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There’s some exciting news for fans of 4X strategy games. Amplitude Studios is gearing up for its next big game, Humankind 2, and the hands-on demo shown to PC Gamer’s Joshua Wolens was quite promising. The game will be released next year.
(Image credit: Amplitude)
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Lessons from Civ 7’s mistake?
Everyone knows the story of Civilization 7. It required a new civilization to be chosen at the beginning of each new era, and this didn’t appeal to many players. That’s why the author was surprised that Amplitude placed so much emphasis on the culture system in its demo. This system also allows for the ability to adopt a new culture as the era changes. Egyptians can become barbarians, Romans, or even English, provided the circumstances warrant it.
But after watching the demo, the author’s experience was positive. He said it wasn’t as frustrating as Civ 7’s mode.
The “dialectical” relationship between climate and culture
Another big highlight of the demo was the connection between climate and biomes and culture. Humankind 2 portrays history as a cycle: biomes shape culture, culture changes biomes, and then biomes influence culture. Climate isn’t static either. Like real life, it’s subject to natural and human-caused changes, depending on chance and the actions of players or NPCs.
The result could be that one morning the Egyptian civilization would wake up and see snow all around.
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The story begins with “First Tale”
(Image credit: Amplitude)
The demo showed players with numerous tribes scattered across a realistic map of Earth. Each tribe receives a “First Tale,” a founding story, associated with their territory. This story forms the basis of their entire culture. This provides bonuses such as Authority and Learning, as well as changes to tiles and citizen roles.
In the demo, the first tale of a tribe living on the banks of the Nile was “Flood Tamer.” This meant they used less water and were able to make better use of it. The player could then make more nuanced choices from the “Adaptation” tree. For desert Egypt, these included mud bricks, camel herding, and heat tolerance.
when the weather turns
Amplitude made it clear that adaptations once chosen don’t always work. Climate changes like the Medieval Warm Period or the Little Ice Age can make biomes drier or wetter. But adapting to change isn’t impossible. The end of the demo showed a save in which ice sheets covered the pyramids, and the Egyptian civilization’s adaptations were now focused on warmth, whaling, and conserving limited resources.
The author says they only saw Egypt play, so they can’t offer a definitive opinion on its success. However, a player starting in the tundra or jungle wouldn’t make the same moves. And a civilization adapted to the desert might find itself in a difficult position against the native inhabitants if it ventured into the jungle. The studio even joked that if your culture specializes in drought, you could deliberately dry up the entire planet with a nuclear catastrophe.
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Freedom from “monolithic” cultures
Previously, each culture in Humankind consisted largely of a unit, a building, and a bonus. Amplitude is changing this to a skill-tree-like system in Humankind 2. Each culture’s customs are divided into tiers and are selected from limited bonus slots. For example, an Egyptian Pharaoh can increase authority through tradition, or become adept at squeezing water from sand.
As the ages progress, “crossroads” occur, where the player can choose one of three paths:
- Shared History (Free)
- Common ground (costs culture points)
- Foreign Contacts (costs the most Culture Points)
New cultures unlock new customs, new cityscapes, and new roles. The studio says there will be 70 cultures in total. It promises players will create unique cities that aren’t the same every time.
Better production and faster loading
Amplitude also emphasized new effects and animations. For example, when completing wonders, pieces now come together in dramatic fashion. Load times were also reduced on older computers, making the game a true rival to grand series like Civ.
What does this glimpse say in the end?
The author admits that he’s only seen a small portion of the game, so he can’t make any bold claims. He’s still “excited.” He feels Amplitude is taking good lessons from its previous games and the 4X world as a whole. It remains to be seen how all of this actually fits together when it releases next year.
This wait could be quite interesting for strategy game lovers. We’ll keep you updated with all the latest information on this game.
Note: This information is based on PC Gamer’s hands-off demo, so changes are possible in the final game.
Sources: PC Gamer
