This summary of the video was created by an AI. It might contain some inaccuracies.
00:00:00 – 00:18:56
The video focuses on a comprehensive review of the upcoming game "Age of Mythology Retold," examining its multiplayer improvements, visual effects, user interface, and spectator features. The speaker appreciates new strategic elements like unit abilities, repeatable god powers, and enhanced combat dynamics, which refresh the game and target competitive players. However, they criticize the timing of the beta as a marketing tactic and express concerns about unresolved issues.
Visual aspects receive mixed reviews; while some special effects are praised, other animations and art styles, including the controversial god images, are criticized. Environmental readability and user interface challenges are points of contention, with specific issues in UI design and accessibility features, such as confusing hotkeys and intrusive narrators.
Spectator mode, ranked matchmaking, and unit pathfinding are also problematic, with limitations and bugs impacting usability and strategic planning. Despite these flaws, the speaker remains optimistic about the game's potential, calling for necessary attention to ensure a successful launch. They urge timely improvements to avoid long-term negative consequences and commit to ongoing coverage of the game's development.
00:00:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses the quality of ‘Age of Mythology Retold’ from a multiplayer perspective, expressing concerns about the limited time for significant changes before its launch. They criticize the timing of the beta, suggesting it serves more as a marketing tool rather than a developmental aid due to the short period left before release. However, they praise certain reworks and new features, such as unit abilities, building functionalities, and higher population cap, which make the game feel fresh and require new strategies even for experienced players. The segment highlights a “soft reset” for strategic knowledge and encourages new players to try the game, noting the addition of servers for smoother gameplay.
00:03:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses the foundational aspects of multiplayer gameplay improvements. They highlight the hope for global servers to enable lag-free games, even with friends across the world. The speaker appreciates the responsiveness of units, allowing for slight animation cancellations that enhance strategic positioning without increasing damage. Major changes like repeatable god powers, the wonder age, and increased combat lethality are praised for adding excitement and strategic depth, particularly for competitive gameplay. The removal of autoqueue for military units in ranked games is noted as a move to appeal to serious RTS gamers by emphasizing mechanical skill. The quality and fairness of maps are also commended. Despite these positives, the speaker suggests there is room for improvement and prepares to discuss visual aspects next.
00:06:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses various aspects of visual effects (VFX) and animation in a game, highlighting both strengths and weaknesses. They praise some god powers’ VFX but criticize the exaggerated running animations of characters like Anubites and Minotaurs. The art style, particularly god images, is controversial, with debates over whether they are AI-assisted, despite developer denials. The speaker suggests the quality should be high enough to avoid such accusations. They express mixed feelings about the art style, preferring the old iconic designs like Zeus and Thor over the new, more cartoonish ones aimed at a younger audience. The environmental readability is inconsistent, with some maps like deserts blending character models too much, while grassy maps perform better. They also critique the user interface (UI) and controls, noting that even experienced players struggled with the confusing tutorial, which is unacceptable for onboarding new players.
00:09:00
In this part of the video, the speaker critiques various aspects of the game’s user interface and accessibility features. They argue that having the accessibility narrator on by default is problematic, especially for non-English speakers or less tech-savvy users, making it hard to disable. They consider the narrator invasive for this game type and a failure of the initial setup UI. The in-game UI issues are also highlighted, such as the large age indicator that can be accidentally clicked, taking you to the Town Center, and scattered UI elements causing eye strain. The speaker also mentions the difficulty in assigning hotkeys due to the four rows of buttons and notes that standard RTS hotkeys are replaced with less intuitive ones, like using the space bar for attack moves.
00:12:00
In this segment of the video, the speaker discusses the user interface (UI) issues and operational challenges in a military strategy game, specifically criticizing the cumbersome system for issuing commands and the inefficiencies of hotkey assignments. Important points include the problematic page system for military commands, the impractical icon placements for unit effects, and the hidden commands for villagers. The issues are exemplified by comparing outdated UI choices to modern real-time strategy (RTS) standards, emphasizing how these hinder gameplay. The segment also highlights the problematic camera controls bound to the right mouse button, which conflict with move orders. The speaker appreciates the ability to spectate ranked matches as a positive inclusion, but criticizes the limitations of spectator mode, such as the inability to host lobbies as a spectator, making it challenging for tournament organization and live streaming. The UI for spectators is also described as cluttered and ineffective, particularly in differentiating players during mirror matchups.
00:15:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses several shortcomings and issues related to a game’s spectator and replay features, unit pathfinding, and ranked matchmaking. The spectator mode is criticized for only allowing views of one player at a time, lacking a neutral perspective, and obstructive replay control panels. The pathfinding and unit AI are mentioned as having problems such as units getting randomly stuck, villagers becoming idle without indicating it, and difficulty in surrounding enemy units. Ranked matchmaking is slow and allows for potential manipulation by letting players see the opponent’s god pick and name, leading to players avoiding certain matches. The rating system and leaderboard visibility are also flawed, with all game data lumped together making the statistics less useful. Additionally, match histories lack replay files, making it hard to review games unless friends provide the files directly.
00:18:00
In this part of the video, the speaker emphasizes the potential of “Age of Mythology Retold” to become the biggest RTS game of the decade, provided it receives the proper attention and care. They express concern that not all aspects of the game are currently being adequately addressed, stressing the importance of a strong launch to avoid long-term negative impacts. The speaker hopes their criticisms will prompt timely improvements and assures viewers they will continue to cover the game extensively. They conclude by encouraging viewers to like and subscribe for future updates.