Info about Age of Wonders 4:

Official game description:
Expansion Pass 2
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About the Game
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Rule a fantasy realm of your own design in **Age of Wonders 4**! Explore new magical realms in Age of Wonders’ signature blend of 4X strategy and turn-based tactical combat. Control a faction that grows and changes as you expand your empire with each turn.  
Triumph Studios’ award-winning strategy series has emerged into a new age, evolving the game’s iconic empire building, role-playing, and warfare to the next level. A new storytelling event system and hugely customizable empires provide an endlessly replayable experience, where each game adds a new chapter to your ever-growing saga.  
Powerful Wizard Kings have returned to the realms to reign as gods among mortals. Claim and master the Tomes of Magic to evolve your people, and prepare for an epic battle that will determine the ages to come.  
*   Craft your followers by combining bodily forms, societal traits and arcane powers. Build anything from a clan of cannibal halflings to mystic moon elves, or recreate your favorite fantasy tropes  
*   Seek powerful tomes of magic to enchant your armies and evolve your people! See your people physically change as they morph into angelic beings or scions of chaos to face their enemies.  
*   Seek glory through brutal domination, cunning alliances, or ultimate arcane knowledge, and write your legacy into the very fabric of the realm itself!
*   Every choice opens up new possibilities and tactical advantages; deep, multilayered strategy allows you to try new tactics or explore new powers at every turn  
*   Tactical turn-based battles bring your armies to life, showcasing their power in an environment shaped by your decisions. From skirmishes with roaming monsters to vast sieges with dozens of units on each side, with the addition of a morale system and more features, every battle brings a fresh challenge  
*   Tremendous variety in empires, units, and environments keep the game endlessly replayable. Age of Wonders is more moddable and open-ended than ever in the series’ history
*   Explore a new realm with each game - or create your own! Challenge new variations and combinations of locations and features, from frozen wastelands ruled by ice queens to desolated ruins where dragons roam  
*   A new event system provides unexpected levels of storytelling for 4X games. See your decisions shape the world around you, from growing cities and roaming armies to world-warping magic effects  
*   Guide your empire to greatness - but the story doesn’t end with your victory or defeat! Ascend your rulers to an in-game pantheon and unlock ways to further customize your experience. Encounter your own creations as potential rivals or allies in subsequent games, and experience the next chapter in your own story!

Release date: 2 May, 2023

Categories: 4X, Turn-based Strategy, Tactical Combat, Empire Building, RPG, Character Customization, Exploration, Mod Support


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


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:
- Extensive, visually appealing customization (weight 0.97): The game offers extensive customization options for factions, races, and leaders, allowing players to create unique and personalized experiences. This high degree of customization significantly enhances replayability, as players can experiment with different combinations and create their own fantasy worlds. The visuals are also appealing, with detailed units and environments.
- High freedom and flexible gameplay (weight 0.9): The game provides players with a high degree of freedom and flexibility in shaping their gameplay experience.  This includes diverse playstyles, strategic choices, and the ability to create unique stories within the game world.  The game's mechanics support experimentation and reward creative approaches to gameplay.
- Engaging, deep, and balanced gameplay (weight 0.87): The game is praised for its engaging gameplay loop, depth, and balance, drawing comparisons to genre-defining titles like Civilization and Heroes of Might and Magic. Reviewers appreciate its accessibility, strategic combat, and the way it blends 4X and RPG elements. Many consider it a standout title in the genre, improving upon previous entries in the series.
- Active development and meaningful DLC (weight 0.27): The developers are dedicated to improving the game through frequent updates and DLC releases, adding meaningful content and features. These additions enhance the game's depth, variety, and replayability, without making the DLC feel essential for enjoyment. The developers also actively listen to community feedback and incorporate it into the game.
- Engaging story and Pantheon progression (weight 0.19): The game features enjoyable story missions and campaigns that offer multiple endings and encourage experimentation with different playstyles. The Pantheon mechanic adds a sense of progression and long-term motivation, allowing players to retain their equipment, powers, and race modifications when adding leaders to the pantheon.
- Creative and strategic magic system (weight 0.15): The game's magic system is a standout feature, adding strategic depth and dynamic elements to battles. Players can learn specific magic through tomes, unlocking spells and creating different combinations. The magic system also allows for unit upgrades and transformations, visually reflected on units and heroes.
- Well-executed fantasy roleplaying options (weight 0.13): The game's fantasy setting and roleplay options are well-executed, allowing players to create and customize factions with creative depth. The ability to design races and combine different troops, magic, and victory styles makes each session unique. The game is praised for its play balancing and the dynamic interactions between created factions.
- Immersive audio and high replayability (weight 0.1): The game features a thematically coherent and enjoyable soundtrack that complements the gameplay. The audio design effectively pulls players into the fantasy world, enhancing the atmosphere and immersion. The game also offers significant replay value and merges beloved mechanics into a single experience.
- Balanced and varied map generation (weight 0.08): The game features a map generation system that is now much more balanced, with interesting maps to explore that encourage expansion and discovery. The variety of maps enriches the game's exploration mechanics, with different map designs for new discoveries. The game has improved significantly over the past year, with balance adjustments and helpful features.
- Mod support and well-integrated systems (weight 0.07): The game has a workshop where many missing elements are available as mods, adding depth to the RPG strategy elements. The reviewer appreciates the complex and well-integrated systems, highlighting the governance mechanic as a solid addition. The reviewer has enjoyed the game's DLCs and purchased the season pass for future content.
- Interesting empire-building with replayability (weight 0.07): The game has decent replayability with interesting society combinations to try and is intense and concise compared to other Paradox games. The game is an interesting empire-building game with many elements similar to the Civilization games. The game is a worthy successor to the first part, allowing players to realize their potential as a strategist, businessman, and diplomat.

Common complaints:
- AI cheats and is inept (weight 0.39): The AI is frequently criticized for cheating, exhibiting poor tactical decision-making, and receiving unfair advantages. This behavior diminishes the sense of playing against a comparable opponent and leads to frustration. Some reviewers noted the AI's tendency to spam units and focus disproportionately on the player, even when at war with other AI factions.
- Combat is tedious or simplistic (weight 0.38): Combat is criticized for being either too simplistic or tedious, with some reviewers relying on auto-resolve due to time constraints or repetitive engagements. Battles can feel like puzzle games due to the need to solve sequencing issues to avoid bottlenecks. The AI's constant army production leads to repetitive tactical battles.
- Expensive game and DLC (weight 0.29): The game and its DLC are considered expensive, with some reviewers feeling the base game is incomplete without purchasing additional content. The high cost of DLC, combined with the perception that it's essential for a complete experience, is a significant drawback for many players. Some reviewers feel that the developers are focusing on DLC instead of fixing existing issues.
- Repetitive, boring late-game (weight 0.27): The late game becomes repetitive and boring, with choices feeling inconsequential and the AI failing to provide a meaningful challenge. The game lacks a compelling long-term campaign and suffers from balance issues, with some builds being significantly stronger than others. Some reviewers also noted that the game pushes out overpriced DLC without addressing existing issues.
- Frequent crashes and instability (weight 0.2): Many players report frequent crashes, freezes, and other technical issues that severely impact the game's playability. These issues occur across various hardware configurations and can persist despite troubleshooting efforts. The frequency and severity of these crashes make the game unplayable for some users.
- Unstable multiplayer, desync issues (weight 0.2): Multiplayer mode is plagued by desynchronization issues, connection problems, and crashes, making it unstable and often unplayable. These issues have persisted since the game's launch, with limited improvements despite updates. The flawed netcode and server-based save system contribute to a frustrating multiplayer experience.
- Weak, generic story/narrative (weight 0.1): The game's story is considered weak, generic, and uninspired, with a lack of depth and engaging narrative. Some reviewers feel the game lacks a true campaign and that the story is more of a backdrop for gameplay than a strong central narrative. The game also lacks the feel and identity of previous Age of Wonders titles.
- Races/cultures lack uniqueness (weight 0.09): The game's culture and race systems are criticized for lacking distinctiveness, with races feeling generic and homogenized. The flexible race customization removes the uniqueness of races, as the choice only affects appearance. Some reviewers wish for more visual diversity among units and more customization options for factions.
- Overwhelming for new players (weight 0.08): New players may find the game overwhelming due to its complexity, numerous mechanics, and inadequate tutorials. The game's rules can feel complicated, and a significant amount of time is needed to understand the basics. The expansions add further depth but also introduce more rules that can exacerbate this issue.
- Lacks QoL, poor optimization (weight 0.06): The game is criticized for lacking quality-of-life improvements and being poorly optimized. Some reviewers feel that the developers are not addressing these issues. The game also lacks an option to choose spawn points in custom realms, forcing players to always spawn in the center of the map.
- Uninspired, generic maps (weight 0.06): The randomly generated maps lack unique landmarks and a sense of exploration compared to previous Age of Wonders games. Some reviewers miss specific features from earlier titles, such as treasure sites and visit structures, which made city placement more rewarding. The game also lacks a map editor.
- Poor localization quality (weight 0.05): The game suffers from poor localization in several languages, including Russian, Polish, and Japanese, with numerous errors and typos. The poor localization is especially difficult to excuse given that it is over a year after the game's release. Some reviewers noted that the translation can be misleading in some places.
- Uninspired empire/city building (weight 0.05): The empire building system lacks uniqueness, with buildings feeling copy-pasted across different empires. City building feels the same as other games. The game also copies mechanics from Endless Legend but makes it impossible to keep everyone happy when building all allowed districts, punishing players for progressing.
- Inconsistent difficulty, poor tutorial (weight 0.04): The game's difficulty is inconsistent, with some factions being much harder than others, creating an imbalance. Some missions have difficulty spikes, particularly around the third mission. The tutorial is also lacking, with either a total lack of explanation or gross over-explaining of certain aspects.
- Poor diplomacy with free cities (weight 0.04): Diplomacy, especially with free cities, is the weakest aspect of the game. Free Cities declare war on the player very early, forcing the player to eradicate them with no peace possible for 10 turns. Sudden and unfair changes in relations with free cities occur when an AI vassalizes them, instantly turning previously good relations sour and making diplomatic efforts useless.
- Long turn times, requires patience (weight 0.03): The game requires a lot of patience due to the turn-based preparation needed for various actions. The time between turns can become very long as a game progresses, especially on large maps or with many players. Late-game turns on the world map take a long time.
- Unstable, boring multiplayer loop (weight 0.02): This point is based on a small number of reviews and contains some emotional language. The game is designed to restart each time as a multiplayer loop, which the reviewer finds boring. The reviewer has not been able to connect to the multiplayer servers.

Gameplay feedback:
- Combines 4X, RPG, and TBS (weight 0.24): The game combines elements from Civilization, Heroes of Might and Magic, Total War, and XCOM, offering a blend of 4X strategy, turn-based combat, and RPG mechanics. Players manage cities, explore the world map, engage in diplomacy, research technologies (tomes), and command armies in tactical battles. The turn-based gameplay allows players to progress at their own pace.
- Magic system via researchable tomes (weight 0.08): Magic is a core element, learned through tomes that act as technology trees. These tomes provide spells, city buildings, and unit upgrades, significantly impacting faction playstyle and appearance. Players can adapt their strategies by changing magic books, allowing for flexible gameplay based on the map or situation.
- Focus on tactical, turn-based combat (weight 0.08): The game emphasizes tactical combat, with strategic gameplay feeding into the battles. Combat is turn-based on separate maps, where unit positioning, flanking, and leveraging strengths are crucial. While empire management is present, the focus leans more towards military advancement and large-scale magical engagements.
- Poor AI in auto-combat (weight 0.04): The AI in auto-combat is not very good, leading to inefficient unit usage and losses. Auto-battle follows a predictable algorithm, producing consistent outcomes. Many faction strategies do not function in auto-combat, as unit abilities and spells are not used effectively.
- Unengaging city siege mechanics (weight 0.03): City attacks lack engaging mechanics, with sieges feeling similar to regular fights. The AI doesn't create specific defending compositions, and battles are restricted to a maximum of 3v3, limiting the scale of engagements. City, empire, and ruler progressions feel inconsequential.
- Fantasy theme, customizable maps (weight 0.03): The game is set in a general fantasy theme and features customizable maps with options for geographical aspects, city types, additional challenges, and main quests. Maps contain rivals, free cities, resources, and dungeons with bonuses. The game can present unexpected events like heroes seeking guidance or neighboring rulers declaring war.
- Wide selection of units/heroes (weight 0.02): The game offers a wide selection of units, creatures, and heroes. Each race has a similar set of units, including mages, tanks, archers, and buffers. Battles can involve up to 18 units per side, allowing for large-scale engagements.
- Multi-layered, customizable maps (weight 0.02): The game features multi-layered maps, including a surface, an underground realm, and the Abyss (requires DLC). These layers expand the playable area and introduce new mechanics, dangers, and exotic locations. Maps are procedurally generated and customizable, offering diverse challenges and climates.
- Pantheon system for persistent bonuses (weight 0.02): The Pantheon system allows characters who have won a game to gain a unique trait that can be used in future games. Winning matches or completing games levels up the Pantheon, where finished heroes can aid in future fights. The Pantheon system offers more customization options.
- Limited city number, vassalage system (weight 0.02): The game limits the number of cities under direct control, with penalties to the economy for exceeding the limit. However, the number of vassals is not limited. This system prevents late-game city management from becoming tedious.
- City buildings, province bonuses (weight 0.02): Buildings within the city are reskins for food/production based on cultural affinity, built according to province bonuses. There are many buildings with specific requirements, preventing cities from having the same set of buildings. Core city buildings require specific numbers of certain improvements, creating a balance game for desired yields.
- Streamlined micromanagement, more story (weight 0.02): The game streamlines many micromanagement aspects that were cumbersome in previous entries. The game has more story elements compared to previous installments. The game features less randomness compared to previous installments.

Performance notes:
- Frequent crashes and performance issues (weight 0.14): Many players report frequent crashes, freezes, and performance drops, especially in late-game scenarios, large battles, or after installing DLC. Some suggest disabling specific settings or updating drivers as potential workarounds, while others note that frequent autosaves can mitigate the impact of crashes.
- High CPU/GPU usage, overheating (weight 0.09): The game is resource-intensive, leading to high CPU and GPU usage, causing overheating and loud fan noise, even on mid-range to high-end PCs. Some players have reported needing to lower graphics settings or resolution to maintain stable performance.
- Long turn times, especially late-game (weight 0.09): Players have reported long turn times, especially on larger maps and in the late game, which can disrupt the flow of gameplay. While simultaneous turn mode can help, some have encountered a bug where the 'next turn' button becomes unresponsive.
- Mixed opinions on visual quality (weight 0.09): While some find the graphics visually appealing, others describe them as unoriginal or only adequate. Some players have reported excessive fog, shadows, and blurriness that make it difficult to distinguish units.
- Generally good on Steam Deck (weight 0.02): The game generally runs well on Steam Deck, though some users have experienced frame stutters during character creation or found the graphics blurry on medium settings. Ultra settings look good but may not be sustainable in later stages.
- Disabling shadows improves performance (weight 0.01): Turning off shadows or disabling GPU sync can improve performance by reducing the load on the hardware.
- Minor visual clipping issues (weight 0.01): Some players have noticed minor visual clipping issues with capes, helmets, and other visual elements, which can be distracting but don't significantly impact gameplay.
- Excessive effects slow battles (weight 0): Units that apply many effects on their abilities or hits slow down the pace of the fight, making battles longer.
- Cutscene ultrawide issues (weight 0): The opening sprite-based cutscene does not support ultrawide resolutions and runs poorly on some systems.
- Texture lagging issues (weight 0): Some players have experienced texture lagging issues.

Recommendations:
- Highly recommended 4X fantasy experience (weight 0.94): Many reviewers recommend Age of Wonders 4, citing its engaging gameplay, replayability, and unique blend of 4X strategy and RPG elements. Some consider it a must-have for fans of the genre, while others suggest it as a good entry point for newcomers. Reviewers often praise the game's customization options and the ability to create unique fantasy realms.
- Wait for sale, mixed feelings (weight 0.45): While many recommend the game, some suggest waiting for a sale due to concerns about the full price. These reviewers often mention technical issues, balance problems, or a perceived lack of content as reasons for their hesitation. Some reviewers express mixed feelings, acknowledging the game's potential but noting flaws that prevent a full recommendation at full price.
- Multiplayer issues persist, avoid co-op (weight 0.42): Several reviewers mention issues with multiplayer, such as desynchronization problems and the lack of a turn reload feature. These issues lead some to advise against purchasing the game for co-op or casual multiplayer. Some reviewers specifically recommend the game for single-player only, highlighting the contrast in experience.
- Compared to Heroes, Civilization, Planetfall (weight 0.06): Some reviewers draw comparisons to other games in the genre, particularly Heroes of Might and Magic and Civilization. Some suggest that Age of Wonders 4 fills the void left by older Heroes of Might and Magic titles, while others recommend it to fans of Civilization who want a fantasy twist. A few reviewers, however, express a preference for older Age of Wonders games or other strategy titles like Planetfall.
- Deep faction customization, meta-progression (weight 0.03): Reviewers praise the game's robust customization options, particularly the faction system and Pantheon system, which add meta-progression and keep players invested. They recommend the game to those who enjoy creating unique factions, armies, and hero builds. This point highlights the game's appeal to players who value personalization and creative expression.
- AI cheating is a drawback (weight 0.01): Some reviewers mention that the AI is cheating, which is a significant drawback. They recommend playing on medium or large maps to avoid tedious gameplay without using cheats. This point focuses on the AI's behavior and its impact on the gameplay experience.
- Triumph Studios did a good job (weight 0.01): Reviewers praise Triumph Studios for creating a masterpiece and doing a good job creating this game. They also mention that the pre-release guide videos from Triumph Studios are a great way to learn the game mechanics. This point focuses on the development team's efforts and their success in creating a quality game.

Other player notes:
- Active development and community engagement (weight 0.09): The developers actively support the game with frequent patches, updates, and DLC, and they engage with the community on platforms like Discord and through live streams. This ongoing support and communication foster a positive player experience and suggest a long-term commitment to the game.
- Extensive DLC and future content (weight 0.08): The game features extensive DLC content, with players anticipating and purchasing expansions to enhance their experience. The base game provides substantial content, and future updates and DLC are expected, indicating a long-term content roadmap.
- Mix of AoW 3 and Planetfall (weight 0.03): The game borrows heavily from Planetfall. There isn't as much canon lore in AoW4 since the conflict is so variable.
- Unique multiverse and godhood concept (weight 0.02): The game features a multiverse concept where players can become gods, explore randomly generated worlds, and experience unique personal stories. The 'Godirs' system adds another layer, allowing players to ascend heroes and gain unique bonuses.
- Lacks franchise identity/authenticity (weight 0.02): Some reviewers feel the game lacks a distinct identity and atmosphere, potentially sacrificing authenticity to appeal to a broader audience. This concern suggests a shift away from the core elements that defined previous installments.
- Similar to Total War/Stellaris (weight 0.01): Reviewers draw comparisons to other strategy games like Total War and Stellaris, highlighting similarities in gameplay mechanics and setting. This helps players familiar with those franchises understand the game's core elements.
- Races lack unique characteristics (weight 0.01): Some reviewers criticize the races for being reskins, lacking unique characteristics or units. This suggests a lack of meaningful differentiation between races, impacting strategic diversity.
- Community divided; snowball gameplay (weight 0.01): The game's community is divided between hardcore players who optimize battles and casual players who use auto-battle. The core gameplay revolves around clearing map monsters for resources, which can lead to a snowball effect.
- Mediocre music and sound (weight 0.01): The music and sound design are considered mediocre by some reviewers. This suggests that the audio elements do not significantly enhance the overall gaming experience.
- Detailed settings, lacking landscape detail (weight 0.01): The game has detailed settings for many things, but lacks detail in map landscapes. The game tries to appear more complex than it is, with race construction, unit templates, global modifiers, enchantments, and terraforming.

Emotions:
No emotions}