The best games (AoM is the BEST game) aren't the most popular. The popular ones are those that 1. Can be copied and 2. Can be played by idiots and genii alike. Although it's the BEST game, people who aren't too bright can't play it too well. Also, it can't be copied, although IMO it was well worth the $70.

You can't play on internet without a really really perfectly burned copy and even then you need a serial. I think the problem with AOM is that despite its one of the best games ever:
#1. It has a complex economy which turns alot of people off.
#2. ESO isn't very user friendly and i'm sure many people don't play it on the net.
#3. Warcraft III and C&C Generals took alot of people from ESO and many potential buyers of AOM. Its very competitive and it seems Warcraft III is more popular to the average person but I don't see why.

I also wanna add the replay value for AOM is incredible. Sure its gets boring after 4 straight months of it, but after you leave for a month or two and try other games, it draws you right back. And i'm sure the ex pack is just going to strengthen that.

One think I suspect keeps the online community relatively small is that newbies have to start at 1600-rating and get thrashed if they don't have alot of RTS-experience.

I didn't have any RTS-experience online and when I played my first online AOM-game I met a 1580-Loki rusher that killed me before 8.00. I can imagine this will put off alot of guys.

Luckily it didn't put me off, because I would have missed out on a great game.

But it's worse now, because average skill is growing and ratings don't grow with that. I've been around 1700 for months now and I know I have improved alot.

I probably would have quit the game if I hadn't played about 50 non-rated games before I started playing rated.

they should've made ratings start at zero
poor newbies who descend to 1500 or 1400 or even lower won't be inclined to keep playing as we can all see

We've had this game for a while, my pops was playing it non-stop a few months back, but I finally put down my PS2 long enough to pop in the CD...and what an amazing game this is.

I'm used to multi-player on my console, but I was a little nervous about trying this online, I didn't want to get completely owned the first game (partly owned is ok lol). I've obviously beaten the comp. 1v1 on easy, so I tried moderate and am having a real tough time beating the comp. This isn't a request for advice (there's plenty of threads on that), I hope I'll be on and playing competitively in a few weeks.

To the last guy who posted, find some recorded games and watch them, it helps alot

the peak of aom users was about ..hmmm....6 months ago?
it had ~2000 people

i must say sadly that aom is going down

@ Canucklehead
don't go online rated before you can beat the AI on hard every time
then you can stay round 1600 i think
(maybe not anymore, but at least you won't get owned so horribly)
or you play one game rated, so you don't have the 1600 anymore (cause a lot of people boot 1600's from principle cause they think they're OR smurfs OR noobs), and you can join the noob games then, you'll probably learn quicker there than in single player