As a seasoned RTS enthusiast with memories of countless hours spent on Age of Empires and Age of Mythology, I can’t help but feel a surge of excitement for Age of Mythology: Retold. Having witnessed the evolution of this franchise over the years, it’s heartening to see World’s Edge Studios taking cues from their Xbox versions, especially with the Villager Priority System. This feature not only caters to console players but also serves as a beacon for newcomers, reducing cognitive load and making strategy accessible without compromising depth.
As a lifelong fan of mythology, I am thrilled to see its central role in one of this year’s most anticipated strategy game launches. Having grown up with stories from various cultures and traditions, it’s fascinating to witness how these ancient tales are being woven into the fabric of modern gaming. The team behind this project has a unique opportunity to make the game more accessible than ever before, allowing players like me to delve deeper into the rich lore that has captivated us for centuries. This is not just a game, but a chance to experience the magic and mystery of human mythology in a whole new way.
The upcoming game, Age of Mythology: Retold, is nearly here, and before its release, I got to chat with Earnest Yuen, production director, and Kristen Pirillo, designer, about the efforts by World’s Edge and collaborating studios to modernize Age of Mythology for contemporary gaming platforms. They discussed enhancing accessibility, maximizing the graphics potential of recent PCs and Xbox Series X|S consoles in the remake process.
Remaking a classic
Age of Mythology, initially created by the closed Ensemble Studios, debuted in 2002. It expanded on concepts from the Age of Empires series, featuring God Powers, mythical creatures, and playable heroes. In designing Age of Mythology: Remastered, the developers aimed to surmount the constraints imposed by the technology at hand during the original game’s creation. A key decision was enabling players to repeatedly use God Powers, rather than their one-time usage in the original version.
When discussing our design, there was a recurring question: “Given it’s the 2020s, what innovative ideas can we incorporate?” One idea that immediately popped up was reusable divine powers. I mean, imagine a multiplayer game where several God Powers are being used simultaneously!
Pirillo observes that during major games’ final stages, players would frequently forgo employing myth units. To reinforce the game’s mythical element, the team made adjustments to the Favor and Population limits, aiming to make it feel more distinct from other Age of Empires installments by emphasizing its mythological aspect.
According to Yuen, a substantial amount of effort was required to redesign and update the work for today’s hardware. He commends the original Ensemble team while emphasizing that simultaneously displaying numerous God Powers alongside Titans on the screen back then was technically unfeasible due to the limitations of technology more than two decades ago.
Indeed, numerous enhancements have been made to the game’s graphics as well, enabling the development team to explore and showcase the graphical quality achievable in a strategy game.
“Pirillo explains that with our extraordinary group of artists on board, we can take things to the next level. As we craft our monstrous creatures, they need to embody more monster traits. Similarly, our heroes should exemplify heroic characteristics even more. The question is, how do we make these creations seem mythical and over-the-top?”
In terms of adjustments that may not grab immediate attention, there were tweaks made in the balance. As reported by the developers, the Norse required specific modifications to make them more inviting for newcomers, since it was found that many players would experiment with the Norse faction initially but then choose not to return.
Pirillo elucidates that compared to Age of Empires, Age of Mychology presents more intricacies due to the variety of units it has and the diverse ways these units inflict damage. He also points out that there are numerous factors in Age of Mythology that disrupt the traditional “rock-paper-scissors” balance, offering a complex gameplay experience.
The team did not want to change things for change’s sake.
After the release, we’ll continue to strive for balance, and we greatly appreciated the player feedback from the beta test earlier this year. Yuen mentions that while nothing was entirely unexpected, the beta weekend provided crucial insights into what should be our main focus as we prepare for launch.
According to Yuen, since we all cherish the classic games, the team aimed to avoid altering elements merely because of change itself.
Pirillo states, “Given all the intricacies present, the design challenge becomes finding the optimal balance point. We have the option to revamp everything in this game if we wished. If it were designed anew today, how far would it push the boundaries of mythology and equilibrium? This has been a thought-provoking exploration, as it’s heavily reliant on play testing.”
In working on World’s Edge with our development partners, many of us are passionate fans who hold a great deal of admiration for the original material and feel deeply connected to the project. As we approach its completion, it becomes challenging for each of us to prioritize our tasks because we are so emotionally invested in it.
With all of the big changes and improvements, I asked what their favorite God Powers are.
Yuen expresses his strong preference for Meteor in the physics system they’ve developed, while Pirillo admires the Hades Sentinels because it allows him to be less mentally taxed regarding defense concerns.
“Also – and this is very silly — I love the sound effect, the hum when they pop up,” she says.
Adapting for accessibility
In a groundbreaking move, Age of Mythology: Retold marks two significant firsts for World’s Edge. Not only is it the inaugural game that the studio and its associates are releasing concurrently on Xbox Series X|S platforms alongside PC, but it also introduces controller compatibility on PC from the get-go. According to Yuen, this decision stems from the advantages derived from the collective efforts made in the Age of Empires: Definitive Edition launches, as well as the strategy of bringing two games to Xbox in 2023 while ensuring controller support.
“Based on our experience with Age of Empires 2 and 4 on Xbox, our aim is to create a console-like gaming experience for the new players joining from the Xbox platform. These players might be RTS novices, so we want them to pick up the game quickly and think, ‘Ah, I get it.’ To achieve this, we experimented with various designs for controller support.” – Yuen explains.
Initially, they tried to link the mouse movement directly to the stick without any additional modifications. However, this method didn’t perform optimally, so the team abandoned it and instead developed the control scheme found in Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition on Xbox. Subsequently, this approach was improved for Age of Empires 4, and it has been refined even more for the version destined to be released in Age of Mythology: Retold.
We have learned from the Xbox versions of Age of Empires 2 and 4.
In simpler terms, Yuen mentions that among the improvements we made, such as the Villager Priority System, have proven beneficial not only for console players but also for newcomers to RTS games. It simplifies the learning process by reducing mental stress and allowing players to focus on gameplay aspects like battles. At the same time, it alleviates some economic management tasks without compromising strategy. Therefore, Yuen suggests that this feature should be accessible in Retold right from its release date on both platforms.
“In our new game, ‘Age of Mythology: Retold’, we aim to create a highly accessible experience for all players, yet maintain a balance and excitement level that could potentially make it an Esport. We’re thrilled that it will be part of the annual Wololo tournament later this year.”
As an analyst, I inquired about the strategy our team uses to manage multiple collaborations with various external partners across numerous games and DLC expansions. In response, Yuen explained that this is a fundamental aspect of our studio’s structure.
In simpler terms, “World’s Edge serves as a central point where we handle intellectual property (IP) to maintain consistency across timelines. We collaborate with various partners, allowing them to focus on their strengths since not everyone excels at everything. Instead, each partner specializes in something they do exceptionally well. This collaboration requires intricate coordination, but after five years of practice, it has proven effective, enabling us to expand and grow the franchise even more in the future.”
Looking to the future
I recently had a chat with Yuen and Pirillo regarding the contents of the New Gods Pack in the Premium Edition of Age of Mythology: Retold. Although they can’t reveal much at the moment, they did confirm that this pack will introduce Freyr as a new Major God for the Norse faction.
“Pirillo mentions that we intend to provide players with fresh strategies or innovative approaches to already known civilizations,” he continues, hinting at further information being revealed prior to the game’s release.
Beyond keeping quiet for now about what Freya’s Vanir brother might add to Norse lore, both Yuen and Pirillo are eagerly anticipating players diving into the game, regardless of whether they have previous experience with the original version.
“Pirillo expresses that he aims for everyone, regardless of their gaming background, to find enjoyment in it. In his imagination, a perfect scenario involves an individual who grew up playing this game introducing it to their online gaming community on Discord. As they adapt to the game’s balance changes and new features, everyone is able to connect and have fun based on their current skill level.”
A short while to go
In just a few weeks, we’ll be unveiling the game, and I can hardly wait to see how it unfolds! It was already one of my most eagerly awaited games of the year after I had a chance to try it out following the Xbox Games Showcase, and it’s obvious that the team is putting in a lot of effort to make sure everything goes smoothly.
The game “Age of Mythology: Retold” is set to debut on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC on September 4, 2024. It will also be available for players with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and PC Game Pass. Those who purchase the Premium Edition can start playing a week earlier, from August 28, 2024.
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2024-08-09 21:40