We are already pretty much guranteed Japan, Korea, and China (In multiple iterations) but I just wanted to give my thoughts early on for why I think Vietnam would be a great choice for a potential DLC civ if it is not already a planned addition for the main game. (I suspect it isn't because it is probably overlooked in favor of more geographic spread, which is perfectly fine for Vanilla.)

So why is Vietnam good for inclusion in a 4x game and why is it good for Humankind?

Most 4x games don't have repeat civilizations like Humankind does with having multiple levels of China, and so while East Asia is a region as big and diverse as europe (Which normally recieves 10-20 civs) Cultural East Asia ends up with only 3-4. China, Japan, Korea, and maybe Mongolia if you count it. Yet Vietnam was also a part of the East Asian cultural region and fought many wars with China (And once against the Mongols) and made a huge impact conquering into SE Asia itself. Including Vietnam on the map (especially if it is a true start map) allows for more Sinosphere representation that helps East Asia hold its weight against Europe.

But Humankind does have a ton of Chinese representation to fit the fact that China is such a big and influential country, so why do we need Vietnam? I actually think because of Humankind's unique mechanics that Vietnam can actually hugely benefit roleplayers and storytelling in Humankind. Primarly as an early-mid game option. It is a huge benefit for these reasons:

1. Roleplayers who want to play Japan, Korea, or any other culturally East Asian nation may be limited if early/mid game China is taken.
2. Roleplayers who pick Early China but who have later Chinese options taken up by competitors shooting for Japan/Korea may also be limited.

3. Including Vietnam allows players who miss their opportunity to grab China early or mid game the abiltiy to continue using a Sinosphere civilization.
4. Including Vietnam allows players who get early China to transition on to a mid/late game SE Asian civilizations naturally.
5. Including Vietnam allows players who get early SE to transition on to mid/late game East Asian civilizations.

You can also relieve some of the bottlenecks in East Asia by including early/mid NE Asian civilizations like the Khitans, Mongols, and Jomon peoples of Japan. However my argument for why Vietnam should be picked over those is that the market for Vietnamese gamers is rapidly growing and you can potentially get a fair amount of Vietnamese PR by including Vietnam in your game. The previously mentioned options are fair choices (and recommended as well regardless of whether you decide for or against Vietnam) but the utility you get for Vietnam is also the best imo, as The NE Asian tribes can naturally evolve into Korea, China, or Japan, but Vietnam can evolve into any East Asian or SE Asian culture.

Please if you do add Vietnam don't fall into the trap of thinking that all Vietnam is known for is its revolutionary period after French Occupation and during the American Vietnam war. Vietnam has a very long and rich history with some of its dynasties such as the Le Dynasty which was well known for having some of the best firearms in the world at that time as well as having fought off the Ming and having been able to conquer much of its modern southern holdings. or the earlier Tran Dynasty which was able to hold off a full Mongol invasion even when China could not. Dai Viet is a good replacement for those who are unable to get the Ming while playing and is the perfect opponent to whoever steals the Ming.

I don't expect a response for this post, I just want to get the devs thinking about Vietnam as a potential option for the future if they have not already. Late game East Asia will be congested enough with Japan, Korea, and China and I thought that Vietnam might help East Asia stay relevant in the early/mid game when compared to Europe. Anyone else is free to give their opinions and ideas as comments~

Hey Xefjord,

I am not directly involved with the culture design for Humankind so I won't be able to tell you much about a potential Vietnamese culture in the game, I just want to thank you for your constructive proposal and opinion :)

It is with the help of this kind of feedback and discussion that we will be able to make a great game !

Cheers

Agreed :)

I'm not going to get into the specifics, but we do have South-East Asian cultures planned: it's not just going to be a choice between Japan or China. That said it's inevitable, no matter how we choose the 60 we ship with, that some people are going to be disappointed that their cultural heritage is not being included. The plan is to gradually fill out these missing cultures post-release. So if we don't ship with Vietnam that most assuredly does not mean that it won't be added later.

I just want to say, as a long-term Civ player who has recently come to g2g to hear more about Humankind, the level of communication from the devs is astonishing and heartwarming. 

TravlingCanuck wrote:

wilbefast wrote:

Agreed :)

I'm not going to get into the specifics, but we do have South-East Asian cultures planned: it's not just going to be a choice between Japan or China. That said it's inevitable, no matter how we choose the 60 we ship with, that some people are going to be disappointed that their cultural heritage is not being included. The plan is to gradually fill out these missing cultures post-release. So if we don't ship with Vietnam that most assuredly does not mean that it won't be added later.

While not unexpected, I'm glad to have this confirmed.  This will, I think, be viewed as a positive both by those who want to role-pley their way through the historical cultural build up of their favourite civ, and those who enjoy exploring lesser known historical cultures.

Expect your next demands to be for larger maps so people can fit more of these cultures into a game at once.  :-)

The Khmer are confirmed by the announcement trailer, at least, since we can see Angkor Wat in the photos and culture-specific wonders are confirmed. So, Vietnam's next-door neighbor will be in the base game, at least.