Deicide4u

It's a mod with better AI. Check the mods in the Mod dowloader. You might first try winning against a unmodded Medium AI, though. It's the highest non-cheating difficulty that still can pose a good challenge if you procrastinate and let it build up.

Nowadays, I always play against Hard Balanced AI. I've tried playing against the Hardest, but found no major difference in difficulty. There's also Petra Expert AI mod if you need more challenge. The AI gets bonus gathering speed at levels greater than Medium. It also trains larger armies more quickly. However, you will beat it easily if you're a decent player.

We already have a lot of civs which have access to War Elephants. Romans have focus on infantry and siege. They are also currently the only civ with an additional unit roster. I think they are fully covered now, but I would like to see the return of Donkey-pulled Scorpio cart. Romans have an abstract technology called "Roman roads", which provides a small speed boost. I'd say that the idea is fun, but this is not a City building simulation game. This is a fun idea, Praetorians had this feature. Again, would make this into a City building simulation game. The players already need to worry about positioning for their structures, we shouldn't make it worse. For anyone who played Metal Fatigue, you know how annoying this can be. Or fun, depending on if you're the one who built a huge tank and artillery army underground and are now wrecking the enemy's base.

I'd also add in the sound quality. Music is beautiful, but the sound effects need to be more pronounced. Like, if my catapult hits a building with a large flaming rock, that should be felt. Currently, only thing we hear is a faint "thud". It's the same with units, especially ranged units. Right now you can't even be sure if your archer fired a bow or not. Melee fights get that obnoxious "umpf, umpf, huff" sound. If you were only listening, you'd think they're doing something entirely different than fighting. Still, some sounds are on point, like building selection sounds and the sound when your melee units attack buildings.

You mean, re-introduce? They were available briefly in Alpha 16, but every civilization had them for specific unit classes only. It's a good idea.

Version Alpha 27.1 vanilla. Hard AI. Maur_vs_Gauls.zip

I struggled with trying to understand why this game felt weird when compared to other similar titles. For a while now I thought that this weirdness comes from the Citizen Soldier system, but it's not it. The weird part is that your units don't progress. Yes, many of them have ranks and get cooler looks as they go up in rank. But, it's the same unit in the end. A Hastati is always just a Hastati (unless you upgrade him to a Centurion, a rare example of unit progression). In "Age of" games, you get unit line upgrades. Militia upgrades to Man-at-Arms, which upgrades to Long Swordsman, etc. Scout Cavalry upgrades to Light Cavalry, which upgrades to Hussars. You get the picture. There isn't that familiar upgrade icon below the unit. We do have unit classes, and this helps to differentiate civilizations. But, for me at least, the unit upgrade system is what the game (intentionally) lacks.

Yes, they currently function like mobile defense towers, which is not how they were used historically. I think it would be rather boring to make them just be able to let infantry scale walls, like in Age of Empires 2 DE. Especially since walls are heavily underused in this game. If we decide to do it, then we should make them a lot cheaper.

Good way to make your units stay in formation, even if they're attacking. If you haven't seen Roman Legionaries fighting in a Testudo formation, you're missing out. I agree, units shouldn't stay in formation for economic tasks, no matter which option you set. Not even if it's more efficient.

Not really. They are cool and all, but way underused because they're too expensive. Also, Petra doesn't use them at all.

The entire Gallic mercenary roster, but the point still stands. Why would people train other mercenaries if Gallic ones are cheaper? The other embassies need to have techs that make their corresponding units "better" in other ways for this to work.

Players want their towers to actually defend their base, and not act like a liability that will be exploited by the enemy.

Your best units should be out on the field, defending your base. What are they doing sitting in your CC, twiddling their thumbs? The enemy tries to capture your CC? Good, he's not attacking your units! Pelt him with arrows, surround his army, etc.

1) Currently, walls are almost never used, at least not in any "pro" game I've watched. 2) Defenses are pathetically weak now. Towers are stupid easy to capture, and by the time you get Fortresses (which are otherwise useless now), the enemy has access to siege. And siege wrecks buildings in this game. I support almost every change laid out here, except adding instant stone mining to Carthage and changing Longswordsmen.

Well, I'm glad that we can all agree on the Carthage changes, lol.

We did it like this for more than 25 years. In the 90's, control groups were the killer feature. Now, we have things like auto-scouting. Kids don't even want to play the game anymore, just watch pretty pictures.

Bring back 130 HP champion cavalry, lol. Good changes, thanks.

Yes, they do. If the old Age of Empires 1 could do it, I don't see why we couldn't.

New update, mostly AI and balance changes. - Added back Jubot AI, modified to be compatible with the mod. It should be a bit more unpredictable than Qbot. - Population costs changed. Now it's 1 population for infantry CS, cavalry CS and Champion Infantry, 2 population for Champion cavalry and Siege weapons (Siege Tower is 3). - Some cost changes for Carthaginian mercenaries. They now cost a mixture of food, wood (for cavalry spearmen) and metal. - Population cap is now 200. - Qbot AI will now properly defend its Fortresses and Barracks.

That makes sense. So, there would be a choice: you either boom or play more aggressively. People would actually train Civilians instead of hard-capping them at 50 (for those 10 full farms). For the population costs, I think changing them too much would impede the unit choice for people who like to play with lower pop caps. Making Champions cost 2 population and siege costing 3 would be a compromise. I even reversed the population costs in my mod because you simply didn't get enough units on the map.

I'm guessing you hate Champion cavalry, too? Spearmen poke horse. Horse dies. Rider dies from broken neck. Use the boys with pointy sticks.

This game is different than standard Age of Empires games. You need to adapt to the Citizen Soldier system. First thing to know: boom is King. Forget about champions. Forget about cavalry if you don't intend to rush or there's no hunt around. All you need are your Melee and ranged Citizen Soldiers. Spam them alongside your females and get them to work. Focus on food and wood before you reach 100 population. Then, advance to the Town phase and shift some of your male workers to stone and metal. You will need them to build your second Civic Center, your Temple and research all economy upgrades. By this time, you should have a minimum of two Barracks, but build one more still. Build a Forge for upgrades. The key here is to focus on three units. 1) Your melee tanks. This can be basic spearmen. 2) Ranged support. These are your killers at range. 3) Your utility unit of choice. This can be your melee cavalry on Defensive stance. You will use it only to rush into the enemy's ranged units, flank them or harass their workers. Anything else will just steal your focus and APM. Focus on macro and getting those upgrades, expand into the unoccupied areas before your enemy, and you will win. Getting siege is situational. Getting your Hero is a bonus. Getting healers is a waste. If you need to heal your troops, garrison them inside the Temple.

Hi @bulbeni, welcome to the forums! The game is hard, especially online. There aren't many players in the lobby, and those who are there are all very good. Try making yourself comfortable by playing against the AI first. Eventually, join some MP games as a spectator once you decide that you are ready.

I don't recognize the emblem in the center. Are you using any mods?

I don't see the value in this. Find a safe landing spot for your army, or create one with your navy. Landing them in the middle of the enemy's base should be punishable.