Age of Wonders 4

[Lacrymas]

The limit has been 6 since AoW3.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

I like how one of the dev guys in the vid goes "we actually have a quite intricate morale system at work this time". Aka "we're bringing back a feature that was there two games ago and later severely dumbed down because hurrr and replaced with fuck all, aren't we amazing and innovative".

And that would probably be my main, and only, highlight after watching the entire thing.

Only half-joking, but somehow I can't be arsed to write detailed comments about what I saw. Overall, I'd say the strategic layer seems to both look and play better than PF. Then again, that's like a really low bar to clear and the game still doesn't seem to make any genuine improvements or even attempt to bring some of the old, scrapped features back. Combat is... I don't know. Looks and feels slow and clunky, the map was very claustrophobic and they seem to have stuck with that botched PF design of every second ability/buff/attack being one hex radius aoe. Plus, after making AoW3 largely deterministic and PF largely rng again they now made melee deterministic and ranged rng? Can't make your mind up much?

 

[Raghar]

Eador genesis has great and fully functional morale system. Placing elf unit to unit with vampires tanks elf morale like no tomorrow, but if elfs kill something and get better, more professional units can tolerate each other.

 

[Dr1f7]

why still going with the mobile game art style? I was kinda able to give it a pass 10 years ago with AoW3 but I'd hoped that they would pull their heads out their asses by now

 

[Reality]

Routing because of low morale and rallying to recover just seems better as a real time strategy mechanic than turn based, especially at small unit counts.

In a physical wargame there's time to run away or last enough rounds to pass rally check and come back relevantlt, but in AoW you'd just leave your other units to be focus fired

 

[Lacrymas]

why still going with the mobile game art style? I was kinda able to give it a pass 10 years ago with AoW3 but I'd hoped that they would pull their heads out their asses by now

Tbh, the art style isn't bad, especially the map. Yeah, the orcs look like Thrall from Warcraft, but good luck convincing Paradox to not copy something popular. When was the last time you've seen orcs as described by Tolkien or the pig men from M&M?

 

[Dr1f7]

why still going with the mobile game art style? I was kinda able to give it a pass 10 years ago with AoW3 but I'd hoped that they would pull their heads out their asses by now

Tbh, the art style isn't bad, especially the map. Yeah, the orcs look like Thrall from Warcraft, but good luck convincing Paradox to not copy something popular. When was the last time you've seen orcs as described by Tolkien or the pig men from M&M?

everything looks too clean. why does the undead base look like some sort of queer nightclub?

needs to be more gritty. undead looks a little too concerned with polishing windows and tidying up their farms here

 

[Lacrymas]

I'm jealous that queer nightclubs where you live look like that, I might go once in a while if they did where I live ;d But yeah, they could make it spookier.

 

[The Wall]

Looks soy and low T. You can see it's made in decadent, mentally fucked up, retarded, dying Western Empire. One more stronk independent warrior queen, and I'll puke all over screen
Triumph works for Paradox, Paradox works according to ESG corporate standards. It has to be WOKE according to the law
Aand WOKE=SHIT. Play AoW 1,2 and 3, get inspired and found your own company and make Age of Wonders 5
AoW 4 will be *skip*

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

It has purple lights and I count at least one skellington plus a jew as a leader. Seems plenty spooky to me.

 

[The Wall]

Every single game made in West post 2015 has: ZERO CHARM. ZERO DEPTH. ZERO SOUL

It's just Age of Wonders: Modern Hollywood

 

[Lacrymas]

One more stronk independent warrior queen, and I'll puke all over screen

Artica is literally a character from AoW2.

 

[Lacrymas]

Btw, one of the devs on Discord said they aren't planning to implement any elo rating systems, soooo mp scene dead on arrival confirmed.

 

[Raghar]

One more stronk independent warrior queen, and I'll puke all over screen

Artica is literally a character from AoW2.

Artica looked kickass in AoW2.

Well perhaps not that much kickass but decent.
Also, it looks like they had a bit creativity breakdown because instead of making sensible name they shortened word Arctica.

 

[Dr1f7]

Btw, one of the devs on Discord said they aren't planning to implement any elo rating systems, soooo mp scene dead on arrival confirmed.

there goes my plans of being an AoW4 esports gamer hero thanks a lot paradox

 

[vota DC]

Looks soy and low T. You can see it's made in decadent, mentally fucked up, retarded, dying Western Empire. One more stronk independent warrior queen, and I'll puke all over screen
Triumph works for Paradox, Paradox works according to ESG corporate standards. It has to be WOKE according to the law
Aand WOKE=SHIT. Play AoW 1,2 and 3, get inspired and found your own company and make Age of Wonders 5
AoW 4 will be *skip*

There Is also Karissa. The same of Avellone thread. She was an orc leader in aow 2, no idea now since wizards aren't anymore tied to races.

 

[Lacrymas]

Weren't they tied to races only in AoW3?

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Weren't they tied to races only in AoW3?

Could you have an orc sovereign for, say, the humies in 2 and 1?

 

[Lacrymas]

Weren't they tied to races only in AoW3?

Could you have an orc sovereign for, say, the humies in 2 and 1?

In the campaign for 1, yes. I have to fire the games up to check if you could do that in skirmish too.

EDIT: Yes, you can in both AoW1 and 2 in skirmishes/scenarios which allow you to choose your own leaders. I assume in Shadow Magic as well, but I don't have it installed atm.

 

[Lacrymas]

So, here's the deal. We've been talking on Discord about the whole every race can be whatever they want thing and it turns out there is essentially no lore anymore. It isn't just Athla and the Shadow Realm anymore, it's many different kinds of worlds from which all kinds of things can pop up. That's why you can see every possible culture with every possible race. I.e. in essence, there is no more lore. Anything that can happen has happened in one of the worlds, so good luck having a setting identity. This also gives them a ready justification to randomize the campaign like in PF probably.

This also kind of speak to a general disinterest on the part of the devs in their own setting. They said that at first they made it so races have inherent traits and you could only choose the culture, but backpedaled hard on that when someone told them they wanted to make a melee elf race because that's what they want. Which means they didn't really have a clear vision for the lore/the game in general perhaps and bowed down to consumer demands. Which is never good to see, let me tell you. At this point, I don't have much hope for this turning out particularly good or it having an acceptable campaign ;d

 

[vota DC]

Campaign should have fixed choices I guess. There are form, culture and society that means 3 variables for faction, and 4 with the tomes. It shouldn't be a problem: custom leader in campaign was in aow 1.

 

[Jelerak]

It looks like lazy reskin of Planetfall. Triumph seems to have completely forgotten how to make good-looking GUI, just as earlier they have already completely forgotten how to make interesting games. They were destined to die in oblivion after ugly nonsense shit that was Overlord duo. Fuck Notch.

 

[Lacrymas]

"Lazy" is exactly what pops into my mind after having spent some time in their Discord and getting to know their reasoning for some things. Or at least they aren't willing to do the work which actually matters, but are more than happy to spend resources and time on frivolous by their own admission features like "forms". They are also still tight lipped about campaigns, so I expect them to be the same nonsense as in Planetfall.

 

[Raghar]

Well, I payed random maps in AoW3 the most, thus campaigns being FAR worse than AoW2, or AoW2:SM...
They are paid for looks, not for substance, and well producer is paying them.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

Campaigns from AoW3 addons were way better than AoW2 and SM, there's nothing even to compare. Whether they were better than AoW1 is up to debate, but AoW1 is simply a very different game.

Also, the rmg in PF looked mostly hideous. Then again, why am I replying to these hot takes.