So far we had the habit to keep quiet about the work happening behind the screens of Age of Empires II: Forgotten Empires. Even though we will maintain that principle, I decided to write a little blog report every week or two to keep you guys up to date on the things we’re working on.
Campaigns
The stories for the campaigns start to shape up, and the first scenarios are being created. Making a real “official” campaign takes so much more work than just a stroll down the scenario editor. Not only must we create an immersive experience for the player, the stories must also be translated, suitable music must be composed and cut scenes are to be drawn up. And god knows if we’ll ever go down the road of voice acting 😀
Scenario Editor
New scenarios obviously require new objects, heroes, buildings and units in the scenario editor. Which has been our main focus this week. Small things like a flock of seagulls swarming over the seaside just make it all more vivid. Or something more robust, like a fire tower? The objects we can add are limited, so we must consider which objects are worth adding eventually and which are not.
Music
This week, we received the final version for the Forgotten Empires Opening Theme from our composer, Vitalis Eirich. Check it out!
Balance & Small features
One of the things we have been playing around with this week was giving villagers the ability to garrison villagers inside rams, similar to soldiers. Could it lead to some extra tactics? Some extra nice moves one can pull off? We surely think so 🙂
Graphics
Work has also started on our final graphics set. A cold, chilly, yet robust Slavic stable to start with. And last weeks, we also came up with a new icon for AoFE.
Installer
A new game also comes with a new installer. It is meant to make it easy for players to stay up to date with the latest patches of the game without any tedious or complicated copy+paste hazards. Hit the button and *poof*, you have the latest version. We’ll have some work on this one for the coming weeks =)
Awesome!
1 Suggestion: Could you use the Italian building setting for the Spanish as well? Their current one doesn’t really fit to Spanish architecture, the Italian however does!
Yeah, That + the byzantine. While they seem open about the byzantine, I’ve never heard of them speaking about giving it the the Spanish. I made a suggestion on their forums for the Spanish, hope it will be answered.
Please hold only 1 version for AoFE, for not divide the people like AoC
+1
The updating tool will make sure people always have the same version to play with 🙂
PLEEEEEASE Put an attack move function into this game….
”Work has also started on our final graphics set. A cold, chilly, yet robust Slavic stable to start with. And last weeks, we also came up with a new icon for AoFE. ”
Does that mean that the slavs will have a different architecture set?
Will the slavs be the only one to have this new set in-game?
1. About Vikings and Aztecs Vikings and Aztecs should have halbs even though they have advantages in infantries(Aztecs: attack+4; Vikings: +64hp). Their pikes are not strong enough against calvaries comparing to other civs who have halbs since pikes are weaker than halbs against calvaries. 2. Houses The hp of the houses should be decreased. It holds too much hp and is way too cheap as well for wall usage. 3. Outpost Cancel the stone cost and lower the sight for outposts, and the wood cost should increase to 75-125 so that more people would use it. 4.Infantry disadvantages Please consider… Read more »
Vikings: +64hp >> 67
1-4| Resolved differently
5-6| No issues
7| Byzantines have no eco bonus either
8| Solved
9| Not possible at this point.
what do you mean that 5-6 have no issues?
It’s OK with him. Personally, I actually agree with you, but a different tune. I don’t want thumb ring to give perfect accuracy, just enhance it while leaving the possibility of a miss by the archer. It’s cooler and feels more realistic when a few arrows miss, like British Longbowmen. And no product has 100% perfection with every copy, maybe some are 99%? 🙂
1.Teuton monks bug:
monks has increased heal range but won’t automatically heal in this distance.
2. Please give more details about the facts of improved networking
3. Suggestions:
Palliside is too cheap for 2 wood, 250hp.
It should cost 4 wood and the hp should be 150hp
Thx for the bugreport 🙂
2. The answer?
improved networking probably refers to the new updates from the v1.1 patch, for example an UPnP (auto portforward) support, so there aren’t any hosting problems anymore (except if your ISP strictly forces its own NAT)
Hey Cysion, there are some other suggestions for balance on the ‘Features’ page as well.Please read those as well. 🙂
1.Teuton TC bug:
it actually +1 attack instead of +2
2.tower suggestions:
Basically people only use towers in feudal ages. 125 stone seems to be too expensive in castle age.
I suggest that the stone cost of the tower should decrease like by 15%
3.Balance suggestion:
Add some advantages to Byzantine such as increasing 10% of moving speed for villagers, or other kinds of economic advantages.
Change Franks’ knights hp to +25%
3. ”Change Frank’s knight hp to +25%” Hehe that’s my field ;). Cool to see I’m not the only one to think +12hp is pretty low.
but why not weaken bloodlines instead? +10, or 12, or 13 (lucky thirteen heh :)) hp instead of 20 would be so much easier and even better, it would only change the franks status relative to the other civilizations, without changing the Franks themselves. Another effect of changing bloodlines to +13 hp would be that regular cavalry archers or scouts w/o bloodlines might become somewhat useful, but bloodlines still makes a clear distinction between the two ;)!
However if that was done, I’d increase Husbandrys effects to at least 15%, to compensate for this change in cavalry.
Also, in the first AOE I’m pretty sure aristocracy added +13% to cavalry hp. Think of it as not just a balance change, but a tribute to the wololo and hoyohoyo 😛
On Giving Franks 5% more hp instead – this is a bad idea. you know know powerful any paladin really is, and just because the Frankish one is only marginally better than the main force does not mean it wasn’t on the razors edge of balance to begin with (See: AOK Franks, no xpac, nobody had bloodlines.)
aww man. was nobility, and it did 15. but everything I argue: it still stands. sorry for the long reply list, I don’t have an edit button 🙁
Good idea. Reducing bloodlines is better. This technology always felt OP to me : +20 hp for a little cost of resources was too much. Husbandry +15% is nice, and help franks distinguish themselves even more from teutons for example.
hi Cysion,
not sure if you know about this or not, but there’s a bug in the default dat files with the trebuchet. In some conditions (don’t remember exactly, but most likely the “+1 range” thing) the closed trebuchet has a bigger range of firing than the opened one, so it fails to kill the target after unpacking. xOmicron said this would be very easy to fix with your mod.
thanks! 😉
Thanks for the report, fixed!
1. bug(?) villagers put food back to the mill even if TC is closer than mill. 2. balance suggestion: a. CA cost -5 wood, -10 gold b. add Plate Barding Armor to Mongol tech(hussar defense is too low to protect mangudai) c. goth should have plate mail armor (huskarl should have -1 pierce armor, and +2 when going elite. If goth is still too strong, +10 total pop can be removed.) d. rams increase in attack to attack villagers(it could be a new tactic). e. less cost in gold when upgrading to hussar; 600 gold is too expensive. f. War… Read more »
huskarl should have -1 pierce armor, and +2 << -2