1.Patrol formation. This could function by setting a gathering point on the map the unit rides to and then returns and repeats until a new order is given. The micromanagement of patrolling borders manually is time consuming.
2.Defend/Stagger formation. The defend formation is prone to artillery. If I order Stagger, they attack when I want them to defend. If I order to defend, they become clustered.
3.Guard/Follow formation. I am requesting a guard and follow feature. Another words, set your guardians on artillery and control the cannons to attack. The guardians follow and guard the cannons in Defend mode. They act like the Defend command and stand their ground when the cannons stop. They will not stand in Defend mode while the cannons march in the open. I want to defend artillery, not the ground! The guardians will also not run out and attack the enemy (like Volly).
4.Ability to group more than 50 units on one hotkey and assign sub groups to a master group. It’s aggravating when micro managing units and some stay behind because I cannot assign more than 50 units to one hotkey. I must separate those units and assign a different number. This cannot be done quickly since double clicking one unit type selects all similar units. For instance, have 30 units assigned to #1 and 30 on #2 but all 60 controlled by #3. When traveling or attacking a building use #3, when focus firing, use #1 and #2.
5.In-game whisper and squelch feature. Whispering is available but not useful when your friend is in a game. I see a friend online, whisper, get bored of waiting, and then start a game. He finishes, whispers, and now I am in a game.
6.Ability to join more than 1 clan for easy communication with different sets of friends. I have a few groups of friends that are members of different clans. I must create a channel to speak with them all simultaneously (then say no to the spammers to join games). It would be easier to join multiple clans (1 main clan in your profile and minor clans).
7.A method to increase the population limit for players with better computers. A 200 pop is fun, but not an army. It’s disappointing the pop limit hasn’t increased in the years AOE has been a leader in the RTS genre. The graphics are great but game play shouldn’t be sacrificed. I would run a lower graphics setting to have a 500 pop. For players that can’t handle a large pop, have the option to set the max to 200, or even 100. Although graphically not as appealing, other RTS games run 500 to 2,000+ units.
8.More than 8 players in a game. Many online games support 16+ players. If your computer cannot handle this, do not play in large games.
9.More than 2 teams in a game. A 2v2v2v2 game would add to the strategic depth. Rushing would be harder if leaving your city defenseless may cost you the game. It should be an option, if you don’t like it, don’t join.
10.There should be new game creation filters of min & max “win %, rating, & # of games played”. The HC lvl filter isn’t enough unless both players are equally skilled (rarely true).
11.Ability to limit cards in a deck to a certain lvl. For instance, your opponent is equally skilled but doesn’t work and has a lvl 106 civ. You are married with children and best civ is lvl 25. It would be nice to have option to make him create a lvl 25 deck to play. A lower HC lvl is a disadvantage if both players are equally skilled.
12.Random civs as a game creation option. This is possible if everyone has access to all cards in each civ. Random civs on a random map with 2 mins before the game to build your deck. No exp awarded, just a test of game skill. This would allow players to test strategies for their personalized HC. The entire game should be given by default, not by time invested. The card system adds strategic depth and is justifiable in the games time era but requires one civ to be played exclusively to have full access to its potential. Time devoted should increase skill and understanding, but not the only method to enjoy all of the game.
13.Allow a Supremacy HC to play Deathmatch games with no exp awarded. This would save server space for people who want to play an occasional Deathmatch but not build an entire civ. Once again, time investment versus full access to the game.
14.Saving multiplayer games when both players consent. Family gamers who work and have children need the ability to save when life happens. If server space is an issue, delete after a few days of inactivity.
15.More randomization in maps and more custom maps. I exclusively play multi player but I have completed the campaigns. There are some cool campaign maps that should be able to be played in multiplayer games and get exp.
16.No cap on in-game exp. To avoid cheating, cap the amount of exp a trade route can supply. In long games, change the exp to resources since HC shipments become less useful late game anyway. I just played a 2 hour 30K exp game. Some players are equally skilled and it’s difficult to win. In these cases, more exp should be awarded considering in the same time frame we could have joined 3-6 noob games reaping in more exp from award bonuses.
17.Award exp in non rated no cheat games so friends can play without a loss, gain exp, and have access to more of the game. Forcing players to team up against the computer to avoid losses and gain exp is repetitive.
18.Ability to toggle friendly fire on or off. Its strange cheating can be toggled but many useful features are not available.
Thanks for reading my post. If you have any ideas or comments, please share them & reference the number in the thread. If you’re close with the AOE3 developers, forward this thread! Ensemble may take an ingenious thread from devoted fans seriously.