remember guys ive opened a new patreon that will be used to participating in community tourneys for all elos and has exclusive videos, builds, interactive questions and possibility of playing against me once a month! www.patreon.com/heraaoe2
A few weeks ago I showed my six-year-old nephew Age and let him play (with a little help). Now all the time he asks: “Uncle, can we play Age of Vampires?”.
yeah, someone might say micro and reaction way important in AoE but in chess there are zeitnot, and Blitz games when u have to react and think in like 3-5 seconds
Like chess - you could be matched opposite to your same civ and still play out thousands of different strategies. Add to that the balanced diversity of other civs and you have chess x 43. Then figuring you could have all 43 matching differently against all other 43 and there's just so, so much more complexity while retaining the simple rock/paper/scissors strategies of counters. A masterful mix of simplicity and complexity
I would add: - is both fun to play and watch (some games are difficult to watch) - the learning curve is pretty long, so the game is fun for all ELOs, is not that you kind of nail it after certain hours, you can keep improving always
and also, there are various styles for playing that can work. It is a combination between micro, macro, and strategy, so you can find your own identity. Other games are all about micro, etc.
exactly! I don't understand DoTA. I don't understand League of Legends. Many of my friends don't either. (all they play is FIFA) But set my friends in front of the TV, watching an AOE2 cast, they understand basics very very easily. They keep telling me they wanna try it out it; (i tell them it's easy to watch, difficult to play). Not one friend of mine has ever told me he wants to play DoTA2 just by looking at a stream.
it did not. open patchnotes all the versions are extremely different. yoiu've never played with unkillable trebuchets and absolutely demented unit ai. i mean like even 100 times more demented than it's in in the current versions meanwhile aoe 1 is awesome in 2024
I would personally emphasize the fact that as a noob, you can play the game completely wrong and you'll still have fun. 😁 On easy difficulty (or against someone with the similar skill), you can keep sending your archers vs skirmishers, you can start the game by mining gold, you can completely ignore all upgrades, yet it will still be fun just to produce random units and make them fight. 🙂
One of the biggest reason is that despite having 41 civs, devs kept the game balanced pretty well. I think its really hard to pull this off with all the different civ and team bonuses.
And it's balanced well for all ELOs, too. There is not a civ that clearly dominates low Elo or high Elo. Some units require more micro like archers and mangonels but still most units are viable at all levels.
That's because the game is balanced as rock paper scissors for the base units, which all civs get, therefore the rest of the balancing is merely not giving too many overpowered passive buffs.
@@rentabledwarf578and that was such a genius idea to start with. And today the devs are doing a fantastic job. I can see a future coming, where there are even a lot more civs, especially more from other parts of the world then Europe, and the game is still well balanced.
i'm only 14 years old and I am so glad that I got into Aoe2. I played my brother's cd version of aoe1 as a young kid and i really had no clue what i was doing but i loved the game and the campaigns. When covid hit my brother got a bunch of people on a call together to play Aoe2 Definitive edition and that's when he got me to get the game. It has become my favorite game ever since. ❤AOE
I’ve played for years and I love this game - the randomness of the map generation cannot be overstated as a great feature. Keeps it fresh every time as you explore.
In April 2021 me and my friend started playing against AI every wednesday night, our group grew and grew until we had 7 people hopping on for 2-3 hrs of community games and trash talking on discord most wednesdays. Now in 2023 we are back down to 4 players but we consistently destroy each other every wednesday. Its been so fun and I love this game.
It's perfect. Not as demanding or artificially difficult like managing starcraft brood war's UI and control scheme limitations while still remaining incredibly skill intensive nor as toxic or frustrating as MOBAs. In comparison to SC2, it's a lot more forgiving where split-second lapses result in losing 15 workers from widow mine or baneling drops.
every 12 seconds make more marines, every 18 seconds make more workers, every 22 seconds make more supply depots. if you ever get distracted thinking about a strategy or tactic you'll just loose the numbers game. aoe2 is slower in that regard, and with split recources you can "waste" all your food by queueing 5 villagers instead of 1 by 1, but it won't stop you from building a barracks and house.
- really important aswell is the amount of different gamemodes: death match, capture the relic, defend the wonder, sudden death, battle royal, time limit, and so on.. - then each game mode is super customizable and you can combine them... - the game is kinda good when it comes to modding - and overall the game is kinda easy to play, but hard to master so it is both appealing to playing just for fun or competitive... - super nice and wholesome community (most of the time) - it is a game that is sooooo much fun to just watch and follow along, without having to enjoy playing it :)
I remember in 1998 being a 11 years boy at Office Max buying AoE2 AoK with the big box and the giant tech tree poster feeling the happiest kid in the world and ready to play as Teutons! Enventually on 2000, left Teutons for Britons and never changed again 😂
I've been playing on and off for 20 years, there's no other game I can say that about. Started campaigns, then skirmishes for a long time, then ranked and only that now 😅 Definitely the GOAT
A key factor you forgot is the creativity. Never a strategy game was so creative, and rewarding creativity. Players come up with new build orders all the time, vills building making traps and channels for army, all the small things to improve efficiency. That's what keeps me hooked the most, thinking ouside the box works very well in this game; even at pro levels! Also the skill set is extremely wide. Macro thinking, complex micro, multi-tasking pushed to the limits. Every player will find his strenght somewhere.
I agree with everything you’ve said and I’d like to add… THE COMMUNITY! We actually have such an amazing positive community and people who are just simply chill. Every other game I’ve played there’s a lot of toxicity and outcomes are taken way too seriously. No one is poopin on you for making a mistake we just laugh it off and make it into a joke that’s it :)
As someone who enjoys watching E-sports (Started Around 2007 with Broodwar) this is how I would rank the entertainment value of all RTS games I watched over the years. 1. *Starcraft: Broodwar* - Being such an old game the skill ceiling is very high, units are chunky and hard to control, making "perfect" battles impossible. Pros are always innovating and adapting, maps play a big part. A lot of units have control "micro-tricks" i.e. Mutalisks, Vultures, Reavers, Carriers, Stop-Lurkers, Valkyries etc. I'd recommend giving a few matches a watch. 2. *AOE2* - Basically what Hera said, civ and map diversity makes watching matches a lot of fun. Mango micro, quick-walling, archers wars are fun to watch. The only criticism I'd give is the Villager-Military ratios, having ~130 Villagers doesn't leave a lot of room for big armies. 3. *CNC3* - Exceptionally beautiful looking game, the action starts fast and is entertaining, but the Civs are somewhat imbalanced and the game most often doesn't reward "creative" play. 4. *Warcraft 3* - heavy micro wars are thwarted by civ-on-civ match-up imbalances, a stale map pool and hero imbalances (HU and UN going for the same starting hero 90% of the matches) makes watching the games somewhat repetitive. I still tune in sometimes. 5. *Starcraft 2* - The stinker of the group. Game has been in maintenance mode for years now but the problems started way before that, the armies control like homogeneous blobs, sliding all around the map. Battles happen so fast that Dota players would prob. find it hard to understand what happened. The strategies are all figured out and the units/abilities are frankly not that interesting to control. Still tune in from time to time - get disappointed - and leave.
broodwar is such a great watch, but definitely not new viewer friendly. The overlay has basically no info, so as a viewer, you have to actively pay attention to stuff like how many workers are on gas and what not.
In my opinion, i enjoy the smoothness of sc2 units and control. Balls are cancer while everything is managable. Control a complicated army is a pain in AOE2 while in sc2, i enjoy playing late game a lot.
One important aspect that the aoe2 community is great in general. In cod games in particular, you will surely find out that toxicity is often present unfortunately. Not saying it is non existing on aoe2, but it is way less frequent. You have to think in this game. This is true for strategy games in general.
Something that really stands out for me is that the buildings and units are basically works of art. The attention to details and amount thereof is truly wonderful. Some buildings look like you are looking at some kind of painting of old. My artistic side loves it.
You surely help building and colmating the community aswell ! (T90 helped too !) Thanks to cool creators we've been able to enjoy the game as much as you do. I remember when i was 6 years old, the cinematic blew my mind, moving knight, and the knight make a move in the cinematic. Last but not least, let us not forget that EPIC moment : "WALLACE HAS COME !" Cheers my man, keep it up !
I have been a casual player since the beginning. I agree with your assessment. AoE2 is the greatest RTS of all time. It will never die, though it may someday be 'ported' to another technological iteration.
Spot-on. What you say about unit control is partially also a very good balance of visuals in an isometric RTS. DE did a lot to modernize the look BUT keep this ease of control and the more symbolic isometric approach that helps focus on what is happening.
100% agree. It is the best multiplayer game I have ever played for sure, and by a long way. I have thousands of hours now in the Definitive Edition and nowhere close to being bored of it. In my 30s with a wife etc, and I see myself still playing in a decade in all honesty. Like you say, it’s the enjoyment of playing both alone and with friends, I enjoy both a lot; and the game is beautifully balanced given it’s complexity. I find it relaxing, and at the same time it can occupy 100% of my brain power if I’m trying seriously to win on ranked ladder.
Very good summary of why AoE2 is such a great game! Welcome to all the new players to our nice and friendly community! Another big reason why I find AoE2 to be such a good multiplayer game that should not be overlooked is the community. The vast majority of the big multiplayer games out there nowadays have an absolutely toxic community. People are salty, rude, disrespectful, abusive and many times even bullies. It is really refreshing to see the how friendly and respectful the AoE2 community is (and big thanks to the top players and top casters for spreading this respect and fair play!). Also, compared to the other Age of Empires games, AoE2 is definitely the best of all of them in my opinion too. I played them all (tons of AoE3, quite a lot of AoE1 and a bit of AoE4), and AoE2 looks and feels the best of all of them. Intuitiveness, balance and looks. Capture Age (and even the default spectator) do a great job in bringing new audiences too! For example, the spectator mode in AoE3 DE is absolute hot garbage. There used to be a great Spectator UI mod (kudos to Aizamk) before the definitive edition, but the one brought by the DE is a total downgrade from the mod and makes games tedious to watch and cast (casters need to constantly switch the player to see which card was sent, and if you missed one, you have to guess what order). The fact that the recorded games from all the players can be easily accessed online is great for people learning the game and for casters, to have games to cast. As a final point, I am glad that this is a game that makes you think and plan. It teaches you the meaning of effort and the power of thought instead of giving constant gratification without any kind of effort (which seems to be the current epidemic). Cheers Hera and thank you again for the effort you put in your videos!
I am also in the camp that AoE2 is the Greates Game of All Time. And I would say that what makes AoE2 so good is the game design. The design team made a wonderful work that build up on the solid foundations of AoE1 but added so many new systems to make the game more interesting and goving more interesting decisions to the player- different gather rate for resources, bonus damage, melee and pierce armour, unique units, unique tech. All of that keeps you engaged, because there is no one right way to play the game. For instance- if you play Britons you might think going full Longbowmen plays well to all of your bonuses, but what if your oponent plays Goths? Also there is a lot ways to play the game. Tons of campaigns, tons of random maps with varying settings, ranked multiplayer, coop campaigns.
Recently got back into sc2 after 2 years of aoe2 and ive got to say i agree with your statement. Could not pick one as my favorite. Both have good and bad sides.
Gonna have to add in some of my own lil 2 cent for the 5:09 mark point. For brood war, since Broodwar is the crown jewel of Starcraft and not Starcraft 2, they don't have random map generation. Whenever there's a new map, the map is completely given out to you in its entirety. The layout, where the gas and minerals are, where your starting positions will be, all of that will be given to you. And this will stay the same for that map after it's released. So because the map is always the same in its formatting, layouts and everything else, Broodwar players don't get tested on adaptability and their ability to create concrete plans based on what they've scouted with the map. Are the gas and minerals far away from you, where are the expos located, where are the key crucial ramps they have to fight over, none of those things are being tested at all in Broodwar. Basically because the map layout's the same every game, it just comes down to squeezing every ounce of that build order optimization, timing on expansion optimization, execution matters in essence. Now I know on the flip side you'll see the most perfectly optimized strategies and build orders for that particular map, but scouting, understanding your surrounding and building a strategy around it is something that is dearly missing in Broodwar. Broodwar enthusiasts and purists will always contend that Broodwar's the most sophisticated and intricate RTS with the highest skill ceiling, but forgoing the random map generation really leaves a lot to be desired there in terms of Broodwar having a higher skill ceiling than AOE2.
Great video Hera, thanks a lot!! You even forgot to mention the community of AoE2 which is by far more friendly than in most other game. Take LoL for example. The main reason why I stopped playing LoL is this super toxic community that crys, whines and blames you in every 2. or 3. game.
What I also prefer in 2 and miss in 4 is the range of freedom to be creative. Tower rushes or tc drops don’t seem to have been foreseen as future meta by the original developers. While for aoe4 the devs seem to have foreseen everything they want to be possible in the game already. Not that there is no choice to vary, but the choices are quite limited.
Hit the nail on the head my dude! I will also say, one of the best things about new content for AoE 2, is that it doesn't overhaul the games natural system and the way it flows and plays. You aren't made to focus on new content, it just becomes part of the bigger pool. Compare this to say, MMORPGs for example, where new Xpacs often make anything previous irrelevant. AoE2 content does the opposite, and keeps everything relevant (even if it kills a civs power for a patch or two :P )
I think being accessible to anyone is a big part. No matter your level everyone can have fun, and everyone can improve. It's very rewarding in that sense.
You're making good points about the fact that the game is based on history which makes it much easier to digest. I would add that it also means that each unit has a clear and distinguishable role, which makes it much more intuitive also in the long run, not just for newcomers. In games that have unit abilities like spells, while it adds an interesting dimension to the game (which I do like personally), it also makes it much less structured, which makes it harder to develop stable strategies. I would also mention that it has lots of depth both when it comes to economy, military and even diplomacy (when it is enabled), and the two interact with each other massively. Many other games focus just on military or economy, leaving the other bland. Like in warcraft for example, even though technically you have economy, it is pretty one dimensional and not very interesting compared to AoE2. And it even does it better thant the other games in the franchise. Like in AoE3 you don't have mining camps, which takes away a huge part of the game.
Another thing is the visual style, the game just looks sooo good. It's crisp, easy to look at and easy to see what's going on. There isn't a love of visual salad that makes it hard to keep track of things.
devs are ruining the game bro, im playing aoe2 for more than 5 years and im very disappointed in devs bcs of a lot bad decisions they make. @gokhancakr661 So stop asslicking please
@@LoVeR199294 tbh the devs are pretty good. compared to many other games, id rate the devs like 7/10 mainly losing points due to low resources due to money (ie. they dont have too much staff, have less updates compared to big games), which is reasonable and just them failing pathing every patch (but at least they are trying to make it better). They also listen to community feedback a lot.
@@TheNjahNjahNjah in fact i stopped playing the game because of the devs, this garbage queueing system, when you never can play the map that you want (and please dont tell me to play in lobbys cuz the games in lobbys are not near as entertaining, equal and motivating as in ranked games)
I also think the medieval theme or the fact that it is not fantasy is underrated. You can see that for example in the confidence of non-competitive players clicking techs like heated shot or supplies. They think they know what they are doing and feel great about it.
In terms of viewing, I really like capture age, where it enhances the viewing experience. However, there is something to appreciate about having almost no info as a viewer, like SC broodwar. In broodwar, you actually have to pay attention to the game to understand what is happening. Definitely not new viewer friendly, but I can toon out AOE for abit and still have a good understanding of the state of the match after I come back.
Its potentially (probably) the goat in its genre, you cant compare it to a fps or mmo or whatever minecraft is supposed to be. Only making the distinction of single or multiplayer is bit short sighted tbh. Diablo 2 for example is on a similair track as aoe2, gaining back alot of its players in recent years, these gems from the past will always be populair, just need to retrofit em a bit evry now and then to keep up with the times, aoe2HD and d2r are exactly that.
I was 16 when I started playing the first version of age of kings. 25 years ago. I thought that I was playing the best game ever. I stopped playing due to my studies, work, family... I started playing again almost by chance (when it was released to Xbox) and I really got vindicated. I was right 25 years ago, it IS the best game ever. And I'm so happy that now that I have a bit of time I can still enjoy what I loved the most so many years ago
This is a game where you can probably write an entire thesis behind its design, gameplay loop, and some applied game theory stuff. Truly one of the greatest of all time, if not the greatest.
This video is 100% accurate towards me, I only started playing aoe2 a month ago and the reason I like it is because of its medieval and pvp aspect of the game . I have played many games fortnite, overaatch, r6 , valoran, DBD and etc. But I have never ever enjoyed playing by myself. In age of empires 2 definitive edition I love playing 1v1 Arabia by myself. The point is it is the only game I can enjoy playing by myself. And that's why it's my favourite game right now.
For RTS it's top 3. Starcraft 2 is my sci-fi game of choice, Warcraft 3 is my fantasy game of choice and Age of Empires 2 is my medieval game of choice. Unfortunately two of those games have been given little love by Blizzard, I think everyone who plays RTS or pays attention to gaming news knows the mess that was Reforged. They wanted to do what DE did for AoE2 but then half arsed it, not even that quarter arsed it. It should be a crime what they did. As Warcraft 3 is source of a bunch of other games. Would MOBAs exist if not for DotA custom map? Would tower defence be what they are today? That's beside the point. AoE2 is one of the greatest RTS ever made and will no doubt be played for many more years to come (hopefully with more support from Microsoft). PS We have new RTS on the horizon with Stormgate, though I'm a little concerned by it. It's by some of the greats behind Warcraft 3 and Starcraft 2 but is it going to be able capture enough interest to survive? EDIT: Please god fix the pathing, I watched my villager walk completely the wrong direction yesterday in my arena game and get stuck. I had to fish her out. Distance she moved was 50% longer and then she got stuck. I swear it was never this bad D:
its literally been installed on my computer for over 2 decades straight hardly any other game can compare, kenshi is the only other game that comes close tbh
EVERYTHING you mentioned is why I LOVE this game and I'll that for the new genZ, the problem is that they're used to instant rewards and that's what's driving up all the shitty games with too many ads so it's not so much a problem that we as a community solve but as a whole world. Thank you for continuing to inspire us and entertain us man.
It also has some truly wonderful people and the best teachers on YT Actually that is big. I'm getting my bro back into the game and having a blast teaching him about boar luring and 3 TC boom. Its a lot of fun.
This is definitely the greatest rts game ever made. The core gameplay still holds up after 20 years and the definitive edition graphics look better than newer games that use 3d graphics. There is just something about clean 2d sprites that is easy on the eyes. Let’s not forget about the scenario editor which is a game in itself and turns the game from a competitive esport to something you can relax and let your creativity out.
AoE2 is definitely on the GOAT list, probably in one of the top 3 spots. I think the beauty of the game is that its incredibly complex and yet very easy to understand and to play at a basic level. This makes it appealing to pretty much all skill groups. I, for one, got hooked on the game from an early ange when I used it as a city builder. And it eventually lead to my interest in the competitive side of the game (in which I'm still a viewer because I suck).
I only really got into AoE II DE 4ish months ago (other than in the early 2000s I had it on CD, got through William Wallace, found the broken Bridge in the Joan of Arc campaign & never played again because I couldn`t figure out where to go next, 11), but it`s already up there with some of my favorite games. It has a lot going for it, but in my rating system it`s not perfect. For me a rating includes Gameplay/Controls, Music/Sound, Difficulty Progression, Replay Value, & Graphics. I could see Replay Value, Graphics & Difficulty progression getting maximum scores. By Graphics I don't mean advanced 3D, more-so can the player understand what they are seeing, & an isometric view, especially with the small trees mode makes everything the opposite of cluttered & it works well. Difficulty progression you can pick from Easiest to Extreme AI, you can go from 600 elo to 2000 in your journey, you can play Campaigns starting with 1 Swords on Standard & gradually getting the 3 Swords on Hard, etc. Music/Sound is very good, but I personally don't have any particular songs get stuck in my head like I do from other games. The sound works well for the atmosphere & type of game though, & different music per civ is really impressive. Gameplay I consider a mix of the quality & quantity of content which is very good, but controls hold the game back from being a 10 imo. As someone with probably 7K+ hours in Starcraft 2 I can feel how well SC2 works mechanically & AoE 2 is not even close. AoE 2 is better pathing than say Starcraft Brood War, but not comparable to SC2. What SC2 lacks even though it's a totally different style of RTS is Random Maps, that's what makes AoE 2 DE so fun is that every game is different & you can expand wherever you want & I find there is more variety. If an AoE 2 could be made with the help of people working on Stormgate (people that did SC2's pathing are there) so that the units control more fluidly & less derpy I could see AoE 2 in the discussion for GOAT. Diablo 2 LOD I think has a better case for GOAT. Random maps, 7 different classes that you can replay & play them differently each time. With how loot works you won't go in the same item progression every playthrough, every playthrough is unique. It hits all the replay value boxes that AoE 2 does (I guess except it's more PvE, not PvP, & the PvP it does have is lacking compared to AoE 2s by a lot) while having better controls.
Am I the only one who finds aoe2 multiplayer less stressful than aoe3 and aoe4? I feel that in aoe2, I have to bother less about learning matchups than aoe3 and aoe4 because all civs share the same tech tree.
I made myself a small form factor PC three years ago to play an old favorite, Battlefield 1942. I had thousands of hours into that lol. Then I found Command and Conquer Remastered, and that was alright. Then I thought - I should see if aoe2 is still around. It's the only game I've played for the past 3 years lol
Just because someone has a degree in physics doesn't mean that he/she is automatically good at RTS. I know a friend who's a mathematician and is the smartest person I know who got beaten in Aoe2 by a guy who never went to college.
remember guys ive opened a new patreon that will be used to participating in community tourneys for all elos and has exclusive videos, builds, interactive questions and possibility of playing against me once a month! www.patreon.com/heraaoe2
A few weeks ago I showed my six-year-old nephew Age and let him play (with a little help). Now all the time he asks: “Uncle, can we play Age of Vampires?”.
Age of Vampires 😂 well i think Dracula campaign is kinda Age of Vampires 😅
@@capolino91 Vlad the Impaler!
I did the same with my cousin when we were young. Unfortunately, he is a better player than me now lol
lol, my 3 yr old son calls it "adrian fires"
Age of Vampires could be a dope spin off 😂
8:52 "Everybody knows what a horse is". Random dude just starting to get into AOE2: *"what is this, an elephant with a crossbow on its back?!"*
plus everyone calling elephant boars and ostrich deer xD LOL
Truth is it's really easy to understand basics but once you get deeper into the aoe2 forest it becomes more unknown 11
Aoe is like chess. It never dies and you have to think to get good.
It's definitely like real time chess. It also helps with being strategical in the real world.
Hahahahaha yeah its a real ltime stress hahaha great way of describing it
@@jorgedelamora5905 Exactly.
yeah, someone might say micro and reaction way important in AoE but in chess there are zeitnot, and Blitz games when u have to react and think in like 3-5 seconds
Like chess - you could be matched opposite to your same civ and still play out thousands of different strategies. Add to that the balanced diversity of other civs and you have chess x 43. Then figuring you could have all 43 matching differently against all other 43 and there's just so, so much more complexity while retaining the simple rock/paper/scissors strategies of counters. A masterful mix of simplicity and complexity
I would add:
- is both fun to play and watch (some games are difficult to watch)
- the learning curve is pretty long, so the game is fun for all ELOs, is not that you kind of nail it after certain hours, you can keep improving always
and also, there are various styles for playing that can work. It is a combination between micro, macro, and strategy, so you can find your own identity. Other games are all about micro, etc.
exactly!
I don't understand DoTA. I don't understand League of Legends. Many of my friends don't either. (all they play is FIFA)
But set my friends in front of the TV, watching an AOE2 cast, they understand basics very very easily. They keep telling me they wanna try it out it; (i tell them it's easy to watch, difficult to play).
Not one friend of mine has ever told me he wants to play DoTA2 just by looking at a stream.
The fact, that this game survived 25 years says everything
it did not. open patchnotes all the versions are extremely different.
yoiu've never played with unkillable trebuchets and absolutely demented unit ai. i mean like even 100 times more demented than it's in in the current versions
meanwhile aoe 1 is awesome in 2024
I would personally emphasize the fact that as a noob, you can play the game completely wrong and you'll still have fun. 😁 On easy difficulty (or against someone with the similar skill), you can keep sending your archers vs skirmishers, you can start the game by mining gold, you can completely ignore all upgrades, yet it will still be fun just to produce random units and make them fight. 🙂
This is gold!!
My father and I are still playing this game together against Hard AI 2-3 times every week, a time I’m treasuring spending with him
@@Cra3ier This is beautiful bonding. 🤗
you won't win any campaign without extreme abuse of the ai and breaking all its scripts.
One of the biggest reason is that despite having 41 civs, devs kept the game balanced pretty well. I think its really hard to pull this off with all the different civ and team bonuses.
43, I mean 35
And it's balanced well for all ELOs, too. There is not a civ that clearly dominates low Elo or high Elo. Some units require more micro like archers and mangonels but still most units are viable at all levels.
That's because the game is balanced as rock paper scissors for the base units, which all civs get, therefore the rest of the balancing is merely not giving too many overpowered passive buffs.
@@rentabledwarf578and that was such a genius idea to start with. And today the devs are doing a fantastic job. I can see a future coming, where there are even a lot more civs, especially more from other parts of the world then Europe, and the game is still well balanced.
because all the civs are exactly the same with no differences outside 1 unit
i'm only 14 years old and I am so glad that I got into Aoe2. I played my brother's cd version of aoe1 as a young kid and i really had no clue what i was doing but i loved the game and the campaigns. When covid hit my brother got a bunch of people on a call together to play Aoe2 Definitive edition and that's when he got me to get the game. It has become my favorite game ever since. ❤AOE
I’ve played for years and I love this game - the randomness of the map generation cannot be overstated as a great feature. Keeps it fresh every time as you explore.
In 2000, The book that I most read was AoK’s tech tree manual and I learned english from it.
That intro video though, best part of launching the game every time.
Can recommend the classic intro mod - so you can have it every time even these days
I remember I always let it play, everysingle time. Awesome intro
THE SOUNDTRACK!!
Shamburger, T Station, Tazer.... it's full of absolute classics that never get old or boring.
In April 2021 me and my friend started playing against AI every wednesday night, our group grew and grew until we had 7 people hopping on for 2-3 hrs of community games and trash talking on discord most wednesdays. Now in 2023 we are back down to 4 players but we consistently destroy each other every wednesday.
Its been so fun and I love this game.
I feel like this video is going to spread outside of just the normal audience for aoe2 videos.
hopefully!
It's perfect. Not as demanding or artificially difficult like managing starcraft brood war's UI and control scheme limitations while still remaining incredibly skill intensive nor as toxic or frustrating as MOBAs. In comparison to SC2, it's a lot more forgiving where split-second lapses result in losing 15 workers from widow mine or baneling drops.
no to mention SC2 has a toxic community
every 12 seconds make more marines, every 18 seconds make more workers, every 22 seconds make more supply depots. if you ever get distracted thinking about a strategy or tactic you'll just loose the numbers game.
aoe2 is slower in that regard, and with split recources you can "waste" all your food by queueing 5 villagers instead of 1 by 1, but it won't stop you from building a barracks and house.
It has it all. The fact that every map generation is unique, makes it endless.
SERIOUSLY I AGREE this game continues to be so fun even as a casual campaign normie player
Damn this is a pretty large channel
- really important aswell is the amount of different gamemodes: death match, capture the relic, defend the wonder, sudden death, battle royal, time limit, and so on..
- then each game mode is super customizable and you can combine them...
- the game is kinda good when it comes to modding
- and overall the game is kinda easy to play, but hard to master so it is both appealing to playing just for fun or competitive...
- super nice and wholesome community (most of the time)
- it is a game that is sooooo much fun to just watch and follow along, without having to enjoy playing it :)
As someone who grew up on Age of Empires 1 & 2 and Warcraft 1, 2 & 3, for me WC3 is the best RTS ever.
AoE II is so easy to understand and so deep to master. I hope the game never die, at least not in my life time.
BRING BACK THE CHESS INTRO
I remember in 1998 being a 11 years boy at Office Max buying AoE2 AoK with the big box and the giant tech tree poster feeling the happiest kid in the world and ready to play as Teutons!
Enventually on 2000, left Teutons for Britons and never changed again 😂
Age of Empires 2 came out in 1999 September tho.
He maybe thinking about the first aoe game that came out in 97
Thank you hera for this very convincing video. Above all the 4th point is brilliant
I've been playing on and off for 20 years, there's no other game I can say that about. Started campaigns, then skirmishes for a long time, then ranked and only that now 😅
Definitely the GOAT
11:10 "chill game" - I'm at the point in my life where Aoe 1v1s stresses me so much that I cant think straight after the game. Yet I play every day.
A key factor you forgot is the creativity. Never a strategy game was so creative, and rewarding creativity. Players come up with new build orders all the time, vills building making traps and channels for army, all the small things to improve efficiency. That's what keeps me hooked the most, thinking ouside the box works very well in this game; even at pro levels! Also the skill set is extremely wide. Macro thinking, complex micro, multi-tasking pushed to the limits. Every player will find his strenght somewhere.
Just picked this game up, played against a friend for 2 hours straight we are both so bad it's hilarious
+1 point, the intense micro and fun moments in pro games makes it worth watching.
I agree with everything you’ve said and I’d like to add… THE COMMUNITY! We actually have such an amazing positive community and people who are just simply chill. Every other game I’ve played there’s a lot of toxicity and outcomes are taken way too seriously. No one is poopin on you for making a mistake we just laugh it off and make it into a joke that’s it :)
0:05 - Age of Empires 2 came out in 1999 September tho.
1998
@@HeraAgeofEmpires2 1999. AoE 1's expansion came out in 1998 :P If I'm not mistaken, you're two weeks younger than Age of Kings
ahh ok my bad then@@FloosWorld_AoE
@@HeraAgeofEmpires2 Haha no worries :)
Thanks Hera now i know exactly why i have no life and no social skills
As someone who enjoys watching E-sports (Started Around 2007 with Broodwar) this is how I would rank the entertainment value of all RTS games I watched over the years.
1. *Starcraft: Broodwar* - Being such an old game the skill ceiling is very high, units are chunky and hard to control, making "perfect" battles impossible. Pros are always innovating and adapting, maps play a big part. A lot of units have control "micro-tricks" i.e. Mutalisks, Vultures, Reavers, Carriers, Stop-Lurkers, Valkyries etc. I'd recommend giving a few matches a watch.
2. *AOE2* - Basically what Hera said, civ and map diversity makes watching matches a lot of fun. Mango micro, quick-walling, archers wars are fun to watch. The only criticism I'd give is the Villager-Military ratios, having ~130 Villagers doesn't leave a lot of room for big armies.
3. *CNC3* - Exceptionally beautiful looking game, the action starts fast and is entertaining, but the Civs are somewhat imbalanced and the game most often doesn't reward "creative" play.
4. *Warcraft 3* - heavy micro wars are thwarted by civ-on-civ match-up imbalances, a stale map pool and hero imbalances (HU and UN going for the same starting hero 90% of the matches) makes watching the games somewhat repetitive. I still tune in sometimes.
5. *Starcraft 2* - The stinker of the group. Game has been in maintenance mode for years now but the problems started way before that, the armies control like homogeneous blobs, sliding all around the map. Battles happen so fast that Dota players would prob. find it hard to understand what happened. The strategies are all figured out and the units/abilities are frankly not that interesting to control. Still tune in from time to time - get disappointed - and leave.
broodwar is such a great watch, but definitely not new viewer friendly. The overlay has basically no info, so as a viewer, you have to actively pay attention to stuff like how many workers are on gas and what not.
In my opinion, i enjoy the smoothness of sc2 units and control. Balls are cancer while everything is managable. Control a complicated army is a pain in AOE2 while in sc2, i enjoy playing late game a lot.
One important aspect that the aoe2 community is great in general. In cod games in particular, you will surely find out that toxicity is often present unfortunately. Not saying it is non existing on aoe2, but it is way less frequent. You have to think in this game. This is true for strategy games in general.
Something that really stands out for me is that the buildings and units are basically works of art. The attention to details and amount thereof is truly wonderful. Some buildings look like you are looking at some kind of painting of old. My artistic side loves it.
You surely help building and colmating the community aswell ! (T90 helped too !) Thanks to cool creators we've been able to enjoy the game as much as you do.
I remember when i was 6 years old, the cinematic blew my mind, moving knight, and the knight make a move in the cinematic.
Last but not least, let us not forget that EPIC moment : "WALLACE HAS COME !"
Cheers my man, keep it up !
WE NEED THIS INTRO BACK!!!!!!!!
"Age of empires is a very relaxing game to play" -- yeah, right!
watch me and my sweaty palms try to gain 15 elo at 1100. LOL.
Same.
This wasn't a comparison. This was just stating why you personally like the game. There was no cross examination at all of any substance.
Glad that you liked the video ma man
I have been a casual player since the beginning. I agree with your assessment. AoE2 is the greatest RTS of all time. It will never die, though it may someday be 'ported' to another technological iteration.
Its the most complete and complex game ever.
Spot-on.
What you say about unit control is partially also a very good balance of visuals in an isometric RTS. DE did a lot to modernize the look BUT keep this ease of control and the more symbolic isometric approach that helps focus on what is happening.
"Some of us might have friends". I felt that.
100% agree. It is the best multiplayer game I have ever played for sure, and by a long way. I have thousands of hours now in the Definitive Edition and nowhere close to being bored of it. In my 30s with a wife etc, and I see myself still playing in a decade in all honesty. Like you say, it’s the enjoyment of playing both alone and with friends, I enjoy both a lot; and the game is beautifully balanced given it’s complexity. I find it relaxing, and at the same time it can occupy 100% of my brain power if I’m trying seriously to win on ranked ladder.
Very good summary of why AoE2 is such a great game! Welcome to all the new players to our nice and friendly community!
Another big reason why I find AoE2 to be such a good multiplayer game that should not be overlooked is the community. The vast majority of the big multiplayer games out there nowadays have an absolutely toxic community. People are salty, rude, disrespectful, abusive and many times even bullies. It is really refreshing to see the how friendly and respectful the AoE2 community is (and big thanks to the top players and top casters for spreading this respect and fair play!).
Also, compared to the other Age of Empires games, AoE2 is definitely the best of all of them in my opinion too. I played them all (tons of AoE3, quite a lot of AoE1 and a bit of AoE4), and AoE2 looks and feels the best of all of them. Intuitiveness, balance and looks.
Capture Age (and even the default spectator) do a great job in bringing new audiences too! For example, the spectator mode in AoE3 DE is absolute hot garbage. There used to be a great Spectator UI mod (kudos to Aizamk) before the definitive edition, but the one brought by the DE is a total downgrade from the mod and makes games tedious to watch and cast (casters need to constantly switch the player to see which card was sent, and if you missed one, you have to guess what order). The fact that the recorded games from all the players can be easily accessed online is great for people learning the game and for casters, to have games to cast.
As a final point, I am glad that this is a game that makes you think and plan. It teaches you the meaning of effort and the power of thought instead of giving constant gratification without any kind of effort (which seems to be the current epidemic).
Cheers Hera and thank you again for the effort you put in your videos!
I am also in the camp that AoE2 is the Greates Game of All Time. And I would say that what makes AoE2 so good is the game design. The design team made a wonderful work that build up on the solid foundations of AoE1 but added so many new systems to make the game more interesting and goving more interesting decisions to the player- different gather rate for resources, bonus damage, melee and pierce armour, unique units, unique tech. All of that keeps you engaged, because there is no one right way to play the game. For instance- if you play Britons you might think going full Longbowmen plays well to all of your bonuses, but what if your oponent plays Goths? Also there is a lot ways to play the game. Tons of campaigns, tons of random maps with varying settings, ranked multiplayer, coop campaigns.
I don't know if it's *the* GOAT, but certainly one of them.
Recently got back into sc2 after 2 years of aoe2 and ive got to say i agree with your statement. Could not pick one as my favorite. Both have good and bad sides.
They should remaster the legendary intro of the AOE and put you as one of the kings who plays chess
vs MBL
Gonna have to add in some of my own lil 2 cent for the 5:09 mark point.
For brood war, since Broodwar is the crown jewel of Starcraft and not Starcraft 2, they don't have random map generation. Whenever there's a new map, the map is completely given out to you in its entirety. The layout, where the gas and minerals are, where your starting positions will be, all of that will be given to you. And this will stay the same for that map after it's released. So because the map is always the same in its formatting, layouts and everything else, Broodwar players don't get tested on adaptability and their ability to create concrete plans based on what they've scouted with the map. Are the gas and minerals far away from you, where are the expos located, where are the key crucial ramps they have to fight over, none of those things are being tested at all in Broodwar.
Basically because the map layout's the same every game, it just comes down to squeezing every ounce of that build order optimization, timing on expansion optimization, execution matters in essence. Now I know on the flip side you'll see the most perfectly optimized strategies and build orders for that particular map, but scouting, understanding your surrounding and building a strategy around it is something that is dearly missing in Broodwar. Broodwar enthusiasts and purists will always contend that Broodwar's the most sophisticated and intricate RTS with the highest skill ceiling, but forgoing the random map generation really leaves a lot to be desired there in terms of Broodwar having a higher skill ceiling than AOE2.
Interesting
Hera is strapping AOE2 on his back and carrying us home. I love it.
Speaking of single game masterpieces. Do you guys remember Ingo van Thiel? His single player scenarios is where I learned how to micro
Great video Hera, thanks a lot!! You even forgot to mention the community of AoE2 which is by far more friendly than in most other game.
Take LoL for example. The main reason why I stopped playing LoL is this super toxic community that crys, whines and blames you in every 2. or 3. game.
The new intro on the revamped AOE2 for Xbox is nice, but I really wish they upped the graphics on the OG intro.
What I also prefer in 2 and miss in 4 is the range of freedom to be creative. Tower rushes or tc drops don’t seem to have been foreseen as future meta by the original developers. While for aoe4 the devs seem to have foreseen everything they want to be possible in the game already. Not that there is no choice to vary, but the choices are quite limited.
Very good point!
Quick walling is a great example of this.
A coincidental game mechanic that is now an important tactic to master at higher levels
The game is simple to learn even after Years of RTS Age2 is still a good entry point for the genre.
Hit the nail on the head my dude!
I will also say, one of the best things about new content for AoE 2, is that it doesn't overhaul the games natural system and the way it flows and plays. You aren't made to focus on new content, it just becomes part of the bigger pool.
Compare this to say, MMORPGs for example, where new Xpacs often make anything previous irrelevant.
AoE2 content does the opposite, and keeps everything relevant (even if it kills a civs power for a patch or two :P )
The skill level of players is crazy today, I have been playing this on and off since it came out and it never gets old.
This is not only a game. It’s a childhood, a memory and also a historical educative.
Another one I consider important is that its super easy to learn. You can pretty much do everything with just left clicks and right clicks.
I think being accessible to anyone is a big part. No matter your level everyone can have fun, and everyone can improve. It's very rewarding in that sense.
The opening brings back so many memories. They really should remake the opening.
You're making good points about the fact that the game is based on history which makes it much easier to digest. I would add that it also means that each unit has a clear and distinguishable role, which makes it much more intuitive also in the long run, not just for newcomers. In games that have unit abilities like spells, while it adds an interesting dimension to the game (which I do like personally), it also makes it much less structured, which makes it harder to develop stable strategies.
I would also mention that it has lots of depth both when it comes to economy, military and even diplomacy (when it is enabled), and the two interact with each other massively. Many other games focus just on military or economy, leaving the other bland. Like in warcraft for example, even though technically you have economy, it is pretty one dimensional and not very interesting compared to AoE2.
And it even does it better thant the other games in the franchise. Like in AoE3 you don't have mining camps, which takes away a huge part of the game.
Another thing is the visual style, the game just looks sooo good. It's crisp, easy to look at and easy to see what's going on. There isn't a love of visual salad that makes it hard to keep track of things.
its shocking that you didnt mentioned the definitive edition and the dev support. by far the biggest improvement on the game is graphics.
was mainly talking about the definitive edition, its the core of the video
devs are ruining the game bro, im playing aoe2 for more than 5 years and im very disappointed in devs bcs of a lot bad decisions they make. @gokhancakr661 So stop asslicking please
@@LoVeR199294whats so bad about it?
@@LoVeR199294 tbh the devs are pretty good. compared to many other games, id rate the devs like 7/10 mainly losing points due to low resources due to money (ie. they dont have too much staff, have less updates compared to big games), which is reasonable and just them failing pathing every patch (but at least they are trying to make it better). They also listen to community feedback a lot.
@@TheNjahNjahNjah in fact i stopped playing the game because of the devs, this garbage queueing system, when you never can play the map that you want (and please dont tell me to play in lobbys cuz the games in lobbys are not near as entertaining, equal and motivating as in ranked games)
I also think the medieval theme or the fact that it is not fantasy is underrated. You can see that for example in the confidence of non-competitive players clicking techs like heated shot or supplies. They think they know what they are doing and feel great about it.
In terms of viewing, I really like capture age, where it enhances the viewing experience. However, there is something to appreciate about having almost no info as a viewer, like SC broodwar. In broodwar, you actually have to pay attention to the game to understand what is happening. Definitely not new viewer friendly, but I can toon out AOE for abit and still have a good understanding of the state of the match after I come back.
Objectively, I don't think this word means what you think it means :p
Great video, I am continually amazed by how age 2 is thriving!
Yeah.Its getting tiring to see these so called "gaming essays'' being treated like they are scientific theory that people must accept.
Its potentially (probably) the goat in its genre, you cant compare it to a fps or mmo or whatever minecraft is supposed to be.
Only making the distinction of single or multiplayer is bit short sighted tbh.
Diablo 2 for example is on a similair track as aoe2, gaining back alot of its players in recent years, these gems from the past will always be populair, just need to retrofit em a bit evry now and then to keep up with the times, aoe2HD and d2r are exactly that.
i am 12 years old my dad played aoe2 and he showed it too me i now play it every day it is a amazing game.
I was 16 when I started playing the first version of age of kings. 25 years ago. I thought that I was playing the best game ever.
I stopped playing due to my studies, work, family...
I started playing again almost by chance (when it was released to Xbox) and I really got vindicated. I was right 25 years ago, it IS the best game ever. And I'm so happy that now that I have a bit of time I can still enjoy what I loved the most so many years ago
The community is by far just better than most games. Guys are helpful and informative instead of just being straight negative.
This is a game where you can probably write an entire thesis behind its design, gameplay loop, and some applied game theory stuff. Truly one of the greatest of all time, if not the greatest.
Sooo, when are we getting more civs?
Love your content
0:42 T1 vs DRX. Best final ever!! Hmm, sorry... go back to the video
This video is 100% accurate towards me, I only started playing aoe2 a month ago and the reason I like it is because of its medieval and pvp aspect of the game . I have played many games fortnite, overaatch, r6 , valoran, DBD and etc. But I have never ever enjoyed playing by myself. In age of empires 2 definitive edition I love playing 1v1 Arabia by myself. The point is it is the only game I can enjoy playing by myself. And that's why it's my favourite game right now.
For RTS it's top 3. Starcraft 2 is my sci-fi game of choice, Warcraft 3 is my fantasy game of choice and Age of Empires 2 is my medieval game of choice.
Unfortunately two of those games have been given little love by Blizzard, I think everyone who plays RTS or pays attention to gaming news knows the mess that was Reforged. They wanted to do what DE did for AoE2 but then half arsed it, not even that quarter arsed it. It should be a crime what they did. As Warcraft 3 is source of a bunch of other games. Would MOBAs exist if not for DotA custom map? Would tower defence be what they are today?
That's beside the point. AoE2 is one of the greatest RTS ever made and will no doubt be played for many more years to come (hopefully with more support from Microsoft).
PS We have new RTS on the horizon with Stormgate, though I'm a little concerned by it. It's by some of the greats behind Warcraft 3 and Starcraft 2 but is it going to be able capture enough interest to survive?
EDIT: Please god fix the pathing, I watched my villager walk completely the wrong direction yesterday in my arena game and get stuck. I had to fish her out. Distance she moved was 50% longer and then she got stuck. I swear it was never this bad D:
You should also be thankful to the devs that didn't go the Blizzard way, like with WC3 Reforged.
Great summary of what makes Aoe the best computer game of all times!
its literally been installed on my computer for over 2 decades straight
hardly any other game can compare, kenshi is the only other game that comes close tbh
EVERYTHING you mentioned is why I LOVE this game and I'll that for the new genZ, the problem is that they're used to instant rewards and that's what's driving up all the shitty games with too many ads so it's not so much a problem that we as a community solve but as a whole world. Thank you for continuing to inspire us and entertain us man.
I’ve been preaching this to anyone who will listen for 25 years. It is gospel at this point. Spread The Word my friends. 🙏
It also has some truly wonderful people and the best teachers on YT
Actually that is big. I'm getting my bro back into the game and having a blast teaching him about boar luring and 3 TC boom. Its a lot of fun.
This is definitely the greatest rts game ever made. The core gameplay still holds up after 20 years and the definitive edition graphics look better than newer games that use 3d graphics. There is just something about clean 2d sprites that is easy on the eyes. Let’s not forget about the scenario editor which is a game in itself and turns the game from a competitive esport to something you can relax and let your creativity out.
As a player of aoe2 I approve this message and confirm it's true.
AoE2 is definitely on the GOAT list, probably in one of the top 3 spots. I think the beauty of the game is that its incredibly complex and yet very easy to understand and to play at a basic level. This makes it appealing to pretty much all skill groups. I, for one, got hooked on the game from an early ange when I used it as a city builder. And it eventually lead to my interest in the competitive side of the game (in which I'm still a viewer because I suck).
Great video. Good content. Thx Hera.
I only really got into AoE II DE 4ish months ago (other than in the early 2000s I had it on CD, got through William Wallace, found the broken Bridge in the Joan of Arc campaign & never played again because I couldn`t figure out where to go next, 11), but it`s already up there with some of my favorite games. It has a lot going for it, but in my rating system it`s not perfect.
For me a rating includes Gameplay/Controls, Music/Sound, Difficulty Progression, Replay Value, & Graphics. I could see Replay Value, Graphics & Difficulty progression getting maximum scores. By Graphics I don't mean advanced 3D, more-so can the player understand what they are seeing, & an isometric view, especially with the small trees mode makes everything the opposite of cluttered & it works well. Difficulty progression you can pick from Easiest to Extreme AI, you can go from 600 elo to 2000 in your journey, you can play Campaigns starting with 1 Swords on Standard & gradually getting the 3 Swords on Hard, etc.
Music/Sound is very good, but I personally don't have any particular songs get stuck in my head like I do from other games. The sound works well for the atmosphere & type of game though, & different music per civ is really impressive.
Gameplay I consider a mix of the quality & quantity of content which is very good, but controls hold the game back from being a 10 imo. As someone with probably 7K+ hours in Starcraft 2 I can feel how well SC2 works mechanically & AoE 2 is not even close. AoE 2 is better pathing than say Starcraft Brood War, but not comparable to SC2. What SC2 lacks even though it's a totally different style of RTS is Random Maps, that's what makes AoE 2 DE so fun is that every game is different & you can expand wherever you want & I find there is more variety. If an AoE 2 could be made with the help of people working on Stormgate (people that did SC2's pathing are there) so that the units control more fluidly & less derpy I could see AoE 2 in the discussion for GOAT.
Diablo 2 LOD I think has a better case for GOAT. Random maps, 7 different classes that you can replay & play them differently each time. With how loot works you won't go in the same item progression every playthrough, every playthrough is unique. It hits all the replay value boxes that AoE 2 does (I guess except it's more PvE, not PvP, & the PvP it does have is lacking compared to AoE 2s by a lot) while having better controls.
The biggest issue by new players is, the game is not easy to learn and for example my brother played it ,it was very fun but he was frustrated a lot.
The campaigns make it easy to learn. To play competitively you need youtube to learn and a lot of hours getting beat.
I really find that there Is at least anotuer cruciale point that the community Is not toxic
What are the 2 games shown around the 8:22 timestamp?
for me, the medieval theme is one of the biggest! good point
Could you do a video on some of the most fun online custom scenario maps that are out there? That multiplayer one with the castle spawns looked fun
I take a drink every time hera says "a ton". I'm completely hammered.
WeirdChamp
Am I the only one who finds aoe2 multiplayer less stressful than aoe3 and aoe4? I feel that in aoe2, I have to bother less about learning matchups than aoe3 and aoe4 because all civs share the same tech tree.
Yes and no. If you dive into the stuff that make 2's civs different it just gets as stressful as 3 and 4.
I made myself a small form factor PC three years ago to play an old favorite, Battlefield 1942. I had thousands of hours into that lol. Then I found Command and Conquer Remastered, and that was alright. Then I thought - I should see if aoe2 is still around. It's the only game I've played for the past 3 years lol
Personally I consider this the chess of video games. A timeless classic!
I dont know anyone that plays/played aoe2 and wasnt super inteligent. They're all doctors, engineers, lawyers... Its a game of gentlemen
Just because someone has a degree in physics doesn't mean that he/she is automatically good at RTS. I know a friend who's a mathematician and is the smartest person I know who got beaten in Aoe2 by a guy who never went to college.
This reminded me that i have 0 friends 😂 - great video as always
For me nostalgia factor is like : Came for nostalgia stood for the actual goodness of the game