fair enough. didn't think about the AI much, don't think they will change much about it either. Not a big fan of it but will have to make due.
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In my software consulting years, my clients would start conversations asking about if it would be possible to implement this one awesome idea they had. I would often tell my clients that there is very little that they could imagine that my team couldn't build. It was just a matter of how much time and money they wanted to pour into it.
Their imagination would then shrink tremendously...
AI can be great, with enough time and money. But AI can't be great because there is not enough time and money.
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yeah that's what I thought. Unfortunately the AI is a major part of these games. I wish it would be a bigger focus, instead of visuals.
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It is what it is. I think a large part of the players just plays the game a few times and moves on. Same for me honestly.
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That was my suspicion initially and it was based on other mechanics that were streamlined 'cause AI had problems with them. Specifically I'm talking about TP limits (AI get confused with those) and melee attack for archers (AI can and will make suboptimal decisions).
When it comes to naval gameplay:
- First, Planetfall had specialized naval units and I don't remember AI messing horrifically, yes there was jank but it was the same type of jank that AoW4 has now. (when AI will embark and next turn go back to land that sort of thing)
- Second, the dev answer wasn't specifically AI related it was gameplay space. (altho it is an ambiguous answer, my understanding it is mechanics related)
- Third, you can experience large bodies of water if you play divide or islands or continents or pangea (last one water can be avoided even if there is quite a lot of it)
Making naval combat more interesting would be amazing atm it is just land with embark tax that bring nothing substantial to the table when it comes to gameplay or gameplay opportunities.
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I think we can check out some stuff from the list after todays blog.
New biomes, toggle-able race transformations and some requested new mounts will be added.
New biomes, toggle-able race transformations and some requested new mounts will be added.
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I think this was true, as were limitations in the ability to develop games originally. However, over time standardized frameworks were created that allowed a developer to utilize tools that others had developed, with existing tutorials, and at a significantly lower cost than having to do everything in-house, this is particularly applicable for smaller developers that otherwise wouldn't have the funding to create an engine to the level of something like UE5.
However, I expect to see a much larger jump in AI performance within the next 10-years for video games. AI has become such a huge tech focus and eventually it is likely to trickle down. If a tool like UE5 were to integrate it, and using the learning that is gained from hundreds or thousands of other titles, AIs performing similar tasks will be significantly enhanced.
What will be great if it goes this way is when combined with that, they begin to form them into not just the boiler plate most optimal possible patterns, but using historical basis for them to define personalities.
We'll just have to see in the end I guess.
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Oh no... Not a pantheon unlock. I'm beginning to dislike the pantheon system more and more. I don't play often enough to be able to unlock everything.I think we can check out some stuff from the list after todays blog.
New biomes, toggle-able race transformations and some requested new mounts will be added.
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Generally speaking? What I'd like to see is more asymmetry.
The problem right now is that cultures are functionally the races of previous games: they dictate the majority of your army and the fundamental mechanics around which your game will play. Tome alignment also impacts it but not nearly as satisfyingly. So we either need a ton more cultures or a slew of tome options to introduce gameplay-altering mechanics.
Also the option to start undead from the very beginning. Not my leader - I DGAF about that - I mean the race. A "lost kingdom" culture would also be interesting, perhaps with a focus on recovering lost materials or reclaiming old lands for bonuses. Raising stuff up out of the ground. Generally appropriate stuff reflecting an ancient race returning - either living or undead.
The option to have maluses on races is also desirable. It feels weird when my goblins have the same stats as, say, an orc. Or nearly the same. Goblins should be weak and squishy and orcs should be able to clobber them senseless - that's why goblins hide behind spears, poison, and big scary monsters that they enslaved.
Admittedly I struggle with AoW4 in general because it seems heavily skewed towards mixing and matching tomestones to create your unique "roleplayed" faction but what I really want is the completely different types of factions that we saw in Planetfall, where each army had entirely different lineups. Now everyone has the same default units and the specialists you get from tomes just feel out of place with the cultures that reinforce the, y'know, main mechanic of your faction. I want one side to have a mind controlling tendril beast and another to have an almost-exclusively flyer-mounted faction. Just wacky stuff like that. It probably doesn't help that I'm also habitually a purist, which means I only really have one choice when it comes to researching new techs. It'd be nice if it didn't feel like I had to mix and match just to play the game in a vaguely satisfying way. I don't know, maybe Triumph's design philosophy is just growing away from the stuff I like.
Basically, I love Triumph and I appreciate what they're doing here, but the loss of asymmetry and of unique-feeling factions really hampered my enjoyment of the game.
Also they still won't let me recruit Karaghs and it's really starting to depress me. I just want my babies back. To play, essentially, an updated version of the AoW1 Goblins. Not the less-fun AoW2 style where they were just the same faction as everybody else only without the fun hook of relying on larger creatures for muscle. Ah well. I already bought everything and I'll probably continue to buy Triumph stuff on release if only because Planetfall was stellar in every way aside from the NPC factions.
The problem right now is that cultures are functionally the races of previous games: they dictate the majority of your army and the fundamental mechanics around which your game will play. Tome alignment also impacts it but not nearly as satisfyingly. So we either need a ton more cultures or a slew of tome options to introduce gameplay-altering mechanics.
Also the option to start undead from the very beginning. Not my leader - I DGAF about that - I mean the race. A "lost kingdom" culture would also be interesting, perhaps with a focus on recovering lost materials or reclaiming old lands for bonuses. Raising stuff up out of the ground. Generally appropriate stuff reflecting an ancient race returning - either living or undead.
The option to have maluses on races is also desirable. It feels weird when my goblins have the same stats as, say, an orc. Or nearly the same. Goblins should be weak and squishy and orcs should be able to clobber them senseless - that's why goblins hide behind spears, poison, and big scary monsters that they enslaved.
Admittedly I struggle with AoW4 in general because it seems heavily skewed towards mixing and matching tomestones to create your unique "roleplayed" faction but what I really want is the completely different types of factions that we saw in Planetfall, where each army had entirely different lineups. Now everyone has the same default units and the specialists you get from tomes just feel out of place with the cultures that reinforce the, y'know, main mechanic of your faction. I want one side to have a mind controlling tendril beast and another to have an almost-exclusively flyer-mounted faction. Just wacky stuff like that. It probably doesn't help that I'm also habitually a purist, which means I only really have one choice when it comes to researching new techs. It'd be nice if it didn't feel like I had to mix and match just to play the game in a vaguely satisfying way. I don't know, maybe Triumph's design philosophy is just growing away from the stuff I like.
Basically, I love Triumph and I appreciate what they're doing here, but the loss of asymmetry and of unique-feeling factions really hampered my enjoyment of the game.
Also they still won't let me recruit Karaghs and it's really starting to depress me. I just want my babies back. To play, essentially, an updated version of the AoW1 Goblins. Not the less-fun AoW2 style where they were just the same faction as everybody else only without the fun hook of relying on larger creatures for muscle. Ah well. I already bought everything and I'll probably continue to buy Triumph stuff on release if only because Planetfall was stellar in every way aside from the NPC factions.
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I skimmed most of this and mainly read the last one.
Making it possible to unlock more form points by taking some penalties might fit into the current system without too many problems.
Like take negative hardy to get an extra point to spend or similar.
Could enable things like starting as undead, or other transformations.
As for the Karagh, i would like to see it and a lot of creatures from the original game make an appearance as recruitable or unlockable.
Doombats, Incarnate, Big beetles, Lurkers,
I’m glad elephant is coming but more of the classic critters would be nice too.
Oh and a way to recruit dire penguins.
Making it possible to unlock more form points by taking some penalties might fit into the current system without too many problems.
Like take negative hardy to get an extra point to spend or similar.
Could enable things like starting as undead, or other transformations.
As for the Karagh, i would like to see it and a lot of creatures from the original game make an appearance as recruitable or unlockable.
Doombats, Incarnate, Big beetles, Lurkers,
I’m glad elephant is coming but more of the classic critters would be nice too.
Oh and a way to recruit dire penguins.
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There are fantasy universes where goblins exist and orcs dont. There are universes where goblins are stronger than orcs. Not many, but any fantasy writer or gamer can make it happen.
This game already gives you the stereotypical traits associated with base forms. It is then up to the player to adjust them for a more customized faction. Other factions and free cities you see in game are either set factions or random cultures with random traits.
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Oh no... Not a pantheon unlock. I'm beginning to dislike the pantheon system more and more. I don't play often enough to be able to unlock everything.
If you play on PC there are means to get around it and unlock everything cough cough.
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There is an official mod for PC made by Triumph called the Tome of the Dire Penguin which allows that.
Also Summon Wild Animal has a 33% to get you one if you cast it on water.
But yeah we definitely need some ways of getting Karagh and other 2 Giants. (they are already in the game and not that OP as units)
I guess. Problem is I don't really want an unbalanced game or to have to mod stuff in. Mmh. Maybe I'll have to look into it, I guess. If they won't make the Karagh an option.
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This has been a great thread to read and it seems there are many common themes emerging. I will also say things I enjoy and would like to see improved:
1. Water gameplay (City forming, wonders, more water visit sites, battles)
2. Wonders - I think this needs really fleshing out. We need a greater variety of wonders, and for them to be more beneficial. Having access to unavailable units via rally of lieges (dragons, mages etc would be a start). Also having a wonder in your city province should allow building of different city structures depending on the type of wonder - this would mean greater strategy where to build cities.
3. Overall map visit structures. At the moment we basically have Free cities, infestations, magic materials and wonders. As an exploration game it would be so much better to have other areas to visit like the previous games (things that give temp boosts, or merchants (good mod for this already), or altars, shrines.
4. Cultures to be developed - have many more tomes which are culture dependent. There are only 3 per tomes per culture atm.
Thanks to the devs!
1. Water gameplay (City forming, wonders, more water visit sites, battles)
2. Wonders - I think this needs really fleshing out. We need a greater variety of wonders, and for them to be more beneficial. Having access to unavailable units via rally of lieges (dragons, mages etc would be a start). Also having a wonder in your city province should allow building of different city structures depending on the type of wonder - this would mean greater strategy where to build cities.
3. Overall map visit structures. At the moment we basically have Free cities, infestations, magic materials and wonders. As an exploration game it would be so much better to have other areas to visit like the previous games (things that give temp boosts, or merchants (good mod for this already), or altars, shrines.
4. Cultures to be developed - have many more tomes which are culture dependent. There are only 3 per tomes per culture atm.
Thanks to the devs!
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I think we can all agree that there isn't much stuff to visit on the maps. I think Triumph overestimated their "random events" system a bit. My guess is they were hoping it would provide enough variety for players (as in "things to do on map"), but maps simply lack in variety. It's especially visible on bigger maps were you have 20x Ancient Caves or 10x Castle Ruins etc. It's extremely repetetive. One thing would be to add some modifier buidlings - ones which give temporary movement, health or maybe a bonus damage feats for your armies. Other idea is ofc adding more Landmarks, especially lower tier ones - which would give you more stuff then only Snakes. Snakes are probably the most overused Wildlife unit in the game, hopefully new mounts/wildlife units will change this. I wouldn't mind if they added a "menagerie" or "wildlife sanctuary" building which would have a few visual variants and wildlife units you can recruit.
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Okay, I'm gonna assume you are strictly speaking about Athlan, Age of Wonders Goblins (because as already said in other settings this can vary, and in some, like Tolkiens work, Orc and Goblin are just two names for the exact same creature)
But the thing is...this game takes place in the Multiverse, so there can be all sorts of Goblins, including super-strong ones
So while I think there could be more done to make the individual factions more distinctive and flavour-full, it should always be the player's choice what their Goblins (or Orcs, or Halflings, or Elves etc) should be like not some "all Goblins have to be this" mechanic, that would be a huge step back.
As somebody who frequently still plays both AoW1 and SM
The lineups of the AoW1 and AoW2/SM Goblins is almost identical: Darter, Fighter, Bomber, Wolf Rider, Big Beetle, Wyvern Ryder, Troll (in AoW1 and SM, missing in 2), Karagh.
The only differences are that in AoW1 they (as all races) had their own priest, and in AoW2/SM they had an additional spear and a halbard unit.
Having various non-racial units join in the line-up is a staple of almost all the AoW1/AoW2/SM races, which is now substituted through units gained from tomes and recruited from ancient wonders.
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