Age of Empires

Is anyone else here a fan of the Age of Empires series?

I don't know how I ended up being a fan. I was first introduced by my dad of all people, who has a hard time checking his email, but somehow has mastered slaughtering the Turks before they reach their zenith in the imperial age. I, of course, refer to AOEII: The Age of Kings.

I'm afraid my memory of Age 1 is a little rusty now, but I remember thinking back in the dark ages [pre 2000] that Age 2 was a real improvement. And I think it was the Conquerors edition that first introduced farming queues. And thankfully every age after has abandoned that need altogether.

I enjoyed Age of Mythology a lot, because it was original and at the time looked quite pretty. Age 2 looks quite garish now, but it seems to still get played more than Civ 4, which I also love. I suppose everyone has games they play perhaps because their friends or family play it. Age 2 is one of those games that I play against friends and family between Australia and New Zealand.

I enjoyed Age 3 a lot, but nobody else had it, so I tend to still play Age 2 more. Most of the people who have Age 2 don't bother upgrading their computers graphics cards and are happy sticking with a game they know, rather than a new one [that feels quite like the old one but with pretty graphics]. Playing the computer isn't as much fun as playing against a real person.

I'm looking forward to getting into more serious Age 3 playing when more of the Age 2 group move up to it. But considering how many years they've been on that game, i don't expect that any time soon. I suppose the good thing about Age 2 is that it'll run on pretty much any machine out today, but Age 3 isn't so.

I really love this old gem of a game. Another game I loved, was the first Rise of Nations. I thought that was a really solid game. But that, like Age 3, isn't widely played by anyone I know. That was a very solid game. I enjoy these kinds of games. Can anyone recommend similar games to Age 2, even if they're old [sometimes I prefer the older games anyway].

I've heard rumours of a fourth and fifth game, but I would prefer to see Age 1 get a makeover and perhaps have some of Age 2 or 3's gameplay [and a little graphical upgrade] added to it. Mainly because of the historical context. And the lack of ballistics and guns is something I enjoy.

Anyone else a fan of these games or am I an odd one out?