The reasons and ways people play RTS games vary, some may prefer to go straight into battle, while others may prefer to run bases, carefully laying out castles and farms before going to war. The latest patch for Age Of Empires IV caters to both game styles by opening up map size options for multiplayer matches.
Update patch 14681 lets you choose a map size for multiplayer games. Players now have the option to resize up or down from the defaults – for example, 4v4 can be played on large maps, or 3v3 can be played on medium maps.
The patch also changes the default map size for several quick match configurations to make the game more compact. 2v2 matches will be played on the minimap, 3v3 matches will be played on the medium map, and 4v4 matches will be played on the larger map. But players can still use huge maps (or maps of other sizes) in custom games, and these adjustments only apply to quick match games.
The patch also makes adjustments to specific maps and how respawn points work on battle maps if teams are unevenly distributed. For example, the trees on the Altai increased, the mountains of the French pass shortened, and the location of the trading posts and holy places on the Danube was changed.
You can read the full patch instructions to see all the changes in the update. The developers said they were keeping a close eye on the second seasonal event of Season 1, while the Features for Season 2 are currently in production.