First Age of Empires 4 Game! 1v1 as English

A first look at some Age of Empires 4 gameplay during the "stress test" open beta. To ease into things I went with a 1v1 as English against the Holy Roman Empire in black forest.
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Patreon: / spiritofthelaw
Background music from Epidemic Sound: www.epidemicsound.com

[@Daaannn]

I think the stress test looks good. 4~5 minutes and i'm already stressed with that bell...

[@neatwing2285]

Poor devs all probably have tinnitus

[@optionvice8926]

I didnt get accepted for the stress test :(

[@RudOnd]

@@neatwing2285 or fans of Archer and the tinnitus runing joke and want everyone gets it ( pun intentended) . mwah mwah.

[@DmytroBogdan]

Mental stress test

[@ElInextricable]

@@optionvice8926 There are a bunch of spiders living inside my PC but they grant me access to the stress test lol

[@mullerpotgieter]

They'd better change the town center sound or they'll give players psychological trauma

[@Leonardodeboni0406]

The troumpets of being atacked already made this to me. But you are right

[@YangKoeteVODs]

The original sound of the clicking is nice.

[@Quinti22]

i just checked my footage from the previous beta, because i don't remember being this bad, and yeah, is bugged, when you select your TC is supossed to do a sound like the AOE2 one

[@TheRemotesensor]

Town center sounds like a dock!

[@sanethoughtspreader]

YESSS. Was so annoying!

[@fartz666]

Looks like it's more of a sequel to AOE2 than AOE3 was. My only complaint is that the town center bell is too quiet. It could probably use at least 4x as many DING's, or maybe even just never stop ringing, and getting increasingly louder throughout the match.

[@AliceLiddell_Blacksoul]

It gives you free tinnitus and PTSD, what's else could we ask for.

[@nsiac]

That was hilarious. I vote for the non stop ringing and getting louder.

[@VFXChrisUme]

this made me laugh!

[@dirkauditore8413]

@@AliceLiddell_Blacksoul Lmao i didnt find it that bad tbh

[@TheTattorack]

You should've been there during the beta. There actually was this bug that, when playing the English, the alarm bell would never stop ringing. And yeah, when your base gets attacked there'll be an alarm bell, but the English have this "feature" that any defensive building can start the alert for so much as spotting an enemy sheep.

[@nqh4393]

I love how the English spoken by the units becomes more and more understandable with each age.

[@Ramser03]

I noticed that too! I’m not 100% in love with AoE4 but that is a really cool detail

[@callmeswivelhips8229]

@@Ramser03 It would be cool if they managed that with other languages too, like with the Spanish and French for example...since some players speak those languages too

[@emsouemsou]

Very subtle. I thought I was just figuring out the Old English haha

[@Ramser03]

@@callmeswivelhips8229 Yes!!

[@MagicalKid]

@@callmeswivelhips8229 it's the same for the Chinese

[@felixloewenich2202]

*DING DING* 4 minutes in and that sound effect is already driving me nuts

[@injest1928]

I don't know why it's so annoying but it's driving me crazy too, I feel like it will haunt my dreams

[@safe-keeper1042]

WIP.

[@CB-zq1ky]

DING DING

[@XTheLolX301]

Hope u can turn it off, or at lest change it with a mod

[@arcan762]

That is a deal breaker if you can't turn it down/off...

[@187Streak]

Opponent: irish SOTL: I'll pick English Pro gamer move

[@ieatyouto4527]

🤣

[@stephaneduhamel7706]

Thatcher would be proud

[@Dabeyoun]

That is the first thing that came in my mind XD

[@fearan9406]

And I took that personally

[@ub3rfr3nzy94]

English get bonus damage against Irish players

[@jimmyjamesraynor6180]

Great to see this franchise being revived by Microsoft. Praying for Age Of Mythology Definitive Edition next.

[@CrumpetsNBiscuits]

Talking the real talk

[@tonysiouxfan]

Age of Mythology was awesome!

[@bogdanpostole7251]

i tought aoe was bought by some guys and remade from the ground up. if this is the case, and not being microsoft, i fear for aom

[@sirius_solaris]

One thing I ADORE about this game is that when you place a building, it automatically makes a path to that building depending on where you placed other buildings and the most used paths that villagers take. It adds that little bit extra immersive action y’know?

[@kesorangutan6170]

Rise of Nations did that. Man, that game was a blast!

[@paulschlacter4181]

@@abc-ug5ym lol recently started playing the game after a decade and that's a pretty accurate statement. I've been baiting the enemy army back into my towers to get the advantage in a battle.

[@kamikazefrancais]

I have learned 2 things about AoE4 today: DING DING

[@ThanukaRoshan]

IKR holy shit that sound pissing me off.

[@CB-zq1ky]

DING DING

[@Thestuffnope]

@@ThanukaRoshan DING DING

[@tako158]

It reminds me of the Dock "ding ding" in AoE2

[@MikaelKKarlsson]

All aboard! Ding dong!

[@Rubafix989]

They provided a very good argument against public score. They want to put an emphasis on scouting and prevent players from guessing the enemy strategy from the score. they seem to indicate that in AoE II you can deduce if a player is clicking feudal based on his score for example. I think you should be able to display scores in custom games, but I'm ok with them removing it for matchmaking. It's off putting but people will get used to it.

[@benijager1372]

It kinda will give more chance to smurfs tho

[@Kuddochan]

Showing score is just a weird concept in general. It basically gives you information out of thin air. Objectively speaking it feels like a no-brainer that it shouldn't be a thing in competitive games at the very least. If you want intel on your opponents actions then you should have to actually scout for it yourself

[@DariushMJ]

It would be cool if it was could be unlocked in the game as an upgrade

[@BelovedOfFreya]

I was worried that there would be a score number, glad they removed it.

[@qwerty222999]

Very true, though some will probably argue that analyzing score is a skillful move and should be included in the game. To me it has always been an odd thing.

[@nguyenphamthanhgiang8951]

The perfect alignment between farms and mill is so satisfying ngl

[@docpossum2460]

AFter years of misalignment it's so amazing

[@jangtheconqueror]

@Pius Koros There's a way to build them in a spiral-like alignment to use all the space, but it's impossible to do if you build it near a towncenter

[@sircoy5708]

I AGREE! SO MUCH!

[@HelloFutureMe]

It's really great to see that all this gameplay footage is finally letting AoE4 prove itself to the world. I freaking love it, and they really do seem to be listening to feedback.

[@lindenir540]

Fancy seeing you here! You've been in closed beta then?

[@HelloFutureMe]

@@lindenir540 yep! It was awesome

[@ArawnOfAnnwn]

They barely changed the zoom distance tho...

[@leow193]

What did they change exactly ? Not sure there is a lot of differences

[@RadicalRain]

I’ve got to admit the gameplay looks to be AoE without a doubt and that’s the main thing for me. Gameplay overrides art direction.

[@ethribin4188]

I LOVE that the scout calls out what he finds! Thats realy nice and helpfull. Also immersive

[@scevda]

The audio work in this game really is the stand out element thus far.

[@jacksheldon8566]

@@scevda ding ding!

[@AliceLiddell_Blacksoul]

@@jacksheldon8566 Need more ding, not enough.

[@jacksheldon8566]

@@AliceLiddell_Blacksoul 13 ding seems like the perfect number

[@DarkOmegaMK2]

Spirit of the Law just beat up a 10 year old playing his first game of AoE4.

[@lolaldanee2743]

sure felt like it, poor sod

[@mailboro]

@@lolaldanee2743 that's the hard AOE school that viper also had to go to as a child (his father had large AOE2 site)

[@ScottyShaw]

That 10 year old will grow up to become a brutal artist, like a reverse Hitler 😱 #godwinLaw

[@41linestreet]

Totally wrecked him😂

[@roxylius7550]

@@TubeMeisterJC yeah, he totally missed his favorite move of sending archers early on and wreaking opponent's economy there lol

[@BillyTalentIIIlyrics]

this is absolutely amazing. You are a legend, it is such a new and great experience of SOTL having a gameplay recorded and see a bit, how you are tackling this!

[@krisporter7713]

Played the stress test all day yesterday, and the war crys are awesome, I love how ur troops and such will whistle and yell when they see enemy's, and the sea battles are amazing, I cant wait for full game.

[@oliviaaaaaah1002]

I _love_ the Old English that all of your troops are speaking. It's such a minor feature but I'm glad the AoE 4 devs doubled down on making the languages accurate.

[@Matthew-hl5eg]

As you age, the language also updates to be the more accurate to the age it's portraying. So first age is really old english, and the 4th age is sorta modern.

[@britishguyreacts]

@@Matthew-hl5eg That's so cool! I honestly just thought they were speaking gibberish.

[@VGInterviews]

I didnt understand anything

[@arda213]

I wish other civs like Delhi Sultanate also had the same attention.

[@Methodius7]

@@arda213 Do they not? Are English only civ with this feature?

[@TheVlp3r]

Was the scout like shouting when he saw enemy units/ buildings?? That's kinda awesome

[@whitehavencpu6813]

lel It felt like a CC3 mod or something, infantry in CnC3 talk a lot like that... funny tho that game came out in 2008....

[@ParlonsAstronomie]

@@whitehavencpu6813 Battle for Middle Earth did that with every units 17 years ago, it was very useful !

[@whitehavencpu6813]

@@ParlonsAstronomie Yeah same and both games use the same SAGE engine so it makes sense... I still think CnC3 KW looks better than AOE4 graphics wise, especially with a new 4K enhancement mod that recently released.

[@TheTattorack]

Yeah, scouts whistle and shout when they spot things. They also shout different things when spotting the enemy scout, enemy soldiers or enemy buildings.

[@Thestuffnope]

@@TheTattorack that is a pretty neat feature.

[@duck8280]

I can say I generally enjoyed myself, especially the 1v1’s. The atmosphere, voices, all had a nice refreshing feel

[@cameron2634]

thanks for the cast! Only the second game I've watched, but the last one the caster was talking about cavalry being a hard counter to archers

[@PepsimVideos]

Damn the voice acting in this game is amazing

[@vortigernsaga]

Well, good for the game then, since nothing else is...

[@mrh8509]

@@vortigernsaga It looks pretty good, I think

[@bradleyh4532]

​@@mrh8509 Agreed, liking it a bunch and yeah that voice acting was unexpected levels of good

[@vortigernsaga]

@@mrh8509 did you notice the buildings being disproportionate to the units?

[@LegendKingY2j]

@@vortigernsaga this game won't be better than aoe3, save my comment if you want

[@Henrique-hl3xk]

AoE4 looks like an AoE3 version of AoE2

[@mailboro]

Yeah and I would play AOE3 if it had the better readability graphics of AOE2 11

[@mailboro]

@@obi-wankenobi8813 i really tried as also in civ 6 i really appreciate Renaissance and colonization etc. Of course there are Other Things which i don't Like too much. I understand that you are only a small colony on a new continent and therefore the armies arent that large but your Homecity is and you get shipments. Its interesting and i Like warching aussie drongo. The armies are Just too small, the shipments too complex to Know Them all and i don't Think its intuitive when one GP unit counters another GP unit. However aoe3 Looks absolutely gorgeous I have to admit

[@obi-wankenobi8813]

@@mailboro Thats right... oh man I wish you would play AoE3 because everyone can make AoE3 great again. :c

[@TheBlackfall234]

@@obi-wankenobi8813 Aoe2 is better, its really just that simple. "believe me" was never a good argument at all and its still not a good one because youre using it.

[@tylerdurdenstronghltv8565]

@@obi-wankenobi8813 good answer. Aoe3 de is good

[@PhaLanX7]

Reminds me of the childhood days when my dad introduced me to aoe 1. Have played all versions of the series a lot. But now I am in a phase where I enjoy watching this clips but don’t have much motivation to play. It’s old wine new bottle for me.

[@jburowz]

I like how the sheep following the scout. GG and looking forward to playing this!

[@injest1928]

I'll be happy with this game if and when they give an option for a more picture style UI instead of simple emblems, let you zoom out further, and lower the volume of that God forsaken bell

[@brujua7]

They will keep improving it, no doubt about that.

[@rioplats]

They seem to be pretty invested in promoting modding for this game - it's even in the main menu - so if they don't offer official settings I'm sure the community can provide :)

[@AustinLHoward]

@Lycanthrope as a closed beta tester I can attest that all of my friends and I agree that the zoom is only slightly increased and needs to go out farther still. For pros maybe they don't need it, for filthy casuals we need it for appeal to the game. It's honestly a deal breaker and many of us won't be purchasing the final game should the zoom not go out farther. I understand where you're coming from but respect that a large portion of the player base still very much so desires a farther zoom

[@disc0king21]

Lmao this whole time I didn’t realize we weren’t tean till the ens

[@slushg3326]

@Lycanthrope It is yes. I’m happy they listen to the feedback and implement changes where they can before launch.

[@samuelmcl.9474]

Everything looks good but that town center bell sound is gonna drive me nuts

[@El3andro]

I guess someone will provide a mod to change the sound as soon as the game is released. The mod will be very popular...

[@samgoldstein1993]

It wasn’t like that in the closed beta so it might be a bug

[@Ananda_The_Destroyer]

@@samgoldstein1993 I know, it's sad they added that, at least they have time to un-add it :)

[@miokaya4595]

@@El3andro Nah no need mod. they will change it.

[@El3andro]

@@miokaya4595 that would be even better

[@TheXan57]

I love that archers are so useless against buildings, prevents spam and makes you think about army composition

[@steveshumate1983]

I do think that’s actually kinda cool. Seems more realistic? Like how many arrows do you shoot into a wall before it just falls down?

[@Handepsilon]

It does make sense in gameplay perspective too. Even AoE 2 nudges you towards melee (infantry specifically) when it comes to dealing with buildings

[@kelvinsomnia]

I wonder if there’ll be a way to improve that, like in the Age of Empires DS game, archers did 50% less damage against buildings until you researched flaming arrows, which removes that deduction.

[@Tom_McMurtry]

@@kelvinsomnia Yes was just thinking fire arrows upgrade

[@randyshives7072]

Yes! Finally.

[@LukesGamePage]

I subconsciously clicked on your map when I heard the horn lol, and paused the video. Great to see Age of Empires back, can't wait to play!

[@Max-ej4oh]

Man that animation when you send villagers to do stuff, god be throwing mustard on the tasks.

[@troydowns7748]

11

[@dboatright2497]

11

[@scevda]

Shit was fucking annoying to me. I didn’t even hear Tom Bell that everyone was being annoyed by, but that shit irked me.

[@Real_MisterSir]

Honestly feels like this game is trying very hard to cater to a young and new generation (which is understandable), but to me everything is just way over the top - like one of those super flashy mobile games that are over-arcadic and come off as plain cartoonish caricature rather than an artstyle. I don't know, just not a fan. Giving off the exact same vibes as AoE3, just with AoE2 units/buildings. Maybe I'm just tough to please, but I don't feel any hype and don't see myself going from AoE2 to AoE4.

[@scevda]

@aaron singer same

[@That0therAsian]

Everyone: Watching the game Me: Watching to see if the "Technical Stress Test" text will go into the corner

[@isveryniceyes]

At 3:05 is does a weird elevator thing and basically hits the top and bottom right.

[@tarekmoneimsaid]

oh, is that a The Office (US) reference?

[@annaairahala9462]

A really cool touch I found was that converted units retain their look and voice

[@zubbworks]

Nice. I think in aoe2 they kept their upgrades levels too.

[@sneakycodfish2359]

Protip: Add 1 house in the same controlgroup as the TC and you won't hear the DING DING OF DOOM anymore

[@SilverMe2004]

Traditionally the TC had its own hot key, meaning you don't have to waste a CTRLgroup on it. and as he was asking for more

[@sneakycodfish2359]

@@SilverMe2004 I know but this was dingdingfix

[@SilverMe2004]

@@sneakycodfish2359 yes sorry. I saw (I'm assuming it was you) give this advice on another video & I realized that you are just offering a fix for the ding ding to all the people that have a problem with it and not SotL

[@felixloewenich2202]

Pretty much looks like different pieces of Age 2 and Age 3 stitched together

[@1EVERTONION]

Age of empires 2.5

[@NinjaMonte1990]

Yeah aoe 3 is the first thing I thought

[@aminenaselfakih68]

Also, don't forget Sacred Sites from AOE.

[@zepwafels]

@@1EVERTONION more like Age of Empires 2: 2

[@AlreadyDeath666]

The worst of both and the best of neither.

[@davidawesome4569]

I really like the sounds from the scout, no longer having to hear the same horse sounds when he's moving around will be nicer to hear. Also seems like archers actually hit moving targets from the start? Going to be interesting to see the new plays based of it.

[@nebelwaffel8174]

yeah, magic homing arrows from the beginning. When you shoot at cavalry it becomes obvious... It's more consistent and less positioning and luck based, but also quite illogical

[@TheTattorack]

Yeah... Archers are mostly accurate in the game and don't have any ballistics research. So the micro-dodging of AoE II doesn't exist in this game.

[@matthewcarroll2533]

@@TheTattorack Gonna drive competitive AOE2 players insane.

[@TheTattorack]

@@matthewcarroll2533 Probably, but I doubt competitive AoE II players will jump ship, as they've put all that effort into learning AoE II competitively. AoE IV will probably have a competitive scene of its own. What I hope for is people who love the Age of Empires franchise as a whole not to straight up shun IV because of a few differences.

[@matthewcarroll2533]

@@TheTattorack Yeah true, you're absolutely right as far as enfranchised players sticking to their game. Or maybe even some of them will play both, who knows. I've been playing the PTS of AOEIV and it's been solid, despite some minor'ish criticisms, like the annoying town bell sound and micro being a lot less rewarding. Despite that, I think it's shaping up nicely and the eco side of things is certainly a lot smoother/more relaxed so it's a lot easier to hop into without knowing too much about AOE.

[@MOSIN603]

The archer animation doesn’t even pull the bow string back….amazing

[@Vesmir789]

"Not sure how I feel about his very spear-heavy army," my guy those are literally his only military units lmao. You stopped him from aging up, all he has are spearmen!

[@jordanwhite8567]

Props to them for continuing the franchise and for putting effort into it. I really, really wish they would move away from these types of graphics though.

[@DmytroBogdan]

Strong AoE Online vibes

[@Neon12J]

Yeah, I’m really disappointed in this graphic style tbh, I was hoping for something more like aoe3.. aoe3 was such a beautiful and ahead of its time game when it first came out, even still with the DE it’s graphics are amazing

[@schmitty8225]

@@Neon12J This looks exactly like AOE3. If the title didn't say AOE4, you would never know.

[@Neon12J]

@@schmitty8225 I can’t agree, this looks very cartoony in comparison… I love the saturation on aoe3 it brings a lot of depth to the graphics & I feel it’s a lot more visually engaging than what aoe4 looks to be.

[@schmitty8225]

@@Neon12J AOE3 is cartoony as shit. Giant models, tiny maps, silly graphics, weird proportions of people. This has the same building feel and style as 3. The gold and stone deposits look just as ridiculous as 3. The only thing that makes this look like 2 instead of 3 is the time period but nothing graphically looks like 2. This is just 3 all over again but a couple hundred years earlier. I'll just continue to play AOE2 for another 20 years.

[@Keppymam]

You are quick on the draw! Thank you for sharing this. :)

[@ZenonSethG]

Spirit, you definitely should post more regular games like this you play - love the chill commentary and seeing how you do stuff in a real game :)

[@zzzz0]

This AOE2 mod for AOE3 looks great

[@DrSaav-my5ym]

thank you, that's exactly what it is and a shitty mod at that

[@cammitalpha85]

I think that, not showing the enemy points is one of the best things they did. Unless you actively scout them, you should not be able to see how many points he has or deduce through the UI when he advances/builds certain items/buildings etc. like you were able to in AoE 2. This gives more importance to proper scouting and keeps you on edge. Being able to "lay off" or "slow down" should not be a valid reason for have a point score at all. If you want to see how far ahead/behind it has, then you can make scouts to do exactly that.

[@soileH]

Game announces if someone got into new age though.

[@esteban280889]

Damn there's no score? I was hoping it was a setting I hadn't found. Was looking for it

[@MarlowPreston]

I love the DVD screen saver thing the "Technical Stress Test" text is doing. I've seen all sorts of ways to put that warning on on pre-release games before, but that's a new one.

[@zeroyuki92]

Lol I also like this. At some point I just watch the thing to see if it hits corner or not

[@TheFoyer13]

During the closed beta it had your name and an ID number that bounced around the screen the entire time. It was pretty effing annoying

[@shadowbandit3975]

Well if the gaming community wasn't so up their own ass sometimes....freaking out about EA footage.

[@TheTattorack]

Should've seen the beta. Was my name and a very long string of numbers.

[@harrodharrod5239]

The graphics look like something from the last decade.

[@jrrgotmemes8835]

I like the way the range of buildings is shown when you're choosing placement.

[@nightfall0707]

I'm kinda taken aback by how much it looks an feels like AOE3. I'll probably grow on me. But the things that annoyed me about AOE3 immediately pop up here. -highly zoomed in -the tempo feels too quick causing game to finish too fast. -mini map having too many markers (or the markers being too big is more of the problem) -and the biggest one for me: the map feels so small :( I mean. I'll play it. I do like AOE3 as well. But AOE2 just always felt bigger and more weightier to me.

[@fede98k54]

They kept the QoL problems of AoE3 while not taking any of the great gameplay innovations - is the pop cap more than 200 at least?

[@sweetnerevar3509]

Yeah, I really don't understand why we can't have a slightly more zoomed out and Lower (10-30) Field of View option that are more similar to the Isometric view in Age of Empires 1 and 2. I played the beta and that's how I felt really, also units take multiple Pop Cap so the armies also feel smaller. It seemed like I was playing something in-between Age of Empires 3 and Age of Mythology with a Medieval theme.

[@schmitty8225]

Looks like I'll pass. I've played AOE2 for 20 years so no reason I can't continue for another 20.

[@mis8866]

So because you can't be an ape and turtle for 45mins in your base its a bad game? k

[@MrProthall]

Yea, that's what I thought too once the farms pop up. Everything feels so small.

[@SIGNOR-G]

*FINALLY some gameplay!*

[@tiestofalljays]

OMG THE FARM QUICK PLACEMENT I’m in love

[@upndowndelinquent7593]

It feels great to be back in 2005!

[@EarlofSedgewick]

It really is AoE3 reskinned to have older civs

[@gianni.sacciloto]

​@@EarlofSedgewick What? This game basically doesn't have anything to do with AoE3. If anything, it's an AoE2 reskin with elements from other franchises (like AoM) and entries (like AoE3).

[@EarlofSedgewick]

@@gianni.sacciloto the look and feel of the game, to me, is AoE3 - the animation, the camera angles, the aging-up mechanic, the walls, the population weighting of units (no 1 elephant equivalent to one villager in pop space), the trading posts on the map, etc. I would say the carry over from AoE2 are the civ name and some units, the lack of gunpowder units, and the resource drop off mechanic. That's really it. To me, they made another AoE3 with older civilizations

[@kyrusinek]

Been playing it tonight and really liked it. Hard to keep on top of everything going on but with more practice sure I will get hang of it.

[@nachoman4ever]

This seems like a really good fusion of aoe3 and aoe2. Kinda wish they stuck a little closer to aoe2 graphic style, but they got rid of some aoe3 features that I really disliked, and then tossed some extra features that I really like. For instance that burning status effect on buildings feels so natural, now when I hear fire in game it wont just be "oh I need to repair that house because the burning sound wont go away".

[@Fitzyhere]

DING DING

[@MrTpz09]

I'm looking forward to watching you play this :D

[@dean791]

And then DING DING

[@Joker-yw9hl]

19:41 I loved how much you tried to avoid saying "I was having so much trouble getting wood."

[@eandone]

I'm unsure whether I just got used to the scale of things in AoE2, but I swear they took the scale of the environment and buildings from AoE3 and doubled it all in size... Everything just looks so big, almost feels unnatural; it even seemed at some point that placing down buildings was cumbersome because the space around your main base was already taken up. All that in less than 15 minutes.

[@dragonlloux]

I think that a lot of that is because of the extra bits of the building, for example, there is a small pasture for the sheep around the town-hall, that is not actually part of the building, is just to be pretty, but it “takes space” It took me a bit to get used to it, but after a bit I actually prefer it that way, cause the building then feel alive and connected and not just independent things with little to no interaction

[@ms9001]

may be the map size is tiny. there isnt much space to build in this map.

[@nilsfreund8442]

You just have this feeling because of AOE2, this is more realistically scaled. In AOE2, the units are 1/4 the size of a building. It's a different game is all. When I saw the trailer 6 months ago or no, I was sure I wasn't gonna like it. But the gameplay seems really good from the test! So happy!

[@josejoaquim4344]

@@nilsfreund8442 This is not realistically scaled at all, the military buildings are tiny.

[@ZDninja]

@@josejoaquim4344 yea I’m with you here, military buildings need a slight size increase

[@TheDualnuts]

For the building we constantly click for the whole game, it should be an ASMR instead of raid bell..

[@TheFoyer13]

The way the map is revealed is kind of an interesting touch too, you don't really see it in this game play, but in some maps I played during the closed beta, when a scout or unit was going through a forest of trees, the area that was revealed was very small, and when you get out in the open, you see more. Kind of cool. I found myself sending units through trees so they wouldn't be spotted.

[@TheTattorack]

Woods block line of sight and can even be used to hide troops inside, stage ambushes and the like.

[@kylekeiper4514]

Being a long time CK2 and EU4 player, reading "I'll ease in against the HRE" gives me nightmares. Love seeing the Abbasids in there!

[@davidhoudek9083]

Wow, the statistics at the end are really cool, i would love to see vils counts the hole timeline in aoe2 too.

[@alexz5574]

THis looks alot more fun than I thought! I really like the idea that as you advance in ages you get to pick/unlock your factions traits.

[@christophermercaldi8616]

I think they implemented that in aoe3 before

[@alexz5574]

@City Watch Guard Yeah but I didn't like the implementation, I'm not even satisfied with how they did it in this tbh and I don't think they'll go the direction I'd like as it would sort of ruin the direction they're going in now.

[@cacs2201]

@@christophermercaldi8616 this started with Age of Mythology, they have been trying to get it right since then It's not a very simple thing to do though, since you technically end up with tons of variety that may not lead to the best competitive scenarios

[@Kage-Yami]

1:21 Wow, that lone sheep that you sent back on it's own reverted to neutral after a short time and started walking away. No more sheep scouting, I guess. 😀

[@sunar91]

I like the sound effects in the new version. Game looks much better here than pictures and video on steam. Thnx for upload.

[@AngelsArmour]

I actually like how they keep you in the dark for the score, it adds a bit of mystery which can contribute to the excitement.

[@ahstinfixsnhc9765]

I love you thank you for this Y-Y I've been hoping someone I liked would drop an AOE 4 video

[@theBeags]

Love the voice-overs!!

[@bluebones]

The game looks pretty, but being created in a whole 2021 just makes you appreciate more a game that 20 years ago gave an even greater sense of realism like AOE2, that game is just perfect.

[@iamdanyboy1]

AoE3 on release had the best graphics of all these 4 ateast as far as realism goes.

[@jemert96]

I can probably get used to this look, but on first sight it looks a bit like a mobile game to me

[@michaelstein7510]

@@iamdanyboy1 Yeah, AoE3’s graphics were mindblowing for the time. The level of polish on all the buildings and units was incredible. Realistic looking damage, weather, and smoke effects. Great sound design. Graphics made enormous advances in the mid-2000s. Nine year-old me was blown away back when that game released, and the graphics still look good today. It was a great time to be a lover of RTS historical games, as Rome Total War, AoE3, and Medieval 2 Total War all came out within like two years of each other.

[@LiviuXSA]

why does it look like a game from 2005

[@jblev736]

the camera angle feels like a cross between aoe2 and aoe3, but still leans aoe3. I how they give a toggle type option to give the more classic rts style (that aoe2 and sc1/2 have)

[@Cecilia-ky3uw]

Aoe2 camera angle preferred

[@LeandroDelPrete]

It reminded me a lot of Age of Mythology. Even the palisade walls were quite similar.

[@TheFoyer13]

If I recall from the closed beta you can even rotate the camera around which just makes things even more confusing, lol

[@wolfsruhm]

@@Cecilia-ky3uw you are aware that Aoe camera angle is absically impossible de to th fact all those buuildngs are proper 3d models, and not just 2D representations?

[@michaelblosenhauer9887]

Oh, this is his first AOE4 video. I commented on the 5 minute feudal build video that, I waited 20 years to be able to place archers on the walls but really I was waiting for these videos.

[@shyarcher1111]

I Love. Super exited to discover all new features.

[@bmore3319]

It looks really silly how slow miners and lumberjacks swing their pickaxes/axes. It looks like they just want it to seem like they're doing hard work, while actually being really lazy. Plus for realism if that's the intent though, I guess.

[@Dili832]

IMO everything just looks slow, hurry your ass up were being attacked

[@shogun2215]

I'm genuinely glad people are enjoying it, and I'm sad that I can't experience the same enjoyment because I really don't like how the game feels.

[@mithrainvictus5777]

Same. That UI looks so soulless. Omg

[@blackhawk8920]

@@mithrainvictus5777 soulless?

[@SirAdrian87]

@@blackhawk8920 Yes. The Age 2 UI had character to it, this is just modern corporate black boxes.

[@Sebubu]

@@SirAdrian87 Probably isn't finished yet

[@bradleyh4532]

@@SirAdrian87 I see what you mean, but no doubt they'll take this feedback and overtime it'll gain that character, at the end of the day the buttons you click are still only a component of the full game

[@adamdaigle847]

Hurricane Ida has me without internet for the time being thank you Spirit for posting to show me at least.

[@ObiwanNekody]

Thank you for uploading this, I am unable to play this weekend as I am in the process of gutting my office space and the kitchen this week, and the powers that be seem to think having her kitchen back together quickly is important.

[@gm2256]

I was kinda disappointed by the first game I played, but I got over it quickly and ended up really enjoying my weekend playing the stress test with a friend. Now I wish I could play more!

[@LeandroDelPrete]

I'm expecting some crazy stuff like branch-upgrading (you gotta pick one or the other), morale-boosting units or commands, terrains that change the gameplay more than just dmg modifying (like swamps or shallow waters that cavalry can't get through). Such simple things that would make this a new AoE and not a revamped AoE2. I hope I won't be disappointed.

[@srbishkrst]

Its more like a revamped aoe3. I am pretty disappointed as I was expecting aoe2 feeling and not aoe3

[@dragovern]

there are some new mechanics. Infantry can place defensive structures agains cav.

[@alexanderbrady5486]

@@srbishkrst The visuals are very AoE3, but the gameplay looks a lot more like AoE2. AoE3 went very hard into exploration (with the hero-scout, trading posts and whatnot). The eco in this game is very recognizable AoE2. I also like that they kept the torches from AoE3, that was a nice touch in my opinion. The optional age-ups seems fine.

[@HideyoshiKinoshita84]

@@srbishkrst If you say it's like a revamped AoE3, then you didn't obviously play it at all. This is coming from someone who hated AoE3. This doesn't feel anything like AoE3, it's just like a mix of AoE2/AoM. It plays out very similarly to AoE2 that as a long time AoE2 player, after 1-2 games of getting used to the game (like Wheelbarrow upgrades moved to Mills for ex), my general sense of play experience from AoE2 carried over easily.

[@SirAdrian87]

@@HideyoshiKinoshita84 No idea what you're on about mate, this is Age 3 masquerading as Age 2. The reason it feels like Age 2 to you is because both games had the same gameplay at its most rudimentary level but the manner in which the down is developed, the unit upgrades, the feel of the gameplay are 100% Age 3 with Age 2 paint on top. AoM has 0 to do with this game.

[@DanielC01000100]

I lovaed the gameplay. I'm very excited to play the full game

[@jaredshumate1]

I am extremely excited for it to come out I've been waiting a while so happy 😂

[@tomaszategoniemasz]

This game looks like more blurred aoe 3 for me

[@garrett3108]

Graphics definitely aren't up to modern standards (animations especially), but it looks like an updated version of AoE 2 and I LOVE that.

[@Ericthe999]

@@garrett3108 Why not just play Age of Empires 2 instead?

[@ObeliskVredesbyrd]

@@garrett3108 honestly to me it looks like a downgraded AOE 2...

[@MrKlobinator]

It looks like a game from 2005, the Graphics remind me of C&C Generals... go with AoE2 DE and u have a most likely better and more popular game with better graphics

[@veloce5491]

yea the texture quality is terrible for some reason.

[@Gui101do]

It was awesome to see this gameplay...however, I don't know why but I'm just not pumped to get AoE4. Still addicted to AoE2 Definitive Edition

[@L3monsta]

Yeah, it's extremely lackluster from an aoe2 perspective... Feels more like aoe3

[@optionvice8926]

If it was cheaper id get it like that.. doesnt seem worth the money.. for now.

[@tokagerkun]

@@L3monsta maybe visually, but gameplay wise I think it's a lot different. Which is great, I wouldn't want them to just make a slightly different AoE2.

[@user-jk9sm1tb6u]

" change is not always bad " TMNT

[@tokagerkun]

@@user-jk9sm1tb6u At the very least change means you tried

[@reijikusaka]

English got cheap farms and additional bonus for farming that stack with bonus from building fields around mills. Thus, making farm early on as English would be great benefit in terms of food stockpile early game. In the fourth age, the mill got access to Land Enclosure upgrade that allow farm to generate gold aside from food. As well as nice simple fence around the farm.

[@jameseyyysgaming3951]

Can’t wait to play this!

[@PR-ot7qd]

Are there ludicrous size maps? One of the things I loved the most on the latest campaign maps in AOE2 is the ability to have a ton of things to do, side quests, secrets and easter eggs in just one map. Many people have argued about the not so up to date visuals (especially considering the size of the game), it doesn't bother me that much if the gameplay is great, but there's tons of yellow squiggly lines everywhere, I mean, if they're helpful, idk...

[@wholesomebaker5410]

The thing I just hate is lack of any music with soul. Every Age had some very strong music with character and here we are, some neverending generic flute :/

[@guilhermebraga9773]

I couldn’t agree more, the first two had amazing music. The age of kings’s music helped us all fall in love with that game, my personal favorites were there. But now it is boring. Sad.

[@galliman123]

I wrote a lot in the feedback about the lack of a good soundtrack :(

[@762035]

Those yellow lightnings are strange. Everytime i expect a Titan appearing...

[@doubtingtom92]

Would love to see a match of you only defending to see how big you can boom before getting raided. Would love to see more of the units! Great vid Mr.Law 👌🏾

[@mathdantastav2496]

ngl, i fricking love the game, have played 2 matches and i love it

[@yoggz]

Did you guys know the build is a technical stress test?

[@TheTattorack]

Huh? I couldn't tell.

[@ddewcifer]

The TC bells are straight outta Empire Earth, every single time I hear it I get flashbacks to EE.

[@XavierXonora]

This feels like what I wanted AOE3 to be back in the day. Gonna be lots of fun to check out!

[@Gingerbreadley]

This is actually looking really solid. I’d like to see what it looks like with the meta a bit more ironed out to see if it all falls together.

[@josephramos7985]

i like the UI, feels modern yet still feels AoE-ish. the graphics is like improve version of Age of Mythology. I hope they release Age of Mythology sequel in the near future.

[@VossMarionette]

The way how the units yell with the wetness to the vox, gives me some serious battle for middle earth vibes

[@ex.tremist]

Wow, it's better than I expected!

[@isaacberger2561]

Honestly, the game looks beautiful. And all the little details like the roads between buildings forming is actually such a nice touch. 👌

[@RoulicisThe]

I was worried about the "cartoony" graphics of the game, especially compared to AoE 2 and 3. But it doesn't seem to be as bad as I expected (except for the proportions of the units, especially the weapons >

[@delfinenteddyson9865]

you find them cartoonish? I thought the weapons do look fine here.

[@TheFoyer13]

@@delfinenteddyson9865 Early on in the first content they released about the game the weapons did look very cartoonish, like the size of arrows, and weapons and such, they fixed most of that criticism in the first beta.

[@TheDecree93]

I feel so much more happy now that we got to see the actual game and it looks good and similar to what we already know

[@Michael_H_Nielsen]

I like your humble style :)

[@vodkavecz]

That bell sound on the TC gonna drive me nuts. Hope they change it.

[@SamuraiHonor]

The ui is very soulless like a lot of people say. However it is very high on clarity and new player friendlyness. I kinda like it. Feels a bit like AoM meets AoE2 if AoM didn't play like a brick. Also feels like they wanted the gameplay to be a bit faster / less stale than AoE 2. Less waiting around and elephant walking.

[@MistaHoward]

I feel like the UI could just have some minor tweaks to color schemes and maybe some subtle border work that's custom for each civ, to give it a bit more soul without sacrificing clarity.

[@rioplats]

I'd actually argue the opposite, re: new player friendliness. Seeing all of the icons as nondescript golden pictures overlaid on block colours doesn't describe their function to me - I've literally got to mouse over and check the tooltip every time, especially regarding research and new units. It's asking the *player* to do the interpretation rather than showing what you're creating directly. As a more broad example, I see the wheat symbol on the build menu and what immediately pops into mind isn't an AoE farm, it's the generic concept of farming, which I associate with the mill building. I've played a few matches now and made that mistake at least twice per match, lol. What they've gained in visual clarity, they've lost in ludological clarity.

[@danielmansoor8175]

I think the stress test part of this was seeing how many people they could send over the edge with that flipping bell

[@itsduckietime4473]

I think I would like to see more of these AOE4 videos! I really enjoy the game and it resembles 2 a lot!