What’s Next for Age of Empires IV

Age of Empires IV formally launched on October 28 and World’s Edge and Relic Leisure have beloved watching you play! As we shared on the eve of our launch, October 28 signified the start, however we’re removed from executed. We’re so grateful to our neighborhood for retaining the spirit of Age alive these almost 25 years and for these of you becoming a member of us for the primary time with Age of Empires IV. We’ll be seeking to our gamers and your suggestions as we proceed to construct a greater Age collectively.

With our first patch formally launched earlier this week, it’s time to show our consideration to what we’ll be introducing sooner or later. Learn on to get a fast glimpse at a few of our plans for Winter 2021 and Spring 2022, in addition to some function requests the crew is monitoring primarily based on your suggestions.  

Winter 2021 

On Monday, November 15, we launched Patch 7989 to introduce fixes to Xbox Account linking, a problem with Mongol City Heart conduct, efficiency impacts when panning the digicam and another tweaks. Whereas this patch was smaller and extra pointed, we’re glad to share that we’re placing the ending touches on a bigger patch we’ll look to share quickly.

In Winter 2021, we’ll be introducing tons of of stability modifications (actually!), quite a lot of useful bug fixes and a couple of key options we’ve seen requested by gamers. Our crew has been laborious at work getting ready this replace, and we’re appreciative to the neighborhood for lending your voice to the dialog.

Right here’s a sneak peek of a number of the goodness we’re queuing up for Winter 2021:  

• Make the selection to activate and examine in-game participant scores! Primarily based on neighborhood suggestions, we’ve made the choice to implement in-game scores for many who want to have them. We all know that utilizing this function can change the best way you select to play the sport, and so we need to empower you to make the selection for your self – beginning with our Winter 2021 replace, you’ll have the ability to allow in-game participant rating on a case-by-case foundation for customized foyer multiplayer and skirmish matches.
• We’ve moved the Chinese language Dynasty button and consumer interface to a much less distinguished place on the display screen. You’ll now discover it within the decrease left-hand nook.
• The skill to view the map post-match is one thing you’ve requested for, and we’ve begun to make modifications to will let you just do that. Beginning with the Winter 2021 replace, you’ll have the ability to pan throughout the map of a accomplished match after ending up your sport – we’ll be seeking to fold in extra choices to will let you simply change backwards and forwards between the finished map view and post-game stats in Spring 2022.
• Refinements made to the in-game mini-map to enhance readability are additionally coming in Winter 2021. Enhancements embrace decreasing the dimensions of icons, guaranteeing the Marvel icon on the mini-map matches the icon displayed within the HUD, rising the dimensions of the Major City Heart compared to different Landmarks, and adjusting the colour of sure assets.

For stability and bug fixing, we’ve acquired a great deal of modifications to share with you in our launch notes when this replace lands, however listed below are a handful of changes our stability crew is especially enthusiastic about: 

• French Hulk ship tweaked to now not rule the excessive seas.
• Crossbowmen, Spearman and Elite Crossbowmen will pose a higher menace to Cavalry.
• Considerably decreasing the price of the Chinese language civilization’s Repeater crossbow.
• Repair to HRE Prelate unit to permit them to proceed inspiring after being pushed. 
• Mongol “Superior Mobility” adjusted to make sure the pace modifier is appropriately utilized. Because of the neighborhood for calling this out! 
• Repair issued for the Rus civilization to get rid of infinite Relic duplication.  

Spring 2022 

Age of Empires IV, like different titles inside this globally beloved franchise, affords many methods to interact — whether or not you’re a historical past buff, fan of constructing out sprawling empires and taking over the AI, or extra aggressive in nature. Coming in Spring 2022, we’ll be including two new methods to get pleasure from Age of Empires IV. 

• Person Generated Content material and instruments permit you to convey your concepts to life. Not a mod maker your self? No worries, you’ll nonetheless have the ability to benefit from the work of others — sampling their imaginative and prescient for distinctive maps, modes, and extra. This can present simply one other solution to really make historical past your story in Age of Empires IV. 
• Spring 2022 may also see the beginning of Ranked Seasons. Ranked Seasons will span 12 weeks, permit gamers to compete head-to-head, climb the ranked ladder, and earn unique in-game rewards primarily based on efficiency. We stay up for sharing extra about Seasons in 2022, and for those who’re seeking to get some practices in forward of time, we’d encourage you to brush up in your data with the Artwork of Struggle challenges, Marketing campaign or play towards AI and different gamers! 

We’ll additionally be finalizing some minor enhancements to the post-game map in Spring 2022, introducing the Patrol transfer you’ve been asking for, in addition to exploring the inclusion of different options and fixes primarily based on participant suggestions.  

Trying Ahead 

Whereas we’re dedicated to bringing concerning the options and modifications highlighted above, we’re additionally spending time with what our gamers are saying they need to see in Age of Empires IV in the future.

Your suggestions will assist us as we proceed to plan for Spring 2022 and past. We’re actively wanting into the suggestions beneath:   

• World Construct Queue – We all know this can be a function a lot of you have got loved in earlier Age titles and wish to see in Age of Empires IV.  
• Enhancements to the Unit Stat card – Primarily based in your suggestions, we’re wanting into how we are able to higher serve up probably the most significant stats at a look.  
• Hotkey Enhancements – We acknowledge that hotkeys are an enormous element in aggressive play and are a subject our neighborhood cares an awesome deal about. This can be a larger change, and one thing we’re investigating from a couple of completely different angles, together with a motion away from the grid system in addition to implementing a couple of different choices by way of hotkey alternatives.  
• Taunts and Cheats – A part of the Age Legacy, we’re exploring what these parts would look (and sound!) like in Age of Empires IV. 
• AI Issue – We’ve heard from you that AI issue may use some tuning, particularly making the Straightforward AI much less aggressive and boosting the problem of the Exhausting AI.  
• Waypoint Indicators – One other high quality of life function from earlier Age titles, we all know that is one thing a lot of you need to see returned to Age of Empires IV.  

Thanks once more to each one in every of you who’ve helped us bringing concerning the dawning of a brand new Age! The journey’s solely simply begun, and we’ll proceed to observe your suggestions to create the absolute best Age of Empires IV expertise with you.