Hello everyone!

This update strengthens the core combat experience with smarter AI commander counter charges and improving direct formation targeting when using the move marker. The marker tries to select what you want more intelligently.

Player combat on foot has been improved again as well. The underlying system is now more deterministic, resulting in smoother and more reliable combat flow. Mounted gameplay also receives an upgrade with a new stamina system that is tied to rushing.

Fleeing behavior has been made more organic. Units will still break when a formation becomes critical, but they can now also flee dynamically during combat when specific frightening events occur. This system is influenced by unit level and feudal rank, elite troops will hold longer while militia units may panic sooner.

The update also adds several new battle UI indicators and animated formation icons. These elements can be disabled in the settings, and they will automatically turn off when choosing realism mode.

Thank you all for the support!

If you have suggestions, bugs or just general ideas for the next update, feel free to join the discord or drop by in the discussions. Always happy to hear your input.

https://discord.com/invite/MQXFbqpWpW

Full Changelog

• Add individual unit fleeing: units will flee one by one depending on events until a breaking point has been reached
• Add dynamic ranged unit volley discipline based on unit level
• Add more flow to player combat on foot
• Add player spear bracing: press block to enter bracing state, press again to leave bracing
• Add mounted stamina system tied to sprinting
• Add more visual feedback to formation icons
• Add damage indicator to show direction of damage
• Add incoming strike indicator to units attacking player
• Add menu option for animated formation icons: disable on realism
• Add menu option for battle melee indicators: disable on realism
• Add some missing logic to new finisher animations
• Add screenshake to nearby falling arrows nearby player
• Buff spear bracing
• Always make units use high quality death animations when killed by player
• Improve enemy counter charge behavior
• Improve ranged unit accuracy
• Polish behavior of order camera
• Improve direct formation targeting logic
• Fix player game over when losing defense with faction leader with campaign permadeath turned off
• Fix crash related to AI controller
• Fix dodge breaking with item pickups when using controller
• Fix unit animation sometimes breaking when executed
• Fix hand IK not disabling on proximity push animation
• Fix command range marker persisting on possess
• Fix command range marker persisting when cycling formations
• Fix unit outlines sometimes not hiding on fleeing
• Fix being able to drop items when not idle
• Fix bug causing inconsistency in player weapon damage
• Fix mace variant holster position
• Fix start volley voice location
• Fix some issues with formation fighting noise
• Fix being able to open map or go to bird mode while climbing ladder or otherwise busy
• Fix ranged formations ammo use