Not bad for a game that first came out in 1999.

What's more: the community for this game is actually growing rather than dying.

It's nothing compared to big games like Fornite, when it comes to popularity, of course.

But I guarantee you that Fornite will be dead longggggg before 20 years into the future. It'll get replaced by the next thing and the next thing or the next thing.

Unlike Age of Empires 2... which is timeless.

It was considerably more successful than its sequel.

And Age of Empires 4... that's being worked on ... is apparently being based largely on the game of Age of Empires 2... because it's so successful.

Microsoft actually sponsored this tournament, by the way, along with a multimillionire, ... one of the co-founders of Mixer, MattSalsa.

So that's it really. A thread about one of my greatest passions in life. I've personally been playing this game since I was 12 years old ... and I'm now 30.

It's the chess of real time strategy. It even uses the Elo rating system like chess does. After 20 years new strategies are still being thought of. The depth to the game appears to be endless. It's the one game that I always come back to and will never stop playing online.

[GenesisNemesis]

I have it but never got good at it. I'd like to play it more though.

[abaris]

I have it but never got good at it. I'd like to play it more though.

Basically it's Warcraft from the mid 90ies. The very same system.

[EvieTheAvocado]

W000000000t they just hit over 10,000 viewers.

[EvieTheAvocado]

I have it but never got good at it. I'd like to play it more though.

Basically it's Warcraft from the mid 90ies. The very same system.

Only infinitely more complex and deep. The best strategies in Warcraft get discovered in months ... it hasn't happened for this game yet in over 2 decades.

The original Starcraft is similar in depth ... but that game is a lot more about sheer speed and micromanagement ... but Age of Empires 2 is more about strategy and macromanagement. You can actually be pretty slow at Age of Empires 2, compared to other RTS games, and still play at a high level. It's more about the economy management and the strategy than it is about fancy moves and sheer speed.

What I appreciate about this game most of all is its sheer depth compared to other strategy games.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I was playing that five minutes ago. Rivers, Hard, 4 player map. I stole the fifth relic and won.

[EvieTheAvocado]

I have it but never got good at it. I'd like to play it more though.

Basically it's Warcraft from the mid 90ies. The very same system.

Warcraft is also incredibly simplistic compared to AoE2, though.

You don't get someone with a math degree and over 153,000 subscribers on YouTube making many videos about the mathematics behind the mechanics of Warcraft ... but you get that for Age of Empires 2. It's a really fascinating game.

Also, Warcraft has 2 identical races/civilizations that differ only in appearance. Age of Empires 2, as of now, has 31 civilizations all with different technology trees, their own unique units, unique technologies and unique bonuses (I say "as of now" because despite being over 20 years old ... 3 new official expansion packs have been released over the last few years).

[EvieTheAvocado]

Also, by it being a "warcraft clone" or the "exact same system" as warcraft ...

... all that means is that it's a base-building resource gathering real time strategy game without tanks and you collect the resources with gatherers rather than build resource extractors on the resources and let all that happen automatically without actually doing anything. It means you gather resources, build buildings and create and control armies and resource gatherers in real time.

With a "command and conquer" clone the game is focused more on tanks and aircraft than it is on footsoldiers and navy ... and rather than having villagers/peons to collect resources and build buildings you just place the buildings whenever you feel like it, without having them built by builders, and you just build resource extractors to collect the resources rather than having the units actually gather and drop off the resources.

Basically, if it's a real time strategy game that is NOT a command and conquerr or Warcraft clone then that means there is no base building, resource gathering and economy management ... and that's, to me, what makes a real time strategy game a strategy game rather than just a tactics game! And it's what makes it empire building rather than just army controlling (it has that as well).

Warcraft 1 was extremely basic. Warcraft 2 improved on that largely but it was very simplistic. (Warcraft 3 mixed in too many RPG elements, to my mind, so it didn't really feel like an RTS anymore .. .Age of Empires 3 made a similar mistake) ... the original Age of Empires improved greatly on Warcraft 2 but it was still very simplistic. Age of Empires 2 basically came after the original starcraft and it was the last and the most advanced of the 2D RTS games before 3D games took over and things went a bit odd (also, old 3D graphics don't age as well ... which is another reason why Age of Empires 2 and Starcraft 1 are still so timeless even today).

The Age of Empires series is basically like playing Civilization in real time. And I don't think it gets any more perfect than that.

I honestly can't say enough good things about this game, lol. I think it's the deepest video game ever created that is still played competitively to this day.

[EvieTheAvocado]

Also, Warcraft 2 has 2 resources to manage ... gold and wood .... Age of Empires has 4.

Some newer games tried having 6 ... and that always seemed a bit excessive. 4 always feels like the perfect amount.


After natural food runs out you can use wood to build farms and get your food that way. Food and food are the two basic resources.

Elite units are made with gold. Walls, towers and castles are made with stone.

I just think it has the best resouce management system of any video game, as well. I can't say enough good things about Age of Empires 2. It's like Age of Empires 1 on steroids.

[EvieTheAvocado]

Really bizarre that a community for a 20 year old video game is not only dying rather than growing ... but they're all being remastered, new expansion packs were released only recently, the game still has game balance updates (that's another key thing: bugs are still getting fixed, the game is still being balanced) ... a sequel is being made and Microsoft has started sponsoring tournaments for it again for the first time since 2002.

I'm definitely obsessed, lol. I wouldn't have been playing the game for over half my lifetime online if I wasn't, lol.

Off and on. I have to take breaks. I've played it so much for so many years. Imagine how much I loved this game when I wasn't so very very familar with it?

I've probably spent more hours playing this game over the years than I have spent talking to my own siblings and parents, lol.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I haven't added anything to my base game, I don't know what's good. Suggestions solicited.

[EvieTheAvocado]

I mean ... it's quite true that 99% of simulation games that involve building stuff is a Simcity clone in some way ....

but if somebody really loves that type of game ... then telling them that a game is just a Simcity clone doesn't really tell them much.

I mean, many people love World War shooters. But telling somebody that a new World War shooter is just a Call of Duty clone doesn't really tell them much if they love that type of game.

I can't stand those type of shooters. But stll. You get my point.

Every single genre is pretty much just a clone of some game.

Fighting games are just Street Fighter clones or Mortal Kombat clones. But if someone really likes fighting games then telling them "It's just a Street Fighter clone" doesn't tell them much.

All the old school shooters were pretty much just Doom clones.

When things got more 3D they were all pretty much Quake clones.

Then there was Half life and then there were many games that were all pretty much half life clones under a new skin.

Then Halo came along and every shooter wanted to copy Halo.

With regards to the most unique games company ever ... I think that would be Bullfrog and Lionhood Studios. But there's been as many "Meh" or bad games from those companies as there have been truly awesome games. Originality isn't everything. Some of the best games ever created are just improved versions of an older game under a new skin, pretty much. As long as copyright isn't broken, so what?

It's like that with everything.

Look at movies. Many of the best movies of all time are largely inspired by older movies.

Look at guitar riffs. Many of the best modern guitar riffs are strikingly similar to much older classic riffs.

Originality isn't everything. To say that Age of Empires 2 is a "warcraft clone" is just to say that it has largely improved on a foruma that works and made it much more interesting.

(again, we're talking about the Warcraft RTS games here.

World of Warcraft? Well, World of Warcraft is just an Everquest clone that largely improved on THAT formula).

The original two Monkey Island games are absolute classics.

Then you have these two games called Simon the Sorceror ... with wizards instead of privates ... and it's certainly not similar enough to break copyrights ... but you can certainly tell that the first two Simon the Sorceror games were largely inspired on the first two Monkey Island games, for example.

I think the best games, the best movies and the best pieces of music have all been highly inspired by past creations.

It's important to have an original idea. To take an original idea and improve on it? Even better!

Like I said, as long as you're not actually breaking any copyrights or anything. You can't copyright things like game mechanics. Video gaming as we know it would come to a complete standstill if you could copyright game mechanics. You'd get each company owning an entire genre. It would be absurd.

[EvieTheAvocado]

I haven't added anything to my base game, I don't know what's good. Suggestions solicited.

After you have the base game of Age of Empires 2...

... the expansion pack The Conquerors is recommended.

Then ... if you really have the money....

buy Age of Empires 2 HD edition on Steam. Then but the expansion packs The Forgotten, The African Kingdoms and Rise of the Rajas.

You can then even convert those expansions into the original version of the game with a mod that you can find online called Wololo Kingdoms. All the best players in the world and all the tournaments are actually run with that mod, using the userpatch and wololok kingdoms mod rather than the HD version ... because the original version of the game runs a much smoother than the HD version ... and there's also next to zero online lag even with medicore internet.

Plus, you don't even need to buy The Conequerors for the original version if you don't have that already. That comes with the HD version adn teh HD version can be converted into the original version to run Wololo Kingdoms.

Of course, if you like the HD version, and if you're only interested in casual play ... then you can still play the HD version online or on Steam as well. With its expansions. There are still probably more casual players on Steam than there are competitive players on Voobly (the platform for comeptitive age of empires 2, that the tournaments are run on is called Voobly).

Once you have the HD version of the game plus its three new expansions ... here's a video tutorial for how to convert it all to the original version of the game, using the mod, if you're interested (there's also an all in one tool that does that all for you):





TL;DR:

None of this is necessary though.

If you just want all the new expansions on Steam and are perfectly okay with the HD version ... then all you have to do is buy this Steam bundle with the HD version + the three new expansions:

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/21...the_Rajas/

The entire bundle is currently 80% off on Steam. You can get it all for just £7/$9 ... NOT EACH. IN TOTAL.

With an 80% price reduction ... couldn't be a better time to buy the HD version and its expansions now.

Now I sound like I'm a salesman or here to advertise lol.

But I really love this game and the fact it's all 80% off right now does indeed mean it couldn't be a better time to buy it right now.

[EvieTheAvocado]

Full price is £35/$45 ... currently on sale on Steam for £7/$9 ... not bad at all

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I have the HD game from Steam.

[EvieTheAvocado]

That's cool. So even less than $9 for you to buy the 3 new expansions on top of that then

That bundle should be reduced even more for you, if you already have the base game then.

But even if it's not reduced for you ... the 3 expansions together are still worth a lot more than the $9 total of the reduced bundle.

It updates the game to the newest version, with the improved game balance, and increases the civilizations from 18 to 31 ... plus there's a lot more to it than that. Like new maps and stuff as well.

Let's just say that all 3 of the expansions are definitely worth getting. Especially if you've had years of the original version. It makes the game feel very new and fresh all over again.

After I got the three new expansions I fell in love with the game all over again. It was like love at first sight all over again

[EvieTheAvocado]

Also I always felt like it was odd that there was the Aztecs and Mayans but no Incas, for example

New civilizations from the three new expansions:

Italians – Set sail to Venice and take the role as general in one of the Italian republics that emerged from the chaos after the collapse of the Roman Empire!
Indians – Put vast armies under your command, comprised of countless Camels and powerful Elephants.
Slavs – Even after the dissolution of the Mongolian Golden Horde, these icy planes of Eastern Europe still echo under the thundering hooves and countless boots of your soldiers.
Magyars – Lead the mighty Black Army over the Hungarian plains and command the fiercest cavalry forces that Europe has ever witnessed in the Middle Ages
Incas – Lead your armies along the shores of Lake Titicaca, defend your wealth and heritage from the invading Conquistadors and erect mighty structures to withstand the test of time.
Berbers – Unite the tribes of Northern Africa and set sail for Europe. Can you hold your ground against the scrambled kingdoms of Iberia?
Malians – Follow in the footsteps of the great Mansa Musa and become the greatest king of Western Africa.
Ethiopians – Relive the glory of the once mighty Aksumite empire and rule over the Red Sea.
Portuguese – Set sail for the new world, discover new routes to unknown lands and expand your trade routes to the mighty African empires.
Burmese – Ascend to power, quash a treacherous rebellion, and restore the Burmese monarchy to its former glory.
Khmer – Construct the largest religious monument in the world and amass an immortal army of devastating siege weapons.
Malay – Rebuild the largest thalassocracy to ever exist. Leave your mark on the region while hopping from island to island and rule the Southeast Asian archipelago.
Vietnamese – Lead your people to independence and wage guerrilla warfare with an extremely powerful arsenal of ranged units.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Please, be explicit about what I should get. Belay that, I bought the three you recommended. First time shopper for expansion packs.

[EvieTheAvocado]

Yeah if you have the HD edition then the three expansion packs I mentioned is all there is left to buy.

Any other mods and additions are all free and made by the community.

Hope you enjoy!

[Gawdzilla Sama]

What do I do with the llama?

[EvieTheAvocado]

Eat it. It works like a sheep.

Incas start with a free one

The goats are the same as the sheep too.

The Conquerors introduced turkeys ... these expansion packs have more.

On maps with cows ... be aware that cows have extra food

Elephants also have more food than boars.

And on the weird swampy maps (there aren't many of them, there's a few) ... with the weird sunken terrain that works as both land and water ...

you also find water buffalo:

https://ageofempires.fandom.com/wiki/Water_Buffalo

Like the cows they have 150 instead of 100 food. But they, once again, work just like sheep.

On the African maps there's also ostrich and zebras which work like deer.

And as well as elephants, you can find rhinos. They, again, work like boars.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

And let the games begin!

[EvieTheAvocado]

Have fun

[EvieTheAvocado]

Oh, one more thing, on African maps you also get lions instead of wolves.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Sounds like fun. I usually create a squad of men-at-arms to deal with the wolves when they're plentiful.