8 Huge Changes AoE2 Players Need To Know About AoE4

Summary

In this informative video, viewers are introduced to eight significant changes in 'Age of Empires 4' compared to its predecessor. Notable adjustments include the removal of reseed costs for farms, the elimination of animal decay, and the reimagining of boar handling as a mid-game strategy. Players will also discover a new landmark-based aging system, diverse civilization economies, the inability to wall with buildings, a new 'Sacred Site' victory condition, and an enhanced importance of base building due to the influence system. The summary aims to prepare 'Age of Empires 2' players for the updated gameplay mechanics of the fourth installment.

Takeaways

• 🌾 Farming in Age of Empires 4 has been simplified; farms no longer require reseeding costs and maintain a minimum food threshold.
• 🐏 Animal decay is removed, allowing players to gather resources without the concern of losing animals due to over-killing.
• 🐗 Boars in Age of Empires 4 are more challenging to defeat and offer more food, making them a mid-game expansion point rather than an early game resource.
• 🏰 Players now use landmarks to advance through ages instead of the town center, with the build speed depending on the number of villagers assigned.
• 🏛 Landmarks provide unique bonuses and are crucial for strategic planning, varying greatly between civilizations.
• 🏹 While military units are largely shared among civilizations, their economic structures are distinct, with unique bonuses and upgrades.
• 🏰 The Abbasid Dynasty stands out with a unique economic system based on the House of Wisdom, offering different upgrade paths.
• 🧱 Building walls is no longer possible with houses; players must construct actual walls to fortify their base.
• 🛕 A new 'Sacred Site' victory condition has been introduced, requiring players to capture and hold sacred sites for a duration to win.
• 💰 The influence system affects building placement, with civilizations having unique mechanics that reward strategic base building.

Q & A

What is the first major change in farming mechanics in Age of Empires 4 compared to Age of Empires 2?

In Age of Empires 4, farms do not have a reseed cost anymore. They will not drop below a certain threshold, which is typically between 40-60, and this change reduces the need for reseeding in the mid-game.

How does the animal decay mechanic differ between Age of Empires 2 and Age of Empires 4?

In Age of Empires 4, there is no longer decay on animals, so players don't have to worry about losing resources when villagers kill animals like sheep.

Why should players approach boars differently in Age of Empires 4?

In Age of Empires 4, boars are much stronger and have high armor, making them more suitable as a mid-game expansion point rather than an early-game economy booster. They also provide more food and have a higher gather rate than other sources.

What is the new mechanic for advancing to the next age in Age of Empires 4?

Instead of using the Town Center to age up, players must build a landmark in Age of Empires 4. The construction speed of the landmark depends on the number of villagers allocated to it.

How do the landmark choices affect the player's strategy in Age of Empires 4?

Each landmark provides different bonuses when aging up, and players are given the option to choose between two landmarks. The bonuses can be militaristic, economic, religious, or technological, significantly impacting the player's strategy.

What is the difference in economic structures between civilizations in Age of Empires 4?

While civilizations in Age of Empires 4 share almost all military units, their economic structures vary greatly. For example, the English have cheaper and faster-gathering farms, while the Abbasid Dynasty has a unique building called the House of Wisdom with different upgrade paths.

Why can't players use buildings to wall off their base in Age of Empires 4?

In Age of Empires 4, units can path between buildings that are constructed next to each other, with the exception of walls. To create a wall, players must construct actual wall segments around their base.

What is the Sacred Site Victory and how does it work in Age of Empires 4?

The Sacred Site Victory is a new victory condition in Age of Empires 4. Players must capture sacred sites with a monk and hold them for 10 minutes without the enemy taking control. Capturing and maintaining control of these sites can lead to victory.

How important is base building in Age of Empires 4 considering the changes to walling and the influence system?

Base building remains important due to the influence system, which provides various bonuses based on the placement of buildings within the influence area. Players need to strategically place buildings to maximize these bonuses.

What is an example of a unique economic mechanic in Age of Empires 4 and how does it work?

The Chinese civilization has a 'tax' mechanic that allows them to gain a steady trickle of gold income. By placing buildings within the influence area of their Age One landmark, the Imperial Academy, they can double the tax income from those buildings.

Outlines

00:00

🌾 Farming and Resource Management Changes

The first paragraph discusses significant changes in 'Age of Empires 4' compared to its predecessor. Farms no longer require reseeding with wood, reducing mid-game strategic decisions. Animal decay has been removed, allowing for unlimited hunting without the fear of losing resources. Boars are now more challenging to kill and offer substantial food and gathering rates, suggesting a shift in early to mid-game expansion strategy. Lastly, the traditional town center is no longer used for aging up; instead, players must construct a landmark, which provides civilization-specific bonuses and speeds up with more villagers assigned to its construction.

05:01

🏰 Civilization Diversity and New Victory Conditions

The second paragraph delves into the diversity of civilizations in 'Age of Empires 4', highlighting the differences in economic structures while maintaining shared military units. It provides examples such as the English with their farm gathering bonuses and the Abbasid Dynasty, which has a unique 'House of Wisdom' replacing the traditional aging system. The paragraph also introduces a new victory condition, the 'Sacred Site Victory', requiring players to capture and hold sacred sites for a duration. Additionally, it discusses the importance of base building due to the influence system, which grants various bonuses based on building placement within the influence area of certain landmarks.

Keywords

💡Age of Empires II

Age of Empires II is a historical real-time strategy game that serves as a prequel to the original Age of Empires game. In the context of the video, it is used to contrast with Age of Empires IV, highlighting the differences and changes that players need to be aware of when transitioning from the former to the latter.

💡Age of Empires IV

Age of Empires IV is the latest installment in the Age of Empires series, and the video focuses on the significant changes it introduces compared to its predecessor. It is the central theme of the video, with the script discussing various game mechanics unique to this version.

💡Farms

In the context of the video, farms refer to a type of building in the Age of Empires games that generate food, a vital resource. The script mentions that in Age of Empires II, farms require reseeding once they run out of food, which incurs a cost. However, in Age of Empires IV, farms maintain a certain threshold of food without the need for reseeding, simplifying the game's resource management.

💡Decay

Decay, in the context of the video, refers to the depletion of resources such as animals when they are hunted by villagers in Age of Empires II. The script explains that in Age of Empires IV, decay no longer exists, allowing for more relaxed hunting of animals without worrying about resource depletion.

💡Boar

The boar is a type of animal resource in the Age of Empires games. The video script describes how the interaction with boars has changed in Age of Empires IV, where they are more challenging to defeat and offer more food, suggesting a shift in early game strategy.

💡Town Center

In Age of Empires II, the Town Center is used to advance the civilization to the next age. The script explains that in Age of Empires IV, the Town Center no longer serves this purpose; instead, players must construct a Landmark to progress through the ages.

💡Landmark

A Landmark is a type of building in Age of Empires IV that replaces the Town Center's function of aging up. The script details that the construction speed of a Landmark depends on the number of villagers allocated to it and that each Landmark provides unique bonuses, affecting strategic choices.

💡Civilization

The term 'civilization' in the video refers to the different playable cultures or factions in the Age of Empires games, each with unique characteristics, units, and economic systems. The script emphasizes the economic differences between civilizations in Age of Empires IV, compared to the more uniform approach in Age of Empires II.

💡Walling

Walling is a strategy in the Age of Empires games where players construct walls to fortify their base. The video script explains that in Age of Empires IV, players can no longer use buildings for walling; instead, they must use dedicated wall structures to create defenses.

💡Sacred Site Victory

The Sacred Site Victory is a new victory condition introduced in Age of Empires IV. The script describes how players can win by capturing and holding sacred sites on the map for a certain duration, offering an alternative to the traditional military conquest.

💡Influence System

The Influence System is a mechanic in Age of Empires IV that affects how players place their buildings for strategic benefits. The script uses the Chinese civilization's 'tax' mechanic as an example, where buildings within the influence area provide additional gold income, emphasizing the importance of base building and strategic placement.

Highlights

Farms in Age of Empires 4 do not require reseeding, reducing mid-game strategy decisions.

Animals no longer decay in Age of Empires 4, allowing for unrestricted hunting without consequences.

Boars in Age of Empires 4 are significantly stronger and should be treated as a mid-game expansion point rather than an early-game resource.

Aging up in Age of Empires 4 is done by building a landmark instead of using the Town Center, similar to Age of Empires 3.

Landmarks in Age of Empires 4 provide civilization-specific bonuses and play a role in strategy acceleration.

Civilizations in Age of Empires 4 have shared military units but vastly different economic structures.

The English civilization has unique farm gathering bonuses due to their civilization-specific mechanic.

The Abbasid Dynasty starts with a House of Wisdom instead of constructing landmarks, offering unique upgrades.

Walling with buildings is no longer possible in Age of Empires 4; walls must be built for defense.

A new victory condition, the Sacred Site victory, has been introduced in Age of Empires 4.

Control of Sacred Sites requires maintaining presence with units to secure victory.

Base building remains crucial due to the influence system, which affects economic strategies.

The Chinese civilization's tax mechanic provides a unique gold income strategy based on building placement.

Influence areas determine the effectiveness of certain civilization bonuses, impacting building placement strategy.

Each civilization has a unique bonus related to their influence system, requiring strategic building placement.

Upcoming content will include build order guides, casted games from top players, and deep dive breakdowns of Age of Empires 4 mechanics.

The video promises a series of informative content for Age of Empires 4 enthusiasts, encouraging subscriptions for more.

Transcripts

g'day fellas in this video we're going

to be talking about eight huge changes

that age of empires two players need to

know about age of vampires for there are

a massive amount of similarities between

age of empires two and age of empires

four but it's important before you get

into the game that you know what the

differences are so let's get into the

changes number one farms don't have a

reseed cost anymore in age of empires 2

after your farms have exhausted all the

food that's available in them you will

need to reseed them and it's going to

cost wood to do that often this can mean

in the mid game that you're stuck with

the decision as to whether you should be

investing in more infrastructure or

whether you should be reseeding your old

farms but with age of empires 4 your

farms are never going to drop below a

certain threshold this exact number

changes from game to game farm to farm

but it seems to be between 40 50 and 60

around this region this change means

that in the mid game you've got one less

thing to think about

number two there is no longer decay on

any animals you'll be all too familiar

in age of empires 2 when your villagers

are happily gathering a sheep underneath

your town centre and all of a sudden one

rogue villager slaughters a helpless

sheep the consequence of this obviously

is decay because that exists in age of

empires 2. but in age of empires 4 decay

doesn't exist for all i care you

villagers can kill as many sheep as you

like because i don't have to worry about

decay anymore this is particularly

helpful when you start hunting for deer

as the nature of deer are similar in age

of empires 4 as to what they are in age

of empires 2 meaning that they like to

run away if you notice your deer getting

extra close to your mill don't be afraid

to shoot them because at the end of the

day they won't decay number three don't

mess with the boar anymore in age of

empires 2 boars were a regular part of

the early game whether it was luring

your own ball underneath your town

center or laming your opponent's ball

bringing it all the way across the map

in age of empires 4 though you're gonna

need to think about the board

differently first and foremost you can

no longer lure the boar across the

entire map second of all the boars are

absolute beasts now the first time i

tried to kill a boar with six villagers

i lost six villagers they've got

incredibly high armor and you need to

treat them more as a mid game expansion

point rather than as an early game

economy booster compared to deer and

sheep they've also got significantly

more food in them as well and as you can

suspect they have a much higher gather

rate than berries farms and other

sources of food so make sure you don't

forget about them and keep them on your

radar

number four you no longer use your town

center to age up rather you build a

landmark

now i don't suspect many of you guys

have played age of empires 3 but for

those of you who have it's very similar

to the mechanic that they've got in that

game essentially what happens is you're

going to place a physical building down

and that is going to be your age up the

speed that the landmark builds will

depend on how many villages you've got

allocated to the landmark just to give

you guys some quick figures four

villagers are going to build the

landmark twice as fast as one villager

10 villagers are gonna build it twice as

fast as four villages so as you can see

there are mitigating returns on the

amount of villages that you put on your

buildings in relation to their

construction rate in addition to taking

you up to the next age each landmark

that you construct is actually going to

be providing you bonuses when you're

aging up from one age to the next you'll

be given the option of two different

landmarks every landmark in the game

varies drastically based on the bonuses

that it gives some are militaristic some

are economic some are religious some are

technologic it's important before you

get into a game that you understand the

landmarks that your civilization has

access to because they play a

significant role in accelerating your

potential strategies number five

civilizations in age of empires four

share almost all military units but

their economies vary drastically almost

every civilization has got access to the

base military units that you would

expect them to things like the archer

the spearmen the men at arms the

horsemen the knight and obviously there

are unique units that are mixed in here

as well but the economic side of the

civilizations are drastically different

i'll give you a couple of examples about

exactly how different they are we'll

start off with the english because

theirs is quite simple the english have

a civilization bonus which means that

not only are their farms cheaper but

they also gather significantly faster

when they are immediately adjacent to a

mill because of the way upgrades stack

multiplicatively in age of empires 4

gathering bonuses build up incredibly

quickly which means it's a viable option

for the english player to completely

forgo map control and stay in their base

gathering from their farms another

example are the abbasid dynasty who

unlike every other civilization don't

actually construct landmarks they start

off with a building called the house of

wisdom and this building has got unique

upgrades in it it has four separate

wings an economic a trade a military and

a culture wing and has subsequent

upgrades that correspond to those wings

not all civilizations are as different

from the standard as the abbasid dynasty

are and not all civilizations are as

close to the standard as the english are

but you will find that the civilization

diversity in age of empires 4 is

significantly greater at least from an

economic aspect than in age of empires

2.

number 6

you can no longer wall with buildings in

age vampires 2 from the very beginning

of the game you're thinking about how

you're going to begin building your

walls the positioning of your houses are

incredibly important and determine the

strength of your defense in age of

empires 4 however it does not matter

because your units and your enemies

units can path between your houses in

fact they can path between any buildings

that are constructed next to each other

with the exception of one the wall in

age of empires four if you want to keep

your enemy out you're going to actually

have to construct walls the entire way

around your base

number seven there is a new victory type

called the sacred site victory have you

ever played a game of age of empires 2

and your opponent has been walling up

like it's going out of fashion and

you're just thinking to yourself what

the hell am i doing with my life why am

i even here well good news because in

age of empires 4 you now have access to

the sacred site victory this is how it

works there are multiple sacred sites on

the map sometimes it's two sometimes

it's three you must capture these

individual sacred sites with a monk once

every site on the map has been captured

you then need to hold them for 10

minutes if you hold them successfully

for 10 minutes without your enemy

intervening and preventing you from

maintaining control of the sacred sites

then you win but keep in mind this is

harder than it seems as all your

opponent needs to do to gain control of

a sacred site is stand within close

proximity to it with just a single unit

on the other hand you won't lose control

of your sacred site as long as you have

got units within proximity of the sacred

site now we move on to our final point

number eight

base building is still incredibly

important but now it's because of the

influence system earlier in the video we

looked at how you can no longer wall up

with just standard buildings for

civilizations if you want a wall you

actually have to use walls but that

doesn't mean that base building is out

the window you still need to think about

where you place your buildings but it's

because of the influence system every

civilization has some form of influence

system while we haven't spoken much

about them the chinese have got a

mechanic called tax the tax mechanic

enables the chinese throughout the game

to maintain a steady trickle of gold

income with their age one landmark the

imperial academy the chinese are able to

gain double the tax from buildings in

the influence area the influence area is

quite small and you're not going to be

able to fit all of your buildings inside

that influence area so you're going to

need to choose which ones go in it's

important to note though you only need

one tile of the building inside the

influence area to gain the effect each

civilization has a bonus that is similar

to this and it means that you're going

to need to think about where you place

your buildings well fellas if you've

enjoyed the video make sure you leave a

like if you think i missed something

make sure you leave a comment and most

importantly if you're interested in

seeing more age of empires 4 content

make sure you hit the subscribe button

because there is plenty more content

coming out on this channel over the next

few weeks you can expect to see build

order guides casted games from the

absolute best players in age of empires

4 and deep dive breakdowns of age of

empires 4 mechanics so if that interests

you don't forget to hit subscribe thank

you so much for watching and i will

catch you guys in the next one

[Music]

you