Info about Old World:

Official game description:
Old World is a historical strategy game where you lead your empire through multiple generations, building a grand legacy to last beyond your own years. This is an era of great leaders, from the revered to the feared. Which will you be?
Marry for politics, raise your heirs, and manage your relationship with the families of your kingdom. In the fast and furious world of kings and queens, family matters.
*   Each of the 7 kingdoms has four noble families that provide various benefits when put in charge of your cities.
*   Manage family ties through events, actions, and marriages to keep them happy and reap additional benefits. Upset them, or make them too powerful, and you risk their ire.
*   Maintain a strong family unit, or distract yourself with more illicit adventures.
The world is full of great characters with distinct personalities, strengths, and weaknesses. Use them to forge your kingdom, defend your borders, and build ties with other leaders.
*   Seek out and recruit famed warriors, philosophers, builders, and more. Have them tutor your children, lead your armies, and further your reign.
*   Different personality archetypes allow your court members to perform different tasks in similar roles. Find the right combinations to take full advantage of governors, diplomats, spymasters, and even your spouse.
*   Characters develop new personalities and traits over time, growing old, gaining experience, and finally falling ill and passing away, leaving room for the next generation.
Unsettled tribes, barbarian marauders, and remnants of previous cultures are all waiting in the vast unexplored wilderness.
*   Discover artifacts and great heroes of the past at ruins scattered across the map.
*   Experience over 3,000 unique events inspired by history and mythology.
*   Contact with foreign dignitaries triggers event chains, stories, and courtroom drama.
*   Pursue ambitions and legacies related to conquest, development, faith, and more.
*   Historically inspired scenarios, weekly challenge games, and a choice between randomly generated and handcrafted maps to explore. Lead Carthage to victory as Hannibal in the Punic Wars, hold your own against Barbarian Hordes, or compete against other players in tackling fictional scenarios.
Why do things the way they've always been done? Old World brings a new take to key elements of the 4X strategy genre:
*   Go beyond the traditional resources. Buildings are made of wood and stone, not "industry." Population doesn't grow off "food" alone.
*   Orders are a resource shared across your realm. Instead of moving every unit once per turn, each unit can be moved multiple times until fatigued or Orders are depleted.
*   Technological advancement is not predetermined. Randomization helps keep technology trees feeling fresh with each new playthrough.
*   Quality of life improvements, such as the ability to undo mistaken commands and nested tooltips, ensure you're always making informed decisions.
*   Play with friends in countless multiplayer modes — from hotseat, to asynchronous, to cloud play.
*   Experience a Grammy-nominated soundtrack blending Arabic music with contemporary influences.
*   Mods further open up infinite options for new worlds, empires, and dynasties — inspired by our real world, and by works of fiction as well.

Release date: May 18, 2022

Categories: 4X, Turn-based Strategy, Dynasty Management, Historical Strategy, Character Progression, Diplomacy, Succession and Inheritance, Tactical Combat

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 30; verdict: Fair with Optional Value-Add; summary: The monetization strategy for *Old World* primarily revolves around DLC, which is generally well-received by the player base. The base game is complete and enjoyable without DLC, and the additional content is priced fairly, often on sale, and adds meaningful depth rather than being essential for a full experience. Many players purchase DLC to support the developers, indicating a positive relationship between the monetization model and the community. However, some players express mild concern over the frequency and timing of DLC releases, particularly same-day DLC, which can feel like fragmented content. Overall, the monetization is not predatory and aligns with player expectations for additional, optional content.
- Wiki: score 50; verdict: Mixed: Strong Depth but Poor Onboarding and Documentation; summary: The user feedback highlights a critical tension between the game's depth and its accessibility. While the in-game encyclopedia is praised for its completeness and integration (e.g., no need to alt-tab), it falls short in providing in-depth strategic, historical, or mechanical explanations, forcing players to rely on external tools like wikis or Excel. The tutorial and onboarding are also criticized for being either too simplistic or overly cryptic, particularly for complex systems like religion. Localization issues further compound these problems, especially for non-English speakers. Despite these challenges, the game's depth and strategic complexity are appreciated by experienced players.
- Steam Deck: score 40; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The game demonstrates strong native Linux and Steam Deck compatibility but suffers from critical technical barriers that introduce friction. UI scaling and readability issues are the most frequent complaints, with users reporting 'tiny text' and 'eye strain' that require workarounds like magnification tools. Linux-specific bugs, such as missing resolutions and full-screen crashes, force users to rely on Proton compatibility mode, which violates the Scoring Criteria's 'Strict Priority' rule. While the game is playable on Steam Deck, navigation is described as cumbersome without additional tools. Despite these issues, the game performs well when workarounds are applied, and the developers' focus on Proton compatibility is a notable positive.

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


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Strategic Depth and Replayability (weight 0.99): The game offers significant strategic depth with meaningful decisions, a broad scope of play, and high replayability. Players praise its 'just one more turn' appeal and the variety of leaders, families, and events that keep each playthrough unique.
- Innovative Orders System (weight 0.61): The Orders system is frequently highlighted as a genius design that forces strategic prioritization and reduces micromanagement. It adds a layer of tactical depth by limiting actions per turn and creating meaningful trade-offs.
- Polished UI and Quality of Life (weight 0.59): The user interface is intuitive, customizable, and packed with quality-of-life features like nested tooltips, an undo button, and turn scrubbing. These elements enhance accessibility and reduce frustration.
- Historical Setting and Immersion (weight 0.55): The game’s focus on the ancient/classical Mediterranean setting is praised for its historical accuracy, attention to detail, and immersive atmosphere. The limited timeframe and rich narrative elements create a unique and engaging experience.
- Flexible Victory Conditions (weight 0.54): The victory point and ambitions system, along with flexible victory conditions, make endgames tense and engaging. Players appreciate the variety of paths to victory, including non-combat options.
- High Production Values (weight 0.47): The game features beautiful visuals, a Grammy-nominated soundtrack, and high-quality voice work. The art style, music, and sound effects enhance immersion and fit the ancient setting perfectly.
- Character and Dynasty Mechanics (weight 0.43): The addition of mortal rulers, unique traits, and dynasty management (inspired by Crusader Kings) adds political depth and emergent storytelling. Players enjoy the dynamic interactions and consequences of character-driven events.
- Unique Blend of Genres (weight 0.26): The game successfully combines elements of 4X strategy (Civilization) and RPG/dynasty management (Crusader Kings). This fusion creates a fresh and immersive experience with a focus on historical depth and narrative-driven gameplay.
- Strong Developer Support (weight 0.24): The developers are actively engaged with the community, providing frequent updates, balance patches, and meaningful DLCs. This ongoing support ensures the game remains fresh and well-balanced.
- Balanced and Fair Gameplay (weight 0.21): The game is well-balanced, with mechanics that reward strategic thinking and punish poor decisions. Features like limited city sites, realistic diplomacy, and manageable discontent contribute to a fair and engaging experience.
- Event-Driven Narrative (weight 0.19): The event system, including randomized and modded events, adds replayability and narrative depth. These events create memorable stories and dynamic gameplay experiences, often tied to character relationships.
- Modding and Customization (weight 0.13): Strong modding support and customization options (e.g., maps, events, nations) add significant replayability. The community-driven content keeps the game fresh and engaging over time.
- Tech and Resource Innovation (weight 0.1): The tech card system and resource management (e.g., growth, civics, training) add strategic depth and replayability. These systems force players to adapt and make meaningful choices without relying on a rigid tech tree.
- Non-Mandatory DLCs (weight 0.07): The base game is complete and enjoyable on its own, with DLCs adding optional content that enhances but does not gate the experience. Players appreciate the affordability and value of the expansions.

Common complaints:
- High Complexity and Steep Learning Curve (weight 0.41): The game is described as overly complicated, with a steep learning curve that deters casual players. Tutorials are lengthy, confusing, and fail to adequately explain mechanics, leaving players frustrated and disengaged.
- Restrictive and Unintuitive Game Systems (weight 0.4): Key systems like orders, city settlement, and tech progression are described as restrictive, illogical, and poorly balanced. Players feel these systems limit strategic freedom and make gameplay feel rigid and uninspired.
- Performance and Optimization Issues (weight 0.4): The game suffers from significant performance problems, including lag, stuttering, and crashes, particularly in late-game scenarios. These issues persist even on high-end hardware, making the game unplayable for some users.
- Poor AI Design and Cheating (weight 0.37): The AI is criticized for cheating, exploiting mechanics, and behaving illogically (e.g., spamming units, ignoring zone-of-control rules). This creates an unfair and frustrating experience for players.
- Tedious Micromanagement (weight 0.31): Excessive micromanagement, particularly in late-game scenarios, is a common complaint. Players feel bogged down by repetitive tasks, such as managing orders, troops, and city automation, which detracts from strategic enjoyment.
- Frustrating Random Events (weight 0.29): Random events are frequently criticized for being disruptive, illogical, or overly negative. Players feel these events lack meaningful choices and often derail gameplay, leading to frustration.
- Unappealing Visuals and Audio (weight 0.27): The game’s graphics, character designs, and music are described as uninspired, dull, and lacking cultural variety. This contributes to a lackluster presentation that fails to engage players.
- Slow and Tedious Pacing (weight 0.26): The game’s pacing is criticized for being slow and tedious, with long turn times, excessive text, and repetitive tasks. This makes the game feel time-consuming and exhausting, especially in late-game scenarios.
- Underdeveloped Diplomacy and Religion (weight 0.25): Diplomacy and religion systems are described as shallow, passive, and lacking meaningful interactions. Players feel these systems fail to add depth or strategic variety to the gameplay.
- Aggressive DLC and Monetization (weight 0.24): The game’s reliance on paid DLCs for additional content, such as historical events, is seen as excessive and exploitative. Players feel the base game lacks depth and replayability without these purchases.
- Limited Historical Scope and Accuracy (weight 0.16): The game’s narrow historical setting (ancient Middle East) and lack of cultural depth disappoint players. Historical inaccuracies, such as same-sex marriages in pre-industrial societies, are also noted as immersion-breaking.
- Save and Stability Issues (weight 0.05): Frequent crashes, save file corruption, and performance degradation during save/load operations make the game unstable and unreliable, particularly in longer play sessions.

Gameplay feedback:
- Hybrid Civ-CK Mechanics (weight 0.56): The game combines *Civilization*-style empire-building (city management, tech trees) with *Crusader Kings*-inspired character systems (dynasties, events, succession). This hybrid design creates a unique historical 4X experience.
- Character-Driven Dynasty Management (weight 0.55): Players manage mortal rulers, heirs, and court politics with traits, relationships, and finite lifespans. This adds narrative depth and requires generational planning, blending RPG elements with 4X strategy.
- Orders System Limits Actions (weight 0.54): The game features an orders system that restricts the number of actions (e.g., movement, diplomacy, military) per turn, forcing players to prioritize strategically. This mechanic is central to balancing turn length and reducing micromanagement.
- Resource Management Complexity (weight 0.47): Resources (food, metal, stone, civics) are split into growth, training, and military pools, requiring balanced allocation. Gold is used to trade resources, with inflation penalties for overspending.
- Event-Driven Narrative Depth (weight 0.47): Over 3,000 events (e.g., marriages, betrayals, natural disasters) shape gameplay, with outcomes influenced by character traits and relationships. Events can be adjusted for frequency or disabled.
- Succession and Inheritance (weight 0.43): Succession laws (e.g., gender restrictions) and heir education mechanics create dynastic challenges. Players must manage regencies, marriages, and traits to avoid civil unrest or collapse.
- Tactical Combat with Terrain (weight 0.42): Combat involves unit classes (melee/ranged), terrain bonuses, and flanking mechanics. Generals and troop experience influence outcomes, with a rock-paper-scissors counter system for balance.
- Court Politics and Intrigue (weight 0.35): Internal politics (e.g., spouse conflicts, council tasks) and court management are central to gameplay. Players must navigate factions, appointments, and intrigue to maintain stability.
- Diplomacy via Relationships (weight 0.31): Diplomacy is tied to interpersonal relationships (e.g., marriages, alliances) rather than abstract treaties. Character traits and opinions directly impact diplomatic outcomes, adding realism.
- Turn-Based 4X with Ancient Focus (weight 0.23): The game is a turn-based 4X strategy set in the classical era (200-year timeline), blending exploration, expansion, and empire management without modern tech progression. One turn equals one year.
- Limited City Placement (weight 0.23): Cities can only be founded on 3–5 preset tiles, emphasizing organic growth and strategic location choice. This contrasts with traditional 4X games where cities can be placed freely.
- Victory via Quests or Score (weight 0.05): Victory conditions include population milestones, monument construction, or quest completion, offering alternatives to constant warfare. Some conditions trigger premature wins if achieved too quickly.
- City Specialization Mechanics (weight 0.05): Cities can specialize in growth, military, or civics, with governors and citizen roles (e.g., monks, officers) unlocking unique improvements. This adds strategic depth to urban development.

Performance notes:
- Late-game performance degradation (weight 0.14): Players experience significant slowdowns, long turn processing times, and FPS drops during the late game, often due to AI computations, excessive unit counts, or sprawling cities. This is a recurring issue across various hardware setups.
- UI and input responsiveness (weight 0.08): The game exhibits UI lag, flickering elements, and delays in unit actions or menu selections. Some players report the game hanging when selecting units or getting stuck at the end of rounds.
- Hardware and platform compatibility (weight 0.06): While the game runs smoothly on some Linux and Mac systems (e.g., M1 Max), it struggles on others, including PCs meeting recommended specs. Full-screen mode crashes on Linux, and high RAM requirements (32GB) are noted for smooth performance.
- Save and load issues (weight 0.02): Players encounter problems with saving and loading games, including frequent hanging during save loads and an inability to load from saves mid-game. These issues disrupt gameplay and progress.
- Software conflicts (weight 0.01): The game conflicts with third-party software, such as Medal, causing recording prompts to appear frequently during gameplay. This disrupts the player experience and is unrelated to hardware performance.
- Lack of display customization (weight 0.01): Players criticize the absence of window scaling options, which limits flexibility in adjusting the game's display to suit different screen sizes or preferences.

Recommendations:
- Must-play for 4X genre fans (weight 0.27): The game is highly recommended for fans of 4X and grand strategy games, with many reviewers calling it a must-play due to its depth, innovation, and fresh take on the genre. It is frequently compared favorably to classics like Civilization and Crusader Kings.
- Ideal for Civ and CK fans (weight 0.26): The game is particularly recommended for fans of Civilization (especially Civ IV/V) and Crusader Kings, as it blends elements of both genres. It addresses common frustrations with modern Civ-like games, such as troop management and border disputes.
- Historical depth and innovation (weight 0.23): The game stands out for its blend of grand strategy, immersive storytelling, and historical depth. It is seen as an evolution of the 4X genre, offering rich, dynamic systems that reward strategic play and adaptability.
- Active development and community (weight 0.23): The game is praised for its active development, regular patches, and growing community. Reviewers encourage supporting the game to ensure its continued growth and visibility in the strategy genre.
- Wait for a sale (weight 0.22): While the game is highly recommended, several reviewers suggest waiting for a sale to purchase it, as it often drops in price and provides excellent value even at discounted rates.
- Customizable and rewarding (weight 0.2): The game offers a high degree of customization, including adjustable difficulty settings and event rewards. It is described as challenging yet deeply rewarding for players who invest time in learning its systems.
- Best value without DLCs (weight 0.08): The base game is praised for providing a complete and fulfilling experience without requiring DLCs. Many reviewers suggest purchasing the base game on sale and only considering DLCs later for additional content.
- Long-term replayability (weight 0.05): Reviewers highlight the game's potential for long-term engagement, with some noting over 100 hours of enjoyment. Its depth and dynamic systems encourage repeated playthroughs and experimentation.
- Worth trying the demo (weight 0.05): The free demo is frequently recommended as a way to experience the game's depth and uniqueness before purchasing. It helps players determine if the game aligns with their preferences, especially given its complexity.

Other player notes:
- Demand for cultural diversity (weight 0.04): Players express a strong desire for more cultural variety beyond Mediterranean civilizations, including a potential medieval-themed sequel. Some even refunded the game due to this limitation.
- DLC essential for full experience (weight 0.04): Multiple reviews highlight that DLC is necessary to access the full game experience, suggesting base content may feel incomplete without additional purchases.
- Avoids divisive political themes (weight 0.03): The game is noted for steering clear of controversial political themes, which may appeal to players seeking a neutral historical experience.
- Strong developer-community engagement (weight 0.02): Players consistently praise the developer's active support and engagement with the community, indicating a positive relationship and responsiveness to feedback.
- Steam Deck incompatibility (weight 0.01): The game is reported as incompatible with Steam Deck due to control requirements, limiting accessibility for players using this platform.
- Mod support preserves achievements (weight 0.01): Players appreciate that using mods does not disable achievements, allowing for customization without sacrificing progression rewards.
- Comprehensive editing tools (weight 0.01): The game includes separate editors for maps, events, and portraits, providing robust tools for players to create and customize content.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.19): Players experience frustration primarily due to poor UI/UX design, including cluttered interfaces, unintuitive tutorials, and performance issues like lag, stuttering, and crashes. The game's steep learning curve, tedious micromanagement, and unbalanced AI behavior (e.g., unfair advantages, illogical decisions) exacerbate the issue, making progression feel sluggish and unrewarding.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.14): Satisfaction stems from the game's depth, strategic complexity, and replayability, with players praising its unique mechanics (e.g., dynasty management, Orders system) and immersive world-building. The balance between challenge and reward, alongside polished UI elements and meaningful decision-making, creates a fulfilling experience for veterans and those who invest time in mastering its systems.
- Excitement (weight 0.11): Excitement is driven by the game's innovative blend of 4X and grand strategy elements, such as character-driven narratives, dynamic events, and the Orders system. Players highlight its addictive gameplay, emergent storytelling, and the thrill of strategic depth, which revitalizes the genre and offers fresh, unpredictable experiences.
- Appreciation (weight 0.1): Players appreciate the developers' attention to detail, including responsive UI, historical depth, and regular updates. The game's fusion of familiar and novel mechanics (e.g., succession, family dynamics) and its high-quality soundtrack/atmosphere are praised, along with the developers' commitment to supporting the game through DLCs and community engagement.
- Disappointment (weight 0.08): Disappointment arises from unmet expectations, particularly regarding depth, polish, and innovation. Players criticize the game for feeling like a weaker imitation of *Civilization*, with underdeveloped systems (e.g., diplomacy, religion), poor performance, and a lack of meaningful choices. The narrow historical scope and shallow characters/events further diminish its appeal.
- Admiration (weight 0.06): Admiration is directed at the game's ambition, mechanical depth, and immersive design. Players commend its unique twist on the 4X genre, harmonious integration of systems (e.g., AI behavior, procedural events), and the developers' dedication to crafting a dynamic, high-quality experience that stands out in the strategy space.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.03): Enthusiasm is fueled by the game's strategic depth, replayability, and interconnected mechanics. Players celebrate its ability to surpass other strategy titles, praising features like custom maps, historical flavor, and the Orders system, which create engaging, long-term experiences that cater to both casual and hardcore fans.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.03): Enjoyment comes from the game's engaging gameplay loops, such as early-game exploration, dynasty storytelling, and tactical combat. Players highlight its unique mechanics (e.g., regency, succession) and the satisfaction of crafting historical scenarios or large families, which add layers of immersion and personal investment.
- Engagement (weight 0.02): Engagement is driven by the game's emotional investment in character development, meaningful decisions, and emergent narratives. Players are drawn back by small details (e.g., generals leveling up, political intrigue) and the addictive 'one more turn' appeal, which fosters deep, long-term involvement.
- Amusement (weight 0.02): Amusement stems from the game's humorous and unpredictable events, such as absurd character interactions (e.g., spouses turning out gay, pet monkeys) and sarcastic tone. Players enjoy the lighthearted moments that emerge from its role-playing elements and emergent storytelling.
- Curiosity (weight 0.02): Curiosity is sparked by the game's innovative mechanics, such as the randomized tech system and Orders resource, which invite experimentation. Players are motivated to explore its depth, uncover new systems, and understand how its unique features (e.g., multiplayer dynamics) shape the experience.
- Approval (weight 0.01): Approval is given for the game's refreshing take on the 4X genre, with players praising its updated mechanics, character-driven depth, and focus on a single era. Its innovation and presentation are seen as steps forward compared to traditional strategy games like *Civilization*.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.01): Nostalgia is evoked by the game's resemblance to classic strategy titles (e.g., *Civilization IV*), with players reminiscing about childhood experiences. Its connection to *Civ IV*'s lead designer and familiar gameplay loops reinforce this emotional tie.
- Immersion (weight 0.01): Immersion is achieved through the game's rich event system, historical atmosphere, and dynasty simulation. Players are drawn into its political intrigue, character dynamics, and emergent storytelling, which create a living, breathing world that feels authentic and engaging.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Surprise arises from the game's affordability, unexpected depth, and AI behavior (e.g., tactical prowess, dynamic events). Players are caught off guard by its ability to exceed expectations, delivering memorable moments like character betrayals or sudden shifts in gameplay direction.
- Overwhelm (weight 0.01): Overwhelm is caused by the game's initial complexity, excessive text/events per turn, and late-game micromanagement. New players struggle with its bombardment of options, family statistics, and the steep learning curve, which can feel daunting and exhausting.
- Gratitude (weight 0.01): Gratitude is expressed for the developers' efforts, such as Proton compatibility, lack of DRM (e.g., Denuvo), and overall quality. Players appreciate the care put into the game's design and the developers' responsiveness to community needs.
- Impressed (weight 0.01): Players are impressed by the game's mechanical depth, AI intelligence, and strategic complexity. Its ability to deliver realistic, challenging gameplay and a steep but rewarding learning curve leaves a strong positive impression.
- Attachment (weight 0.01): Attachment develops through the game's character mechanics, such as spymaster spouses and dynastic storytelling. Players form emotional connections to their leaders and families, enhancing their investment in the game's long-term progression.
- Disinterest (weight 0.01): Disinterest stems from the game's excessive micromanagement, lack of inspiration, and repetitive gameplay loops. Players who prefer streamlined or casual experiences may find it tedious and unengaging over time.}