AOE3 Forums

This Topic is divided into 2 parts, the first post are concepts and the second post involves the civilizations, campaigns, and maps. 

Seeing as how ES locked up my topic “AoE 3: The Napoleonic Wars,” I’ve decided to post up an idea for AoE 4 (which I had planned for a while, and just recently decided to create). In this particular case, just like in the AoE 3 proposal, I’ve gathered some information from others, but for the most part the ideas here have come from my head. Nonetheless, if you wish to contribute to the topic with more ideas, I’ll make sure to specify which idea is yours (in order for you to have the proper recognition). You might agree with some ideas, you may disagree with others, but that’s completely fine. Furthermore, any idea or discussion is welcomed just as long as it is in line with the topic.

Basic Concepts:

The ideas that the game would be based upon would be the colonization of Africa, the World Wars, the Cold War, and world power influence on conflicts going on around the world.

As ES has luckily proved, Age of Empires can do fine with even 2 X-packs. Perhaps there might even be a third, but that’s up for ES to decide.

Time Periods:

Age 1: Antebellum Age

Age 2: Great War Age

Age 3: Interbellum Age

Age 4: World War II Age

Age 5: Cold War Age

The only difference would be allying with someone in Africa. If it’s a European nation that has a colony in there and is available for alliance, they would have a small military base looking post. If it’s a native African village, it would either be a village or a town.

Leadership Concept:

Every civilization in the game would have 2 (or more, or just 1) leaders as an option in the game. The player would have to pick a leader for his civilization, and this leader would provide special in-game benefits for the player. Now, whether the leader would be a static onetime thing to choose while creating your HC, or if you can switch them whenever you want, that’s not up for me to decide. As an example, for Germany you’d have two leaders: Wilhelm II and Adolf Hitler. While Wilhelm would bring technological benefits to the civilization such as faster and cheaper technologies, Hitler would bring a military bonus of producing military units with more HP and attack. For purposes of balance, you should only have one available during the game.

The possibilities of this concept could go as far as working throughout the whole game, or simply work for a period of 3 minutes  (3 minute boost should be enough), then 2 or 3 minutes of re-charging the leader, and then re-using the option. OR, it could have a fill-up by XP just like the Homecity shipments. 

Homecity concept:

The Homecity would still be used as a concept for the game. The situation, in this case, would be for the Homeciy to provide supplies for first the colonization and set-up of the base/colony, and next for the warfare with the other nations. Homecities would also hold the ability to click on the leader, which would make him make his appearance and rally the people for the support of the ongoing conflict.

Atomic Bomb/Missiles concept:

Using the atomic bomb in the game would be a tad too harsh and unreal since historically only the U.S. has used it against another nation and it would be a physical disaster that would logically destroy all units in the game (including your own, seeing as how small the maps can be). My idea is that the Atomic Bomb is a unique thing that can be built in a building that could be called the Missile Launch Site.

This launch site would be available in the last age and can only be built once at a time. It would cost quite a lot of resources and it has a slow building time. The missiles it creates can only be launched from that building, and can launch a devastating blow upon the enemy. Nonetheless, since it takes a lengthy amount of time for the missiles to be built, the player would still have to greatly rely on its other units. Even though it takes a long time to build the launch site, it can be destroyed quite easily. There is also a set range, hence providing protection to players that are further away from the site.

The Missile Launch Site would hence be capable of also building the Atomic Bomb, but it would be more of an achievement rather than an actual unit to use. For example, there could be a type of game (like a “Wonder Race”) that awards victory to the player that first creates the Atom Bomb. In normal games, the ability to build the bomb would either be disabled or it would simply give huge amounts of XP points for players who manage to spend resources in building it.

“General” concept:

The General would be your explorer for the game. Along with allying with the locals, i.e. natives from the area, it would give certain special bonuses to friendly troops close to him. There would eventually be an upgrade for it (through HC shipment) to become a Field Marshal.

Tanks and Airplanes concept:

Several people have complained that tanks and airplanes would be impossible to have in a game like AoE. Of course, the truth is that without tanks and airplanes, a WW I or WW II game would not be much of a fun game anymore. After all, who would not like to play with a German Panzer, or have a dogfight in the skies with one of those funny early planes?

The idea thus relies on making Tanks and Airplanes have a limit, quite like ships do now, and for them to cost no Population slots. A set limit of 2 tanks for each civilization would be strong enough to deal a devastating blow to the enemy, but it would also be slow enough for the enemy to counter-attack. Also, take into account that the tanks in the early part of the game would be very slow and ineffective, while only the tanks in Age 4 and Age 5 would actually be worthwhile using in the battlefield. Meanwhile, for the airplanes, the early airplanes should also be very ineffective and weak. There should be distinction between the types of aircraft, and there could be even transport aircraft later in the game where units can “Parachute” into enemy territory.

Moreover, as these mechanical beasts of the land and the air should have a unit that serves as their destroyers. Per se, there should be “Anti-Tank” buildings and units that are specifically trained to destroy all tanks. Then, there should also be “Anti-Aircraft” buildings and units that are also specifically trained to annihilate all aircraft. Of course, other than that, those buildings and units would be rather worthless, but a good addition nonetheless since airplanes and tanks could turn out quite OP without them.

Trench Warfare concept:

 Trench Warfare would, perhaps, be the hardest concept to assimilate into Age of Empires. As a start, ES never liked setting units into defensive structures such as walls, even though historically walls were made in a manner that people would be able to stand on them and attack the enemy. Furthermore, having trenches in the maps ES creates would be difficult for the whole concept of the game as the maps tend to have unique terrain features that would make complex trenches difficult to create.

Therefore, I conclude that ES might simply ignore the trench concept. Nevertheless, in case they don’t…

Walls and trenches would have to be in the game at the same time. Contrary to what some think, trenches were not the replacement of walls. In fact, walls were still used as defensive fortifications and were a vital part of battles in WW I and even WW II.

Now, with trenches, they would have to be a wall-type thing, except that it’s dug-in. The “top” part that would distinguish the trench from a normal rift in the terrain would be that the trench has (as eye-candy) barbed wire and some sacks of sand (or whatever it is those sacks were filled with). Soldier units would be able to enter the trench (garrison) and fire at incoming troops. In other words, trenches would be like a mixture between walls and towers for they would block other troops and also serve as a counter-attack post.

To make things even more complex, the workers (replacement of “colonists” or “villagers”) could have the option to construct specific “Trench Barracks” where the troops created automatically enter the defense in the trenches.

Destroying the trenches would hence be a tough job early in the game, but not impossible. Moreover, in the late-game, with the advanced airplanes and tanks, the trenches would no longer be in use (at least if the player wants to spend his resources on better things).

Workers/Laborers concept:

The villagers would no longer called “villagers” or “colonists,” but rather go for “workers” or “laborers.”

Embassy concept:

At some point all civilizations will be able to build embassies. The point of the embassies would be to have the capability of hiring mercenaries from foreign countries. Yet, there would be a limit to the type of mercenaries available. In order to achieve this, the player would have to have previously formed a “Diplomatic Alliance” with a foreign government (What could be called a “Minor Civilization”). The amount of alliances, and hence the type of mercenary troops, should be set at a limit of 2 or 3 (so that it won’t have much of a large effect, just an important but minor role along with the other units). The mercenaries are obviously higher in cost than normal units, but also somewhat stronger and unique, and there’s a limit on how many you can build (even though they still cost Population slots). For example, imagine you’re playing as the United Kingdom, but in order for your strategy to work you need specific units that are stronger than the ones you normally produce; nonetheless, you do not want to form a definite alliance with a major world power, so you go off to search for minor civilizations; in the options available you set to ally yourself with the United States, Belgium, and Canada. Hence, once you build the embassy in during the game, you’d receive units and technologies associated with the minor civilizations. Per se, the US would give you the technology of mass production and a unique airplane unit, meanwhile Canada would give you the technology of the improved gas mask and a unique land unit.

To make the thing even more interesting, there should also be an option to create a “flag bearer” unit for the embassy units. This unit would have the capability of increasing the HP of the mercenary units, and also would look like a nice distinction in the battle field as the individual nation’s flags would make a nice appearance.

The minor civilizations could range with as many countries as ES could want. Then people who want their countries in the game could get, for the least, to ally themselves with them.

The units each “minor civilization” gives you could be divided into: Age 2, Age 4, and Age 5. Age 2 units would, obviously, be obsolete by Age 4 or Age 5. The units can range from aircraft to special workers. OR each could simply give you one special bonus.

 Also in team games the effects of the nukes are less, and take longer to make. this is so that one person each makes a nuke and defend each other as it would be pretty damn unfair, even tho they do have a disadvantage.