The Next Age of Empires 3 Patch
Patch 1.01a has proven to be one of our most popular patches ever. Mostly due to the large variety of balance changes that boost most of the civilizations.
We have had a few players ask if we will do a new patch for Age of Empires 3. Some are worried that the latest patch (1.01a) was going to be our last. We have received the emails, forum posts, and online chats.
Let me assure you that we are working on a new patch.
I cannot go into great details on the patch right now, but I don’t want our fans to worry. Once details are out on it they will be on AgeCommunity.com and in Bruce’s Blog.
Let Us know what you think
We would like to know how you feel about our game and how we could make it better. I created a thread for you to respond to these questions.
1. What are the signature things that you consider to be an essential part of an Age of Empires game?
2. What are the things that you like the most about an Age of Empires game? Why?
3. What are the things that you dislike the most about an Age of Empires game? Why?
The ES8
One of our best kept secret for Patch 1.01a was a group of expert player called the ES 8. They offered great advice from professional players and spent time each day play testing the game. It would have taken a lot longer to make quality balance changes without them.
Our testing process at Ensemble Studios uses iteration. We used that to our advantage with the ES8. Suggestions are made and debated in the forums. These would eventually be put into the test patch that players could play and test. They would then give feedback again in the forums and the process would begin again.
We had some really good tools that made the whole process easier. We created secret forums for the ES8 to use and we just finished a tool that will give the team builds quicker and easier. Constant communication between our balance team and the ES8 was key to the success of the patch as well.
We look forward to working with these players again in the future.
Saying Goodbye to Mr. Ruessler
Today we said goodbye to our good friend Tim Ruessler. We did this fueled on lots of red meat and fine liquors surrounded by friends. This was his third going away lunch of the week.
One of the good things about Ensemble Studios is that we do not lose people very often. We have a very low turnover rate, because honestly this is a great place to work. The only bad thing about that is when someone does leave you tend to feel it slightly more.
Autism and Games
This is a sensitive subject, so before beginning I wanted my intentions to be clear. I am writing this with the best intentions and if you are offended feel free to write in and tell me that I am an inhuman monster. Just write in to webmaster@ensemblestudios.com and have blog in the subject line and I will get that email.
My wife is a Speech Pathologist and works at a local school with many special needs children. She uses lots of different therapies to help children and I am very proud of her and the work she does. One of the cooler therapies she uses is basically a video game that she made for her students. The idea behind the games is to break through normal communication barriers and teach her students a different way to communicate.
It is a very simple game using a touch screen and some supervision. The player is shown a series of images and is rewarded for picking the correct corresponding image with a sound. This may seem simple but by using visual stimulation and video games as a way to teach better communication with autistic and special needs kids seems to have potential. If combined with newer technology such as this system there is no telling what kind of interactive learning tools the future holds.
Games have been used in the past for therapy for a variety of illnesses and ailments, including bio feedback for post traumatic stress disorder and some paralysis therapies. Seeing Autism is not really one illness, but a family of illnesses, I would think that using a wide variety of technologies would be a good strategy for finding what works for the individual patients. I hope that video games will continue to help out and fit that roll.
Age 3 Mobile Gaming
Age of Empires has done well in the mobile gaming market. We released Age of Empires: Age of Kings for the Nintendo DS and cell phone versions. We have a new Nintendo DS version of Age of Mythology coming out soon as well. Glu mobile just released a cell phone version of Age of Empires 3 as well.
You can check out the full features and play the free demo over on the Glu Mobile website.
Cell phone addiction
Mobile gaming in Asia is far larger than it is in the United States. There are quite a few nontraditional games that do well in Asia as well. There are interesting mobile games that never even make it over here in the United States.
Cell phones are becoming such an issue in Japan that the government is starting to step in. I don’t really know what they hope to accomplish with the program and it makes me wonder what other laws are coming down the pike.
Xtreme Supreme Court Justice: The Vengeance!
Chris Baker over at Wired Magazine has a great article on Sandra Day O’Connor, Supreme Court Justice and now a game designer. Feel free to use my game title if you want.
I just wanted to say hello to Justice O’Connor and welcome her to the brotherhood of game designers. If anyone can teach kids about the legal system it does not get any better than a Supreme Court Justice.
There are also some perks that Justice O’Connor can now enjoy.
- The simple dress code. No black robes, unless you are LARPing it up with others in the office, or checking out the new D&D 4th edition rules.
- No due process. If you don’t like your office mate, simply throw desk junk at their head until they leave. It is not like they can plead the Fifth Amendment when they are bleeding and unconscious anyway.
- Hardly any lawyers. There are still a few though, unfortunately. Although I am working on fixing that…
- Cool offices. When was the last time you saw a Supreme Court Justice come into the court room on a fire pole or with a smoke machine and a laser light show.
- Video game groupies. All of the nerds you can handle! Hot!
PS: If Justice O’Connor is reading this, I need some legal advice with some tickets I got. Apparently burning an effigy without a permit is looked down on locally. What is up with that?
Helpful Online Tips
Do not report that someone was not following your no rush rules or other arbitrary game rules. If you choose to play with “No War Ships” that is fine, however you can’t expect others to play with the same rules and it is definitely not cheating. There is a reason we created treaty games for everyone.
Next Time: Mainstreaming the Meme and More!
Ben "SOLUS" Donges