And with Microsoft signing the checks, it's not like Relic made this on a shoestring budget. That includes the graphics: even on max settings they don't look that impressive, especially when I could go play any Total War released since 2010 and see an order of magnitude more units with much more detailed models and far higher-fidelity environments. The Abbasids get the Baghdad House of Wisdom which positions them to be a leader in tech and – hilariously if you know its real-world fate – grants fire resistance to nearby structures.īut these modest touch-ups didn't do much to change the fact that there's almost nothing in Age 4 that couldn't have existed 10 years ago. The Chinese gain much of their gold income from Imperial Officials who walk around collecting taxes from all of your buildings. I mean, they each do play a bit differently unique techs, units, and landmarks are great at establishing an identity evoking their historical inspiration and varying up how you maximize your economy. Naval combat is fairly well fleshed-out, making island maps a thrilling proposition.īut for six out of the eight playable factions, I just didn't feel like there was enough new going on here. And while I was worried naval combat would feel like an afterthought with how little Relic talked about it leading up to launch, it's fairly well fleshed-out, making island maps a thrilling proposition of their own.
But overall, it's a great variety of well-designed battlefields.
Some of them can feel a bit unbalanced, though mountain passes will always favor castle-building civs over nomads like the Mongols, for instance. They each present different tactical challenges, from two opposing ridges overlooking a valley that feels very much like a StarCraft 2 tournament map, to very open layouts with lots of unit-concealing forest in the middle that encourages a cheeky guerilla war and lots of misdirection. I was also impressed with the semi-randomized skirmish maps, which let you choose a biome – defining the colors, tree types, and overall vibes, from European Temperate to Asian Steppe to Taiga – in addition to a layout.
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