Age of Empires IV is the latest installment of an ongoing real-time strategy series first released in 1999. This version updates graphics for high-resolution displays as well as adding new campaigns and civilizations.
Each of the eight playable factions advances through four ages, starting in the Dark Age with a town center, three villagers and a scout unit. Military conquest or religious victory (holding all holy sites) are two ways of winning this game.
Gameplay
Age of Empires is one of the longest-running and most beloved historical real-time strategy series ever released on gaming consoles, drawing in fans both old and new alike with its mix of real world history, economics, and real time strategy gameplay that offers gamers a truly engaging experience. Microsoft continues to support this game series through numerous remasters of earlier entries as well as their flagship entry Age of Empires 4 which features some new additions that bring added features like 3D graphics.
Gameplay in Age of Empires 4 is similar to its predecessors, yet with some significant updates. A new feature allows players to build resource-gathering structures near their cities for faster resource collection while simultaneously decreasing unit count required for this task. Furthermore, villager AI has been enhanced; now collecting resources automatically when a resource-gathering building is constructed by players; siege weapons now employ “smart AI,” meaning they won’t attack allies if doing so would cause them to lose.
Age of Empires 4 was developed by Relic Entertainment as the spiritual successor to Age of Empires 2. This game features medieval generations and humanized history through storytelling in gameplay as well as live action documentary-style cutscenes and campaigns. There are four historical campaigns covering everything from William the Conqueror’s invasion of Britain through to Mongolian expansionism.
Age of Empires 4 stands apart from its predecessors by offering players an engaging third-person perspective of battles. At a fan event, footage was shown to demonstrate this unique element. You can see armies clash and siege engines crumbled while armies battle each other before their destruction by siege engines are completed – as well as numerous weapons being included such as trebuchets!
An important new addition to the gameplay is an age-specific soundtrack composed by Mikolai Stroinski (known for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt). Furthermore, a language system was implemented that changes how English units speak between themselves and with players as time progresses; starting off speaking Old English before moving through Middle and Modern forms as they progress through history.
Graphics
Age of Empires’ graphics are impressive for a 2D game. Although somewhat outdated, its graphics remain crisp and detailed across most PCs. Havok physics gives characters and buildings more realistic movement while animations in Age of Empires run smoothly.
Except for graphical upgrades brought on by HD upgrades, most aspects of content remain the same in HD Edition. Some fan discoveries of previously unseen features have led to future use; others remain unused – for instance the first expansion pack The Titans included an unusable random map called Islands which was later transformed into Desert map in Definitive Edition. Other unused units such as Genoese Crossbowmen and Fusiliers have also been discovered by fans.
These unutilized features may have been removed for performance reasons. The game originally was supposed to feature a day/night cycle as well as a different user interface for building and training units, though that UI underwent multiple revisions before finally becoming the one used by everyone.
The game was also intended to incorporate an innovative display method for its map; rather than being presented as a simple grid, this more stylized approach may have required more processing power to render correctly and therefore resulted in its cancellation.
Some buildings in the game were also altered. For example, the Greek Temple originally consisted of mudbrick structures while Egyptian Guard Tower was more ornate. Finally, Major Temple originally had a different appearance that remains present in some leftover images in game files.
Additionally, this game originally had plans to include more buildings of similar types for each civilization and allow players to select which god they wished to worship at Home City – something that would have implications for resource gathering. Furthermore, similar to Guild Wars, players would receive upgrades for worshipping different gods – however this feature was ultimately scrapped.
Soundtrack
Age of Empires’ soundtrack is an album version available on Spotify or other streaming services, featuring songs that play during gameplay and composed in similar fashion to its original game. Featuring percussion, guitars, bass and fife alongside vocals and various instruments such as flute and harp it has quickly become a favorite choice among gamers and has sold incredibly well as an album version has sold well too.
Age of Empires series is an historical real-time strategy video game published by Ensemble Studios and distributed by Microsoft, set in an alternate history setting and following an ancient civilization’s development over four ages. The first three titles focus on European history while subsequent installments explore Asian and mythology history respectively. Furthermore, Ensemble Studios developed two expansion packs based on mythology instead.
Age of Empires’ music was designed to respond to player actions while fitting seamlessly into its environment, with more subtle instruments and styles than classical classical pieces. Midi technology allowed this approach, with music files controlled through PC sound card synthesizers creating smaller file sizes and less complex sounds than would otherwise be necessary.
Todd Masten recomposed the Age of Empires II soundtrack by using orchestral performances by Prague’s FILMharmonic Orchestra as well as new versions of main theme and credits track as well as reprised win/loss themes from original game and Rise of Rome; three tracks featured high-quality renditions that had only existed on MIDI soundtrack.
For the HD Edition, the original soundtrack was distributed as MP3 files in its installation folders and included as an alternate fallback when no CD drive was in play – along with 4-7 second introductory jingles for each civilization.
Online multiplayer
The game’s online multiplayer allows for ranked player-versus-player matches and co-op mode with up to four other players, offering them the chance to choose among several civilizations and navigate the history of the world as loosely depicted by real history. Each civilization boasts its own set of buildings and units unique to it; each player can advance technologically by reaching certain milestones within their city.
The gameplay in Age of Empires III is similar to its predecessors; players build both economic and military buildings that produce units and research technologies, using a town center as a focal point to create villages, gather resources and fire arrows at enemy units within range. There are upgrades available over several ages which increase efficiency within cities; economic buildings such as factories or mills which process resources are built, along with warehouses which store them; additionally they can construct naval docks to produce warships for wars.
Another feature of the game is its ability to allow the player to create custom maps and share them with their friends. Social features also allow for interaction amongst other players, chatting about city issues or seeking advice or tips from them, joining groups or participating in guild systems, while its graphics and audio quality make for an immersive experience.
However, the game contains several flaws which reduce its overall quality. One such flaw is its cartoony art style which diminishes its serious tone and causes players to view it less as an actual strategy game. Furthermore, excessive grinding also weighs down upon it significantly.
This game is free to play, but in order to access all the content for your chosen civilisation you will need to spend money. In addition to buying premium items such as advisors and gear you will also need advisors who provide advice. It also features point systems more commonly associated with massively multiplayer online RPG titles than RTS titles.
