Hi all!
After the positive response to our previous Open Beta we’ve decided to follow suit and do it again for the upcoming Ogre Update! This means that if you have the game on Steam, you will be able to play with the Ogre Update by opting into the Ogre Beta (see instructions below).
This Update has made changes to a ton of systems, including the Feudal Culture, Siege System and Underground Generation, so we’re setting out to achieve two things.
- A big benefit of the Tiger Open Beta was the incredible amount of Stability feedback we received. During the Tiger Beta we weren’t able to incorporate those fixes into the base game, so this time around we’ve adjusted our timeline. We’ll be providing an in-progress version of our Day 1 Patch. It might be a bit more hot code but this allows us to implement the most pressing fixes into our Release Build.
- We also want to give the Modding Community a headstart in updating their content to match the new update. We’ve done some testing to verify initial compatibility but there’s a vast variety of mods and mod combinations out there.
After updating to the Ogre Beta your in-game version will read 1.010.000.105387.
Leaving Feedback
The most effective way to provide us with feedback is by making a Discussion Thread in the Open Beta Discussions. There’s a couple different types of Feedback that we can process during this Beta period.
- Stability
- Crashes reported with the Crash Tool will automatically show up in our back end, so when you experience a crash please make sure to Upload those.
- If you have a Blocker i.e. a Crash or Hang that will not allow you to continue your game, please make a report and include your Crash Report Name - given after upload - so we can tackle it.
- Any general Bugs reported are welcome but not the main focus of this period, we’ll try to address those in a timely manner depending on our available resources.
- Modding
- If you experience issues and suspect that it might be related to one of the mods you have installed, then please verify which mod it may be by disabling your mods. If you’ve determined which Mod is causing your issue try to contact the Mod Developer first.
- If you experience crashes with your mods, then please make a thread as stated above. While outdated mods can cause issues, we do try to ensure that they do not crash.
- Balance
- We’re open to make Balance changes that focus on any extreme imbalances that need to be tackled asap. These changes need to be known and implemented before Friday the 21st.
- Balance changes that are more general, global or require us to change text are not feasible during the Beta Period. This feedback is welcome but will be addressed during our regular development period as resources allow.
Starting on April 1st we’ll be busy with the official launch of Giant Kings and the Ogre Update, as that goes live the Ogre Beta will end. Soon after launch the Ogre Beta branch will be disabled and removed, so make sure to switch back to default on April 1st.
Getting into the Beta - What you need to know
If you want to take part in the beta there are a few important things you need to know!
- This Beta is only available on Steam, owners on Console, Epic or Gog will receive the full Ogre Update alongside the Giant Kings Expansion on April 1st.
- If a save has been made in Open Beta, there’s no going back! You will not be able to open that save in the game outside of the beta until the beta ends on April 1st!
- Only use this in multiplayer if all participants agree. Make sure you do not use the beta in multiplayer without checking with the other players first, once a multiplayer game session has been updated to use the open beta, you cannot go back to previous versions!
That being said, to access the beta you will need to do the following:
To switch to a custom branch in the Steam client, right-click on the game from the library page and select "Properties".
Among the available tabs will be the "BETAS" tab.
The Ogre Beta should be listed in the dropdown menu under "Select the beta you would like to opt into:" A restart of your Steam Client may be needed if the Branch isn’t visible.
Complete Ogre Update Notes
Check out the full list of changes included in the Ogre Update here
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