Hello all!
This has been one of the most requested features since release and I have been working on variations of it for over a year. Some of you might remember our earlier attempts, like the text-on-map showing army numbers without visible troops, which didn't read all that well. Very dedicated players will also remember my attempts to make visible troops happen last year. While it somewhat worked, it was a massive performance hog.
Well, today I am proud to announce that I finally got it right! Let me show you what it looks like:
Dynamic Frontlines & Visible Combat
Wars are now physically drawn on the map. The border between fighting countries becomes an active front line that pushes and pulls as ground changes hands.
Here is what you can expect to see on the battlefield:
Troops holding the line: Infantry stands along each side, armor fires across the border and the total committed strength is displayed directly behind the lines.
Air support: Aircraft will fly from their airfields to the fighting, tangle with the enemy and go down if they lose.
Era-specific warfare: Every era fights using the technology of its century. You'll see artillery instead of tanks before armor is invented and neither armor nor aircraft will appear in the centuries before their time.
Interactive borders: You can click anywhere along an active front or on the strength figures to immediately open the War Report.
Scenario Editor & Gameplay Tweaks
Closed Alliances: Because someone in Discord asked for it, you can now lock an alliance in the Scenario Editor. A pact can be sealed against anyone joining it, anyone leaving it or both.
Game Pacing: I've adjusted the game pacing so that scenarios should slow down just a bit.
Known Issues
AI Studio: There is currently a bug where AI Studio cannot render the frontlines on subsequent runs. I am aware of this and am currently working on a fix!
As always, thank you for the feedback and for playing. Let me know what you think of the new fronts!