Age of Wonders 4

[Martok]

I have to admit that between the extensive developer diaries, dev streams, and various previews I've seen so far, it's become very difficult to not be excited for this one.  It seems Triumph Studios took a hard look at everything AoW3 and Planetfall did both right and wrong, and have adjusted things accordingly for Age of Wonders 4.  Stuff like exploration, hero development, and empire management have been expanded and/or deepened, while diplomacy and the combat system have been refined and improved. 

Not that this will probably be a Day 1 purchase for me; I rarely do that anymore.  But unless the release is a complete dud, I have a feeling I'll be diving into it sometime this year. 

[bob48]

Agreed. it is indeed looking like a must buy.

[Steelie]

Agreed. I keep telling myself there is absolutely no need to pre-purchase it and so far, I'm hanging tough. But it's looking like a rare day one purchase for me as well.

[bob48]

I hope its better than MoM which I thought, given the hype and general levels of excited anticipation, was a bit of a disappointment in some respects.

[Steelie]

Yeah, I feel exactly the same way, Bawb. MoM was much anticipated and more than a bit of "meh" when received. And having AoW4 coming out makes MoM feel really second-tier IMHO. I mean, assuming it doesn't suck   

[Undercovergeek]

Lots of prep previews re race building and customisation out there and I think a little bit of gameplay

[Steelie]

PC Gamer likes it:

https://www.pcgamer.com/age-of-wonders-4-review/

[Barthheart]

Doesn't PC Gamer like everything? 

[Undercovergeek]

RPS were pretty meh but admitted the game is that big and they had to squeeze a lot of the game into a short time and missed a lot of the nuances and immersion

A long time since I had faith in a written review - I’ll watch some let’s plays from trusted sources

[bayonetbrant]

A long time since I had faith in a written review - I’ll watch some let’s plays from trusted sources

You don't want to write one for us?

[Undercovergeek]

I’m aow4-less

[Martok]

Launch day! 

And now begins the battle of wills to hold off on buying it immediately... 

[Undercovergeek]

Intriguing but I can make it I think

[Martok]

^ Same, but I find acknowledging the struggle helps.   




Sounds like overall impressions thus far are very positive, amongst major streamers, professional reviewers, and regular users alike.  Apparently just about everything -- from game setup (including faction & realm creation), empire management, and (especially) combat -- are pretty much firing on all cylinders. 

I did read there were significant technical issues at launch for some folks, especially regarding multiplayer, but Triumph Studios has been quick to find and patch them.  The praise isn't universal, of course, but there seems to be a growing consensus that this might be not only the best fantasy 4x in years, but one of the best 4x games out there, period. 

[Undercovergeek]

Yeah - they’re not making it easy - I’ve seen nothing negative and only how wonderous and smooth it is

I’m always going to run into the brick wall of me, the giant and the fairy defending the realm against 6 rat men and 2 spiders - I want my fantasy to be epic and huge - yes yes Warhammer 3 - but I think I’m more of a fan of operational scale for this - hearts of iron 3 but elves and dwarves and goblins and dragons and now I’m all pointy so I’m off