Hey Everyone,
And we continue with massive weekly update - allow me to present our biggest gameplay update so far. The changes go beyond a simple patch, instead you can call this a total gameplay conversion - or as we like to say - The Game Changer.
Our main goal was to simplify controls - with fewer but much larger battalions, and to create more realistic combat. Almost every game stats has been changed for this update - and just in case there are some issues - we will iron it our by next week.
In addition we made a big step in improving the game`s graphics, as well as stability. We also started to work on updated unit pathfinding - you can expect a lot more improvements in this area next week.
As you discover the new approach to gameplay we recommend starting a new campaign. If you want to continue an old campaign, you might need to remove 2/3rds of yours military units to work with the new gameplay format.
And so presenting Update 64, it`s a long list:
BIG CHANGES
-Major visual update - might be a bit too bright though...
-Fixed the last startup issues
-Total Rebalance of the game, including all gameplay modes
-Gameplay changed to controlling fewer units, but of bigger size
-Battalion size increased with twice as many soldiers in each group
-Unit scale greatly increased - easy to tell units apart
-Battalions now fight as one unit - not separating nearly as much
-Battles last twice as long with units surviving much longer
-All units stats are doubled or tripled - cost, strength
-Reworked starting player garrison, starting payer army, and AI garrison for each city
-Ranged units reworked - new animation takes much longer to reload, but deadly
-Siege ranged weapons reworked - cinematic kills with knocking units down
-Starting Diplomatic relations for each nation redesigned - more historical, and better gameplay
-There is a lot more difference in stats between units of different nations
-Greatly slowed down movement speeds of all units for slower more realistic gameplay
-Completely reworked Serf resources gathering - big battalions, efficient, doesn`t get stuck
-A lot of improvements to the Tutorial with over 40 changes and fixes
AI CHANGES
-Combat AI - major improvements to AI laying sieges faster and more efficient
-Combat AI - AI will not use multiple Rams to attack the same gate
-Combat AI - disabled AI advantage where it would deal more damage to the player
-Combat AI - AI creates units a lot slower now to work with the new balancing
-Unit AI - there`s now an actual AI script controlling their individual behavior
-Unit AI - units now attack building that they feel threatened by - like Barracks
-Unit AI - units now advance to attack archers shooting at them
-Unit AI - units will often stand ground, or advance based on the situation
-Unit AI - units a lot smarter when it comes to choosing opponents
-World Map AI now replenishes dead units in Hamlets and Towns
-World Map AI now upgrades Hamlet garrison as the time goes on - for large garrisons
-World Map AI now gives player more peacetime at the start of the campaign
FIXES AND ADDITIONS
-World map clouds less shiny and interfere less with the line of sight
-Polished up a lot of building and unit descriptions in English
-Peasants will no longer automatically slaughter not fully grown sheep
-Fixed boats having texture issues
-Fixed naval combat level not working
-Tutorial now uses national troops and not defaults
-Fixed issue with bad looking extra large or small GUI icons
-Fixed national unit names not showing in RTS mode
-New idle animations for Knights and Ranged units
-Removed some ridiculous idle animations from billman and voulgier units
-Reduced volume of music track on winning or losing a battle
-World map clouds less shiny and interfere less with the line of sight
-World Map army larger
-World Map army less brightly lit
-Unlocking sheep moved further down in the economy tree
-Arrows look a lot better and more noticeable
-Crossbowman now properly holds crossbow with both hands
-New Crossbow shooting animations
-Defending the town no longer gives huge amounts of silver on the world map
-When AI captures player towns it no longer gets an odd garrison of mixed units
-On capturing AI town in auto-resolve players get a basic garrison, not a strong one as before
BALANCING CHANGES
-All unit battalions double in size - including livestock, serfs, and military units
-All unit cost, training time and upkeep increased 200%-300%
-All unit and building cost and build time increased 150%-200%
-Increased the strength of all units 200%-250%
-Increase starting resources in skirmish and in campaign battles and enter town mode
-Wall construction time, especially towers is greatly increased by up to 250%
-Increased resources cap to 4000 on default
-Income from building and livestock greatly increased up to 300%
-Income from mines, Serfs, and livestock increased 200%-300%
-Level up cost for buildings greatly increased - up to 400%, not effected on the world map
-Cow and sheep less passive food income 25 per minute chicken, 50 per minute cow
-Rams take significantly longer to known down the gate
-Each tree, especially small one has 30%-50% more wood
-Townhouses hold 400% more wood
-Fog of war reveal distance expanded for all units
-Cost of building blockading palisade decreased
-Livestock starts with more resources and bigger in size
-Archers can take a lot more arrow damage with higher piercing armor
-Piked units made to have a big bonus vs archers, now that archers have high piercing armor
-Archers now shoot 2x-3x slower and are but deal 2x-3x more damage
-Archers shooting straight at a shorter distance, preferring to shoot high flying arrows
-Peasants no longer generate silver income on the world map
-AI will use 3x fewer units everywhere
-Increased the price of hamlet upgrade by 40%
-The reward for looting and raizing low-level hamlets is increased by 300-600 silver
-Building give 25-30% more silver income on the world map
-Moved the Cow unlocking research to 1 position later in the Economy tree
-New Sheep unlock in the Economy tech tree, on the 7th position instead of second