Info about dotAGE: Folkways:

Official game description:
The world of dotAGE gets bigger! Folkways adds a lot of new content to unlock to the quirky strategy game with new mechanics!
Pipfolks Approach the Village!
------------------------------
We thought we were alone in this world... but I just remembered that different Pipfolks lived in these lands! Were they friend or foe? We will find out!  
Meet the various Pipfolks that live at the outskirts of the village, try to get them to join your village and start populating it with their kin, or keep them at bay by making sure you do not anger them with your actions.  
Pipfolks bring with them unique bonuses, special food and promotion requirements, dedicated events, and dedicated buildings for dwelling and for production.  
From the mysterious Fishpips, to the industrious Dwarves, to the unreliable Cats and more, meet the various folks that make up the inhabitants of this strange world!  
Keep Pips in check!
-------------------
With new events that can make your Pips even more problemtic, Folkways also introduces some handy means to help you getting rid of Pips either temporarly, with cages and prisons, or even permanently (for a price...)  
I seem to remember that we even had some... unorthodox ways to do so.  
Three New Elders!
-----------------
Alongside hundreds of new events and resources, three new Elders join the world of dotAGE, with their unique gameplay!  
Play as Trisavolo, the Elder King of the Dwarves that live on the mountainous plateau, or help Dad build an autonomous village with the help of its Pipbots, and complete the story of Ronomy with its all-cat village!  
Many more options for your villages!
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This is not all! Folkways also introduces new VIPs, new terrains, many new boons, new resources and hundreds of new buildings and events. The goal is to introduce more variety to all your village, making your runs even more different!

Release date: Mar 21, 2025

Categories: City Builder, Colony Simulation, Roguelike, Resource Management, Turn-based Strategy, Survival, DLC

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 10; verdict: Fair - Traditional DLC, No MTX Evidence; summary: The reviews discuss a traditional paid DLC expansion, focusing on content access, base-game integration, compatibility, and value for the $8 price. There is no evidence of in-game purchases, real-money gacha, loot boxes, paid power, paid convenience, currency obfuscation, or a cash shop. The complaints concern DLC design and compatibility rather than predatory monetization.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: N/A
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: 8.0h
  - Endgame: 50.0h
  - Reasoning: The first quote reports 20-30 hours across 3 runs, implying an average run/session length of about 7-10 hours, so I set sessionLength to 8. The second quote estimates 50+ hours to unlock all new memory unlocks, which is an endgame/completionist target, so I set endgame to 50. No evidence provides a distinct main story completion or story completion time for the DLC, so gameCompletion and storyCompletion are null.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: While some players enjoy the unique early game, the dominant time-to-fun profile is gated: new content is locked behind meta progression and the early game is rough, with enjoyment explicitly reported for those who have unlocked everything from the original launch.
  - Stance: Clicks after
  - Anchor: Having unlocked everything from the original launch
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: New content locked behind meta progression; Early game rough with heat, cataclysm, and resource management; Meta progression considered egregious
  - Unlock drivers: Unlocking everything from the original launch gives a fresh new sense of progression
  - Conditions: Having unlocked everything from the original launch; Tolerance for early-game heat, cataclysm, and resource management; Full unlocks after playing through the tutorial would improve enjoyment
- Player Archetypes:
  - Base-Game Loyalist (buy)
    - Motivation: Extend a base game they already enjoy with more of the same content.
    - Playstyle: Continue familiar base-game loops and purchase DLC as a direct expansion of that experience.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Zone-Out Meta-Progression Grinder (sale)
    - Motivation: Relaxing immersion and the satisfaction of grinding to unlock content.
    - Playstyle: Zone out through repeat runs and narrative simulation while progressing meta unlocks.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Systems-Focused Returning Veteran (no buy)
    - Motivation: Mastering deep systems and continuing an established progression without being forced to restart.
    - Playstyle: Optimize race and tech-tree interactions, manage high mental load, and expect DLC to work with existing saves.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: DotAge
  - Solo-Dev Supporter (buy)
    - Motivation: Support a solo developer and reward transparent communication.
    - Playstyle: Follow dev channels, tolerate slow updates, and enjoy unusual content additions.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: 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:
- Elders introduce unique strategic challenges (weight 0.73): The new Elder mechanic offers completely different operation modes and fundamentally changes how players must think. Each elder provides a distinct gameplan, from the dad elder's strength to the cat elder's well-designed experience.
- Substantial new content adds variety (weight 0.58): The DLC introduces a wealth of new buildings, species, and mechanics that greatly expand gameplay variety. Many reviewers note it almost feels like a second game due to the amount of added content.
- Blends seamlessly with base game (weight 0.44): The new content integrates naturally with the existing game, complementing the base experience without feeling bolted on. This seamless addition enhances replayability for fans of the original.
- New species and pips add variety (weight 0.44): Cat pips, dwarves, fishfolk, robots, and new pip types bring fresh quirks and gameplay styles. The new species often require different strategies and offer unique challenges.
- Excellent expansion for base game fans (weight 0.44): For those who love the base game, this DLC is a perfect addition that enhances the overall experience. It stands out in content, design, and fun, making it a worthy purchase.
- New buildings and mechanics deepen strategy (weight 0.42): Alternative buildings, prospecting, and buffs/debuffs that affect production add layers to micromanagement. Special species buildings allow tunneling and utilization of harsh terrains in new ways.
- Base game praised for number-maxing (weight 0.29): The base game does extremely well at relatively full-information number-maxing and is the reviewer's favorite city-builder/4X-style game. It is very fun and insanely detailed.
- Adds significant replayability and progression (weight 0.29): The DLC offers a fresh sense of progression for veteran players and doubles the content for those who enjoyed the base game. It keeps players coming back for more mayhem and doom.
- Placement and resource management challenges (weight 0.26): With pockets of grass, placement becomes crucial, and managing wood reserves against exponential cataclysm is a unique challenge. Predicting and planning to minimize losses leads to a rewarding experience.
- Reviewer enjoyed DLC concept and execution (weight 0.25): The reviewer likes the concept of the DLC and hasn't encountered any features they straight up disliked. They are having an absolute blast with the new content.
- Under unfavorable conditions still clears (weight 0.21): It is possible to clear the game even under unfavorable conditions, and random abilities can help anyone play well. This demonstrates the game's balance and accessibility.
- Robots enable resource-efficient automation (weight 0.2): The new robot unit is very strong and consumes only ink, carbon, and feces, avoiding overpopulation and food issues. This provides a powerful automation option for players.
- Unique early game experiences per species (weight 0.2): Each new species offers a distinct early game, such as cats surviving in ruins of humanity or dwarves utilizing prospecting. This variety makes each playthrough feel different.
- New cataclysm events and challenges (weight 0.2): The events rock and the exponential cataclysm presents a unique challenge that players can plan for. This adds excitement and unpredictability to the game.
- New logic puzzles with pip types (weight 0.11): The new pip types present incredible new logic puzzles that challenge players to think differently. This adds a fresh layer of strategy to the game.
- Ropery curing mourning pips is crazy (weight 0.08): The ropery curing mourning pips with a rope is a crazy and memorable mechanic. It adds a unique flavor to the game.

Common complaints:
- Some elders are uncomfortable to play (weight 0.95): Elders like Dad increase nature points from chopping wood, making it hard to manage early game. The Dwarf elder's map is divided into small areas, forcing constant restarts and demolitions. The cat elder is extremely hard to play due to complex building conditions and poor talent.
- DLC content locked behind meta progression (weight 0.64): Players report that most new DLC content is locked behind metaprogression currency like 'memories', requiring them to grind the base game. After four hours of DLC, one reviewer saw zero new content, which left a bitter taste.
- Race trait and tech tree incompatibility (weight 0.64): Random race pairing can produce incompatible racial traits and tech trees, such as Yugong with Dwarves lacking stone production buildings. This leads to food shortages after raising dwarves, forcing health penalties or diverting workers to mine stone.
- Pipfolk unlock conditions are obscure (weight 0.56): High-tier buildings require specific pipfolk species, but the game gives no clear indication of how to attract them. Even after 20-30 hours and multiple runs, players still do not know the conditions.
- Folkways hunting changes cause imbalances (weight 0.56): The DLC introduces harsh randomness: maps may spawn unharvestable hunting resources, only a few elders are immune to fishing changes, and the cheapest opening only works 25% of the time. These coinflip mechanics make the expansion frustrating despite otherwise high quality.
- Missing customization options (weight 0.52): Players cannot choose background tracks, play on custom maps, customize pips, have multiple elder voices, get more than one ending, or create their own elder. The game is not well thought out in this regard.
- Rock tunnel is underpowered (weight 0.42): The rock tunnel is often useless because there is not enough rock terrain. It is worse than a dwarf house, wastes 15 knowledge, and would need to cover fewer ways or have more rock terrain to be viable.
- Bad RNG creates impossible maps (weight 0.37): Small islands or excessive grass can make runs impossible without foresight. The forced tunnels become useless, and air terrain splits land too much.
- Odd and problematic features (weight 0.37): Players can eat feces meatballs, pretend racism and xenophobia are the same, softlock runs with Randolph, experience overlapping background music, and losing does not count as the second ending. These issues detract from the experience.
- Dwarves are unplayable after unlocking (weight 0.36): After unlocking dwarves, they become impossible to play: stone mining yields only 2 per person, they cannot change class, and research progresses slowly without thinkers. This makes the dwarf experience frustrating.
- Old elders poorly integrated with DLC (weight 0.3): The new content does not account for old elders, leading to horrible balance when using them with the DLC. Players feel that DLC should complement the original content, elders included.
- Rock altar unusable with Santa (weight 0.26): Building a rock altar on the mountain with Santa results in it being unusable, showing 'no available staff' despite free handymen and helpers. It is unclear if this is a bug.
- Folkways DLC bugs unfixed (weight 0.21): Players note that issues with the Folkways DLC remain unaddressed despite a new DLC being released. This lack of support is disappointing.
- Capitalist robot consumes advanced tools (weight 0.2): The capitalist robot eats advanced tools, which are already in low production. This is shocking and unsustainable.
- Dwarf elder requires resets (weight 0.12): The dwarf elder is inconsistent due to land generation, often forcing players to reset for a viable start.
- Cat buildings too strong at role compression (weight 0.12): Cat buildings feel slightly overpowered because they compress multiple roles efficiently. This makes them a dominant choice.

Gameplay feedback:
- Complex Resource Management (weight 0.95): Players must manage wood sources, nature points, ink, carbon, and manpower to sustain production and avoid shortages.
- Elders with Unique Gameplans (weight 0.64): New elders like Cat and Dad offer fundamentally different playstyles, with unique mechanics such as ruins of humanity, robot automation, and exponential cataclysm management.
- Dwarf Elder Mechanics (weight 0.6): The Dwarf elder features mining and prospecting, high terrain, forced tunnels, and unique dwarf profession limitations, creating a distinct early game.
- Missing Customization Options (weight 0.47): The game lacks customization for background music, custom maps, pip appearance, elder voices, and creating your own elder.
- Metaprogression Gates DLC Content (weight 0.44): New content and buildings are unlocked through a metaprogression system using a currency called 'memories', which requires playing the base game significantly.
- Building Placement Bonuses (weight 0.41): Certain buildings can be placed adjacent to each other for bonuses, and specific placements offer extra benefits.
- Progression and Encyclopedia (weight 0.39): The DLC adds an Elder mechanic and an encyclopedia, with a 'just one more turn' loop for progression.
- Randomized Run Mechanics (weight 0.26): Races are randomly paired each run, racial traits interact with production, and buildings can be rolled with conditions.
- Map and Area Variability (weight 0.23): Buildable area size varies by elder and can change upon restarting; buildings can be demolished to free space.
- Gameplay Bugs and Issues (weight 0.2): Bugs include softlocking with Randolph on day one and two music tracks playing simultaneously after Alt+Tab.
- Pipfolk Species and Housing (weight 0.2): New pipfolk species can join the village, requiring housing and enabling high-tier buildings in the tech tree.
- Elder Abilities and Talents (weight 0.2): Elders have unique abilities that affect resources, and characters possess talents that influence gameplay.
- Folkways Hunting Changes (weight 0.2): The Folkways DLC changes hunting resources, with some elders immune to fishing changes.
- Staff and Building Systems (weight 0.18): Buildings require staff such as handymen and Santa helpers to operate, and staff types have specific roles.
- New Elders Change Strategy (weight 0.13): New elders alter resource structures and require different strategic thinking.
- Trade Secrets DLC Integration (weight 0.12): The Trade Secrets DLC integrates mechanics into vanilla elders' gameplan and introduces kaizo elders.
- High Information Gameplay (weight 0.11): The game focuses on full-information number-maxing, appealing to players who enjoy optimization.
- Special Species Buildings (weight 0.1): Some species can build special structures that tunnel through harsh terrains.
- Elder-Specific Buildings (weight 0.1): Elders like Santa can build unique structures such as a rock altar on the mountain.

Performance notes:
- Audio bug after Alt+Tab (weight 0.12): Two background music tracks can blast simultaneously after switching out of the game with Alt+Tab. This creates overlapping audio and an unpleasant experience.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for Base Game Fans (weight 0.52): Players who enjoy the base game will find this DLC a perfect addition and an easy recommendation. It enhances the experience for those already hooked.
- Play Base Game First (weight 0.22): First play a game without the DLC and only the base game. This helps you decide if you enjoy the core experience before investing in the DLC.
- Consider Starting with Base (weight 0.21): Only think about buying this if you're just starting with the base game. Otherwise, you'll have to replay the base game to access DLC content.
- Not Recommended Currently (weight 0.2): Some players do not recommend buying the DLC at this stage. They suggest waiting for improvements or updates.
- Worth It Many Times Over (weight 0.13): This DLC is considered highly valuable and worth the purchase multiple times. It offers significant content for the price.
- Not for Challenge Seekers (weight 0.12): Players interested in challenge, planning, and 4X feel are not recommended to buy this DLC. It may not satisfy those seeking a strategic experience.
- Won't Fix Base Game Disinterest (weight 0.12): It won't magically make the game interesting if you aren't already into it. The DLC is best for those who already enjoy the base game.
- May Suit Casual Players (weight 0.12): If you use the game as a zone-out tool or narrative simulator, these issues may not apply to you, especially if you like grinding to unlock content. This DLC can still be enjoyable for relaxed play.
- Adds Dot Age 2 Feel (weight 0.12): If you like the mental load of Dot Age, this adds that Dot Age 2 feeling. It provides a similar but enhanced experience.
- Avoid Folkways Early On (weight 0.11): Do not turn on Folkways by default for basic elders while you are just learning the game. It can complicate the learning process.

Other player notes:
- Folkways DLC mentioned (weight 0.17): Reviewers specifically name the Folkways DLC when discussing issues and elder mechanics. This identification helps focus feedback on the correct expansion.
- DLC integrates well (weight 0.11): The DLC adds a large amount of content that integrates naturally with the base game. This seamless addition enhances the overall experience.
- Fresh progression for veterans (weight 0.11): The addition provides a fresh sense of progression for players who had unlocked everything from the original launch. This revitalizes the game for long-time players.
- Solo developer project (weight 0.1): The game is developed by a solo developer, which is noted as a notable aspect. This context influences expectations and appreciation for the game.
- Trade Secrets DLC released (weight 0.1): A new DLC called Trade Secrets is available now. This indicates ongoing support and new content for players.
- Same developer for DLC (weight 0.1): The base game and the DLC are made by the same developer. This consistency ensures a cohesive experience.
- Folkways mental load compared (weight 0.1): The mental load of Folkways is compared to Dot Age, described as adding a 'Dot Age 2' feeling. This suggests the DLC introduces similar cognitive demands.
- Trade Secrets vs Folkways elders (weight 0.1): Trade Secrets is contrasted with Folkways regarding elder mechanics and difficulty. This highlights differences in design focus between the two DLCs.
- Author still updating (weight 0.1): The author continues to update the game, indicating ongoing support. This is a positive sign for players investing in the game.
- Little DLC unlock initially (weight 0.1): Players won't unlock much DLC content at the start, suggesting a gradual progression. This may affect initial impressions of the DLC's value.
- DLC reasonably priced (weight 0.1): The DLC is not that expensive, making it accessible to players. This is a positive factor for potential buyers.
- Elder mechanic in DLC (weight 0.1): The Elder mechanic is part of the DLC content, adding depth to the expansion. This is a key feature for players to engage with.
- Reviewer exploring unlocked content (weight 0.1): The reviewer is still exploring other content they just unlocked. This suggests the DLC offers substantial new material to discover.
- Expansion under $10 (weight 0.1): The expansion is sold for under $10, making it a budget-friendly option. This low price point is attractive for players.
- Includes cats (weight 0.09): The game features cats, which is a notable element for some players. This adds charm or variety to the experience.
- Hardest difficulties played (weight 0.09): A reviewer has played significantly more on the hardest difficulties. This suggests the game offers substantial challenge for experienced players.
- Only one ending (weight 0.09): The game has only one ending, which may limit replay value for some. This is a point of feedback regarding narrative conclusion.
- Hope for solution update (weight 0.09): A reviewer hopes for an update to add a solution or fix it in a disaster event reward pool. This indicates a desire for gameplay improvements.
- Ink and Elder encyclopedia (weight 0.09): The game features ink and an Elder encyclopedia, with a humorous note about ink resembling petroleum from squids. This adds flavor and world-building.
- Dwarf King miner start (weight 0.09): The Dwarf King also starts with the miner profession, affecting early game strategy. This detail is relevant for players planning their approach.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.28): Players are frustrated by DLC content being locked behind metaprogression currency and unclear unlock conditions, as well as heavy reliance on randomness in hunting and map generation. Incompatible racial traits and tech trees, along with elders that are uncomfortable to play, further compound the frustration.
- Disappointment (weight 0.13): Disappointment stems from the new DLC failing to address longstanding Folkways issues and not balancing old elders with new content. Random race combinations in the DLC also make runs feel unfair or unplayable, and new content is locked behind meta progression that requires replaying the base game.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.06): Players are enthusiastic because the new DLC adds variety and more of everything to a game they already love, resulting in an absolute blast.
- Amusement (weight 0.06): Amusement comes from humorous details like ink resembling petroleum, which players joke about squids producing petroleum, and fun quirks in new species.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.06): Satisfaction arises from the addition dovetailing naturally with the base game and providing a fresh sense of progression. New pips, Elders, a vast array of new buildings, and balance changes all contribute to this feeling.
- Joy (weight 0.03): Joy is experienced after overcoming the new elders' challenges, leading to 530 turns of pure joy.
- Sadness (weight 0.03): Sadness is felt because the downside of randomness detracts from an otherwise almost perfect expansion.
- Boredom (weight 0.03): Boredom occurs when players get bored of the base game before accessing the DLC.
- Annoyance (weight 0.03): Annoyance is caused by softlocking a run with Randolph on the first day and experiencing double background music after Alt+Tab.
- Unpleasantness (weight 0.03): Unpleasantness results from the Dwarf elder's map having an extremely small buildable area, which requires constant restarting and demolishing buildings.
- Bitterness (weight 0.03): Bitterness is felt after buying the DLC and seeing exactly 0 new content after playing for four hours.
- Shock (weight 0.03): Shock is caused by the capitalist robot eating advanced tools.
- Confusion (weight 0.03): Confusion arises when the rock altar is unusable with a 'no available staff' hint despite having free handymen and Santa helpers.
- Interest (weight 0.03): Interest is sparked by the new Elder mechanic added in the DLC, which players find very interesting.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.03): Enjoyment comes from the DLC adding a lot of content and new gameplay variety that keeps players engaged.
- Addiction (weight 0.03): Addiction is driven by the game making players want to play just one more turn.
- Dissatisfaction (weight 0.03): Dissatisfaction is caused by buying the DLC and still requiring a lot of time to unlock content.
- Delight (weight 0.03): Delight is experienced from cat pips and cat village.}