Info about EMERGENCY 20:

Official game description:
_EMERGENCY 20 brings 10 of the best missions from 20 years of EMERGENCY to your PC - using current technology! Additionally it features EMERGENCY 5, EMERGENCY 2016 and EMERGENCY 2017 with all the campaigns, multiplayer maps and freeplay modes!_  
**Keep your cool and coordinate rescue workers in exciting real-time missions - from an illegal street race to a nuclear meltdown.**  
What would happen if a meteorite smashed into an inner city? Or if a fireworks factory caught fire? You can contain the disaster!  
Many different units from 4 branches – fire department, medical services, police and technical units - are waiting for your orders.  
Decide in real time, where best to deploy your units and which tasks need to be handled first. As an incident commander you will have to utilize your limited units optimally and always be on your toes. Because you never know when the unexpected will disrupt your best laid plans...  
For those new to EMERGENCY this edition is the ideal starting point. Between three campaigns, 10 newly re-imagined missions, Free Play and Multiplayer, this package includes many hours of exciting EMERGENCY gameplay.  
Experienced EMERGENCY commanders can dive into our new take on classic missions and get an insight into the design and history of EMERGENCY in our videos showcasing the original missions with commentary by EMERGENCY-Creator Ralph Stock and noted community member „Godra“.
**FEATURES**
------------
*   Go on a journey spanning 20 years of EMERGENCY and experience 10 classic missions with the benefit of modernized graphics and gameplay.
*   Choose your difficulty: Three difficulty settings allow you to adjust EMERGENCY to your preferred playstyle.
*   It’s the complete package: Build up your team of units in the EMERGENCY 5 campaign, battle the plague and terrorism in the EMERGENCY 2016 and 2017 campaigns and the multiplayer and freeplay maps!
*   Mac version included! Play the campaign, freeplay and multiplayer on Mac. The Mac version does not support mods but offers all other features of the Windows version!

Release date: Oct 31, 2017

Categories: Real-time Strategy, Simulation, Resource Management, Disaster Management, Cooperative Multiplayer, Unit Management, Mod Support, Tactical


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $10.00 - $20.00
  - Reasoning: The reviews consistently state that the game is not worth its full price and that purchasing it on sale or with a discount is the only fair value. A specific price of 110 zł (~$27) is mentioned as 'a bit too much', so the fair base price should be significantly lower. Since many reviewers recommend waiting for a sale, the community appears to consider a price in the $10–$20 range as reasonable, reflecting typical discount levels from the full price.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 20.0h
  - Story completion: 22.5h
  - Session length: 1.0h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The German review explicitly states the combined campaign duration as 20-25 hours, providing a clear value for story/campaign completion. Game completion likely aligns with that campaign time, as the main structured content ends there. Session length is supported by multiple reviews: one notes tedium after 1 hour, another mentions 2-hour sessions, and another recommends 1-hour play sessions, suggesting 1 hour as a typical session. No specific endgame hours are reported; endgame is left open-ended and is set to null.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Emergency 20 offers immediate fun for simulation/RTS fans, but a steep learning curve and repetitive missions cause enjoyment to drop sharply after the first 20 minutes, with bugs and limited mod support adding further friction.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: N/A
  - Time to anchor: 0h 20m
  - Friction: steep learning curve for unfamiliar players; overwhelming volume of units and commands; multiplayer and singleplayer mission repetition; technical bugs and crashes (especially multiplayer); limited mod support restricts variety
  - Unlock drivers: mods like Wuppertal mod that add content; flexible difficulty modes (chill singleplayer vs realism multiplayer); multiplayer with friends for social fun
  - Conditions: singleplayer offers relaxed, free-form play; multiplayer provides action and cooperation; free mode with escalating call complexity; player mindset: must enjoy simulation/management genres
- Player Archetypes:
  - Classic Modding Veteran (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Nostalgia and the modding community
    - Playstyle: Installs mods, plays custom maps, often returns to EM4 for better mod support and fewer bugs.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: old-school player; franchise fan; modder
    - Reference games: Emergency 4; Emergency 5
  - Strategic Chaos Manager (sale)
    - Motivation: Challenge of managing escalating chaos and coordinating multiple resources
    - Playstyle: Plays campaign for structured progression, free mode for sandbox chaos, and engages in multiplayer for cooperative or competitive stress.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: strategy fan; emergency coordinator; multiplayer enthusiast
    - Reference games: Company of Heroes
  - Casual Dispatcher (buy)
    - Motivation: Fun of directing rescue operations and watching units execute tasks
    - Playstyle: Plays through campaigns and free mode casually, not bothered by bugs or repetitiveness.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: casual player; first-time player
    - 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:
- Mods elevate the game dramatically (weight 0.92): The modding community, especially mods like Lüdenscheid, Wuppertal, and Biberfelde, transform the game with enhanced realism, new content, and refined routines. Players strongly recommend installing mods for the best experience.
- Rich campaign and mission variety (weight 0.81): The game offers a robust single-player experience with a campaign mode, free play, challenge mode, and many diverse missions, including remakes of classic ones from previous titles. Players enjoy the gradual difficulty increase and the nostalgic missions.
- Deep and satisfying gameplay mechanics (weight 0.69): Players appreciate the strategic depth, micro-management of units, automation features, and realistic elements. The game rewards planning and offers a satisfying sense of accomplishment when emergencies are handled successfully.
- Excellent value with extensive content (weight 0.62): The bundle includes multiple full games (Emergency 5, 2016, 2017, 20) and DLC, making it a great deal for newcomers and fans alike. Players praise the amount of content for the price.
- Polished graphics and sound (weight 0.44): The game features attractive graphics, detailed models, and immersive sound design. Many reviews note improvements over previous titles and commend the visual and audio presentation.
- Nostalgia for series veterans (weight 0.35): Long-time fans enjoy the inclusion of remastered classic missions and the nostalgic feel of revisiting earlier Emergency games. The game serves as a tribute to the series' history.
- Engaging multiplayer co-op (weight 0.29): Multiplayer mode allows players to cooperate in managing emergencies together. It adds significant replayability and is considered very fun by those who tried it.
- Improvements over previous titles (weight 0.23): Compared to earlier Emergency games, players note better graphics, improved AI, smoother camera, and more realistic features. The game is seen as a worthy evolution of the series.

Common complaints:
- Severe Pathfinding and AI Issues (weight 0.88): The game is plagued by widespread pathfinding problems where vehicles get stuck on small objects, take inefficient routes, and fail to navigate properly. AI units exhibit bizarre behaviors, such as firefighters not connecting to hydrants, paramedics blocked by bushes, and police units ignoring threats. These issues are cited across dozens of clusters, making core gameplay frustrating and unreliable.
- Bugs, Glitches, and Technical Problems (weight 0.76): The game is riddled with numerous bugs including mission-breaking glitches, cars disappearing, units failing to perform tasks, and performance issues such as crashes, lag, and long loading times. Many players report that the game feels unfinished and unpolished, with bugs persisting through updates and making parts of the game unplayable.
- Lack of Content and Depth Compared to Predecessors (weight 0.75): Players consistently note that Emergency 20 has fewer vehicles, units, and missions, and feels significantly stripped down compared to Emergency 4. The game is widely seen as easier, less complex, and missing strategic depth, with many feeling it is a shallow rehash of Emergency 5/2016/2017 without meaningful improvements or innovation.
- Frustrating Micro-Management and Awkward Controls (weight 0.62): The game forces excessive micro-management due to poor AI and lack of automation, requiring players to issue every command step-by-step. Controls are described as loose, unintuitive, and lacking customization, and the absence of an active pause makes the chaotic pace even more stressful. The UI is unclear and the minimap is not useful.
- Repetitive Missions and Monotonous Gameplay (weight 0.46): The game's missions quickly become repetitive, cycling through the same few scenario types such as bomb threats and house fires with little variation. Freeplay mode in particular is criticized for lacking variety and becoming boring after a short time, leading to a lack of long-term engagement and replayability.
- Weak Modding Support and Community (weight 0.45): The modding scene has not flourished due to a difficult editor (often in German), lack of official tools, and a hostile community. Many players rely on mods to make the game enjoyable, but the base game offers little support and some mods do not work. This limits the game's potential for longevity and customization.
- Poor Value and Overpricing (weight 0.34): Many players feel the game is overpriced at 30€ or similar, given its lack of content, bugs, and similarity to previous titles. Some suggest it should have been a DLC rather than a standalone game. The value proposition is especially weak for owners of older Emergency games, making the purchase not worthwhile except at a steep discount.

Gameplay feedback:
- Real-Time Strategy Rescue Simulation (weight 0.68): The game is a real-time strategy where players act as dispatchers for emergency services (fire, police, ambulance, technical rescue), focusing on planning, resource allocation, and saving lives.
- Varied Game Modes (weight 0.58): Players can enjoy multiple modes: a campaign with progression and money management, freeplay with random missions, challenge mode with increasing difficulty, and an endless mode for extended play.
- Missing Features and Simplification (weight 0.53): Compared to Emergency 4, many features are absent: building entry, vehicle fire damage, health decrease for injured, unit info before dispatch, and ability to choose hose connections. The game feels simplified overall.
- Remastered Classic Missions (weight 0.45): The game includes remastered missions from earlier Emergency games, spanning content from Emergency 1-4, 5, 2016, and 2017, allowing players to revisit classic scenarios with updated visuals.
- Modding Support and Community (weight 0.35): Modding is available and influential, but some mods are non-functional. The series peaked at Emergency 4 with strong mod support, and this game relies on the community for variety and realism.
- Multiplayer Modes and Issues (weight 0.33): The game supports co-op and versus multiplayer, but players report connectivity issues and limited maps, which can hinder the experience.
- Difficulty Progression and Grind (weight 0.24): Difficulty increases over time with fewer units, and missions require grinding for credits to upgrade, creating a mix of challenge and repetition for leaderboard-oriented players.
- Vehicle Variety and Specialists (weight 0.21): The game includes 22 types of vehicles (fire, ambulance, police, technical) and specialists like doctors, SWAT, and engineers, providing diverse tactical options.
- Heavy Micro Management (weight 0.19): Players must individually command each unit as they idle after tasks, leading to intense micro management that some find tedious, though automation options exist.
- Pathfinding and Vehicle Movement Problems (weight 0.16): Pathfinding is poor, with vehicles moving erratically and getting stuck frequently, which hampers efficient emergency response and frustrates players.
- Automation Features Available (weight 0.15): Units can auto-perform tasks and automation can be disabled, offering flexibility to reduce micro management but not always reliable.
- Graphics and Recycled Maps (weight 0.12): Maps are 3D with day-night cycles and weather, but many are recycled from Emergency 5, leading to repetitive environments. Four German cities are featured.
- Intuitive Controls for Veterans (weight 0.09): Controls are intuitive for Emergency 4 players but require learning for newcomers. The UI includes commands, waypoints, and formations.

Performance notes:
- Poor optimization and performance (weight 0.26): Multiple players report FPS drops, lag, long loading times, and high system requirements. The game is poorly optimized compared to previous titles, requiring graphical adjustments on lower-end systems.
- Inconsistent hardware performance (weight 0.07): Some players report surprisingly good performance on older hardware (GTX 670) and better performance than a previous title on the same computer (GTX 1050), but these are outliers compared to the majority of performance complaints.
- Frequent crashes (weight 0.06): Players experience crashes approximately once per hour, indicating significant stability issues that disrupt gameplay.
- Bugs and glitches (weight 0.05): The game contains various bugs and glitches that negatively affect the player experience, though no specific examples are given.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for newcomers and series fans (weight 0.71): The game is often recommended to new players entering the Emergency series or to fans who can overlook its flaws. It is considered a good entry point for those unfamiliar with previous titles, and dedicated fans may find enjoyment, especially with mods or at a discount.
- Not recommended for Emergency 4 veterans (weight 0.57): Players who enjoyed Emergency 4 (EM4) or 911: First Responders are frequently disappointed by this title. They advise playing EM4 instead due to missing features, worse AI, and lack of innovation. This game is seen as a step backward for the series.
- Mods are essential for enjoyment (weight 0.55): Many players emphasize that the base game is lacking and only becomes enjoyable with community mods, such as Lüdenscheid, Wuppertal, or Beaverfield. Without mods, the game is often described as not worth playing, while with mods it becomes highly recommended.
- Only worth buying on sale (weight 0.49): A large number of reviews indicate that the game is not worth its full price. Players recommend purchasing it only when discounted, often citing a fair price range of €7-20 or as part of a bundle. Buying at full price is strongly advised against.
- Positive overall experience with caveats (weight 0.42): Many reviewers give a general thumbs up, describing the game as fun and entertaining despite its shortcomings. They often mention that it requires mods, a sale price, or tolerance for bugs to be fully enjoyable.
- Technical issues and bugs detract from experience (weight 0.28): Numerous complaints highlight poor AI, pathfinding problems, and general bugs. Some reviewers advise waiting for a major patch before purchasing, as these issues significantly hamper gameplay.
- Outright negative recommendations (weight 0.27): A subset of players strongly advise against purchasing the game, calling it a waste of money, especially for those who own previous versions. Some label it an exploitation of new players, and others state it is not worth playing at all.

Other player notes:
- AFAD training on easy mode (weight 0.06): Players report that AFAD experts are being trained on the easiest difficulty setting, which may be unrealistic or a design flaw. This feedback suggests a mismatch between expert training expectations and game mechanics.
- Workaround for doctors in ambulances (weight 0.05): A player-provided tutorial explains how to edit the ambulance_rtw file to allow doctors to ride in ambulances. This indicates that the default game settings may not support this feature, requiring manual configuration.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.23): Players are frustrated primarily due to persistent AI and pathfinding bugs that cause mission failures, as well as poor controls, unclear interfaces, and missing essential features. The game is criticized for being full of bugs, lacking updates, and offering recycled content at a high price.
- Disappointment (weight 0.21): Disappointment stems from the game being a lazy imitation with less content and depth than older titles, short campaigns, and a high price for minimal new features. Players feel the developers abandoned the game, and the vanilla experience is monotonous and fails to deliver on expectations.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.11): Enjoyment is largely driven by mods that enhance gameplay, along with engaging missions, a good soundtrack, and multiplayer fun. The core game is considered relaxing and long‑lasting, especially when community content is available.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.08): Satisfaction comes from good value for money, solid graphics, and strong mod support. Players appreciate successful mission completions and overall game quality that meets or exceeds expectations.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.06): Nostalgia is evoked by replaying classic missions from earlier Emergency games and the chance to relive childhood memories. The remasters and developer commentary on old missions reinforce this sentimental attachment.
- Excitement (weight 0.03): Excitement is fueled by the introduction of mods like Lüdenscheid, the thrill of complex missions, and the anticipation of upcoming mod releases. The campaign mode also adds to the excitement.
- Anger (weight 0.03): Anger is directed at persistent bugs that remain unfixed for years, lack of content, poor AI decisions, and a perceived disrespect toward the community. Missing tutorials and removed features further aggravate players.
- Boredom (weight 0.02): Boredom results from the repetitive nature of free mode and missions, making longer playing sessions tedious. The lack of variety causes the gameplay to become monotonous quickly.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.02): Enthusiasm is sparked by discovering mods and the community around them. Mods bring variety and elevate the game, making players feel they have found something exceptional.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Appreciation is expressed for the realistic mods that align with personal experience, and for the overall quality of the game. Mods are seen as significantly enhancing an already good foundation.
- Love (weight 0.01): Love for the game is centered on the micromanagement elements and the overall experience provided by mods. These aspects create a deeply engaging and satisfying gameplay loop.
- Desire for improvement (weight 0.01): Players desire improvements such as 4K support, better vehicle controls, more automated behavior, and a flexible endless mode. These enhancements would address current limitations and increase replayability.
- Amusement (weight 0.01): Amusement arises from absurd AI behavior and pathfinding glitches, such as civilians walking into fires or vehicles pirouetting. These unintentionally funny moments lighten the gameplay experience.
- Fun (weight 0.01): Fun is derived from the overall enjoyability of the game, whether playing it as a standalone experience or as a diversion while waiting for another title. The core gameplay remains entertaining.
- Happiness (weight 0.01): Happiness is felt by players who found the game on Steam after previously playing it on CD, and by the game’s good performance on the same hardware. This re‑discovery brings joy.
- Relief (weight 0.01): Relief comes from the game running well on older hardware and fixing long‑standing performance issues from Emergency 5. A smooth technical experience puts players at ease.
- Stress (weight 0.01): Stress is caused by the game’s overwhelming speed and frantic pacing, which players find too fast and stressful to manage comfortably.
- Indifference towards base game (weight 0.01): Players are indifferent to the base game because their interest lies solely in specific mods, not the original content. The vanilla game holds no value for them.
- Desire for more variety (weight 0.01): Desire for more variety is expressed as a wish for additional national versions of the game. Players want the core experience to expand beyond its current scope.
- Delight (weight 0.01): Delight is attributed to the Lüdenscheid mod, which transforms the game into a fun and engaging experience. This mod is seen as the key element that makes the game enjoyable.}