Info about Circle Empires Rivals:

Official game description:
Circle Empires: Rivals is the sequel to the original award-winning real-time strategy game enjoyed by more than 300,000 players worldwide. Rivals adds, besides new content and game modes, a long-requested feature: Multiplayer! Fast-paced action and hundreds of different units combined with a procedurally-generated world of circles to make every session exciting and unique. You’ll have to devise new strategies and clever tactics to defeat your enemies, harvest resources and increase your power – alone or online with friends!  
_“It’s amazing to have watched the project evolve from a free demo into the single-player experience, and now at last, into a multiplayer one as well!”_ – The Luminous Team  
KEY FEATURES
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*   20 different circle biomes, from dry deserts to scary swamps to mystical extra XP biomes  
*   Over 300+ units, buildings, and level-ups  
*   30 Faction leaders, each with unique bonuses or special troops  
*   A huge range of difficulty options, and advanced settings to tweak everything to your liking  
*   6 different game modes, including ones unique to the RTS genre -- like the Roguelike and Stop the Army modes!  
*   Units and structures keep gaining stats even after hitting their 'max' level, all the way up to bonus level 99! Turn your wizard into an army-destroying archwizard with a new look to boot.

Release date: Apr 15, 2020

Categories: Real-time Strategy, Multiplayer, Cooperative Gameplay, Procedural Generation, Unit Management, Roguelike, Tactical Combat


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $9.00 - $15.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that the community finds the game to be of great value at a moderate to low price point. Specific mentions of prices such as '8-12 euro' and general statements about the game being worth its cost indicate that the community considers the fair price range to be relatively low. The positive sentiment around the game's value at these price points supports the conclusion that the community finds the game fairly priced within this range.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: N/A
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: 0.3h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides specific playtime metrics for different aspects of the game. The first quote mentions that a single session in simple mode takes about 5-10 minutes. The second quote indicates that a typical session length is around 15-20 minutes. The third quote supports the idea of flexible session lengths, including short 10-minute sessions. The fourth quote suggests that the game can be played for 1-2 hours in the evening, indicating a typical session length and total playtime for a gaming session.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game starts with an exciting pace but can become repetitive over time. Multiplayer and co-op modes significantly enhance the fun and engagement.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Multiplayer and co-op modes
  - Time to anchor: 0h 30m
  - Friction: Repetitive gameplay loop; Difficulty spikes in certain game modes
  - Unlock drivers: Multiplayer functionality; Co-op modes
  - Conditions: Playing with friends; Varied game modes; Random map generation
- Player Archetypes:
  - Multiplayer Strategist (buy)
    - Motivation: Enjoys the social and competitive aspects of multiplayer gaming.
    - Playstyle: Prefers cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes, experimenting with different strategies and units.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: RTS fan; Co-op enthusiast
    - Reference games: Age of Empires 2; StarCraft
  - Solo Campaigner (sale)
    - Motivation: Enjoys the depth and variety of single-player content.
    - Playstyle: Prefers playing through single-player modes and exploring different game mechanics without the pressure of multiplayer competition.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: Single-player enthusiast; Casual gamer
    - Reference games: Civilization; Total War
  - Challenge Seeker (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Seeks out and enjoys overcoming difficult challenges and mastering complex gameplay mechanics.
    - Playstyle: Prefers playing on higher difficulty settings and tackling challenging game modes, both in single-player and multiplayer.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: Hardcore gamer; Completionist
    - Reference games: Dark Souls; XCOM


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Fun and addictive gameplay (weight 0.95): Players find the game to be highly enjoyable and addictive, with a fun strategy and cooperative gameplay that keeps them engaged.
- Diverse multiplayer and game modes (weight 0.7): The game offers a variety of multiplayer modes, including cooperative and PvP options, providing multiple ways to play and enjoy the game with friends.
- Variety of units and leaders (weight 0.45): The game features a wide range of units, buildings, and leaders, adding depth and variety to the gameplay experience.
- High replay value (weight 0.42): The game offers high playability and replay value, with long gameplay time and improved AI, making it a worthwhile investment for players.
- Simplified RTS gameplay (weight 0.34): The game offers a simplified and casual RTS experience, with a unique circle mechanic and interesting gameplay mechanics.
- Positive feedback in Chinese (weight 0.3): The game receives positive feedback in Chinese, highlighting its enjoyable and innovative gameplay, as well as its high completion quality despite its size.
- Positive feedback in Turkish (weight 0.25): The game receives positive feedback in Turkish, indicating that it is successful and enjoyable, especially when played with friends.
- Easy to learn (weight 0.23): The game is easy to get started with and quick to understand, making it accessible for new players.
- Fast-paced matches (weight 0.16): The game features fast-paced real-time strategy gameplay, providing quick and exciting matches.
- Intuitive user interface (weight 0.16): The game has an intuitive and responsive user interface, making it easy to navigate and play.
- Suitable for all ages (weight 0.16): The game is suitable for children, teens, and adults, making it a versatile option for a wide range of players.
- Decent PC requirements (weight 0.15): The game has decent configuration requirements, making it accessible for a wide range of PC setups.
- Lots of content and depth (weight 0.15): The game offers a significant amount of content and depth, providing players with a rich and engaging experience.
- Improvements over previous game (weight 0.15): The new game has significant improvements over the previous version, making it a better experience for returning players.

Common complaints:
- Repetitive unit types and strategies (weight 0.64): Players find that there are too many repetitive unit types and strategies in the game, leading to a lack of variety and excitement.
- AI behavior and pathfinding issues (weight 0.54): The AI in the game has significant problems with behavior and pathfinding, leading to a poor gaming experience.
- Performance issues with many units (weight 0.53): The game experiences significant lag and performance issues when there are many units on the screen.
- Excessive game difficulty (weight 0.3): The game's difficulty settings are perceived as too high, making it overly challenging and less enjoyable.
- Various bugs and multiplayer issues (weight 0.3): The game has various bugs and issues, particularly in multiplayer mode, affecting the overall experience.
- High latency in multiplayer (weight 0.18): Players experience high latency during online multiplayer sessions, which negatively impacts the gameplay.
- Invisible units and buildings (weight 0.18): There is a bug causing units and buildings to become invisible, which disrupts gameplay.
- Unit selection and control issues (weight 0.17): Players find it difficult to select and control individual units with the mouse, leading to frustration.
- Lack of dedicated servers and regional player imbalance (weight 0.17): The game lacks dedicated servers, leading to regional imbalances in player numbers and connectivity issues.
- Poor user interface and incomplete game (weight 0.17): The game's user interface is considered poor, and the game itself feels incomplete with many missing elements.
- Criticism of DLC practices (weight 0.16): Players criticize the game's DLC practices, particularly the separation and sale of content that was previously available together.

Gameplay feedback:
- Multiplayer and single-player options (weight 0.74): Players can enjoy both online multiplayer and single-player modes, including cooperative and PvP options, providing a versatile gaming experience.
- Strategy-focused gameplay (weight 0.43): The game emphasizes tactical and real-time strategy gameplay, appealing to fans of strategy games.
- Unit leveling and upgrades (weight 0.41): Units can level up through use and be upgraded, along with technology upgrades, providing a progression system based on battles and usage.
- Character and content unlocks (weight 0.31): Players can unlock new characters, modes, and content, including DLC, which adds to the game's replayability and depth.
- AI behavior and gameplay symmetry (weight 0.27): The game features AI behavior that varies with difficulty levels, though some players note gameplay repetitiveness.
- Circular map design (weight 0.18): Maps are designed in a circular fashion with different biomes and interconnected territories, adding a unique strategic element to the gameplay.
- Unique leaders and perks (weight 0.18): Different leaders come with unique bonuses and units, adding another layer of strategy and customization to the gameplay.
- Difficulty levels available (weight 0.17): The game offers multiple difficulty settings, catering to both casual and hardcore gamers.
- Similar to classic strategy games (weight 0.17): The gameplay and mechanics are compared to classic strategy games like Warcraft 3, appealing to fans of those games.
- Long gameplay time (weight 0.17): The game is noted for its extensive gameplay time, providing long-lasting entertainment and strategic depth.

Performance notes:
- Poor LAN and server performance (weight 0.55): Players report poor LAN performance and general server issues, leading to a subpar multiplayer experience.
- Frequent crashes and stuttering (weight 0.31): The game experiences frequent crashes and stuttering, although there are no reports of mid-game crashes.
- Game optimization issues (weight 0.31): Despite some positive feedback on optimization, there are significant reports of poor optimization, especially with multiple units causing lag.
- Mixed multiplayer experiences (weight 0.28): While some players report smooth multiplayer experiences, others highlight significant issues, indicating inconsistency in multiplayer performance.
- Specific gameplay bugs (weight 0.18): There are specific bugs reported with troop towers and tree houses not producing wood, affecting gameplay mechanics.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for strategy fans (weight 0.33): The game is highly recommended for fans of strategy games, particularly those who enjoy RTS and Age of Empires.
- Enjoyable with friends (weight 0.26): Playing the game with friends enhances the experience, making it a great choice for multiplayer sessions.
- Highly recommended (weight 0.18): The game comes with a strong recommendation from players, indicating high satisfaction.
- Accessible and satisfying (weight 0.11): The game is accessible to newcomers while still offering strategic depth for seasoned players.
- Recommended for content and multiplayer (weight 0.11): The game is recommended due to its content and the addition of multiplayer features.
- Worth buying for entertainment (weight 0.11): The game is considered a good purchase for its entertainment value.
- Streamlined RTS alternative (weight 0.11): The game provides a focused and streamlined alternative to more complex RTS titles.
- Needs improvements and original content (weight 0.1): Players suggest that the game could benefit from improvements and more original content.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.17): Players experience frustration primarily due to high latency and poor multiplayer performance, which significantly impacts the gameplay experience. Additionally, bugs, gameplay mechanics, and high difficulty levels contribute to this frustration, as players struggle with game balance, AI behavior, and unexpected losses.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.12): Players find satisfaction in the game's good value for money and entertaining gameplay. The strategic depth, replayability, and enjoyable cooperative experiences, along with positive updates and variety in factions and units, contribute to this satisfaction.
- Disappointment (weight 0.08): Disappointment stems from the lack of creative workshop and limited content, leading to repetitive gameplay. Players also express dissatisfaction with the lack of multiplayer options, poor AI quality, and unmet expectations, resulting in a sense of monotony and reduced enjoyment.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.08): Enjoyment is derived from the fun and strategic gameplay, especially when playing with friends. The cooperative and multiplayer experiences, along with the game's design and accessible mechanics, contribute to a positive and engaging gameplay experience.
- Frustrated (weight 0.08): Players feel frustrated due to slow character unlocking and issues in the later stages of the game. High latency, poor multiplayer experience, server issues, and AI behavior problems further exacerbate this frustration, making the gameplay less enjoyable.
- Joy (weight 0.06): Joy comes from the game's fun and strategic depth, which players find enjoyable. Playing with friends in cooperative mode enhances this joy, creating a positive and engaging social experience.
- Excitement (weight 0.05): Excitement is generated by the game's unique mechanics and the variety of content available. The enjoyable co-op mode and the diversity of army types add to the thrill, making the gameplay experience more engaging and dynamic.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.05): Nostalgia is evoked by comparisons to previous games in the series and classic strategy games. Long-time fans of the series appreciate the reminders of past experiences, which bring a sense of familiarity and fond memories.
- Positive (weight 0.04): Players feel positive due to the game's realistic feel and enjoyable RTS gameplay. The variety of units and the game's playability contribute to a satisfying and engaging experience, making it easy to recommend.
- Excited (weight 0.04): Excitement is driven by the strategic gameplay and the variety of game modes available. The positive experiences with the game's content and multiplayer options enhance this excitement, making the gameplay more thrilling.
- Satisfied (weight 0.04): Satisfaction comes from the game's stable gameplay and quality of life improvements. The enjoyable gameplay, art style, and high completion rates contribute to a fulfilling and high-quality gaming experience.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.03): Enthusiasm is sparked by the variety of factions, creatures, and game modes available. The positive gameplay experience and the diversity of content keep players engaged and eager to explore more.
- Happy (weight 0.03): Happiness is derived from the fun and addictive gameplay, especially when playing with friends. The improvements and additions to the game enhance this happiness, creating a more enjoyable and engaging experience.
- Happiness (weight 0.02): Happiness is evoked by positive childhood memories associated with the game. Unlocking characters and bosses adds to this joy, creating a sense of accomplishment and nostalgia.
- Contentment (weight 0.02): Contentment comes from the game being worth the price and having few bugs. This value for money and the lack of significant issues contribute to a satisfying and enjoyable gaming experience.
- Anger (weight 0.01): Anger is caused by AI behavior issues and unfair gameplay mechanics. Players are also frustrated with the game being a rehash with minimal changes and a high price, leading to a sense of being cheated.
- Relaxed (weight 0.01): Players feel relaxed due to the game's relaxing gameplay, especially when playing with friends. This social and low-stress experience contributes to a calming and enjoyable atmosphere.}