Info about Rebel Inc: Escalation - Dollars & Disasters:

Official game description:
Rebel Inc.'s explosive new expansion! Survive an erupting volcano in Devil's Peak, burn through money with The Billionaire, enhance your tactics with new Special Advisors and explore exciting new Official Scenarios.
New Region! - Devil's Peak
--------------------------
Devil's Peak, a giant volcano, is erupting and the region is counting on you to save as many people as possible! Defeat an insurgency with lava hot on your heels.  
You'll be fighting to stabilise Devil's Peak, but zones are under constant threat from devastating destructive forces - at any moment they could explode! Manage evacuations, travel restrictions, scientific expeditions and more in this explosive new region.
New Governor! - The Billionaire
-------------------------------
After bragging he could sort this situation out himself, he's putting his money where his mouth is. The Billionaire is ready to bring peace to every region! Bribe insurgents, invest funds, bring in your own charity and throw money at every problem that appears.
Special Advisors
----------------
Hire powerful new advisors for your operation, they'll provide incredible benefits but demand a high salary! From ministers, to engineers and even drone controlling robots, with 18 new advisors you'll have more tactical options than ever.
Scenarios
---------
Things are heating up in the world of the Official Scenarios too with vicious droughts, magical lamps and deadly outbreaks, can you prevail in these disastrous times?
The Airlift
-----------
Insurgents have cut off access to Mountain Pass! With no way to break through, aircraft around the world have been mobilised to fly in everything the Operation needs.  
Await Airdrops, choose supplies carefully and defeat the blockade.
Orbital Uplink
--------------
The Satellite Commander, a woman of the future, dislikes traditional intelligence gathering, preferring to use a powerful (and expensive) network of spy satellites that provide permanent intel on scanned zones.  
Gather intel zone-by-zone and upgrade the satellites to get the ultimate view of a region.
The Great Droughts
------------------
Extreme weather is causing the rivers to regularly dry up in Pistachio Forest.  
During droughts, dry river beds can be crossed by Insurgents and Operation forces without restriction. The heat is on...
The Genie's Curse
-----------------
Some say the desert harbours ancient and powerful relics, granting wishes at a terrible cost... Hunt for the magic lamps before they can be used by the Insurgency.  
Can you become all-powerful? Or will you be cursed for eternity?
Before the Storm
----------------
Scientists are concerned about reports of seismic activity on a fault line which leads to a volcano. Geological survey teams have been dispatched to ascertain what's happening.  
Gather geological data with science teams while fending off the Insurgents to discover what's coming...

Release date: Feb 13, 2023

Categories: Grand Strategy, Real-time with Pause, Management Simulation, Resource Management, Counter-Insurgency, Scenario-based Gameplay, Multiple Victory Conditions


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: N/A
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: 0.3h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The first quote directly reports a single DLC map being completed in about 20 minutes during one session, supporting a sessionLength of roughly 0.33 hours. The second quote shows a very short failed run of about five minutes, but it is too failure-specific to establish an average. No review reports full DLC completion, story completion, or endgame duration, so gameCompletion, storyCompletion, and endgame are left null.
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes:
  - Base-Game Loyalist (buy)
    - Motivation: To support the developers and get more content for a game they already enjoy.
    - Playstyle: Buys DLC after enjoying the base game and evaluates it as an extension of that experience.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Strategic Systems Tinkerer (buy)
    - Motivation: To master military and advisor systems and suppress insurgents efficiently.
    - Playstyle: Plays at maximum speed, builds dense garrison and national soldier coverage, and experiments with new tools and advisor effects.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Co-op Campaign Seeker (no buy)
    - Motivation: To play a campaign cooperatively with a friend.
    - Playstyle: Plans shared campaign sessions and expects advertised online co-op features to work.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Value-Conscious Newcomer (no buy)
    - Motivation: To get worthwhile content at a fair price without moving beyond the base game.
    - Playstyle: Sticks to the base game, compares DLC value to price, and avoids extra purchases unless clearly worthwhile.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A


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:
- New map offers fresh gameplay (weight 0.97): The new map, including Devil's Peak and Teufelsberg, is frequently described as fun, interesting, and challenging, with unique mechanics that require new strategies.
- Billionaire governor changes gameplay (weight 0.92): The Billionaire governor is highly praised for its unique money-based mechanics, making it feel distinct from other governors and adding a fresh strategic layer.
- New scenarios are fun and clever (weight 0.89): The added scenarios, including story-driven ones and the genie scenario, are considered enjoyable, clever, and worth replaying.
- Advisors add powerful advantages (weight 0.76): New advisors provide significant benefits, such as extending deployment time or enabling targeted garrisons, and are considered strong additions.
- Billionaire's money-based tactics are fun (weight 0.68): Players enjoy the humorous and unique tactics of throwing money at rebels and using financial power to solve problems.
- DLC expands base game well (weight 0.64): Reviewers consistently praise the DLC for enhancing and expanding the core game experience, calling it a great and worthwhile addition.
- Money and disaster management refresh (weight 0.48): The introduction of financial resource management and natural disasters adds a new dimension to the game, making it more challenging and realistic.
- New map mechanics require replanning (weight 0.34): The new maps introduce challenges like volcano eruptions and satellite monitoring that force players to adapt their troop movements and strategies.
- Volcano map is liked (weight 0.31): The volcano map is specifically mentioned as cool and preferred over the oil digging map by some.
- Game teaches strategy and communication (weight 0.26): Players note that the game develops tactics and teaches communication, monitoring inflation and corruption.
- Soundtrack enhances immersion (weight 0.2): The soundtrack, especially on Devil's Peak, is praised for adding atmosphere and immersion to the experience.
- DLC not pay-to-win (weight 0.2): The Billionaire governor and advisors are not available online and lack national troops, so they do not create a pay-to-win advantage.
- Content is worth the price (weight 0.2): Reviewers feel the DLC offers good value for the content provided, with decent pricing.
- Rebels behave unusually (weight 0.17): Some players observe that rebels run back and forth or do not flee, which can be amusing or strange.
- Multiplayer increases longevity (weight 0.11): The multiplayer mode adds replay value and enables friendly competition.
- Some scenarios feel simpler (weight 0.1): A few players find the new content simpler than previous additions like oil drilling, though still enjoyable.
- Reviewer enjoyed despite difficulty (weight 0.1): One reviewer had fun playing even though the game was difficult.
- Billionaire described visually (weight 0.1): The Billionaire is depicted as a man in a black suit with a pistol and a suitcase full of money, adding character.

Common complaints:
- DLC considered overpriced (weight 0.64): Many players feel the DLC is too expensive relative to the content provided, especially compared with the base game price. The USD conversion makes it about 50% more expensive than the listed price, and there is no free window.
- Scenarios lack fun and replayability (weight 0.58): Several scenarios are unmemorable, luck-dependent, or disappointing, such as the millionaire, crossover, airdrop, drought, and volcano scenarios. The satellite scenario is enjoyable but less impressive than the genie scenario.
- Devil's Peak map criticized (weight 0.5): The new map Devil's Peak is described as unfair, stupidly difficult, and poorly made, with model issues when flipped. Some players cannot play it at all, and it can be finished in 20 minutes on hard with the billionaire.
- Advisors have negative impact (weight 0.42): New advisors come with downsides such as taking away from the player's budget, and they generate corruption, leading to instability and rebel rampage. They feel like rehashed tactics with only a few interesting ones.
- Billionaire governor overpowered and unbalanced (weight 0.37): The billionaire governor is considered pay-to-win and breaks game balance, allowing players to buy everything with negative balance and generate money easily. It is like a better banker: invest 10, wait, and withdraw 40 or more.
- Billionaire governor weak at high difficulty (weight 0.36): At high difficulty, the billionaire governor is weak and wastes money, with money dropping by -3 or -4. Livelihood funds are taken by three experts and given to rebels, and the governor lacks fortresses and green army.
- Bribery mechanics ineffective and costly (weight 0.29): Bribing insurgents yields no benefit, as all economy and military funds get spent on bribery, and bribed insurgents dissolve slower than they spread. This makes the mechanic frustrating and unrewarding.
- Billionaire not available in multiplayer (weight 0.2): The billionaire governor cannot be selected in multiplayer mode, limiting its use in cooperative play.
- Overall negative reception (weight 0.2): Some players consider the game bad overall, and the DLC partially ruins the game, according to feedback.
- Learning curve intimidating for new players (weight 0.18): The new gameplay elements make the learning curve steep for newcomers, and the game is considered too hard by some.
- DLC falsely advertises online co-op (weight 0.13): The DLC is labeled as having Online Co-Op but does not actually include online co-op, misleading buyers.
- Gameplay balance broken by DLC (weight 0.12): The DLC breaks the game's balance through governors and advisors, with the billionaire being overpowered and advisors causing corruption.
- New advisors unlocked immediately (weight 0.12): Advisors are unlocked from the start instead of through gameplay, which reduces progression and makes them feel less rewarding.
- New characters weaker than starter (weight 0.11): Newly unlocked characters are weaker than the starting leader, making progression feel unrewarding.
- Billionaire as governor criticized (weight 0.1): The choice to design the billionaire as a governor is criticized, as it feels out of place and unbalanced.

Gameplay feedback:
- New Volcano Map Added (weight 0.81): The DLC introduces a new map called Devil's Peak, featuring a volcano with eruption mechanics. Players can use eruptions to destroy rebels, but must evacuate the population to avoid support loss.
- Billionaire Governor Introduced (weight 0.76): A new governor called the Billionaire uses money to solve problems, with unique mechanics like investments, charity, and bribing insurgents. He lacks national troops and is not available in multiplayer.
- New Advisors Added (weight 0.62): The DLC adds 18 new advisors, unlocked by default, with both positive effects and budget downsides. Some allow manual control of buildings and strikes, while others benefit experienced players.
- New Scenarios Included (weight 0.5): The expansion includes multiple new story scenarios such as airdrop, desert genie, volcano expedition, drought, and satellite monitoring. These scenarios vary in fun and replayability due to RNG elements.
- DLC Focus on Economy and Disasters (weight 0.44): The DLC focuses on managing money and dealing with disasters, introducing inflation, corruption, and natural disasters as new challenges.
- Online Mode Restrictions (weight 0.42): Multiplayer mode restricts character selection, excluding the Billionaire and DLC advisors. The DLC is labelled as supporting online co-op campaign play, but some content is not available.
- Bribe Insurgents with Money (weight 0.37): Players can pay insurgents to dissolve them or bribe rebels using money, offering an alternative to combat. This mechanic is central to the Billionaire's playstyle.
- Billionaire Investment Mechanic (weight 0.29): The Billionaire can invest in his own company for value growth over time, multiplying money. This mechanic turns the game into a strategic economy management challenge.
- Volcano Map Difficulty (weight 0.29): The new map's difficulty is roughly between Pistachio Forest and Gold Sands, with challenges requiring troop movement replanning. Volcanic eruptions have minimal impact; difficulty mainly comes from poor terrain and city placement.
- Genie Scenario Chaos (weight 0.28): The genie scenario can result in everything running at max speed, even in menus, and can fill half the map with garrisons and national soldiers while insurgents remain a menace. It offers high-cost high-reward wishes.
- Billionaire Charity and Inflation (weight 0.21): The Billionaire uses charity to fund initiatives but raises inflation instead of corruption. This creates a unique economic challenge compared to other governors.
- Billionaire's Unique Military (weight 0.21): The Billionaire uses three blue coalition experts and lacks fortresses and green army. He can send money-throwing people at insurgents in limited numbers.
- Scenario Creator Supports DLC (weight 0.2): The scenario creator tool now supports DLC content, allowing players to create custom scenarios using the new assets.
- Volcano Evacuation Mechanic (weight 0.2): The volcano requires evacuating the population using soldiers or money, otherwise support drops and rebels appear. Researching the volcano provides information about eruptions in advance.
- Airstrikes and Volcano Abilities (weight 0.2): Airstrikes are powerful but not precise and can be used on cooldown. The Volcano ability creates an eruption zone that can be used to destroy rebels.
- Random Encounters for Billionaire (weight 0.12): Random encounters like a university building and driver strike give the Billionaire bonuses, adding variability to his gameplay.
- Negative Balance Mechanic (weight 0.12): The game includes a negative balance mechanic that allows buying everything, adding flexibility but requiring careful financial management.
- New Characters Unlock Progressively (weight 0.12): New characters are unlocked progressively, with the starting leader being the first, encouraging players to play through the content.
- War Hero Advisor Effect (weight 0.12): The War Hero advisor extends coalition soldiers' deployment time on wins, providing a tactical advantage.
- Airdrop Scenario Luck-Based (weight 0.11): The airdrop scenario relies heavily on luck, affecting replayability and fun.

Performance notes:
- Persistent lag after reinstall (weight 0.12): Players report severe lag that appears suddenly and continues even after deleting and reinstalling the game. The issue affects playability and is not resolved by standard troubleshooting.

Recommendations:
- DLC worthwhile for base game fans (weight 0.51): Many reviewers recommend the DLC for players who enjoyed the base game, calling it worth the investment and a great addition.
- Buy on sale or discount (weight 0.28): Several users suggest waiting for a sale, as the DLC is worth buying especially at a reduced price.
- Recommended for new challenges (weight 0.28): Players seeking new challenges, variation, or helpful tools find the DLC recommended.
- Not recommended due to balance issues (weight 0.2): Some reviewers advise against buying, citing broken balance and stating the DLC is not necessary.
- Refund requested for unplayable game (weight 0.2): A few users report the game cannot be played normally and request a refund, considering it not worth the price.
- Buy only to support developers (weight 0.19): Some recommend purchasing only if you want to tip the developers or are a huge fan of Rebel Inc or Ndemic.
- New players should focus base game (weight 0.11): Newcomers are advised to focus on the base game first rather than the DLC.
- Price may deter casual players (weight 0.1): Casual players might be put off by the DLC's price, affecting its accessibility.

Other player notes:
- DLC content overview (weight 0.5): The expansion adds a new advisor, a map, and scenarios as part of the DLC. It includes a new president and 18 advisors, a map, a governor, and several story scenarios.
- Pricing concerns (weight 0.36): Reviewers feel the DLC is sold as a paid addition with a price considered high relative to the base game and its content. The price has increased compared to previous expansions and there is no free window.
- Millionaire governor and Devil's Peak (weight 0.2): The DLC features the Millionaire governor (also called billionaire governor) and the Devil's Peak map, which is a volcano map.
- DLC name and scope (weight 0.2): The DLC is named Dollars & Disasters and expands the main game with many new elements.
- Refund requests (weight 0.17): Some reviewers requested a refund for the DLC.
- Advertised online co-op feature (weight 0.11): The DLC is advertised as having an Online Co-Op feature, but reviews may discuss its implementation.
- Short additional playtime (weight 0.11): The DLC adds roughly three hours of additional playtime, which some may find short.
- Integrated into scenario creator (weight 0.1): DLC content has been integrated into the scenario creator, allowing for custom scenarios.
- Advisors overpowered comparison (weight 0.1): Starting with the new advisors is compared to starting Elden Ring with the best weapon and 100,000 runes, implying they are overpowered.
- USD price discrepancy (weight 0.1): The USD conversion price is about 50% higher than the current listed price at the time of review, causing pricing complaints.
- Comparison to Golden Sands (weight 0.09): A reviewer compares Devil's Peak to Golden Sands, stating that unlike Golden Sands, Devil's Peak's existence doesn't offend them.
- Map quality compared (weight 0.09): The new map is considered less good than the Sand and Secrets map by one reviewer.
- Purchased during sale (weight 0.08): The DLC was purchased during a Steam summer sale, indicating a price-sensitive purchase.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.16): Players are disappointed by several aspects of the DLC: newly unlocked characters feel weaker than the initial leader, the billionaire is unavailable in multiplayer, and the price is considered too high. Additionally, the DLC disrupts game balance with overpowered advisors and the millionaire scenario is less enjoyable than expected, leading to unmet expectations for co-op play and overall value.
- Frustration (weight 0.11): Frustration stems from poorly balanced mechanics such as spending all funds on bribing insurgents that dissolve too slowly, and a negative balance mechanic that allows buying everything. Technical issues like broken advertised online co-op, severe lag, and inability to play the Devil's Peak map further aggravate players, while the billionaire governor's wasteful spending and corruption generation quickly lead to reputation loss.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.11): Players enjoy the new map, advisors, and scenarios, finding the refreshed money and disaster mechanics add strategic depth. The billionaire governor is fun and easy to learn, and the genie scenario offers random fun, while the new map is creative and the DLC is simpler and more enjoyable than the oil drilling content.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.1): Satisfaction comes from the DLC being considered worth buying, as it expands the main game with advisors that bring good advantages. The new map and governor provide fresh gameplay and strategy, and the overall package offers decent value with a new map, governor, advisors, and fun scenarios.
- Amusement (weight 0.08): Amusement arises from the humorous gameplay of the billionaire governor, who solves problems by throwing money at insurgents and treating them as investments. Players find it funny to chase rebels to give them money and then bomb them, and the ability to make and waste money instantly adds comedic value.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.07): Enthusiasm is driven by the large DLC expansion featuring a new advisor, map, and scenarios, with the billionaire governor's unique money-based playstyle standing out. Players also appreciate how the game develops tactics and teaches communication, with some calling it the best DLC ever.
- Excitement (weight 0.05): Excitement centers on the billionaire governor being super overpowered and the ability to bribe rebels with money. The new challenges also make the game more exciting and challenging, adding to the thrill.
- Interest (weight 0.05): Interest is sparked by the new map and eruption mechanic, which are considered interesting. The unusual new map, advisors, and governor add fresh gameplay, and the Millionaire governor and Devil's Peak map introduce new strategic elements that engage players.
- Appreciation (weight 0.03): Appreciation is expressed for the Billionaire governor, described as amazing and borderline overpowered. The genie scene and strategic airdrop scene are also fun and full of variables, adding to the positive experience.
- Concern (weight 0.03): Concern is raised about the learning curve potentially intimidating new players and the DLC price possibly deterring casual players. These factors could limit accessibility and enjoyment for a broader audience.
- Liking (weight 0.03): Players like the volcano map, finding it cool and preferable to the oil digging map. Devil's Peak is specifically praised as a really cool map, indicating strong positive sentiment toward the new environment.
- Sarcastic relief (weight 0.02): Sarcastic relief is expressed that DLC content is finally being added to the scenario creator, suggesting a mix of relief and mild cynicism about the delay in integrating new content with existing tools.
- Displeasure (weight 0.02): Displeasure is caused by the billionaire being designed as a governor, which players find unsatisfying, likely due to expectations for a different role or implementation.
- Dislike (weight 0.02): Dislike is directed at the Devil's Peak map, which players criticize as unfair, stupidly difficult, and poorly made, indicating strong negative feelings toward its design and difficulty.
- Indifference (weight 0.02): Indifference is expressed toward the scenarios, which are seen as just okay, lacking standout qualities that would evoke stronger positive or negative reactions.
- Engagement (weight 0.02): Engagement is driven by the new map Teufelsberg, which brings new challenges requiring replanning, thus capturing players' attention and involvement.
- Disapproval (weight 0.02): Disapproval stems from the DLC character being overpowered and feeling pay to win, which players view negatively as it undermines game balance and fairness.
- Dissatisfaction (weight 0.02): Dissatisfaction is caused by the price being too high for the content provided, leading players to feel the DLC does not offer sufficient value for its cost.
- Annoyance (weight 0.02): Annoyance is reported due to model issues on Devil's Peak when flipped, indicating a technical or visual glitch that detracts from the experience.
- Immersion (weight 0.02): Immersion is enhanced by the detailed maps, scenarios, and soundtrack, which add atmosphere and draw players deeper into the game world.}