Community Features: The Biggest Thing Missing From AoE2?

For years, we played this game on Voobly. It was exceptional for the features it was able to bring to such an old game. We had user patch and Wololo Kingdoms bringing new updates, working to keep the game balanced and relevant.

Voobly lobbies with spectators

One of the aspects that I think we took for granted at the time was the social features it included. I found my way into the wider Age of Empires community by chatting to one of my opponents in the New Player Lobby after we had finished a game. I got invited to a Discord server of one of the major players and made friends.

Four years later, those people are still the people I play and chat with. But we no longer have Voobly to provide this. I’m not writing this to hark back to “the good ol’ days” of Voobly, I think the game has moved on a long way since then and is in a better state now.

But we need to find alternatives to these social aspects that Voobly really excelled at. For most people, the substitute is Discord servers. Some of the servers from the big names are surprisingly quiet, given how many people are in them. But the smaller communities can provide a buzzing atmosphere.

I run one such community. During the first lockdown, I was looking for something to put my focus into. I started a server to help people access the game and find people to play with. I wanted somewhere for people to find help if they needed it and get a little bit more than just “it depends” (a statement that I felt people started to use as a smug catch all to newer players).

My little community has grown. We have just surpassed 1,000 members. New people find us when looking for noob friendly communities to get help. There is an active group of members providing advice and feedback when it is asked for. These people all voluntarily answer questions purely for the love of the game. It (and others like it) can even be a way to find opponents for friendly games on specific maps or as a way to avoid the cheaters, dodgers and smurfs.

More than that, we have even been running regular tournaments (with small prizepools) that have attracted some of the top players. These tournaments are a great chance for players of all levels to get some competitive experience and try their hand at maps outside of the regular rotation.

Discord

Well, what next? I have ‘grand plans’ (don’t we all!) to expand the community and what we can offer. I want there to be more guides (something I will continue writing for this website). The website will be undergoing an upgrade in the coming months and I hope for it to become one of the best resources for new and existing players alike. I’m keen to have contributions from community members too. If you want to submit a guide or a news story, send me a message.

Watch this space to see what we can achieve!