Based on purchasing power, if this was 2003, this is the equivalent of a less than $10 DLC. While I don’t remember how much the AOE2 expanions cost, I’m pretty sure it was a whole lot more than $10.
To an extent sure, however this forum was always a hugely disproportionate amount of dissatisfied people. A similar poll was asked on reddit and it was about 80% in favor of liking the variant civs.
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Yea but people on Reddit have overwhelmingly shit opinions.
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I mean this forum gets some pretty wild opinions too, and reddit is a much bigger sample-size and is likely much closer to the average player’s opinion than the people answering this poll.
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Talking about sample size, we need more votes!
None of the options seemed applicable to me, but I’m not buying. Dunno anything about the DLC but there’s still many errors with the base game that haven’t been addressed in the past two years. They couldn’t possibly add enough new content to interest me. Fixing the bugs and polishing what they have done so far is my only concern. Seeing them add new content, fire their PR person, and avoid acknowledging the bugs is a bunch of red flags to me that they’re moving on from the base game and done polishing it. Maybe they’ll eventually fix things, but by then this will be a >$100 game with all the DLC’s. I aint waiting around for it.
Ah yes, that’s right. Opinions you don’t value don’t matter.
I feel like that sets a bit of a dangerous precedent!
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The poll is surprinsingly positive for variant civs because this forum here is actually a very small and very critical community about pretty much everything concerning AoE4. I watched the reddit poll again in the AoE4 sub which is a much bigger community.
The question was: “Sultans Ascend DLC variant civilizations: How do you feel about them?”
Total votes: 654
Satisfied: 469
Mixed: 133
Dissatisfied: 52
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Buying the DLC because it’s good value for the money, and I want to keep RTS alive.
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Does anybody know for sure if views of the topic include unregistered users? Or better, since somebody knows, can they tell me that? 
I’ll buy it. Not right away though. I have my issues with AoEIV but I want to support the AoE franchise as a whole. And I certainly don’t think AoEIV is a bad game. The only DLC I haven’t bought is RoR.
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If the variant civs were added in the current civs and you had to choose in game what you want to play I was going to buy it …
Uh… the whole survey is literally designed around attitude toward Variants.
I don’t see a proper option for me. My option should be: “I’m buying it, since I particularly love one(or some)of the elements of this DLC”.
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Yes this the variants are meh, I’m buying the DLC for the Byzantines (Roman Empire) and the Japanese. I wasn’t that impressed by the base game campaigns so I don’t have high hopes for the campaign.
I’m not buying it.
I bought AoE4 back in 22 with hope they gonna add/fix animation. 2 years after game was launched and is the same.
“Readability” of the map doesn’t mean very poor or lack of animation Relic, means choosing the right texture and color of the ground. Choosing right colors of the units also. Leave the roofs of the buildings out of it are not taxing on “readability”, atm roofs are like they’ve been painted with chalk paint and washed off after first rain.
Most of the textures and colors have no soul.
Elite spearman doesn’t need to bear a mighty lollipop called spear to be “readable” on the map.
Stone Walls doesn’t need to look as made out of carboard at 5 years old Crafts class. Where are the textures? Also should be able to be linked with outpost and palisades.
List can be longer but, I feel I’m wasting my time.
I’ll buy it only if I see good changes towards good animations and effects but, for now is no mentions of this changes.
Yes, animation and more effects can tax the hardware but, is an easy fix.
For Multiplayer can be introduced a new settings profile in game to ease on effects and animation if ppl don’t have powerful CPU and GPU.
Hardware - poor the graphic and animation, also poor quality smoke, lack of projectiles and canon balls, the missing effects of canon balls hitting objects and people - all this and video card reach 70 C 1vs1 AI. Are you for real Relic? . In AoE 4 is not poor optimization is a way more to it…
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As I expected, a massive proportion of replies have an issue with Variants for history reasons. Both in the ‘buy’ and ‘not buy’.
I think this DLC is an ocean-size missed opportunity. ‘Sultans Ascend’ covers the most historical geography on Earth by far; yet the expansion includes NOT A SINGLE historical or archeological feature, NOT A SINGLE biome from the entire geography:
This could have been an epic expansion with only Byz, Japan & Persians or Mamluk civilizations and these ancient Wonders and biomes on maps.
They screwed up.
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The dlc seems to be haphazardly put together with a bunch of random junk.
The Savannah biome does adhere to the theme though the Malians were islamic.
Making 4 variants is much easier than making a new civ with unique language and architecture
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I haven’t bought the DLC.
After the update, units and objects are more clear and sharper, maybe the lighting changed. Pleasant surprise but, still remain a large room for better textures for buildings, walls and roofs.
Linking wooden walls with stone walls should have been by default at the launch of the game not 2 years after! - better later than never though. However Outposts should be able to be linked as well to any walls.
Sometimes you have no room to build and outpost but, only glued to a wall and you should be able to but atm you can’t, hopefully future updates.
As for animation some problems disappeared - like cavalry sliding however is still lacking animation, canon balls, trebuchet stones, impact physics and better smoke. The smoke of a burning building is much better atm than a firing bombard or culverin, why it can’t be added to those is beside me. If that is taxing CPU and GPU too much, don’t make it a default setting, add option in game settings tick or untick those effects.
I have to test the elephants now cause that was an appalling animation.
AI fights better - now AI uses more siege engines, and defending those with melee infantry. I tested only Intermediate Ai.
In conclusion :linking walls , somewhat better graphics, a little better animation, better AI.
I will buy the DLC.
Also for the new 2 civs the other 4 shortcuts I’m not interested in. Are many good civs that can be added no need for shortcut branches from the existing ones - waste of time and work in my opinion and boring.
:))))))
Biomes needs to be linked to the religion now in AoE4? that is very funny wish :))))
Savannah and Islam is a no no devs!!! :)))) Or they could make Malians shamanic and put them in Gobi Desert Biome. 
That is true.
I’ve been angry about the variants but I will buy the DLC, I want the game to be successful
Hopefully the next expansions the names will be better