Over two years after the Steam early access debut, Angela Game released the 1.0 version of Myth of Empires in late February. The main reason for the long early access time was the legal dispute with Studio Wildcard and Snail Games that was only settled four months ago. In an interesting turn of events, the plaintiffs became the new publisher of the multiplayer war sandbox game.
With Myth of Empires back on Steam and a console version in development, we interviewed Angela Game to discuss the launch reception and a detailed roadmap of updates coming to the title this year.
What was the reception to the overall Myth of Empires 1.0 launch? Are you satisfied with player numbers?
The overall response to the launch has been positive. Players are still very enthusiastic about the game and like all the new content. That said, one of the current shortcomings of the game is that it only features one civilization. We plan to address that in the future by adding more civilizations that appeal to our players in the Americas and in Europe, for example Greek, Roman, and other Western civilizations. Player numbers are well within our expectations, though we’re always looking for ways to welcome in new players, of course.
Are you going to increase the current server cap? Queues have been an issue.
This is an issue we are following closely. Like other games in its genre, if Myth of Empires were to suddenly increase the maximum number of players on a server, it would create technical problems such as server freezes and crashes. We are exploring solutions to this issue through features like Skirmish Battles and events featuring hundreds of players simultaneously, which we’ve held in the past. At the same time, we will continue to open new servers in a planned manner based on player activity.
Players are lamenting lag and even packet loss. Are there any plans to fix these issues, and if so, when?
Delays and packet loss are issues that we also follow closely because Myth of Empires puts players in what is effectively one large, interconnected game world. Players joining servers outside their region may create lag for them. Of course, our technical team is always monitoring the status of the individual servers and responding to issues as they pop up. We are constantly making improvements to our servers.
Are there any improvements planned for sounds? The loud sound of an arrow hitting animals has been criticized, for example.
We have resolved this issue and will issue a fix for it soon if one has not been issued already by the time this interview is published.
Are you planning to allow players to pick up placed items, or at least put a timer on recently placed objects to let them move them? Or even allow players to get full mats back if the objects have been placed recently.
The main problem with this used to be that placing buildings would increase your Proficiency, which created a loophole where you could place a building, pick it up, place it again, and so on, in order to farm Proficiency. We have a plan to address this, however, and in a future update, we will add the ability to pick up structures that have already been placed.
Is there an ETA on when you will be adding new factions, such as the Greeks? Will they be paid or free DLCs?
The Greek civilization DLC is already under development and will include technology, armor, weapons, ships, and more. As far as an ETA, we can only say “soon.”
What else do you have planned for 2024 in your roadmap?
1. Multiple civilization trees
We are developing tech trees for multiple civilizations, which will include weapons, armor, buildings, crafting stations, and more. The current plans are to introduce Greece, Persia, Rome, and Egypt. Greece and Persia are planned to make their debut in 2024.
2. New Beast Lords
We plan to regularly add more legendary creatures along with saddles to ride them.
3. Improved Breeding
The animal breeding system will be continually improved with new features.
4. More Water and Air Ships
We plan to add more water and air vehicles that players can place structures upon.
5. NPC Auto-work and Emotion Systems
Players will be able to arrange work for NPCs that is prioritized based on their attributes. To a certain extent, NPCs will actively search out work that is well-suited to them. At the same time, NPCs will have more detailed emotions and will be more expressive.
6. Thousand Man Season Server
We plan to open a single season server that can accommodate 600 – 1000 players, with streamlined production, crafting, and leveling systems. It will also feature week-long faction-based PVP events and many strongholds. At the end, winners will be determined based on points.
7. 400/600 Player Skirmish Battles
Skirmish Battles will be expanded in the future.
8. Warrior Arenas
Players will be able to upload their warriors (subdued NPCs) to the cloud, where they will be ranked. Players whose warriors receive high rankings will receive daily rewards.
9. Sunken Ships and Underwater Exploration
We will be adding underwater points of interest and sunken treasures to the Dongzhou map for players to find. Of course, players are not able to fight underwater, so avoiding ferocious sharks and plundering treasure all while holding their breath will be quite a challenge.
10. Dynamic Battlefields
One week before the start of each County, Prefecture, and Fortress Battle, battle modifiers will be revealed that will alter certain elements of the battle. These modifiers may increase bow damage, cause players wearing heavy armor to walk more slowly, or even alter the number of warriors and beasts that players can take with them into the battle. Players will need to take note of what these modifiers are so that they can be adequately prepared.
11. More Hairstyles and Facial Features
More character facial features and hairstyles will be introduced in the future, free of cost.
12. English Voiceovers
NPCs from new civilizations will have English voiceovers.
13. Functional Foundations and Ceilings
Players will be able to use some foundations and ceilings for planting or raising fish.
14. An Upgraded Farming System
The attributes of farming fields that are cultivated regularly will be increase, but will fall if neglected for a long time.
15. Better Boss AI
We will continue to optimize and improve boss AI to make fighting with them akin to an action game.
16. Improved PvE Goals
Currently, the game’s PvE goals are unclear to some players. In the future, we plan to improve the PvE experience so that goals are clearer.
What is the status of the console version? Will there be crossplay with PC when Myth of Empires launches on consoles?
Development of the console version has already begun. Implementing crossplay between PC and consoles would not be a technical challenge for us, but we will need to explore player sentiment as to whether we should, due to the advantages that keyboard and mouse players have, which would negatively impact console players’ experience of the game. Player feedback on this would be the most important factor in making the decision.
Are you going to add controller support to the PC version? If so, when?
Once we have finished the control schemes for the consoles, we will implement controller support as part of an update on PC, but this will take some time.
Will you add NVIDIA DLSS 3 and AMD FSR 3 support? Those frame generation techniques could help with performance.
Myth of Empires currently supports NVIDIA DLSS Super Resolution. DLSS Frame Generation and FSR 2.1 will be added to the game soon.
Thank you for your time.
