It's actually Ensemble Studios that ruined the Age series. I'm surprised they got it pretty good the first two games. They are noobs who wanted the series to appeal more to casual gamers like themselves. Age 2 is more casual than Age 1, Age 3 is more casual than Age 2. Natural progression. Age 1 is actually better than Age 2 gameplay-wise, it just lacks the balance and functionality of Age 2.
Their desire to make things more noob friendly is something I picked up in old chats and interview with ES staff. You can see that they change designers from game to game.
It's my belief that we can largely thank people like The Sheriff, matty and some of the more conservative designers in ES that Age2 turned out so well.
By the time of AoM, Age3, any old school/competitive gamer influence was gone. And we had casual gamer paradise.
Their desire to make things more noob friendly is something I picked up in old chats and interview with ES staff. You can see that they change designers from game to game.
It's my belief that we can largely thank people like The Sheriff, matty and some of the more conservative designers in ES that Age2 turned out so well.
By the time of AoM, Age3, any old school/competitive gamer influence was gone. And we had casual gamer paradise.