Humankind: Together we Rule – The new expansion in preview
The developers at Amplitude Studios wanted to launch their heartfelt project, Humankind, into a big attack on the genre leader, Civilization. Almost exactly a year has passed since the release. At the time, it was not possible to trump the great role model, but the game inspired with many fresh ideas and some aspects that made it really good. In the test, we also confirmed that Humankind had a certain potential for the future if the French makers were able to further develop the game in a meaningful way. Since then, the team has tweaked features and content with a few updates. Now the developers are introducing Together we Rule, the first really big add-on designed to take Humankind to the next level. That doesn’t sound impossible, after all, Civilization has only ever exhausted its full potential with its expansions, especially in the last few parts. What the developers are planning with the add-on and what innovations we can expect, we could already see at Gamescom as part of a presentation at the Sega booth.
With Together we Rule, the developers want to shift the focus away from military conflicts towards peaceful victory strategies through diplomacy and espionage. Because even as a peaceful player you should be able to win. There will now be significantly more options for this. An important element here is the new Congress of Humankind, a kind of world assembly modeled on the United Nations. In this assembly, the leaders of all nations vote on global rules and settle international conflicts.
It doesn’t matter how big a country is, everyone has a right to vote in Congress. However, votes are not always worth the same. A new currency called “Influence” comes into play for diplomatic intrigues. A diplomatically skilled leader who can build a lot of influence with other nations is therefore able to shape international politics more in his favor. With enough influence, other nations can be forced to make certain decisions.
Humankind: Together we Rule announced. (3)
Source: SEGA
There are a number of ways to build influence. One of them is the new embassy district, which generates regular influence. It also makes it possible to negotiate direct bilateral agreements with the nation concerned. Through an embassy, we can either support a nation at war or issue sanctions against it.
Another option is the new spy system. With the new unit type of the agent, other realms can be infiltrated to spread disinformation, commit sabotage and generate influence. There are three different types of agents. The Envoy is a diplomat who can move freely across the map to gather influence. The spy concentrates on infiltration and can then capture raw materials and pursue enemy armies, among other things. Third, there is the master spy, who has additional sabotage actions available.
Humankind: Together we Rule announced. (4)
Source: SEGA
New races, wonders and more
Of course, to better showcase the new diplomatic style of play, the developers are also integrating new cultures that have an affinity for diplomacy. Altogether there will be six new peoples, one for each epoch. It starts in antiquity with the Sumerians, followed by Han Chinese, Bulgarians, Swiss, Scots and finally Singaporeans. Due to their affinity, these cultures can act even more actively on the international diplomatic scene. With their active ability, they can declare a specific territory a demilitarized zone for 10 turns. The passive ability of these races allows them to collect influence with all units.
For winning a game of Humankind (buy now €28.50 /€42.49 ) there is still glory to be gained. On the way to becoming the most glorious race in the world, stars can now also be acquired through diplomacy by constantly expanding your influence. The six new wonders of the world also help. One of these is the headquarters of the Congress of Humankind. In addition, the Monument Valley, Pamukkale, the Chocolate Hills, Eldgja and the Palace of Versailles are also available for construction in the expansion.
A free patch will also be released to accompany the expansion, which will bring some fundamental improvements. This includes a new stealth mechanic that makes it possible to set up ambushes or conduct reconnaissance behind enemy lines. There will also be 15 new narrative events that bring more variety to the gameplay. In addition, the developers promise continuous improvements to the user interface, new accessibility and comfort features, the introduction of independent races and an improvement in maritime gameplay.
The Together we Rule expansion pack for Humankind is scheduled for release in autumn 2022 for PC on the Steam, Epic Games Store and Microsoft Store platforms. The developers of did not want to give a more precise date. It is also not yet known if the expansion will be included directly in the console version, which is scheduled for release in November.
Reference-www.pcgames.de