Ara: History Untold is about to receive its first major update in November 2024 with version 1.1, aka the Invisible Hand update, and it’s packed with features aimed at enhancing player experience, addressing key feedback, and setting the stage for more exciting updates. Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect from the upcoming release.
National Economy Screen – A Game-Changer for Management
One of the most exciting additions is the National Economy screen, designed to streamline resource management and reduce micromanagement, which has been a top request among players. This new screen allows players to globally manage crafting, set supply priorities, and automate improvement processes through the policy screen. If you’ve set policies for certain improvements, the game will automatically check for supplies and apply them as needed, greatly reducing the manual labor.
Jonn A. Macdonald Joins the Roster
As Canada’s first prime minister, John A. Macdonald is a disciplined leader who excels in government and military development. His traits reflect his pragmatic governance and resourcefulness.
His Disciplined trait gives a hefty +50% boost to government and military builds, letting you establish a strong infrastructure quickly. However, his Pacifist trait reduces unit strength outside your territory by 10%, encouraging a focus on defensive strategies rather than aggressive expansion. Meanwhile, his Woodsman ability increases timber production from logging camps, making him perfect for players who want to optimize resources while fortifying their nation.
Amenity Pack – Expanding Your Arsenal
Another exciting feature is the addition of over a dozen new amenities that cover technological progress throughout human history. These will give players new tools to shape the development of their nations, expanding on how leaders can shape the lives of their citizens. Whether it’s increasing prosperity or improving national stability, the amenity pack is a valuable new set of assets for strategic depth.
Battle Viewer – The journey begins
While Ara: History Untold isn’t a war game, war is a crucial aspect of gameplay. The new Battle Viewer paves the way for additional depth being added to combat such as showing how different unit types clash with each other as well as the first step to making terrain matter more in combat. The ongoing development of this feature will allow players to better understand the complexities of warfare in Ara, providing more transparency in battles.
Unit Upgrades – Bringing Your Army into the Modern Age
One of the most asked for features has been the ability to upgrade units. In version 1.1, players will be able to upgrade individual units within an army. Gone are the days of marching modern armies alongside spearmen or having to disband units entirely. This feature provides a preview of costs and benefits, ensuring players make informed decisions when upgrading their forces.
Adviser System – Smarter Onboarding
Ara is a big game and while the tutorial provides new players with a straightforward way to learn the game, the team wanted to also provide ongoing advice to players. To address this, a new Adviser system is included as part of 1.1. Leveraging the powerful narrative event system, advisers will offer real-time guidance based on your chosen leader and paragon. While this initial version will live in a panel, future iterations will make advisers more integrated and visible throughout gameplay.
Modding Basics – A Four-Phase Plan
Ara is embracing the modding community with open arms. Version 1.1 introduces the first phase of modding support, allowing players to mod files and use them in their games. Following phases will focus on mod management, sharing, and seamless in-game mod integration. For those eager to tweak and expand their experience, this is a welcome development that will open countless possibilities.
The Earth Map – A Fresh Take on Global Strategy
The much-anticipated Earth Map will make its debut in version 1.1. Balanced for gameplay first, the continents are sized such that each nation has a bit of breathing room. The map will bring historical flavor to the game, but it will also ensure fairness for all players, preventing certain nations from having an overwhelming geographical advantage. With more iterations on the horizon, the Earth Map promises to be a staple for fans of historical strategy. The Ara team plans to continue iterating on this map as additional nations are added, and player feedback comes in.
What’s Next?
Version 1.1 is just the beginning. The roadmap ahead is filled with exciting updates, including diplomacy improvements, a map editor, naval supremacy, supply lines, and even trade routes. Keep an eye out for what’s in store as the game evolves with each update, bringing even more depth and enjoyment to its players.
Thank you for playing Ara!
- Marc Meyer, President of Oxide Games