The Byzantines CONFIRMED in AoE4!

[@AgeofNoob]

Hello everyone! You'll have to excuse the voiceover quality on this one, as I'm currently away from my main setup. Here are some teasers: There are some more things to extrapolate in the shared image than what I shared in the video, and a Byzantine hint was also dropped in previously released screenshots that was not obvious before... Happy theory crafting!

[@87JJosh]

🤯

[@giancignani7682]

The color Purple... was a color super dificult to make in medieval times, Constantinopla was in the middle of 2 world , east and west, and the trade was a central part of this city. Such an important place for commerce can get that color easily (in fact Justinian I wore a purple cape) I think the developers wanted to wink with that

[@0trov_]

Its also their color because in art, and fresco writing in medieval times, purple is called byzantine blue

[@JohnPap21]

Purple was the color of the royals.

[@Forsakenartsprod]

Not true, byzantine blue is not purple@@0trov_

[@BBJProductions21]

Kevin o Leary on shark tank has a cool story about the Venetian’s and purple made from snails or somethin like that

[@1212Deusexmachina]

Purple is also the color of the byzantines empire in many representations. Maps, flags im video games, icons … it's very often WRE in red and ERE/byzantine in purple

[@TheHickoryHub]

I hope they bring a campaign for the Byzantines. Maybe Basil II would be awesome

[@ryannathaniel9296]

Or the Komnenos, if they wanted to go with something closer to the times of the Crusades

[@ficlic]

En AOE IV no hay campañas personales. No es como II, más bien sería de esa guerra o de un largo período.

[@eurosomething]

I predict mulberry trees in that orchard for feeding silkworms

[@lut0n.]

Age of noob talking like he's from the future: I already knew this would happen and what those units are. For you however, you will learn in due time. Also how does he do all of this "on the road", this editing looks amazing.

[@AgeofNoob]

Thanks! I did bring my laptop and microphone with me in anticipation of new announcements. That said, the voice quality is not as good due to the setup, editing this short video took way longer, and rendering it took ~27 mins. It would normally have taken my desktop ~1.5 mins or so. In short, editing on the road mostly sucks, but it's still better than no video.

[@xefjord]

@@AgeofNoob Your on the road voice quality is so good that I can't even tell lmao.

[@AgeofNoob]

@@xefjord Thanks mate. :) It's tough to tell if you're not listening on headphones and not comparing the two audios back-to-back. You should be able to tell the difference if you listen 5 seconds of this, and 5 seconds of my previous video right after.

[@Baltaoglou03]

as a Turk, I love the Byzantine empire so much that I am glad that this civilization has finally been added❤ NIKA!

[@pabloalvarez7510]

☦

[@thomasfplm]

It must feel really weird to make this video talking about the image widout being able to talk about what you know 😅

[@AgeofNoob]

Indeed - but at least I get some additional time to prepare for upcoming videos!

[@Nana-ij8hk]

I’ve missed you! Everytime something happens in aoe I’m waiting for you’re analysis’

[@sonmezincekirgesi]

We need Fall of Constantinople 1453 camping

[@tsaxtis7754]

these trees are olive trees u can recognise from the leaf

[@michal4736]

AgeofNoob talked only about those 2 units so it seems that the other must be somehow unique 😮

[@SaW906AC]

Man I can't wait! This is exiting news!

[@novnov622]

Unique units maybe Hoplites Byzantine (replacement man-at-arms), klibanophoros (replacement knight) and new units Naval Dromon with flamethrower Unique economies is Apple Orchard. 👏🏽

[@Echolaliaxu]

I'm sure that Man-At-Arms type unit is a Varangian Guard.

[@ivansalamon7028]

IM CRYING IM SO HAPPY! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[@ArcangeldelFuego]

Wooow! This is awesome!

[@misutahowaitodesu]

1:32 could be condo or legionary (but why ?) 1:35 our beloved cataphract

[@star_613]

The double-headed eagle coat of arms of Byzantium became the basis for the coat of arms of the Russian state. The Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III made the double-headed eagle the coat of arms of Russia.

[@knightalmu5587]

Other Countries such are Albania, Serbia and Montenegro also have their flags based on the double headed eagle of Byzantine Empire which they took from the Orthodox Church Double headed eagle, And yes Albania back in the day was mainly Orthodox Christian that's why when they fought the Ottomans in 15th century they had the double headed eagle as a reminder to the Ottomans that the Albanians were the soldiers of Byzantium

[@mrachwal]

Where is the art at the beginning of the Hagia Sophia from? I’d love to get it as a wallpaper but I haven’t seen it anywhere

[@xefjord]

Excited to hear everything you have to share when the NDAs start fading :) What is the Constantinople picture in the beginning of the video? It looks epic!

[@AgeofNoob]

It's Photoshop AI generative fill magic of a similar painting style of AoE splashart of the Hagia Sofia. :)

[@arkloppiola]

those farms are aesthetic af

[@AgeofNoob]

They do look nice, and have more function than just looking pretty. :)

[@arkloppiola]

@@AgeofNoob true

[@blitz1500]

Is it Like Olive trees? U can get food And Wood?

[@FatBunny168]

YES. MORE NATIONS!~!!! MAKE IT NUMEROUS (and a campaign for each nation obviously) like AOE2! I love AOE2 but goddamn i need some fresh air !

[@moepskie]

What official playing difficulty Civ would Byzantines be? Easy, Medium or Hard?

[@unknownmf2599]

Oh boi, time to use the sahin cannons

[@m.b.8282]

I am suprised They had chosen legionare instead of varangian guard with axes. But I like this more.

[@AgeofNoob]

Well actually *_[Redacted]_*

[@Volucrum]

Varangians were Nordic mercinaries who were in the service of the byzantines. It will be a little odd to have the same unit be in both the civs. At the end of the Imperial age where the ottomans conquered Constantinople. Since these are Byzantine they can also be the special unit of urban militia. Highly trained soldiers that actually were citizens and not mercinaries. Since I can't see them not adding a Nordic civ.

[@jontehdon]

@@Volucrum just because they were Nordic doesn't necessarily make them identical to Nordic infantry. In fact, they were from a range of countries - earlier their ranks were primarily made up of Norse mercenaries, later Saxon mercenaries made up the bulk of them. So I don't think it's fair to say they would be the same unit as a Nordic faction. Adding to that, they were an elite unit and many of them stayed there long term and so the unit likely developed it's own distinct identity over time.

[@jontehdon]

I don't think just because they were primarily from northern Europe necessitates that they all fought only with axes, I feel like that's probably a bit of a stereotype- many warriors from those regions still fought with swords. The first thing that came to mind when I saw this unit was Varangian guards.

[@Volucrum]

@@jontehdon the ones depicted with axes are largely the ones from Nordic countries. Like Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Russian parts that had Vikings. These are similar to huscarls that didn't leave. They can go either way but during the 11+ century less Nordic people went to the Byzantine empire. The game mainly takes place later than aoe2 so I don't see Varangians

[@cuauhtemocricardoorlandosa2188]

cant wait for the next AoE game to have water battles ruined by fire ships ¯\_( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_/¯

[@muhammadalrubah8672]

i always wanted to fight byzantines.... good thing its in game now :)

[@robbert7an]

I think you will find plenty of players that will have the Byzantines as their main civ

[@muhammadalrubah8672]

@@robbert7an guess what? My main is ottomans , it like the medieval derby 🐎 🏰 😂

[@robbert7an]

@@muhammadalrubah8672 my main are the Abbasids, but I like the Ottoman cavalry too. And of course the canons are bad ass.. But I guess I will take the Byzantines as my main for a while if they have good landmarks and units

[@muhammadalrubah8672]

Abbasids are Secretly stronger than the Chinese but no one talks about it :)@@robbert7an

[@derekpratt4055]

Hopefully they’ll bring Danes in as a civilisation

[@royasturias1784]

Add Swedes and Norwegians, and then we have a teeth-clenched single civ called Nordic Kingdoms as development-wise, Relic Ent doesn't do factions/civs that are cosmetically different but play the same a la the 3 playable Houses in Dune 2 Berserkers, Huskarls, Obudshaer (armoured halberdiers from Denmark), Drakkar Longships...

[@AqilDaiyan]

Farms that grow.. wood?

[@mightymediocre3352]

Look like olive trees to me

[@Yellowish]

Ottomans players: finaly worthy oppenet

[@davidquezada50]

So hype.

[@saiien2]

Finally!!

[@pillbox2079]

Wish the Bulgarians were included too. I mean for most of the history of the Byzantines, we were their main rival on Europe. Why are we not mentioned as often as we should?

[@sirp7394]

I think the main rival most people think is the ottomans and the Bulgarian empire isn’t as well known

[@pillbox2079]

@@sirp7394 The Ottomans showed up at the end of their livespan. We were there for centuries.

[@sauravtripathi4128]

Yes, Bulgarians were a prominent rival, but not the main rivals. Bulgarians were hardly a threat after Basil II. I would instead say that the Arabs and later the Turks were more serious threats. But of course the main threats were the civil wars.

[@jseels]

So are we likely getting Byzantine’s with their Sultans Ascend single player campaign, and then the Japanese will be an additional Civ added for free? Or do you think they will also be locked behind the expansion? I’m fine paying for the DLC because it helps them build more content. Just curious on your thoughts

[@AgeofNoob]

We don't know anything about pricing just yet - but it is very likely that the Civs and the campaigns will be a part of the paid DLC. The updated balance changes will of course be free for everyone because you can't have two different balances on the game.

[@aviator4922]

Add Sudan and hide another civilization. Let’s have four civilizations in DLC at once. Please

[@blecao]

Bizantine Empire? Do you mean the Eastern roman empire? = P Na im joking for me its the HRE all the way

[@veilnebula2411]

i though we already had holy roman empire in the game

[@ceppatore7483]

The byzantines' emperor called 'Basileus' was very importanti.....he was a mix romant emperor and middleeast priest king.....a Basileus unit should be fine....btw great civ

[@Loreweavver]

I'm feeling Spanish and Moors but that could be a whole expansion by itself.

[@royasturias1784]

700 year-long campaign The Spanish: Asturias-León, Galicia,, Castille, Navarre / Euskal Herria, Aragón The Amazighen (coz Moors and Berbers are so last Bronze Age): Barghawata Confederacy, Idrisids, Almoravids, Almohads, Marinids, Wattasids, Saadis

[@robbert7an]

I'm hoping for this one too, would even be cool to just have the Spanish at some point. Maybe they will add it in the future with the Aztec, Maya or Inca civs.

[@sirp7394]

@@robbert7anthe American civs won’t work cause of lack of boats and guns

[@robbert7an]

@@sirp7394 yes I know they didn't play a part in the "medieval world" but they have that same campaign in AOE2 in a DLC pack.. it's like the IMPERIAL AGE campaign missions.. so perhaps they wait with the Spanish. Anyways, I hope for the Spanish or Italians as I spent most of my time in those countries, and the Vikings/Danes would be a very cool civ to play against the English and French

[@cisco4914]

Nov 11 is so far away 😫

[@hieratics]

Do they speak Greek? It can't be Latin like they did in aoe2

[@EDS2314]

First! Please be Cataphracts for knights!

[@royasturias1784]

the Hetairoi or the Latinikoi as acceptable replacement

[@GMRedWing]

Cool, but graphic wise this looks like something from 2003 with it's cartoony graphics and flat textures...

[@latbat58]

Do you know Turkish?

[@ivansalamon7028]

You should max out your unit quality. It most certainly doesn't look this bad.

[@AgeofNoob]

Mate, this is a static, 1080p screenshot that I upscaled that the devs shared with us. I can't film my own footage because of the NDA.

[@ivansalamon7028]

@@AgeofNoob I see. It's just, maybe the devs themselves forgot to put thru nit quality all the way up somehow. Because the fidelity of the units looks... Unimpressive, to say the least, at this distance. But I also know that despite the putting on the game to high settings, the unit quality settings were not set to ultra. Could it be a silly oversight in part of the devs?

[@portman8909]

What quality setting changes the units ?

[@ivansalamon7028]

@@portman8909 i am not sure but I think it's unit detail? Last I fiddled with this (granted, on games very release) this was the only setting NOT automatically put to ultra, and it definitely made some of the most aesthetic units like plumed knights lose polygons at a distance you normally play at. Thankfully, an easy fix.

[@portman8909]

I don't think that setting exists now@@ivansalamon7028

[@ifulea]

Time to retake Jerusalem!!!

[@TomMJH]

Wonderful!

[@kemalnugraha5295]

Ottoman is the true empire

[@arthurw2059]

is dlc free?

[@thomasj3421]

HELL YEA

[@BYZANTINE_GAMES]

I love Byzantines

[@nundata]

Byzantines never existed - it was considered as roman empire.

[@holyhandgrenadeofantioch2234]

This NDA stuff is getting ridicilous. This mess of a game needs every engagement it can get. And yours is free. Who is leading this marketing team and why are they not getting replaced? Same drooling faces since pre alpha. Guess they really like even their most useless employees.

[@pumpkinpie8235]

Still the colors are so bland and washed up. Why why why havent they kept the style from the 2019 trailer???

[@hominhmai5325]

Lets goooooo

[@drago939393]

Why does AoE 4 look like it came out in 2010 at best?

[@Krvaviot]

I would be really disappointed if Byzantines unique unit is Cataphract, that's a regional unit from middle east even Abbasids, Sassanians, Safavids used them so how is it unique for Byzantine...Hell even China and the Mongols had Cataphracts...

[@royasturias1784]

Substitute Cataphract/Kataphraktoi with Hetairoi (companion horsemen) or Latinikoi (Western European mercs)

[@Areldil]

The eastern Roman empire !

[@nephrendir]

Yessss basically the Greeks!

[@ottorahn69]

it's a dead game.

[@bishopcupoison4550]

looka the same like most another races so boring. Japan and Mali got most unique view

[@AgeofNoob]

Looks can be deceiving.

[@MrShouttaKun]

a los otomanos no les gusta esto

[@LordVonZas]

Más bien, les gusta. Tanto que lo van a tomar para ellos xD

[@rahulhuda123321]

It's just Romans with extra steps.

[@mightymediocre3352]

Or Greeks with even more extra steps

[@strainthehealer2184]

In those images the game looks so good, but is crap on actual gameplay... can we make aoe4 look more like aoe2 with some MOD?

[@DanielMescoloto]

I think the gameplay is way better. Evolved in many ways. But of course, somethings aoe2 does wat better. If you like the aoe2 gameplay more, play aoe2. Aoe4 is its own game, not a "modern aoe2"

[@olegdragora2557]

The gameplay is orders of magnitude better. It's a big evolution.

[@camroth89]

It does look great if your computer is capable enough.