Info about Age of Empires IV:  The Sultans Ascend:

Official game description:
Lead powerful forces in defense of your homeland in The Sultans Ascend – the exciting new expansion to Age of Empires IV! Experience a brand-new campaign set in the Middle East, or command new civilizations with the Japanese and the Byzantines.  
Take up arms as the Muslim resistance in the fight against the European Crusades in the dramatic new single player campaign. Follow the story of well-known Muslim leaders, their struggles with the Crusaders, and the battles they fought.  
In addition to a brand-new campaign, this feature-packed expansion includes two completely new playable civilizations, the Japanese and the Byzantines, and four playable variant civilizations which revisit and re-imagine civilizations first introduced in the main release of Age of Empires IV. It also includes ten new maps, new unlockable rewards and more.  
**“The Sultans Ascend” campaign – 8 missions**  
This new episode in the Age of Empires IV single player campaign takes place in the Middle East during the European Crusades. You will take on the role of the Muslim resistance to the invasion and follow the story of well-known Muslim leaders, their struggles with the Crusaders, and play out the battles they fought. Fight against the Holy Orders of the Templars, Hospitallers, and Teutons, as well as their old foes, the Mongols.  
We are excited to share that this is the first Age of Empires IV campaign to feature naval gameplay. The fight plays out both on land and at sea with new heroes, abilities, and mechanics at your disposal.  
Jump in and celebrate the successful strategies and victories of prominent Muslim leaders in each chapter: Tughtekin, Nur al-Din, Shirkuh, Saladin, Qutuz, Baybars, Shajar al-Durr, and Barsbay.

Release date: Nov 14, 2023

Categories: Real-Time Strategy, Historical Strategy, Multiplayer, Campaign, Naval Warfare, Civilization Building, Turn-based Strategy

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 15; verdict: Positive Reception with Minor Concerns; summary: The reviews for the Age of Empires IV DLC indicate a generally positive reception, particularly regarding the value for money and the reasonable pricing. However, there are some concerns about gameplay design and feeling forced to purchase the DLC for access to certain maps. Overall, the DLC is seen as a worthwhile purchase, especially when on sale.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $10.00 - $15.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that users find the DLC content valuable at around $10 to $15. Several reviews mention that the DLC is worth the money at $15, especially when it includes new civilizations and additional content. One review specifically states that getting the DLC on sale for $10 is worth it if you enjoy campaigns. This indicates that the community considers the fair price range for the base game to be between $10 and $15, as these prices are frequently mentioned as providing good value for the content offered.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 15.0h
  - Story completion: 4.0h
  - Session length: 0.5h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides direct and indirect indications of playtime metrics. The quote 'Spent about 10 hours with the campaign and another 5 trying to get gold on the ottoman art of war challenge' suggests a total playtime of around 15 hours, which can be considered for game completion. The quote 'Me pasé la campaña en directo en menos de 4 horas' indicates that the story completion can be around 4 hours. The quote 'Die meisten Missionen sind kleine gefühlt lieblose Karten die komplett gescriptet sind und auch schnell abgearbeitet sind (meinst 10-30min)' suggests that typical single-session lengths can range from 10 to 30 minutes. There is no strong evidence provided for endgame playtime.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game is immediately fun for multiplayer enthusiasts due to the addition of new civilizations and varied gameplay, but single-player content suffers from a lack of balance and engagement.
  - Stance: Fun immediately
  - Anchor: Access to new civilizations in multiplayer
  - Time to anchor: 0h 0m
  - Friction: Lack of balance in single-player missions; Overwhelming enemy forces in single-player; Divorce between single-player and multiplayer content
  - Unlock drivers: New civilizations in multiplayer; Variety in multiplayer gameplay
  - Conditions: Multiplayer gameplay; Enjoyment of new civilizations; Preference for varied and unique playstyles
- Player Archetypes:
  - Franchise Supporter (buy)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of the base game and desire for more content.
    - Playstyle: Mixed, enjoys both single-player and multiplayer.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: AoE fan; casual RTS gamer
    - Reference games: Age of Empires series
  - Multiplayer Strategist (buy)
    - Motivation: Strategic diversity and competitive gameplay.
    - Playstyle: Competitive, enjoys multiplayer and strategic diversity.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: multiplayer fan; strategy gamer
    - Reference games: Age of Empires series; StarCraft
  - Single-Player Critic (sale)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of single-player campaigns and content.
    - Playstyle: Single-player focused, enjoys campaigns and story-driven content.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: single-player fan; campaign enthusiast
    - Reference games: Age of Empires series


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:
- Unique and fun civilizations (weight 0.91): Players appreciate the introduction of new civilizations with unique mechanics and designs, making the gameplay experience fresh and enjoyable.
- Positive reception of new factions (weight 0.4): Specific new factions like the Byzantines and Japanese are highlighted as particularly enjoyable and well-designed.
- Good value for the price (weight 0.33): The DLC is considered to offer excellent value for its price, with many players finding it affordable and worth the cost.
- Best DLC so far (weight 0.29): Many players consider this DLC to be one of the best released, praising its content and the value it adds to the game.
- Enjoyable multiplayer experience (weight 0.18): Players find the multiplayer mode to be enjoyable and well-improved, adding significant value to the DLC.

Common complaints:
- Campaign quality is poor (weight 0.52): The campaign is widely criticized for being poorly made and not enjoyable. Players find it frustrating and not up to the standards of previous campaigns.
- Mission design and difficulty issues (weight 0.49): Specific missions are criticized for poor design and balancing issues. The difficulty level is often seen as abysmal, with some missions being unnecessarily difficult or poorly balanced.
- Lack of historical context and accuracy (weight 0.38): The campaign lacks historical context and accuracy, with introductory videos only vaguely explaining the historical background. Players also note a lack of documentary-style videos and historical details.
- Poor unit and campaign balance (weight 0.34): Players frequently report issues with unit balance and overall campaign balance, indicating that some units may be overpowered or underpowered, leading to an unfair or frustrating gameplay experience.
- Localization and translation issues (weight 0.26): There are significant issues with localization, including mismatched subtitles, inconsistent text, and poor translation quality. These issues detract from the overall experience.
- Short and rushed missions (weight 0.21): Many missions are criticized for being short and feeling rushed. Players feel that these missions were made just to meet a minimum number requirement rather than providing a fulfilling experience.
- Lack of meaningful new content (weight 0.18): Players feel that there is a lack of meaningful new civilizations and content. The new additions do not meet expectations and feel insufficient.
- Poor AI and enemy mechanics (weight 0.18): The AI is criticized for not being intelligent and enemies often spawn in large, overwhelming waves. This can make missions feel unfair and poorly designed.
- Narrator and storyline issues (weight 0.17): The narrator is found to be unlikable or annoying, and the storyline is criticized for being terrible or disappointing. This affects the overall enjoyment of the campaign.
- Price not worth the content (weight 0.13): Players feel that the price of the game or DLC is not justified by the amount or quality of content provided. This leads to a sense of dissatisfaction with the purchase.

Gameplay feedback:
- Campaign missions and design (weight 0.56): The campaign features new missions with specific mechanics and restrictions, offering a mix of straightforward and complex scenarios. Players enjoy the variety and historical framing of these missions.
- New civilizations and variants introduced (weight 0.5): The game introduces new civilizations and variants of existing ones, adding diversity and unique gameplay mechanics. Players appreciate the variety and different play styles these new additions bring.
- Unique civilization mechanics (weight 0.41): Each civilization and its variants offer unique mechanics and play styles, making the gameplay experience diverse and engaging. Players enjoy the strategic depth and variety.
- New units and resources (weight 0.27): The game introduces new units and resources, adding freshness to the gameplay. Players enjoy the new tactical aspects and the variety of units available.
- Multiplayer balance and enjoyment (weight 0.24): Multiplayer modes have been improved with better balance and enjoyable gameplay. Players appreciate the new variations and the overall multiplayer experience.
- Mission variety and mechanics (weight 0.23): The game offers a variety of missions with diverse mechanics, including dynamic and puzzle-like gameplay. Players appreciate the different strategies required for each level.
- Historical context and storytelling (weight 0.23): The game provides historical context and storytelling elements, although some players feel it lacks documentary-style storytelling. The narrative voice and content are appreciated.
- Challenging difficulty settings (weight 0.16): The game offers challenging difficulty settings, particularly in the campaign missions. Players find the high difficulty levels engaging and rewarding.
- Single-player and skirmish modes (weight 0.13): The game includes single-player and skirmish modes, providing additional content for players to enjoy. These modes offer new civilizations and varied gameplay experiences.
- Naval warfare and gameplay (weight 0.07): The game features naval warfare and gameplay elements in some missions, adding variety to the strategic options available to players.
- Cheating and hacking issues (weight 0.04): Some players have reported issues with cheating and hacking in multiplayer modes, which can detract from the overall experience.

Performance notes:
- Stuttering and performance issues (weight 0.08): There are reports of stuttering and unpredictable performance, which affect the overall gaming experience.
- Computer acting up (weight 0.05): Players have reported issues with their computers not functioning properly while playing the game.
- Internet lag problems (weight 0.04): Some players have experienced lag issues related to their internet connection while playing the game.

Recommendations:
- Highly recommended for AoE4 fans (weight 0.27): Many reviews indicate that this DLC is a must-have for fans of Age of Empires 4. It is frequently described as worth the purchase and a clear recommendation for those who enjoyed the base game.
- Recommended for specific civilizations (weight 0.08): Some reviews suggest that the DLC is particularly recommended for players interested in specific civilizations, although there are mentions of issues with Variant Civs.
- Not ideal for single-player (weight 0.04): A few reviews mention that the DLC might not be recommended for single-player experiences, indicating that it may be more suited for multiplayer or specific types of gameplay.
- Desire for more content (weight 0.04): Some players express a desire for additional content such as more campaigns and naval mines, suggesting areas for future improvements or additions.
- Suggestion for cheat codes (weight 0.04): There is a mention of a suggestion for cheat codes, which could imply that some players are looking for ways to enhance or modify their gameplay experience.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.26): Players are disappointed due to the lack of innovation and quality in the DLC campaign, including poorly designed missions, lack of new civilizations, and historical inaccuracies. The perceived lack of value for money, repetitive gameplay, and removal of documentary-style videos also contribute to this sentiment.
- Frustration (weight 0.23): Players are frustrated with the high difficulty and unbalanced mission design in the campaign, as well as poor localization and translation issues. Performance issues, lack of certain features, and restrictive time limits also add to the frustration.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.16): Players are satisfied with the addition of new civilizations and the overall content and improvements brought by the DLC. The high-quality expansion content, new features, and good value for money are also appreciated.
- Excitement (weight 0.12): Players are excited about the new civilizations and their unique mechanics, as well as the fun content and gameplay mechanics. The diversity of civilizations and the overall value of the DLC also contribute to this excitement.
- Anger (weight 0.04): Players are angry about the poor mission design, balance issues, and high pricing. The perceived focus on selling DLC over game quality and overwhelming enemy waves also contribute to this anger.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.03): Players enjoy the new civilizations and the fun and unique gameplay experiences they offer. The interesting missions, improved multiplayer, and continued support for the game also add to the enjoyment.
- Joy (weight 0.03): Players express joy over the high-quality content and value provided by the DLC. The enjoyable campaign and positive experiences with the new content contribute to this sentiment.
- Disappointed (weight 0.02): Players feel disappointed due to the poor campaign content, lack of historical details, and translation issues. The lack of effort in changing default colors and unbalanced campaign scenarios also contribute to this feeling.
- Frustrated (weight 0.02): Players are frustrated with the unbalanced variant civilizations and difficult campaign missions. Balance issues and overpowered variant civilizations add to this frustration.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.02): Players are enthusiastic about the positive experiences with the new campaign style and DLC content. The excitement about the new content and its perceived worth contribute to this enthusiasm.
- Hope (weight 0.01): Players hope for more quality DLC updates in the future, anticipating future content and improvements.
- Satisfied (weight 0.01): Players are satisfied with the new civilizations and the diverse, fun campaign with high-quality cutscenes. The good value for money and enjoyable content contribute to this satisfaction.
- Excited (weight 0.01): Players are excited about the new civilizations and their unique units and abilities. The fun content and gameplay mechanics also add to this excitement.
- Appreciation (weight 0.01): Players appreciate the good value for money and the impactful DLC content. The positive aspects of the game and its improvements are also valued.
- Anticipation (weight 0.01): Players are looking forward to future DLCs, including new civilizations like the Korean civilization. The anticipation of more content and updates contributes to this feeling.
- Captivated (weight 0.01): Players are captivated by the art and storytelling in the game. The engaging narrative and visual elements contribute to this sentiment.
- Happiness (weight 0.01): Players are happy with the enjoyment of the Japanese faction and biome. The positive experiences with the new content and its unique features contribute to this happiness.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Players are surprised at the value and content of the DLC compared to other releases. The unexpected quality and quantity of new content contribute to this surprise.}