Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition - Lady Eridani
The Sultans Ascend, the new expansion for Age of Empires IV is coming November 14th and is available for pre-order now!
The upcoming expansion will bring a host of new ways to play, including:
New 8-mission campaign
2 new civilizations: Japanese & Byzantines
4 new variant civilizations
10 new maps
2 new biomes
New unlockable rewards
Between now and launch, we’ll be sharing deeper looks at what’s included in the expansion. After hearing player feedback we’re starting with a deep dive on Variant Civilizations, which are new to both Age of Empires IV, and the Age of Empires franchise as a whole. We’re pairing this deep dive with a look at the Jeanne d’Arc Variant Civilization so you can learn more about how it’s structured, the new elements you’ll have to play with, and allow you to start thinking of strategies.
What is a Variant Civilization?
A Variant Civilization is a modified version of a classic civilization that you already know and love from the core game. They offer new gameplay elements and strategies, while keeping the familiarity and identity of the classic civilization intact. Variant civilizations are not designed to replace the classic civ they are derived from but instead provide an alternative way to play.
We start with historical inspiration from some element in the history of the classic civilization and then build gameplay from that theme. These elements can be a single individual (like Jeanne d’Arc), a philosophy (like the neo-Confucianism of Zhu Xi), or a particular historical group within the broader culture (like the Order of the Dragon). Although these seeds are often small moments, we explore the ‘what if’ of keeping that focus throughout the journey through the four Ages. Historically, Jeanne d’Arc lived at what would be the early part of the Imperial Age (just as France was adopting firearms at large scale), but we feature her across all four Ages in the variant that bears her name.
This builds on some of the “historical extensions” of the classic civilizations, such as the Abbasid Dynasty and Delhi Sultanate having full gunpowder units even through those particular groups never adopted gunpowder en masse (or were succeeded by those who did, such as the Ottomans).
Not everything changes between classic and variant. Many basic units and buildings remain the same, as do music and historical speech. Each variant has its own list of changes, which might be a new set of landmarks, new units, revised or wholly new technologies or civilization mechanics, and more. The changes are always significant, however, and remake how the civilization plays. Players of a parent and variant civilization will be making very different choices and pursuing different strategies throughout a match.
Why are Variant Civilizations being introduced?
First and foremost, all civilizations in Age of Empires (be they classics or variants) are there to deliver excellent and engaging experiences to our players. The classic civilizations are there to capture the history of civilizations over several centuries, capturing the evolution of whole cultures and expressing them as broad gameplay themes supported by art, music, speech, and much more. Variant civilizations take an element of that broad historical sweep and build a fresh game experience around it.
The variant civilizations are also a great opportunity for us to explore gameplay mechanics that push the envelope. The Jeanne d’Arc Variant Civilization, for example, is entirely focused on a hero unit who gains levels and transforms throughout the match. This is not something we have seen in Age of Empires IV before, and variants allow us to really lean into these mechanics.
What was the inspiration for Variant Civilizations?
History is always the first source of inspiration for the Age of Empires team, but we also look to our community and how they play the game. Looking at the landscape of play, we saw opportunities for fun RTS experiences we hadn’t yet explored. To cite just one example, we realized we had gone into elite units, but not an elite army. What would an Age of Empires version of a low-unit-count army of powerful units look like? What benefits would that provide to players struggling with cognitive load? What awesome gameplay moments could that deliver? From there was born the Order of the Dragon.
Since announcing the Variant Civilizations, you’ve changed two of the names. Why is this?
The names for the Variant Civilizations are:
Jeanne d’Arc (variant of the French)
The Order of the Dragon (variant of the Holy Roman Empire)
Zhu Xi’s Legacy (variant of the Chinese)
Ayyubids (variant of the Abbasid Dynasty)
Naming things is difficult. We need to balance historicity with trying to represent what is unique about a civilization. We talk a lot about names. We try out options. We consult with experts. We test and reflect. But sometimes we miss things or get things wrong. Some members of our community raised concerns that a few of our names were needlessly vague and needlessly exoticizing. World’s Edge and Relic take such concerns very seriously, and after much discussion and consultation with experts, we have decided to make some changes. We won’t always get things right, but we are listening and always learning and we appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us. Your voices are a part of our development process and we’ll continue to hear them. Want more information of the other elements of The Sultans Ascend expansion? Keep an eye on our website and official community channels for information as we release it. You can also pre-order the expansion now!
We're excited to announce our participation in Steam's SHMUP Fest, starting on September 25th. Throughout this event, you can immerse yourself in the chaos of Heretic's Fork and enjoy multiple sales in bundles we have from various titles you all love, such as.
We’re proud to announce that we are part of Steam’s SHMUP Fest starting September 25th and that’s not all, during this event, get ready to lock and load for fantastic discounts during this event, enjoy Mega City Police for 20% OFF!
Retrowave Skill-Based Action Roguelike about tough cops fighting crime and keeping peace the old-fashioned way. Choose your cop and dive into hardcore action against enemies and bosses using a huge arsenal and special abilities that will define your play style. The law will make crime bleed.
Awkward 2: The Party Game of Savage Secrets - SFC_yesdogman (Martijn)
We're thrilled to announce that Awkward 2: The Party Game of Savage Secrets has been selected for the Games Lab line-up at Aesthetica Short Film Festival! Aesthetica is a prestigious BAFTA-Qualifying event that takes place in York, England. The Games Lab is a new part of the festival this year, featuring 50 games that show off some of the best innovation and creativity, where bold stories are told differently.
There are a number of other exciting titles that will be shown off alongside Awkward 2, including Desta: The Memories Between from ustwo, and Polygon Treehouse's Mythwrecked. As well as showcasing some of the best and most groundbreaking upcoming games, Aesthetica’s Game Lab will be celebrating game culture, design, and production, enhanced by a number of panels and talks from industry experts.
As a part of the official selection for Aesthetica, Awkward 2 is also eligible for their Best Game Award. We’re honoured to join a line-up of incredible games made by some fantastic talent, and we can’t wait to find out if we’ll be taking home the trophy for Best Game at the Awards Ceremony in November.
This will be the first event where we’re exhibiting Awkward 2 and we’re so excited for its debut! You can come along and play it for yourself at Spark, York between the 8th and the 12th of November.
To find out more, visit the Aesthetica Short Film Festival website here: https://www.asff.co.uk/
If you love indie games, check out Fireshine’s Steam page for loads of great discounts across their portfolio of titles - including Little Friends at 25% off. From strategy games to co-op adventures, there’s a whole bunch to choose from. There are also a host of great upcoming indie titles that you can show your support for by wishlisting them now!
The publisher sale kicked off at 6pm BST today and can be found here
We can reveal we are joining the ranks of the Steam SHUMP Fest!
Running from September 25th through October 2nd, Steam SHMUP Fest will have an entire week full of discounts and demos celebrating shoot 'em ups, twin-stick shooters, and bullet hell games.
We are in the Fireshine Games Publisher sale alongside a host of other awesome indie games!
If you love indie games, check out Fireshine’s Steam page for loads of great discounts across their portfolio of titles. From strategy games to co-op adventures, there’s a whole bunch to choose from. There are also a host of great upcoming indie titles that you can show your support for by wishlisting them now!
The publisher sale kicked off at 6pm BST today and can be found here
Space Robinson: Hardcore Roguelike Action - darxtorn
Get your trigger fingers ready because we're celebrating shoot 'em up fest, and you're invited to join the bullet chaos!
Space Robinson is a part Steam SHMUP Fest and has some discounts:
Base Game - 80% OFF
Soundtrack - 45% OFF
Find yourself in the role of a resourceful space engineer who crash-landed on an alien planet. Survive hordes of hostile creatures, gather resources, upgrade your equipment, and unravel the mysteries of the planet's strange inhabitants. It's a ruthless and challenging journey through an unpredictable and dangerous world.
Join the space journey with the Space Robinson until the October 2 at 10:00 AM PDT: