Legates,
At long last! The time has come. Trade in your gladius for a spatha and lance, and mount up! The cavalry has arrived and Britannia awaits!
As the Roadmap promised, this final update's main feature is Roman and Barbarian cavalry units. Your legion will be bolstered by the addition of two new groups, the Equites Legionis, and the Cohors Amicorum. Horsemen are fast and deadly, armed with spears and longswords capable of quickly dispatching foes underfoot.
Barbarian forces will also be strengthened by the legendary chariots of Britannia. Although considered antiquated at this point by the Romans, they will nonetheless demonstrate their timeless superiority in the open fields and rolling hills of Britannia.
Another new change in this update is an almost full rework of the legion's high command. Now, special standard bearers, such as the Aquilifer will be integrated directly into centuries, promoted from a Signifer. They will stay in formation like Signifers, putting them at increased risk, but this was the historical reality. In addition, the Cohors Amicorum is now the new "command group," replacing the ahistorical group in the original version of the game. The final change is that Auxiliary Prefects are now promoted from Tribunes in the Cohors Amicorum, meaning they do not come from the ranks of the auxiliaries themselves. This was one inaccurate point in the original game's ranking system I needed to remedy. In reality, auxiliary forces would always have a "true born" Roman commander.
I would highly recommend you all create a new post-cavalry save file, but I have strived to make previous saved games compatible. Worst case is you will need to re-promote your special standard bearers and auxiliary prefects.
I hope these new changes and additions make Warlord: Britannia's in-game legion even more historically accurate and interesting! See below for the full update log.
Update log:
- Added equites legionis group
- Added cohors amicorum group
- Added roman horses
- Added barbarian horses
- Added barbarian chariots
- Added legate’s horse
- Added equestrian roman names for equites legionis
- Added aristocratic roman names for cohors amicorum
- Added cognomen (hereditary nicknames) for cohors amicorum. It is now possible to generate real historical figures, such as a Gaius Julius Caesar
- Added 9 new ranks
- Added 4 new equestrian helmets not including variations
- Added 5 new armor components
- Added spatha
- Added lancea
- Added equestrian tent
- Added cavalry weapon animation variant
- Added spear weapon animation variant
- Added cavalry control button to cycle formation follow, player follow, and charge independent of other units
- Added damage and striking force multiplier based on speed when mounted
- Added sword clash sounds that play randomly in combat
- Added 2 new quests/achievements for cavalry
- Added new achievement for finding all items in the museum
- Added 4 new soundtracks, 1 marching, 1 camp daytime, and 2 camp nighttime ambience tracks
- Added new pilum UI icon
- Added new UI for tracking items discovered in the museum
- Added backwards compatibility checks that refund old standard bearers and auxiliary prefects to conform to new army organization
- Changed gladius icon to include spear, since player can use both now
- Changed special standard bearers to join normal centuries, see in-game backwards compatibility message if loading an old save
- Changed legionary and engineering prefects to join the cohors amicorum
- Changed auxiliary infantry and archer prefects to be promoted from members of and remain in the cohors amicorum
- Changed quests to consider the new army organization
- Improved combat AI to maintain better distance from target
- Updated help menu to mention new weapon and cavalry controls
- Updated the museum with new cavalry units and items
- Disabled barbarian friendly fire
- Fixed erroneous Pugio and Cingulum museum entry on artilleryman
- Fixed build tool UI not hiding when hiding UI
- Fixed sword controls not hiding when hiding UI
- Fixed AI gliding during combat
As this is the final major update for Warlord: Britannia, I want to thank all of you for the support and enthusiasm this past year. Your positive reviews and comments mean the world to me and keep me motivated to continue the Warlord franchise into it's next adventure!
In the next few weeks expect some patches, then I will be transitioning to the next project. Please join the Discord server, as that is where you will find the most up-to-date information regarding the next game. However, I will continue to post formal announcements here for all existing Warlord players!
Enjoy the new cavalry-infused battlescape of Britannia! The Emperor expects great things from you all...
