Key Takeaways
1. Age of Empires 4 successfully engages gamers with historical campaigns but faces criticism for its cartoonish graphics.
2. World’s Edge is hiring Unreal Engine engineers, suggesting plans to enhance the visual quality of the series.
3. The next project may be Age of Empires 5 or a remake, with Unreal Engine 5 or 6 likely involved for improved graphics.
4. There are concerns about performance issues with Unreal Engine 5, particularly for RTS games as complexity increases.
5. Past experiences with games on Unreal Engine 5 indicate potential optimization challenges, especially for players with older systems.
With engaging campaigns based on history, Age of Empires 4 has reminded gamers why the series is beloved. However, its graphics often receive critiques for being too cartoonish and not as detailed as some competitors. New job postings for Unreal Engine engineers indicate that World’s Edge might be looking to enhance these visuals. Still, users on ResetEra are worried that performance in Age of Empires 5 could be affected.
World’s Edge and Xbox Collaboration
Since 2019, World’s Edge has overseen the RTS series for Xbox, collaborating with developers like Relic Entertainment. The recent job openings on the Microsoft career site include positions such as Principal Unreal Engineer for Gameplay and Senior Unreal Engineer for Shared Technology. The job descriptions highlight the goal of “continuing the great legacy of Age of Empires” while also emphasizing the need for “planning and building our future tech stack.” Both roles require prior experience with the game engine.
Future Projects Uncertain
It remains uncertain if the new project will be Age of Empires 5, or a remake or remaster of a previous title. Nevertheless, it appears that Unreal Engine 5, or eventually Unreal Engine 6, will play a critical role in future releases. This shift could lead to more realistic visual effects compared to what the existing Essence Engine can deliver. However, some critics argue that Epic’s tools might not be the best choice for this genre.
Potential Performance Issues
Games built on Unreal Engine 5 often face optimization problems that can lead to stuttering and frame rate drops. The complexity of RTS games presents extra hurdles for developers. As civilizations grow and battles escalate, performance could be compromised. Age of Empires 4 performed decently on lower-end PCs at launch, but this may change down the line.
Players with older systems typically didn’t see improvements when Manor Lords switched to Unreal Engine 5. The 2024 medieval strategy game has received good reviews on Steam, but issues with stuttering still persist.
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