Age of Wonders 4

[Fedora Master]

The reviews are really telling, too.
Anyone with half a brain and some experience can see the glaring flaws yet most reviews are "Luv da gaem!!!". They "love" it but aren't able to tell you why.
It's really the same audience as Nu-Civ and Nu-PDX, they are easily impressed by numbers and choices even if those numbers and choices either do nothing, are outright bad for you or obviously overpowered.

 

[Lacrymas]

Most reviewers probably don't have any experience with the previous titles and don't know how stripped bare this game is, so this seems like the Second Coming of Christ.

RE: Story realm 2 - if you are playing on hard, Nimue has no chance because both the frogs and the rats hate her guts and harass her constantly. She can still somehow muster 6 stacks around her capitol at any one time, though. Story realm 3 is where it starts to get more tense because everyone hates you, including free cities, but this is where I stopped because the bugs were piling up and made me lose valuable progress.

 

[Fedora Master]

Most reviewers probably don't have any experience with the previous titles and don't know how stripped bare this game is, so this seems like the Second Coming of Christ.

Even if you look at the game in a vacuum it plays pretty much like Stellaris where choices barely matter unless they're obviously overtuned.

Even this room temperature IQ creature gets it: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1669000/discussions/0/3828666283438926957/

 

[Sarissofoi]

Everything feel samey. Everything play the same. Everything become one blob of race modification and enchantments.
Seriously it would be better if you had base traits that come from the form(aka elf, human, rat etc) then you could add bonus one like you can now(so you can make light, dark, edgy etc variants of them). Then Society traits. More cultures than six and it would be nice to have some more variants for them(like having 2 or 3 sets would be great). Now most cultures have very similar set of units, there is no early or mid cavalry outside scouts and it cultures could use some more units(sure you can get some mounts from racial trait(sigh) but even then its really limited). Like you have Feudal one tier polearm unit transform into 2nd Tier Sword and Shield unit. Idea is neat but they should transform into Halabardier or Pikiner. Sigh again.
Also I think there should be more exclusive and 'choose one from' racial transformations and enchantments.
Like why you can't give your units better armor/weapons(like steel/mithril etc)? Its all about enchantments and transformations. Having few layers but limited choice on each(aka you can't take everything) would be much better from gameplay perspective and would create more distinct factions. Same for limiting book choices.
The battles would be much better if they allow more units and make more maps(with some more open one) for battlefield. Increasing number of troops in stack would help but I think it could use some sort of reserve system where you can deploy reserve units at some intervals or maybe some point or slot system where higher tier units take more space in stack so you can field more lower tier units instead.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Most reviewers probably don't have any experience with the previous titles and don't know how stripped bare this game is, so this seems like the Second Coming of Christ.

RE: Story realm 2 - if you are playing on hard, Nimue has no chance because both the frogs and the rats hate her guts and harass her constantly. She can still somehow muster 6 stacks around her capitol at any one time, though. Story realm 3 is where it starts to get more tense because everyone hates you, including free cities, but this is where I stopped because the bugs were piling up and made me lose valuable progress.

SR3 struck me as far more trivial because you just cast that dumb mind reading spell then do the quest and the guy surrenders, with like one exception. It's retardedly trivial. On normal anyway. I should bump it back to hard and restart the map maybe, but these story maps are all striking me as extended tutorial gimmicks that are trying to get you to do the I win! thing and move on.

SR2 gave me issues because either I was getting corner fucked by the Frog on hard or what's her face is immune to electric and I was playing an arcanist faction whose primary damage source is electric. Good times.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

They should first and foremost ensure they retain and build on the good features of the previous game (racial xp, unit diversity based on race, unique unit bonuses unlocked through conquest and so on and so forth). No literally bin all of them and then go "uh, guize, sorry, but this time the focus was on fortenite skins so you can customize your character" while the "I don't play good games so you don't, either, let's be honest" crowd claps and drools.

 

[Fedora Master]

They are going to double down on what sells, meaning more races and skins and no significant change in mechanics.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

Fun fact: this game made me re-install and play PF. While the strategic map looks mostly like vomit, I'm constantly laughing at how bad the combat animations are, there's little to no natural/interesting synergies between races and secret techs and a lot of the "innovations" are not only imo bad in themselves, but also implemented poorly on top of that (looking at you, staggering), the combat and stack building and modding is definitely better than AoW4 is at this point. I guess the contrast effect is a real thing. One thing I really appreciate compared to 3 is combat casting being completely separate from your leader, glad this particular change was retained in 4.

I might try having an honest go at vanilla AoW3 campaigns next. The one thing that makes me wary is that they don't implement a lot of the great changes from the expansions, but let's see.

 

[adddeed]

Having a lot of fun with this. Ive played and enjoyed AoW1 and AoW3 (never played shadow magic but will at some point) and this is a lot of improvements and some not so good changes but overall itsa really fun game. Looks gorgeous too and gives more Age of Wonders feeling than AoW3.

 

[Raghar]

Most reviewers probably don't have any experience with the previous titles and don't know how stripped bare this game is, so this seems like the Second Coming of Christ.

RE: Story realm 2 - if you are playing on hard, Nimue has no chance because both the frogs and the rats hate her guts and harass her constantly. She can still somehow muster 6 stacks around her capitol at any one time, though. Story realm 3 is where it starts to get more tense because everyone hates you, including free cities, but this is where I stopped because the bugs were piling up and made me lose valuable progress.

I call that bribed reviewer.
I had problem with getting into that even when I got it for free. It looks like the bad design they did in AoW3 1.0 version. They had special units for character classes. But, each species had basically the same units. Then they diversified these units in patches, so elves got awesome T1 archers, and few other stuff. And they also created variants for each class units that allowed each species to have it's type. After first DLC, the game was actually well balanced, and felt right. Even if they FUCKED UP in original design, and just patched it gradually in several patches 2 years later.
Luckily these NEEDED changes were applied even to base game, not DLC only patches. Thus AoW3 became playable about after first DLC.

But this is worse. This looks like they have no clue, and even Planetfall looks like they have no clue.

 

[Fedora Master]

There are very clearly paid off shills on YT pushing the game.

 

[vota DC]

I still haven't finished the tutorial.
Aow3 didn't have those issues. I have two independent cities. One of them is become my vassal...and just sit there growing stronger than my capital. Exploring ruins and taking resources around doesn't seem to affect much. Those independent pop tier 5 from nowhere, I have just tier 3 and I get tier 4 by events sometimes. There is another independent that is hostile and destroy armies if I enter in their land but....they just sit there. There are also two enemy leaders. They sit too. I sent explorer in their land and their explorer never reach me despite being near and I am in turn 40.

 

[Fedora Master]

Ever wonder why the AI seems to have so many high-level heroes with so much gear when your heroes are so low-leveled with practically nothing? Relax, the AI is not cheating (in this specific regard) - Human players are just so good at killing AI heroes while preserving their own that most people have not yet noticed, but when your Heroes DIE and you go to hire new ones, they tend to be at the same level as the opened vacancy and they come with their own level-appropriate equipment to boot - which is why the AI always seems to have swole, geared heroes. Because their heroes keep dying and getting replaced. While that's interesting, it all goes to show, the best way to get more items is by killing heroes, full stop, and I'm not entirely certain that's the best direction as far as gaining new equipment goes.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/1669000/discussions/0/5294588689490368268/
As I said, amateurish design.

 

[adddeed]

Ever wonder why the AI seems to have so many high-level heroes with so much gear when your heroes are so low-leveled with practically nothing? Relax, the AI is not cheating (in this specific regard) - Human players are just so good at killing AI heroes while preserving their own that most people have not yet noticed, but when your Heroes DIE and you go to hire new ones, they tend to be at the same level as the opened vacancy and they come with their own level-appropriate equipment to boot - which is why the AI always seems to have swole, geared heroes. Because their heroes keep dying and getting replaced. While that's interesting, it all goes to show, the best way to get more items is by killing heroes, full stop, and I'm not entirely certain that's the best direction as far as gaining new equipment goes.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/1669000/discussions/0/5294588689490368268/
As I said, amateurish design.

I dont agree with almost everyting this guy complained about. A lot of what he said would make the game worse imo.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Fedora Master that's so dumb. I have no doubt it's true, but that's retarded.

 

[Reality]

Before AoW 4 I rated series

3 > Planetfall > 1 > Shadow magic > 2

After 50 hours in AoW 4

PF > 1 > 3 > 4 > SM > 2

 

[Skorpion]

Before AoW 4 I rated series

3 > Planetfall > 1 > Shadow magic > 2

After 50 hours in AoW 4

PF > 1 > 3 > 4 > SM > 2

Im curious how playing 4 made you change 3's position

 

[PorkyThePaladin]

Don't know why anyone would take Fedora's opinions seriously, he hates everything. He is the bizzaro-Fluent.

 

[Skorpion]

Don't know why anyone would take Fedora's opinions seriously, he hates everything. He is the bizzaro-Fluent.

I dont believe anyone has, in this thread or anywhere else.
People just talk around his occasional sperg posts whether they like the game being discussed or hate it.

 

[Fedora Master]

Don't know why anyone would take Fedora's opinions seriously, he hates everything. He is the bizzaro-Fluent.

The opinion everyone agrees with and relies on very obvious faults in the game you mean?

 

[BING XI LAO]

It's nostalgy i tell you, have a look at this weird forum thread, 70 pages of people being butthurt about age of wonder 3 and it's terrible gameplay too .
https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/age-of-wonders-3.80326/page-70

It's the cycle of (neckbeard) life.
I remember people being baffled at what stinking pieces of shit Neverwinter Nights 1 and 2 were, and now that enough years are gone a lot of people remember them fondly because they became part of their childhood memories. Even here in on the Codex.
Same with the recent thread about the Dark Alliance games.

I also remember when I played the Age of Wonders in the past and the ongoing sentiment was "Well, at least they are trying to add more things, but Jesus Christ, how comes no one can actually do better than Master of Magic in this genre?"
Eador was also generally dismissed as a half-botched attempt, but now it's apparently a beloved classic.
Spellforce: COnquest of Eo was criticized for feeling a half game (and it was indeed sold at half the price and with a single map because they ran out of money).
And so on.


It's true that this new game has some massive blind spots. Above all, races/cultures hardly having a distinct feeling past the couple of starting perks (which can eventually be obtained by other means like mutations in some cases, anyway). The mutation system is another one.

But you know people are starting to stomp their feet and throw a tantrum "just because"when the complaint becomes "the UI is complete shit", which is not just false in general (there's room for improvement on a couple of QOL details but overall I'd say it's actually GENUINELY good), it's also especially hilarious when you can stop living in your rose-tinted memories, launch right now your copy of Shadow Magic on GOG you didn't even click on once in the last few years (because you didn't, be honest, no matter how much you cry about loving it more now) and realize what a fucking mess *that* UI was in terms of readability and practicality to reach functions comfortably.

I'm not even talking about what I remember, because I actually tried this the other day for a direct comparison.

NWN 1-2 still shit
Dark Alliance don't know what it is
AoW1 - I only played it first time in 2017, had been playing aow2 previously. It is the best game in the series, no nostalgia involved, and while generally inferior to MoM in mechanics, it does have some features MoM lacks. And it has multiplayer.
Eador, I considered good from Day 1. Only the pacing is horrible.

try again goyslop guzzler

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Yeah Eador was definitely a codex hit. Except for HHR complaining about the saving system.

 

[Tuco Benedicto Pacifico]

NWN 1-2 still shit
Dark Alliance don't know what it is
AoW1 - I only played it first time in 2017, had been playing aow2 previously. It is the best game in the series, no nostalgia involved, and while generally inferior to MoM in mechanics, it does have some features MoM lacks. And it has multiplayer.
Eador, I considered good from Day 1. Only the pacing is horrible.

try again goyslop guzzler

Well, if nothing else you at least attempted to make a point, this time, rather than just spamming your usual mute reactions like a mongoloid.

 

[BING XI LAO]

NWN 1-2 still shit
Dark Alliance don't know what it is
AoW1 - I only played it first time in 2017, had been playing aow2 previously. It is the best game in the series, no nostalgia involved, and while generally inferior to MoM in mechanics, it does have some features MoM lacks. And it has multiplayer.
Eador, I considered good from Day 1. Only the pacing is horrible.

try again goyslop guzzler

Well, if nothing else you at least attempted to make a point, this time, rather than just spamming your usual mute reactions like a mongoloid.

As if you would know what a logical point is after bleating the "muh nostalgia" meme.

 

[InSight]

Did anyone tried the controller? Due to carpal tunnel issues I have to limit mouse gaming to an absolute zero, since work never stops...

One should be aware, that the symptoms of Carpal Tunnel can be resulted from the pitch/pressure in neck area nerves due improper sitting position.
Carpal Tunnel is often a result from the hand thump muscle atrophy, often appearing in these that use vibrating equipment(Jackhammer, scissors ect)
(source: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: How To Assess And Stop The Pain! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI5rE2FAwRc)
There are methods to check from which root/origin/source the symptoms are caused.

In case of the neck issue, one can combine/wrap 2 balls(such as tennis balls). Place neck/spine on the ball for pressure and roll upwards/downwards.
Method Source: Bob Schrupp in individual video.