Info about HUMANKIND™ - Cultures of Africa Pack:

Official game description:
  
FIRST DLC AVAILABLE NOW!  
Expand your HUMANKIND™ experience with the Cultures of Africa DLC! Experience thousands of years of rich history from the world’s second largest continent, home to over 1 billion people and 1500 languages.  
The HUMANKIND™ Cultures of Africa DLC includes:  
\- 6 New cultures – Bantu, Garamantes, Swahili, Maasai, Ethiopians and Nigerians  
\- 5 New wonders  
\- 7 Independent Peoples  
\- 15 Narrative events  
\- 18 new in-game themed music tracks composed by Arnaud Roy
SIX NEW CULTURES
----------------
**Era 1 – Bantu (Expansionist)**  
The first Bantu speaking peoples began their migration across Central Africa 6,000 years ago, creating many population centers.  
This phenomenon, referred to as the Bantu Expansion, made their language family one of the most spoken on the continent.  
**Era 2 – Garamantes (Agrarian)**  
Between the 17th and 14th centuries BCE, a major ecological mutation changed the environment of the Sahara.  
True farmers of the desert, the Garamantes fully adapted to this hostile environment thanks to their mastery of underground waters, ensuring a thriving culture between the 4th century BCE and the 3rd century.  
**Era 3 – Swahili (Merchant)**  
Scattered all along the East African coastline, the Swahili settlements were deeply connected to the trade routes running across the Indian Ocean.  
These lasting contacts with the world made their cities and culture flourish between the 10th and 15th centuries.  
**Era 4 – Maasai (Agrarian)**  
Between the 16th and 17th centuries, the Maasai established themselves as one of the main groups among the pastoral societies that dominated the land between the Great Lakes, the Great Rift and the coasts adjoining the Indian Ocean.  
This is where they led their herds on the vast plains of present-day Kenya and Tanzania.  
**Era 5 – Ethiopians (Militarist)**  
From the 19th century onwards, Ethiopia benefited from the reigns of great rulers which allowed a significant territorial expansion.  
The increase in its military capacities were the basis of the Empire's resounding military successes which guaranteed its independence.  
**Era 6 – Nigerians (Agrarian)**  
Nigeria has the peculiarity of bringing together in the same State an immense diversity of peoples and cultures.  
Since its independence it has been Africa's largest oil producer, but also one of the biggest agricultural producers, thanks to its diverse and fertile lands.  
**5 NEW WONDERS**  
*   Mount Kilimanjaro  
*   Victoria Falls  
*   Zuma Rock  
*   Lake Natron  
*   Great Mosque of Djenné
PLUS **7 INDEPENDENT PEOPLE** & **15 NEW NARRATIVE EVENTS**

Release date: Jan 20, 2022

Categories: 4X, Historical Strategy, Empire Building, Turn-based Strategy, Cultural Simulation, Diplomacy, Resource Management

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 10; verdict: Fair; summary: The reviews focus on the price and value of a traditional culture-pack DLC. Complaints include that it is overpriced for the content and that it should have been in the base game. There is no mention of microtransactions, pay-to-win mechanics, loot boxes, or any real-money shop beyond the one-time DLC purchase. Some players even buy it to support the developers. The monetization model is a standard one-time purchase with no predatory elements.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $5.00 - $7.00
  - Reasoning: The community sentiment is mixed. One review praises the $9 price as a good deal, while another criticizes it as too expensive for the content. Two other reviews suggest the product is only worth purchasing on sale or not at full price. This indicates that the current $8.99 price is at the upper limit of what many consider fair. A typical sale price (20-30% off) would place the fair value around $5-7, which aligns with the 'only on sale' sentiment and the 'too expensive' criticism. Therefore, the community likely considers a fair base-game price range of $5-7.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 33.0h
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The only explicit playtime claim is 33 hours, reported in both English and German by the same reviewer, who also mentions reaching 2nd place on medium difficulty—suggesting a full playthrough of the DLC content. This supports gameCompletion as 33 hours. The 'barely played it' quote indicates low engagement but provides no numeric value, so it cannot support any metric. No evidence exists for story completion, session length, or endgame time.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game is enjoyable from the start thanks to its art and storytelling, but a multiplayer bug can block progress and prevent fun for some players.
  - Stance: Fun immediately
  - Anchor: N/A
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: multiplayer game-breaking bug preventing progress beyond 10 turns
  - Unlock drivers: N/A
  - Conditions: appreciation of art and graphics; absence of multiplayer bug; interest in specific historical civilizations
- Player Archetypes:
  - Base-Game Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: To expand their Humankind experience with new cultures and content.
    - Playstyle: Likely plays the base game regularly, exploring new cultures and strategies.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Cautious Pragmatist (sale)
    - Motivation: To get value for money and support the studio, but only if the player already enjoys the base game.
    - Playstyle: Plays the base game and evaluates DLC content critically, considering bugs and price.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Veteran 4X Strategist (buy)
    - Motivation: To experience the evolution of the 4X genre and enjoy strategic improvements over Civilization VI.
    - Playstyle: Plays strategically, focusing on game design and long-term depth, likely in single-player or multiplayer.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: gamer from the very beginning of the Civilization series
    - Reference games: Civ.6


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 cultures are fun (weight 0.97): The new cultures are widely appreciated for being fun, interesting, and offering unique playstyles. They add variety and replay value to the game.
- DLC adds quality content (weight 0.6): Players consistently praise the DLC for enriching the base game with additional content, describing it as beautiful, well done, and a valuable addition. It adds extra flavor without feeling dispensable.
- Bantu offer unique mechanics (weight 0.52): The Bantu culture introduces innovative mechanics, such as a pioneer unit that grows by gathering from nature and an outreach approach for founding distant cities. This is praised for encouraging out-of-the-box thinking.
- Wonders are beautiful additions (weight 0.48): The new wonders, including natural wonders like Victoria Falls and Mount Kilimanjaro, are praised for their aesthetic appeal and gameplay bonuses that help final scores.
- Good value for price (weight 0.43): Many reviewers consider the DLC a good deal for its price, especially given the number of new cultures and content it provides. It is seen as worth the purchase.
- African representation welcomed (weight 0.4): Reviewers appreciate the inclusion of African cultures, which are often underrepresented in strategy games. This is seen as a positive and meaningful addition.
- Content renews strategy gameplay (weight 0.35): The DLC brings new mechanics and freshness to the game, renewing the strategy gameplay and offering a unique take on the genre.
- Swahili excel in trade (weight 0.34): The Swahili culture is noted for its strong port and maritime trade mechanics, providing economic benefits and stability for harbor-focused players.
- Garamantes boost agriculture (weight 0.28): The Garamantes culture is highlighted for its agricultural benefits, especially in barren or desert lands, allowing civilizations to produce food where it would otherwise be difficult.
- Provides many new features (weight 0.26): The DLC includes six new cultures, seven leaders, 15 events, and 18 soundtracks, offering a substantial amount of content for players.
- Supports developers and roadmap (weight 0.25): Buying the DLC is seen as supporting the developers, who are praised for their continued updates and responsive roadmap. This adds to the positive reception.
- Art and models praised (weight 0.25): The added artwork, character models, and buildings are praised for their quality and uniqueness, which cannot be replicated with mods.
- Nigerians useful for oil (weight 0.22): The Nigerian culture is highlighted for its usefulness in the late game, particularly when oil deposits are scarce or controlled by adversaries, providing solutions to oil shortages.
- Combat complexity increased (weight 0.16): The DLC adds more complexity to combat with unit-related mechanics and skills, making battles more strategic and engaging.
- Maasai culture and units (weight 0.16): The Maasai culture is appreciated for its cool factor and the Maasai Morans are considered a decent ranged unit, adding to the variety of military options.
- Unique gameplay per game (weight 0.15): The changing peoples and new cultures make each game unique, increasing replayability and long-term engagement.
- Ethiopian passive ability praised (weight 0.09): The Ethiopian passive ability is noted as great for players who have a research backlog, especially when combined with militarist civics.
- Multiplayer accessibility appreciated (weight 0.09): The DLC allows multiplayer games without requiring friends to purchase the content, which is a valued feature for community play.
- Balance improvements for multiplayer (weight 0.09): The addition of agrarian cultures improves balance for multiplayer, making the game fairer and more competitive.
- City building more complex (weight 0.09): The DLC adds complexity to city building, making it more engaging and detailed.

Common complaints:
- Game remains broken and buggy (weight 0.77): Multiple reviews report persistent bugs, crashes, and balance issues that prevent progress and ruin the experience. The game is described as broken, with multiplayer and mid-turn crashes cited as major problems.
- DLC overpriced for content (weight 0.63): Many players feel the DLC is too expensive for the amount of content provided, especially since it only adds six cultures. The price is often described as a rip-off, with some suggesting it should have been a free update.
- New cultures poorly balanced (weight 0.54): The new cultures are described as underpowered or overpowered, with some being next to pointless. Specific issues include weak passive abilities and units that become obsolete, making them not worth choosing over existing cultures.
- DLC lacks new mechanics (weight 0.45): The first DLC is criticized for not adding new gameplay features or mechanics, instead offering only minor additions. Players expected more substantial content for a first expansion, such as new systems rather than a simple culture pack.
- Base game needs more work (weight 0.39): Reviews indicate the base game still has many flaws and requires fixes and expansions to existing systems like religion, natural wonders, and social policies. The DLC does not address these structural problems, leaving the game in a poor state.
- DLC lacks polish and features (weight 0.31): The expansion is criticized for missing voiceovers, intro screens, and new music, reusing assets from the base game. It also fails to add new civilizations or wonders properly, and the diplomatic setup feels uninspired.
- DLC not worth the price (weight 0.26): Players feel the DLC does not provide enough value, especially compared to free mods. The Digital Deluxe Edition is also seen as pointless, requiring additional purchases for full content.
- DLC cultures not needed (weight 0.19): The new cultures are not what the game needs at the moment, as many things are broken and underwhelming. Players would prefer fixes to existing systems over new content.
- Multiplayer bugs persist (weight 0.17): Multiplayer online battle bugs need fixing, and there is a game-breaking bug that prevents progress past 10 turns. These issues severely impact the multiplayer experience.
- DLC content is limited (weight 0.15): The DLC only adds six cultures with minor trimmings and one buildable wonder, which is seen as too little content. Players expected more substantial additions for a first expansion.
- DLC not finished at release (weight 0.14): The DLC is described as not finished, with new races not showing up throughout a game. This indicates a lack of quality control and testing.
- Nigerian passive too weak (weight 0.12): The Nigerian passive ability is too weak and should be buffed, and the special building has very specific requirements. This makes the culture less appealing to play.
- DLC compared to free mods (weight 0.12): The DLC offers nothing revolutionary compared to free mods, making it seem like a cash grab. This is a common sentiment among players who feel the content is not worth paying for.
- Gameplay systems simplified (weight 0.09): City building and economic aspects are more simplified than in Civilization, which may disappoint players expecting deeper mechanics. This is a fundamental issue that the DLC does not fix.
- Production scaling is broken (weight 0.09): The production scaling formula causes longer build times with more production, which is counterintuitive and frustrating. This is a specific balance issue that needs fixing.
- AI cheating is a problem (weight 0.08): The AI is reported to cheat, which undermines the gameplay experience. This is a common complaint that contributes to the game's balance issues.
- Cultures not unique enough (weight 0.08): The new cultures are not as mechanically unique as future culture packs, making them feel less interesting. This is a specific criticism of the DLC's design.
- Era balance favors Europeans (weight 0.08): The 4th and 5th eras become very European dominated, which may affect gameplay variety. This is a balance issue that could be addressed in future updates.
- Native units overpowered (weight 0.08): Native units throwing wooden clubs deal more damage than musketeers, which is unrealistic and unbalanced. This is a specific combat issue that needs fixing.
- Diplomatic setup lacks impact (weight 0.07): The expansion's diplomatic and world congress setup does not feel impactful, failing to engage players. This is a design flaw that reduces the DLC's value.

Gameplay feedback:
- DLC adds six African cultures (weight 0.6): The DLC introduces six new cultures from Africa, including Bantu, Garamantes, Swahili, Maasai, Ethiopians, and Nigerians, which are typically underrepresented in similar games. This addition is highlighted as a major positive feature.
- Bantu focus on expansion and agriculture (weight 0.43): The Bantu culture has mechanics centered on founding distant first cities and extending gathering gameplay into the Ancient Era, with a pioneer unit that grows by gathering from nature. This encourages expansionist and out-of-the-box strategies.
- Swahili strong with ports (weight 0.4): The Swahili culture gains significant advantages when building ports, including stability bonuses and money generation. Their harbors are considered very useful, and special ports do not count toward the per-territory limit.
- Garamantes excel in desert agriculture (weight 0.29): The Garamantes culture provides agricultural boosts, making them effective for farming on barren desert land and enabling food production in low-fertility areas. This unique mechanic is praised for addressing food challenges.
- Nigerian building helps without oil (weight 0.2): The Nigerian special building is useful on maps without oil, providing alternative benefits. This helps mitigate resource scarcity in certain scenarios.
- DLC provides seven leaders (weight 0.17): The DLC introduces seven different leaders and seven independent peoples, expanding the variety of playable factions and diplomatic interactions. This adds depth to the game's leadership and diplomacy systems.
- DLC adds 15 narrative events (weight 0.16): The expansion includes 15 distinct narrative events, providing more story-driven content and replayability. These events likely offer varied choices and outcomes, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
- Cultures are viable and thematic (weight 0.16): All new cultures are considered viable and thematically fit within the game, though some are not as mechanically unique as future culture packs. This suggests a generally positive reception with room for improvement.
- Game includes diverse mechanics (weight 0.16): The game features mechanics such as religion, natural wonders, social policies, stability/pollution, and strategic resources, providing a rich strategic experience. These systems are part of the base game and are complemented by the DLC.
- DLC adds diplomatic congress (weight 0.1): The expansion includes a diplomatic and world congress setup, adding a new layer of international politics and decision-making. This feature is likely to appeal to players who enjoy diplomatic strategies.
- Swahili generate money effectively (weight 0.09): The Swahili culture is particularly good at generating money, likely through their port-related bonuses. This makes them a strong choice for economic-focused playstyles.
- Cultures underpowered except Swahili (weight 0.09): Some players feel that the new cultures are underpowered, with the exception of the Swahili. This indicates a balance concern that may affect gameplay satisfaction.
- DLC adds new factions (weight 0.09): The DLC adds new factions, expanding the roster of playable civilizations. This increases variety and replayability.
- New cultures encourage creative play (weight 0.09): New cultures have mechanics that encourage out-of-the-box thinking and play, such as the Bantu's expansionist approach. This adds depth and variety to strategies.
- Maasai Morans are ranged unit (weight 0.09): The Maasai Morans are a ranged unit, adding tactical variety to the game's combat. This unit likely provides strategic advantages in battles.
- Ethiopian passive aids research (weight 0.09): The Ethiopian passive ability helps with research backlog, allowing players to catch up on technology more efficiently. This is a useful trait for scientific advancement.
- Bantu suited for many players (weight 0.09): The Bantu culture is well-suited for maps with many players, likely due to their expansionist mechanics. This makes them a good choice for large multiplayer games.
- Later eras are European dominated (weight 0.09): The 4th and 5th eras are very European dominated, which may limit the impact of the new African cultures in the late game. This is a potential design issue.

Performance notes:
- Game crashes to menu (weight 0.1): Players report the game crashing to the main menu during their turn, interrupting gameplay. This appears to be a stability issue that needs fixing.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for Humankind fans (weight 0.77): Multiple clusters indicate that the DLC is well-received by players who already enjoy the base game, providing additional content and cultural variety. It is seen as a natural extension for existing fans.
- Support developers by buying (weight 0.26): Some players recommend buying the DLC as a way to support the studio and encourage continued development of the game. This is a common reason for purchase despite reservations.
- Buy on sale (weight 0.23): Several reviews suggest purchasing the DLC during a sale due to its price relative to content. Even a small discount is seen as making the purchase more worthwhile.
- Value for specific interests (weight 0.21): The DLC is particularly recommended for players interested in African cultures or those seeking additional cultural variety, even if the cost per aspect is higher. It offers unique content not found elsewhere.
- Not recommended due to issues (weight 0.16): Some negative feedback highlights problems such as poor game state and unplayable multiplayer, leading to a recommendation against purchase. These issues are significant enough to deter some players.
- Wait for bigger updates (weight 0.15): A few reviews advise waiting for future patches or larger feature DLCs before purchasing, indicating that the current content may not be substantial enough. This suggests a cautious approach for undecided players.
- Concerns about future DLCs (weight 0.08): One review implies that future DLCs should not be purchased if they remain small and expensive, reflecting a broader concern about the game's content-to-price ratio. This may influence long-term purchasing decisions.
- Essential for game philosophy (weight 0.07): A single review describes the DLC as almost indispensable for players who understand the game's philosophy, suggesting it aligns well with the core experience. This is a niche but strong endorsement.

Other player notes:
- DLC includes five new wonders (weight 0.41): The DLC features five wonders, including natural wonders like Mount Kilimanjaro, Victoria Falls, Mount Zuma, and Lake Natron, plus the cultural wonder Great Mosque of Djenne. This enriches the game's world-building.
- DLC includes 15 narrative events (weight 0.23): The DLC adds 15 narrative events, providing more story-driven content and replayability. These events likely offer unique choices and outcomes.
- DLC features 18 new musical tracks (weight 0.23): The DLC includes 18 new musical tracks composed by Arnaud Roy, adding to the game's audio experience. This enhances immersion and atmosphere.
- DLC adds seven independent peoples (weight 0.17): The DLC includes seven independent peoples, adding more variety to the game's non-playable factions. This enhances the diplomatic and strategic landscape.
- DLC lacks voice and intros (weight 0.09): The DLC lacks voice for descriptions and intro screens for new civilizations and wonders. This reduces polish and immersion compared to the base game.
- DLC reuses base game music (weight 0.09): Some reviewers note the DLC reuses music from the base game, which may disappoint players expecting new audio content. This could be a minor negative.
- Multiplayer no purchase needed (weight 0.09): Multiplayer can be played without friends needing to purchase the content, which is a positive for group play. This encourages social play without extra cost.
- DLC adds live African music (weight 0.09): The DLC adds live music with African instruments, enhancing the cultural authenticity. This is a positive addition for players interested in diverse soundtracks.
- DLC is major and valorizes Africa (weight 0.09): The DLC is considered major and valorizes the 'Cradle of Humanity', highlighting African cultures. This is a positive step for representation in games.
- Developer communication questioned (weight 0.09): The developer says they are listening and committed to Games2Gether, but the reviewer is not seeing it. This indicates a disconnect between promises and actions.
- Need more bug fixing (weight 0.09): The developer needs to invest more in bug fixing, as the game still has issues. This is a common request from players for better stability.
- Hope for more regional packs (weight 0.09): Reviewers hope to see this continue with other regions that had fewer initial cultures. This suggests a desire for more diverse content in the future.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.17): Players are frustrated by persistent technical issues, including game-breaking multiplayer crashes and AI cheating, alongside a flawed production scaling formula. The expansion fails to fix structural problems and introduces balance concerns, such as overpowered African units and a weak Nigerian passive ability. Additionally, some reviewers are annoyed by uninformed criticism from other players.
- Disappointment (weight 0.17): The DLC is seen as overpriced and lacking in content, with new cultures that are underpowered except for the Swahili, leading to a European-dominated late game. Players expected a free update or more substantial additions, especially given the unfinished state at release with missing voice, intros, and music. The developer's roadmap also fails to address structural issues, compounding the letdown.
- Approval (weight 0.1): Players approve of the DLC for introducing cool, underrepresented African cultures that are viable and thematically fitting. The culture packs offer good value, especially at half the cost of the expansion, with unique bonuses like the Garamantes' agricultural boost and the Swahili's economic advantages. The new wonders and increased African representation are also praised.
- Admiration (weight 0.08): Admiration stems from the beautiful new wonders like Mount Kilimanjaro and the innovative Bantu mechanic for founding distant first cities. The design choice allowing multiplayer without requiring friends to purchase the content is refreshing, and the developers' ongoing updates and polished DLCs earn respect.
- Appreciation (weight 0.08): Players appreciate the real effort put into the game, with complex city building, combat, and unique gameplay from changing peoples. The Bantu's pioneer unit and the new cultures' out-of-the-box thinking are highlights, and the natural wonders, especially Victoria Falls, are superb.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.06): Satisfaction comes from the DLC being a valuable addition for those who enjoy playing different leaders, with interesting cultures that form a good addition. Supporting the developers and finding the game better than Civilization 6 in many ways also contribute to this positive feeling.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.05): Enjoyment is driven by playing the Bantu and Swahili cultures with their rich mechanics, which are very fun and add a plus to the game. The game's storytelling and aesthetics also enhance the experience.
- Excitement (weight 0.05): Excitement arises from the game bringing new mechanics and freshness to the 4X genre, with agrarian cultures improving multiplayer balance. Seeing other parts of history involved in the game is also thrilling.
- Love (weight 0.03): Love is expressed for the selection of cultures in this pack, and the game is seen as super fun with so much potential.
- Anger (weight 0.03): Anger is directed at the developers for pushing out a broken DLC and milking the fanbase for money, with the price for six cultures considered too high.
- Welcome (weight 0.02): The release is welcomed for adding African cultures, which are often underrepresented in video games.
- Liking (weight 0.02): Players like the cultures included in the pack.
- Dislike (weight 0.02): Dislike is due to the Together We Rule expansion having too little content for its price, and its diplomatic/world congress setup not feeling impactful.
- Curiosity (weight 0.02): Curiosity is sparked by the opportunity to discover cultures one doesn't necessarily know.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.02): Enthusiasm is generated by the DLC being a beautiful addition and the desire to support the developers.
- Hope (weight 0.02): Hope is expressed by reviewers who want to see the game grow.
- Dissatisfaction (weight 0.02): Dissatisfaction arises because the content should have been in the base game instead of sold as DLC.
- Fondness (weight 0.02): Fondness is felt for the Bantu, who extend the gathering curiosities gameplay into the Ancient Era.
- Contempt (weight 0.02): Contempt is directed at the game and DLC being broken and garbage.
- Anticipation (weight 0.02): Anticipation is felt for testing the Nigerians in the contemporary era.}