Hello everyone.
This is the final update of the beta version before it transitions to the main branch. This version includes a lot of fixes, so we need some time to process your feedback. Therefore, the beta will be released to the main branch on April 8th, next Tuesday (plus, we didn’t want to roll out anything major right before the weekend).
Until Tuesday, we’ll do our best to polish and fix as many small issues as possible to improve the core game experience, and starting next week, we’ll shift our focus to developing new major features.
Almost half of these changes are the result of your feedback. So, let us know how you liked this update—we read everything.
So, what’s interesting in this update:
Chancellery
We’ve revamped the Chancellery mechanics:
- Now it requires 1 hour of the lord’s time to operate.
- It only needs 1 paper to function.
- There’s now a setting that automatically connects new buildings to the chancellery.
- Tools are no longer required for construction Chancellery.
- However, for a bit of balance, we’ve limited the number of buildings that can be connected to 15.
Thus, those who liked the previous experimental inspection mechanics will find an almost complete analogue in the new chancellery system.
Combat with archers
We’ve improved combat, specifically the algorithm that determines how units, especially archers, engage in battle. Now, when entering combat, archers will only switch to melee if they are directly attacked by a specific enemy unit. Additionally, if an enemy unit targets your archer, it can be intercepted and engaged in combat by your melee unit standing in its path. Overall, there are many behavioral changes, and we think it’s gotten better.
Knowledge on Global Map
We’ve reworked and fixed the knowledge generation algorithm for cities on the global map. Now, there shouldn’t be any knowledge that you’ve already learned, and the knowledge will primarily be selected from the unique knowledge of cultures.
Surprise Attacks
We’ve changed the surprise attack algorithm. Now, only deadly enemies (with a relationship below -50) will launch such attacks, and when such enemies appear, a hint will pop up explaining what you can do about it (if you’re not ready for such a battle, you can always sign a peace agreement and start scheming). The Matriarch is now less upset if you suddenly attack your deadly enemy. (only a -5 relationship penalty).
Other stuff
- On the annoying side—ragged bandits will no longer show up if you have reinforcement armies in your city, and each new squad’s attack won’t pause the game anymore.
- Also—young brides from foreign cities are likely to be puppets of their parents, so be cautious (though you can do the same).
- We’ve also added marauder squads that occasionally travel across the entire map. They don’t attack anyone on their own but can be useful if you want to improve relations with the church or just warm up (when forest bandits are no longer interesting). At the same time, we’ve slightly buffed them.
- Now you can bribe the Bishop.
Full list of changes:
Gameplay
- Chancellery reform
- The book "Economical Construction" is available from the start.
- AI bride becomes a puppet of one of her parents after marriage if she is under 24 years old.
- The resource requirements for building the Chancellery have been changed to 30 wood and 5 iron.
- Day patrols is now in priority for warriors.
- The relationship threshold for surprise attacks on the player by AI is now always -50, regardless of whether the AI king is ambitious.
- The cost of one wall section has been reduced from 14 to 7 wood.
- Beggars will no longer attack if reinforcements from AI are heading to the player's city or already in the city.
- Starting from day 5, a marauder squad will periodically travel from one mountain point to another on the global map. They can be attacked, and if victorious, the player will receive a good thought from the Matriarch.
- A new action in the Bishop's menu - "Bishop's Reward."
- New advice "Mortal Enemy."
- When attacking a squad, the nearest archers will engage only if the number of enemies exceeds the number of defenders in close combat, and a specific enemy will target the archer.
- The attack order will be redirected to the nearest enemy soldier from the same squad when the fight begins. Thus, a squad attacking archers in the back rows will engage soldiers from the front rows instead.
- AI squads will no longer change their attack target between archers who are firing at them if all those archers are from the same squad.
Fixes
- The "requires inspector" notification will no longer account for scaffolding.
- Children are not considered in the Lords' Rivalry advice (flag on top left).
- The equipment ratio of marauders bands has been changed from 25% axe-wielders and 75% archers to 75% axe-wielders and 25% archers.
- If the player launches a surprise attack on their mortal enemy, relations with the Matriarch will only decrease by -5 instead of -25.
- Changed the algorithm for distributing knowledge to cities on the global map.
- Geographical labels on the global map will appear when zooming out further.
- Identical messages can no longer spam the event display at the top of the screen. Fixed a bug where all displayed messages remained in the game's memory.
- It is no longer possible to demand a gift from a puppet if the puppet does not have rings.
- The hall can now be relocated again.
- Fixed a bug where characters could come to the local map with weapons and equipment they shouldn't have during long gameplay.
- Fixed a bug where the game couldn't be saved during a wolfpack attack.
- Fixed a rare crash when loading a game with active auto-battle.
- All actors arriving at the local map now automatically remove bleeding.
- Fixed a bug where mood dynamics were incorrectly displayed in the statistics menu (up/down arrows).
- A bandit squad in the tutorial will no longer attack the player's squad by itself, blocking the tutorial progression.
- Fixed the number of rings in the hint from the thought of gifting rings to the king.
- After the game pauses due to the start of an enemy squad's attack, subsequent attacks from other squads will not pause the game again.
- Fixed a bug where rings were not returned when changing the sermon.
- If a lord dies of old age or cannot walk soon, they will not be available as order executors.
- Fixed a bug where closing the menu with ESC while the dropdown list was open caused the dropdown to stay visible on the screen.
- Lords now only play dice in the hall, and only if they are not far from it.
- If the AI has been suddenly attacked by the player and relations with the player are <= -50, the AI will no longer leave 30% of its troops at home when attacking the player's city.
- Fixed a bug where after loading an old save with a level 5 mill, it would display incorrectly.
- The decision for a night raid on another lord will be canceled at 8:00 if no attempt was made.
- Added a limit of 1 new wish per lord per day. Wishes will now be issued at 21:00, not at 8:00.
- The gambling guest will only play with characters from the player's faction.
- The mill's appearance has been redesigned; at level 3, it becomes a large mill with blades.
Refactors
- Optimized day scrolling speed in the statistics menu.
- Optimizing memory consumption by hints