Age of Empires 4 has been out a few weeks now, and people are having a great time. While the developers are happy for the game’s success, they’re not resting on their laurels too much. Instead, they’re details their plans for the game in the coming year.
Posted on the official Xbox blog, Relic Entertainment has taken community feedback for Age of Empires 4, and have used that to establish a development roadmap for the near future.
Winter 2021 Update
The next major update to the game will focus on improvements to both gameplay and performance. From bug fixes to quality of life improvements, we can expect a lot of smaller, happier changes to the game later this year. Some of the listed plans include:
- Option to view in-game player scores
- Chinese Dynasty button and user interface moved to the bottom-left corner
- The ability to view the map post-match
- Adjustments to the mini-map
- French Hulk Ships will be nerfed
- Crossbowmen, Spearmen, and Elite Crossbowmen will be stronger against Cavalry
- China’s Repeater crossbow will be less expensive
- The HRE Prelate can inspire after being pushed
- Mongol’s Superior Mobility tweaked to work correctly
- Fixed the Infinite Relic duplication glitch
Spring 2022 Update
After that, and into the new year, is where the meaty content will be coming. In early 2022, we can expect “new ways” of enjoying the game.
The first is with User Generated Content. Using a collection of internal tools, players will be able to build and design their own games, allowing for custom experiences, challenges, and so on. This will open up a door for a nearly endless number of things to do in the game.
The other is the beginning of Ranked Seasons. Over a 12-week span of time, players will be able to participate in competitive PvP gameplay. The better you do, the higher you climb the ladder. Participating can earn you exclusive in-game rewards, too.
After That
There were a number of other aspects that the developers wanted to mention. These components are planned, or at least on their to-do list. They plan on implementing them in the future, but don’t have enough to give a concrete release window for them. This includes:
- Global Build Queue
- Unit Stat Card Improvements
- Hotkey Improvements
- Taunts and Cheats
- AI Difficulty changes
- Waypoint Indicators
It’s nothing short of inspiring to see such dedication put toward a game. With proper effort, Age of Empires 4 could go on to be the longest living RTS of all time. And efforts like this are a fantastic step toward making that possible. We look forward to these changes in the coming months.
Age of Empires 4 is available now for PC and Xbox, and is also available on Xbox Game Pass.
