Age of Empires 4 Players will be happy to know that there are some updates in progress.
Updates come in the form of patches, balances, and some UI changes. More content is expected in the winter update, which will be released after the patch dealing with performance fixes and system updates is released.
The first patch released on November 15 fixes Xbox account linking, Mongolian town center behavior issues, performance impact when panning the camera, and other adjustments. Although this patch is smaller in scale, the next patch will be a bigger update and more will be shared soon.
As far as the 2021 winter update is concerned, it will introduce hundreds of balance changes, various bug fixes, and some key features requested by players.
After the update is over, you will be able to choose to open and view the player scores in the game, and the Chinese Dynasty button and user interface will be moved to a less conspicuous position on the screen. It will be located in the lower left corner.
With the winter update, you can also view the post-match map. After the game is over, you will be able to pan on the map where the game has been completed. The team is looking to collapse other options to allow you to switch back and forth between the completed map view and post-match statistics in the 2022 Spring Update.
Improvements to the in-game mini-map to improve readability will also be introduced with the winter update. Improvements include reducing the size of the icon, ensuring that the miracle icon on the minimap matches the icon displayed in the HUD, increasing the size of the main town center compared to other landmarks, and adjusting the color of certain resources.
You can also expect balance and bug fixes. For example, the French Hulk ship will be adjusted to no longer “rule the high seas”, crossbowmen, spearmen and elite crossbowmen will pose a greater threat to the cavalry, and the team will greatly reduce the cost of the Chinese civilization continuous crossbow.
Repairing the bishops of the Holy Roman Empire will allow them to continue to inspire after being pushed, will adjust Mongolia’s “superior mobility” to ensure proper application of speed modifiers, and is issuing repairs for the Russ civilization to eliminate infinite relic duplication.
So, this is what you can look forward to this winter, but what about spring?
In the spring of 2022, Relic will add two content to the game. The first is user-generated content and tools. If you don’t like to create your own mod. You can still enjoy those created by others. This will include unique maps, modes, etc.
The spring of 2022 will also usher in the ranking season. These seasons will last for 12 weeks, allowing you to confront others, climb the ranking ladder, and earn in-game rewards based on your performance.
This update will also make some minor improvements to the post-match map, it will introduce the patrol action players have been asking for, and will also include other features and fixes based on player feedback.
For future updates, the team is considering implementing additional feedback in the game. For example, players have been asking for a global build queue, which was a feature in previous Age of Empires games. Improvements to the Unit Stat card are also under study, and hotkey improvements are being investigated. Since the latter will lead to greater changes, it is being studied from multiple angles, including moving away from the grid system and implementing some other options through hotkey selection.
Taunts and cheating, AI difficulty adjustments and waypoint indicators are also under study.
Relic was released on October 28, stating that the team is “far from complete” in terms of games, so there is still much to look forward to in the future.
