1) Still, there aren't many players who only have the base version, and I think (although I might be wrong) that these are mainly fans of other installments. They don't particularly like the fourth game and seem to return to it occasionally for a short time, or something like that (maybe I didn't express it very clearly). 2) So, a person likes the fourth game and wants to play not against the AI, but against real people. He knows that the fourth game has two expansions, and therefore, through logical reasoning, he decides that it would be wiser to install the latest expansion. He comes to the portal, and they tell him: "Friend, we've been playing Equilibrium for a long time, it's a fan-made mod, but it significantly changes the balance. You need to download and install it on top of the game. Here are more changes to read." The poor guy opens the link and sees a long article about the changes. Well, of course, if the desire is very, very strong, he might install it and even study it, but as practice shows, usually a person asks to play a game specifically on the "Whirlwinds" because he just wants to play. 3) A tournament is, of course, an important event, but mainly for the organizer and for the players who are playing to win. Those who just want to play will simply sign up because they don't see any other way to compete at first. And then, under duress, they will install the mod, or they will be lucky and find an opponent who says: "Want to play? - No problem. What version do you have? - Whirlwinds, that's great, let's play on them." But then, why would a player who just wants to play need to install and learn something, essentially having to relearn the game? 4) Regarding learning and gaining experience, it's all great, but those who want to win are the ones who learn. They will install this Equilibrium without hesitation and go for glory. But not everyone is like that. Some just want to spend an evening playing their favorite game with a cup of tea or coffee. They don't need to install anything because they will find an opponent. Somewhere I saw a great quote from Mugais, that he doesn't participate in tournaments because he doesn't want to measure himself by achievements, but he enjoys playing just for fun. In principle, you can play just for fun even in a tournament, but on the condition that it doesn't become stressful. P.S. This applies to online play.