The first major update for the real-time strategy game Age of Empires IV will launch very soon. The Season One update brings a lot of new features, including the Global Build Queue, improved hotkeys, and even the new Content Editor. The patch also contains loads of balancing changes.
New Features
One of the biggest features in the Season One update is the Global Build Queue. This provides you with an overview of all of your units and upgrades in the queue at all times. You can do several things with it. For instance, you can press Ctrl+Left-click on the tiles to cancel your most recently queued item. You can even set it to “Upgrades Only” or disable the feature entirely in the settings menu.
Another significant quality-of-life change worth mentioning is the improved hotkeys. You can now rebind hotkeys to Mouse 3, 4, and 5 if you wish. The new global hotkeys enable you to cycle or select all buildings of a specific type, save camera locations, and cancel items in production queues, among others.
Update Highlights
- Stone Wall Tower cost increased from 200 to 300 stone
- SUL Herbal Medicine technology moved from the Dark Age to the Castle Age
- SUL and ABB orchard bonus reduced from +250 to +100 food
- Attempting to observe a modded game when you do not have the same mods enabled should no longer result in a crash
- Improvements made to sheep to allow for easier selection
- Selection tool should now prioritize siege unit selection over building selection when the unit overlaps with a building
- It is now possible to navigate on the map after being eliminated or when the game is over in Skirmish and Multiplayer games. You can go back and forth between the map and the post-game screen using the “Continue” and “Back” buttons.
- The Fog of War is revealed to all players when the game is over
- There is a new “Reveal on elimination” setting for custom games, revealing the Fog of War to eliminated players
- Introducing the Patrol Move in-game! Patrol allows units to move along a path and attack any enemies they see
- You can now use the “Random” civilization selection option when setting up for a match
The Season One update is expected to go live at 1 p.m. EST.
Age of Empires IV is available on PC.
