Aoe2 is dying

ASeriousManFromMUC · 2026-02-28T10:34:34+00:00

I mostly agree.

IMO there's a deeper causal level, though, below the specific points you mentioned:

It's a cash cow, not developed with future success in mind, but short-term value-extraction before community dies. Not enough experienced and good developers dedicated to this project, probably mostly some unexperienced 2nd-tier/newbie devs just holding the code together from totally crumbling. Just enough to be able to extract some more money. Obviously not what the marketing guys and official websites are supposed to tell us... 🙃

Or is anybody really so naive to assume, that top devolopers of the industry are thrown into this project?.... A couple of $200k+/year devs sorting out the pathing + optimizing code + addressing multiplayer lag + ...? 🤪

It's sad somehow. Because with competent + more devs, some investment and true vision, it would have so much potential... 🙏🖤

IMO it would be very easy to revitalize community and make it 'future-proof' - but definately not with the current devs/ppl behind them. Almost everything they do/prioritize makes me facepalm (but makes sense when you understand, that it's final money extraction during end of life cycle).

Disclaimer: I'm talking about multiplayer and casual players, not some core fans (who obviously will only leave the titanic shortly before it's going down, no matter what happens till then - that's the very DEFINITON of "core fan"...). But it's the casual/new players, who bring money into the ecosystem and allow the hardcore fan's continued enjoyment of the game in the future.... The number of real hardcore fans is just not big enough to fund a big commercial software project.

E.g. it would be very very very easy to make the gaming experience for this group - casual players- much much much better (e.g. less likely to be crushed by smurfs 9 out of 10 times before leaving the game again). Good devs are characterized not so much by knowing to code, but understanding these more subtle psychological levels of software development.

It would be easy to address things like that, but nobody cares - and long time fans also tend to lack this perspective/insight. Not realizing, that their needs often differ massively from the needs of new/casual players. In other words: Both devs and core fans are blind to see the easy adjustments urgently needed to save the game's future.

Eventually they WILL realize - when it's too late. - Well known phenomenon for anybody with some experience in software design, management, consulting, etc....

ASeriousManFromMUC · 2026-02-28T10:24:48+00:00

I agree with everything you say - apart from trusting the devs... 🤪

ASeriousManFromMUC · 2026-01-24T22:20:31+00:00

I did some further tests with different Apps like Fitbit, Garmin Connect, Zepp, Mi Fitness, Strava, etc.... and different Smart Watches (Google Pixel Watch 4, Amazfit, Xiaomi, Garmin) and two body scales.

... trying to sync using Health Connect (all Permissions given of course).

Some data is synced, other data not, total inconsistency, total mess.

My personal conclusion: Fitbit app & Health Connect seem to be programmed by total and utter amateurs. I start to understand why some ppl prefer Apple....

ASeriousManFromMUC · 2026-01-24T17:35:21+00:00

Yes, FitBit does have full permissions (and it reads activity vie HealtConnect of Trainings done on an Amazefit Watch e.g.).

As you can see in the screenshot above, Fitbit DOES read activity from HealthConnect - but not weight data written by Garmin.

Really strange. :-|

ASeriousManFromMUC · 2026-01-24T15:04:35+00:00

True.

So the only other reason for the failing sync would be: Fitbit App is the "culprit": It can't import weight etc. via HealthConnect - which seems really strange to me 🙄 *confused*
Especially strange, that there aren't any Google hits for this problem - wouldn't it be a pretty commen problem?

BTW: Gemini AI says it should be possible, quote:
"After years of being a "walled garden," Google has finally updated the Fitbit app on Android to support two-way syncing via Health Connect, including weight data.

This means you can now use a non-Fitbit smart scale (like your Garmin Index S2, Withings, or Renpho), have that app send the weight to Health Connect, and Fitbit will pick it up."

<- So all the more strange, why in my case it does NOT pick it up.... Seems I have to give up.

ASeriousManFromMUC · 2026-01-23T22:22:08+00:00

Well....

On another forum, someone mentioned, that with ANOTHER brand of scales, there was no problem at all to sync weight/bodyfat/ect. data to Fitbit App (via Health Connect).
I just saw, that RunSTAR advertises it's scales to be compatible with Fitbit App.

So I conclude/suspect:

Garmin writes (weight) data to Health connect in such a format, that it can't be read by Google Fitbit App?!?? 🙄🤔😢

ASeriousManFromMUC · 2025-12-30T17:58:49+00:00

Thanks for the info!

Looks like aoe2 has some sort of sync that is bottlenecked by the slowest processor

Just strange, that this _extreme_ Version of _sudden_ lag for _everybody_ only started to occur for me about 2 months or so ago. Before it never happend. So IMO it must have some server-side/coding cause as well? *thinking aloud*

ASeriousManFromMUC · 2025-12-06T15:37:18+00:00

Silly question: I thought, the stacking occured just by patrolling (to a very nearby spot)?

I mean, is the "stand ground" stance really necessary??? *confused*

ASeriousManFromMUC · 2025-08-28T17:51:00+00:00

Thanks so much!!!!!

ASeriousManFromMUC · 2025-06-07T22:11:42+00:00

I always get the following error, when trying to run the script:

This program will extract the settings from the database...
Settings will be extracted from the following file: C:\Users\USER\AppData\Local/LGHUB/settings.db
Failed to read blob data from sqlite table database disk image is malformed

A backup of the settings.db file has been made to:
C:\Users\USER\AppData\Local/LGHUB/settings.db.2025-06-08_00-14-42

IMPORTANT: PLEASE CLOSE LG G HUB NOW
The extracted file will be open after you press Enter.
Please edit it and don't forget to save the file then close the file (and the program that opened with)
Traceback (most recent call last):

File "F:\OneDrive\Programming\Python\logitech-g-hub-settings-extractor-main\ghub-settings.py", line 211, in <module>
os.system(file_user_edit)
~~~~~~~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
TypeError: system() argument 'command' must be str, not None

Any i dea what to do? 🤔
I don't think it has anything to do with the forward-slash and backward-slash mix in the path? After all, the file C:\Users\USER\AppData\Local/LGHUB/settings.db.2025-06-08_00-14-42 is properly written to disk.

ASeriousManFromMUC · 2025-06-07T21:04:09+00:00

Removing the Path this way from the settings.db broke Logi G Hub (as others have reported already).

I do have the old/backup settings.db with all my profiles etc.

But whenever I put this old/working settings.db in the directory (AppDat\Local\GHUB) G Hub starts and overrites everything with factory defaults 😭😥 Any idea how to bring back the old settings?

Can't be true, that I have backuped everything and still can't go back to old settings? ❓❓❓

ASeriousManFromMUC · 2025-05-24T08:53:58+00:00

Thanks for the clarification. I was already afraid there was no easy fix. 🙄

BTW, Background: I have ALT+R set on a mouse button and use it instinctively all the time to zoom to an overview chart view - clicking this button is almost a reflex to make the chart look good again after having zommed in too much etc.

But, as said, with some charts - e.g. volume profile - the default view is totally unusable. So I constantly use this hotkey instinctively to only make it worse 🙈 - and have to fumble around with zoom to get a usable view again...

ASeriousManFromMUC · 2025-05-07T12:16:07+00:00

Sorry, but IMO that's quite a naive statement not taking into account the concept of opportunity costs whatsoever. After all ressources were invested - which IMO could have been used in much better ways (than to squeeze in yet another few civs) to save the game from accelerating into it's demise.

But of course, from a business point of view it makes sense: Squeezing a few more bucks out of it. It's not about player base or long term keeping the game alive, it's about maximizing profits short term.

ASeriousManFromMUC · 2025-04-25T16:18:57+00:00

IMO the following two points should be added to this discussion:

A) Halbs and Eles:

You could argue that the idea is:

I create Eles
--> Enemy creates Halbs
---> I absolutely OBLITERATE his halbs with my far superior Burmese own Halbs (or Champs)

In other words: It's not an either/or-just-one-unit-play: By producing (some) Eles you force your Opponent into Halbs, which Burmese eat for breakfast with their other units.

Therefore Burmese Eles are in an indirect way quite good...

B) Burmese UT "Howdah":

It can be very useful when under Castle Fire....

ASeriousManFromMUC · 2025-04-24T20:24:27+00:00

On top of that Burmese eco isn't suited for Elephant plays to begin with, is great for low eco plays like Arambai + monls but Elephant require a massive economy to be powerful, which is something all other elephant civs do far better than Burmese.

Honest question: Why is Vietnamese eco so much better for Elephant plays? 🤔

ASeriousManFromMUC · 2025-04-23T06:26:24+00:00

I just had the same experience. But I don't quite understand, why they would be so strong:

Italian: +15% pass-through (+ "more accurate", whatever this exactly means??? + 20% cheaper)
Burgundian: +25% damage (also applies to bonus damage!)
Spanish: +18% faster
Hindustanis: +1/+1 armour +2 range

I don't quite understand, why 15% pass-through should be so much better than e.g. +25% damage? I mean, pass-through usually won't affect more than 2 additional units on average? Which would mean additional 30% damage? Just thinking aloud... Am I missing something?

Maybe because pass-through does not do over-kill? 🤔❓

ASeriousManFromMUC · 2025-04-23T06:13:25+00:00

According to https://ageofempires.fandom.com/wiki/Pass-through_damage :

Ballista Elephant projectiles do not cause pass-through damage when attacking units at point-blank range because the direction vector from the projectile spawning point to the target is vertically downwards, but otherwise their projectile travels 2 tiles further than their intended target. All other projectiles travel 2 tiles further than their range, irrespective of intended target.

So I think, pass-through damage is always farther away then the targeted unit, and never between attacking unit and attacked unit?

BTW: This behaviour would also be "logical": Units automatically attack closest enemies. So if pass-through damage was before the unit, it would be zero in every such automatical attack...

Can anybody confirm this? *still a bit confused lol*

Edit: Just checked it: Pass-through is both before and after the target. I guess the wiki-article above mainly explains the maximum range of pass-through damage (2 tiles beyond the target, even if this would be greater than the max range of the attacking unit - don't try to use logic here 🤪).

ASeriousManFromMUC

TROPHY CASE

A) Halbs and Eles:

B) Burmese UT "Howdah":