So, what do you expect next for AOE2:DE post AOE4?

[Szaladon]

Are we still going to see big tournaments? New DLCs?

Considering that I really don't like what I've seen so far of AOE4, I hope the big names like Hera and Viper will return to their titles which made them great and that Forgotten Empires will keep showing love to AOE2:DE.

 

[LeoMontero]

Are we still going to see big tournaments? New DLCs?

Considering that I really don't like what I've seen so far of AOE4, I hope the big names like Hera and Viper will return to their titles which made them great and that Forgotten Empires will keep showing love to AOE2:DE.

me neither. just dont like it.
i think that FE will keep with the DE. AoE2 will not die, its just taking a nap

 

[Paint]

If people keep playing they will make more DLCs and patches, the next patch will be one of the bigger ones with many balance changes so no sign of slowing down.

 

[Tempires]

new patch coming and major tournaments coming. basically nothing has changed except top players are currently streaming aoe4

 

[SouFire]

The game actually lives around a positive perception created by the aoe2 BIG influencers, without the big names playing aoe the twitch numbers were pathetic, even the top ladder was boring cause of the absence of players in the top, if the twitch numbers are low then investing in tournaments for big companies the game would be less attractive to a point of not being worth.

If microsoft in the other hand after some months feels like aoe2 is cannibalizing their aoe4 viewers/players, then they might cut off the sponsor and support(they have done this twice in the past), a lot of players are ignoring that fact, so it is not that simple as you might think.

Once you remove influencers and tournaments the hype around the game is not going to be enough to overshadow the current issues with the game(like the tg broken MM,cheating, ranks, crashes, censor filter,etc) without t90 or viper generating hundreds of thousands of positive views, then the image of the game will be all about complains and for microsoft the best way to avoid complains is by killing the game.

Anyway i am confident we will have another DLC during the first half of the next year, FE needs to milk every single penny before microsoft decides what to do with the game, they are not fools, the problem is that they might leave a worse game in terms of balance/performance.

 

[DerEsser]

For me it is very natural that AoE4 is getting so much hype lately, I myself am interested in how the game plays out. But it's also safe to say that in the long term AoE4 won't replace the spot of AoE2 in my heart, and I think there are many others like me as well.

But in the short term, it looks more scary than I thought. After todays WWF charity event Nili said in an interview that he got about 3 projects interested in organizing an AoE2 tournament, but there are about 30 projects interested in AoE4. I was surprised by these numbers, so I guess that the die-hard AoE2 fans will have to prepare for some rough times where AoE4 will be the bright leading star in the franchise for the next few months.

 

[Giuseppe551]

After todays WWF charity event Nili said in an interview that he got about 3 projects interested in organizing an AoE2 tournament, but there are about 30 projects interested in AoE4.

Not sure I understand why interest needs to originate in outside sources for a tournament to be organized. Couldn't Microsoft announce, tomorrow, that they're going to fund a weekly open cup like Starcraft 2 has? Or a GSL equivalent with standard settings three times per year? Or a world championship? Finding people to admin would not be an issue in a community with thousands of dedicated fans and you don't need fancy TakeTV production for every tournament.

 

[orangereaper]

Are we still going to see big tournaments? New DLCs?

Considering that I really don't like what I've seen so far of AOE4, I hope the big names like Hera and Viper will return to their titles which made them great and that Forgotten Empires will keep showing love to AOE2:DE.

They will go where the money goes, simple. Not that anything is wrong with that.

AOE4 -> $70/ (w/o DLC's)
AOE2-DE -> $20 (maybe add $10-20 for DLC's?)

Also, how much ever time and money MS spends on AOE2, its still called 20+ year old game.

MS will only spend money on AOE4. AOE2 will get back to its community roots without much of big names. Player like MBL might continue on AOE for sometime, as they dont see AOE as their primary income and will fade away.

IMO, AOE4 will eventually morph into AOE-2 (or waht AOE-2 shoudl have been).
More civs, more tech-tree, more micro potential etc. Might take few years to get there.

BTW, I needed some strong influence to get off AOE2 and I think MS just delivered. I really dont mind.

 

[LowEloNobody]

DLC's to the MOOOOON!!!

 

[lecracheursagacite]

Are we still going to see big tournaments? New DLCs?

Considering that I really don't like what I've seen so far of AOE4, I hope the big names like Hera and Viper will return to their titles which made them great and that Forgotten Empires will keep showing love to AOE2:DE.

I agree with your overall sentiment as AoE4 is an uninspired product burdened with questionable design decisions and devoid of heart or spirit or what have you but AoE2 does not need more DLCs and I would not characterize what I've seen from Forgotten Empires as showing love to the game.

 

[DreamingFighter]

The numbers say it all perfectly:
- AOE IV: 60k peak, 20k minimum
- AOE II: 25k peak, 8k minimum (for the past 1 year)
- Number of AOE II players stay the same in the previous and the following weeks of the release of AoE IV

=> If I am an AoE influencer, I would jump immediately to AoE4 and only come back to AoE2 for KotD. AoE4 is where the viewers are!

 

[Chainsaw]

You have to take into account that the game is brand new and that streamers from other games are playing it, so the fact that it has a higher peak than aoe2 should be expected. I think it needs to have a sustained higher viewership number in order to accurately compare it with age 2.

 

[Rorarimbo]

I do think they are not over with AoE2 support. There will be at least a couple DLCs and ofc balance patches.

On the other hand we are clearly starting a new period where at least for a while AoE2 will not be the main game in the franchise (in MS eyes that is). The fact that Nili said there are 30 projects for AoE4 compared to 3 for Aoe2 pending for decision means nothing. He should know better than anyone AoE4 is not really competition ready in taht state, not even close. And if these three AoE2 project are BoA, HC and NC?

When people compare streaming numbers we have to consider The Viper and especially T90 moving to FC. The combination with AoE4 being released does hit Aoe2 viewership alot and at least T90 continues mostly with AoE2 content on FB. At the same time AoE2 streamers do not have more viewers when they are streaming AoE4. It seems that Hera is doing better but that is mostly due of T90 and Viper leaving twitch. The real big numbers for AoE4 come from big streamers of other games. But those will gradually move away from AoE4 as it happens with every new game.

Now the problem for AoE2 is it will not be competing with AoE4 unless it is MS decision to allow it. It is simple calculation that they would earn more from a new game which has potential for numerous new DLCs rather than 22 years old game that already has 39 civs. I guess theer will be more of the latter but the revenue is just different.

What worries me more in this numbers approach is that this switch to AoE4 is working as self fulfilling prophecy. Nili suggested ( in last interview him and viper in front of Nelson) that viewers numbers would matter when deciding MS support for tournaments hinting to T90 moving to FC. At the same time some of the top AoE2 players almost exclusivelly play and stream AoE4. This further hinters AoE2 number of viewers despite those streamers do not really get more viewers doing that. Memb said it these days - if the popular players do not play AoE2 comming towards KotD and do not hype up the event themselves (mainly play AoE4), as a result the viewer numbers are not great we are likely to see fewer AoE2 tournaments with smaller prizepools in the future. And again it is Nili who said himself he would probbaly cover just the last weekend (top 8) of KotD as "I don`t see myself casting Vivi vs Bacty bo5 Arabia right now"(in that Masmorra interview).

 

[TheWiseStonedPanda]

And again it is Nili who said himself he would probbaly cover just the last weekend (top 8) of KotD as "I don`t see myself casting Vivi vs Bacty bo5 Arabia right now"(in that Masmorra interview).

Again: I love Nili but I found that last sentence really disrespectful by. Not only towards the players, also memb who’s pouring his heart into kotd as well as the loyal aoe2 fan base who have been supporting nili for years now.
Saddens me to see him turn away as quickly when there’s a new game with potentially more viewership (at least on the short run). I’d rather watch bo5 bact vs vivi then some mediocre aoe4 players trying to figure out the game tbh.

 

Again: I love Nili but I found that last sentence really disrespectful by. Not only towards the players, also memb who’s pouring his heart into kotd as well as the loyal aoe2 fan base who have been supporting nili for years now.
Saddens me to see him turn away as quickly when there’s a new game with potentially more viewership (at least on the short run). I’d rather watch bo5 bact vs vivi then some mediocre aoe4 players trying to figure out the game tbh.

Well, as I understand your sentiment, I also want to remark that content creators should be free to stream what they want. If he has fun with AoE4 right now, so be it. I don't understand this "loyalty" argument to be honest. Yes, you might not like it that way - and that is totally fine and your opinion. I personally don't enjoy watching AoE4 so much either. But in the end it's the content creators decision what to do on their streams and I wouldn't argument as if it would be a backstab to the aoe2 fan base that supported him for years to stream AoE4. That's only pitting those both games against another and that's also not fair. You can ask yourself if you would have felt the same if there would have been a huge Poker tournament at the exact same time and he would have decided to stream that instead. If yes, why? If not, why?

 

[Fahnenberg]

I'm around 1300 ELO AOE2 longtime Arabia player. I've tried the AOE4 closed beta for few days, my intialial reaction was - MEH, strange camera, odd controls, childish looking graphics, units and buildings not easy to distinguish, not worth the 60 Euro. After watching the Genesis qualifiers this Saturday, I will definately give at a try via Gamepass - first because i think aoe2 skills transfer easily into aoe4, game is easier to play, not so micro intensive and hopefully i'll be able to improve faster, second because after some hours looking at the graphics and gameplay I learned to distiguish the units and buildings, some of the new mechanics are really cool and some civs are looking fun to play (abassid, rus, mongols), at the end of the day - how often do we get the chance to play a new RTS? And last but not least - we finally get some new faces into AOE or rather mix up of different scenes, which is very refreshing. I'm sick of watching Viper, Hera, Lierrey, Yo, Jordan beating the rest of the AOE2 scene. The skill gap between the top 10 AOE2 and the rest of the AOE2 players is still huge, no newcomers in sight. AOE4 with all its bugs and imbalance is at least a breath of fresh air. Nothing against Memb and Kotd, but I'm definately more interested to watch the Genesis final round.

 

[Philippe le Bon]

Again: I love Nili but I found that last sentence really disrespectful by. Not only towards the players, also memb who’s pouring his heart into kotd as well as the loyal aoe2 fan base who have been supporting nili for years now.
Saddens me to see him turn away as quickly when there’s a new game with potentially more viewership (at least on the short run). I’d rather watch bo5 bact vs vivi then some mediocre aoe4 players trying to figure out the game tbh.

nili's choice of not streaming the first half of kotd is understandable. he's surely annoyed/slightly ashamed to be eliminated in round of 64 in his usual fashion.

plus we all know nili and memb are not exactly best friends. remember when memb has been left out of the English castings of the first three Redbull Wololos.

all in all it's not surprising knowing the charcacter, and doesn't change anything tbh. When Memb hosts a tournament, i always watch it on Memb's channel, because I prefer to watch the organizer's casting.

 

[Akos04]

nili's choice of not streaming the first half of kotd is understandable. he's surely annoyed/slightly ashamed to be eliminated in round of 64 in his usual fashion.

plus we all know nili and memb are not exactly best friends. remember when memb has been left out of the English castings of the first three Redbull Wololos.

all in all it's not surprising knowing the charcacter, and doesn't change anything tbh. When Memb hosts a tournament, i always watch it on Memb's channel, because I prefer to watch the organizer's casting.

The only thing he cares about is money. How surprising, right?

 

[XDDXOXO]

nili's choice of not streaming the first half of kotd is understandable. he's surely annoyed/slightly ashamed to be eliminated in round of 64 in his usual fashion.

plus we all know nili and memb are not exactly best friends. remember when memb has been left out of the English castings of the first three Redbull Wololos.

all in all it's not surprising knowing the charcacter, and doesn't change anything tbh. When Memb hosts a tournament, i always watch it on Memb's channel, because I prefer to watch the organizer's casting.

Why do we know they are not best friends? Didn't the last 2 RB rather proof the opposite than your statement?

 

[Philippe le Bon]

Why do we know they are not best friends? Didn't the last 2 RB rather proof the opposite than your statement?

Not at all. What shows on camera and what happens behind the scenes are two different things

When you're best friend with someone, you avoid to deliver this message in public "i don't feel like casting half your tournament".

Especially with this BacT vs vivi games. BacT has been with TyRanT for four years, Nili with TyRanT three years. A bit of respect. This attitude of Nili lately, acting like he's the king of the Age of Empires world is of bad taste, at least for me.
No one in the AoE2 streamer/organizer/admin community has acted that conceited than the Hippo. Even ZeroEmpires in his heydays was more modest, and his influence was arguably bigger at the time than Nili's today.

 

[SuperskinnyBLS]

nili's choice of not streaming the first half of kotd is understandable. he's surely annoyed/slightly ashamed to be eliminated in round of 64 in his usual fashion.

shots fired but this is so accurate. He probably is still trying to get over it.

 

[Progeusz]

This video has been mentioned multiple times already so i feel like it makes sense to post it here for context.

The comments about KotD 4 are the final section but whole thing is worth a watch.

Kings & Plebeians - Episode #06: TheViper & Nili

00:00 Red Bull Wololo 521:41 Observers in AoE 224:43 GamerLegion's bootcamp33:27 Why I left Red Bull 5 after the 1st day36:15 Facebook! 40:44 Facebook vs Ama...

www.youtube.com

It's quite disheartening to see the attitude toward such a huge Age of Empires tournament

 

Not at all. What shows on camera and what happens behind the scenes are two different things

When you're best friend with someone, you avoid to deliver this message in public "i don't feel like casting half your tournament".

Especially with this BacT vs vivi games. BacT has been with TyRanT for four years, Nili with TyRanT three years. A bit of respect. This attitude of Nili lately, acting like he's the king of the Age of Empires world is of bad taste, at least for me.
No one in the AoE2 streamer/organizer/admin community has acted that conceited than the Hippo. Even ZeroEmpires in his heydays was more modest, and his influence was arguably bigger at the time than Nili's today.

I think that's not really a clear view on what's happening. You seem pretty much biased and full of negativity, besides that frequent trolling in this forum. So yeah, will leave it at that.

 

[amazing_knight]

New AoeZone drama topic:

Today, we the viewers will decide whether Nili and Memb are friends or not! As always, they don't have a say in this matter because we, the viewers, know better!

Don't forget to catch the action right here on this thread. Remember to get some popcorn and soft drinks because it will last at least 2-3 pages.

 

[Freezing_Point]

shots fired but this is so accurate. He probably is still trying to get over it.

The guy who beat him took down Fire and ACCM in the last KOTD, to be fair.