Port Royale 4 ‘The Netherlands’ Beta Update has been released

Hear ye, explorers!

Today sees the release of update v0.1.0-15080 to the Port Royale 4 beta. This update adds the Netherlands as a playable nation as well as many improvements, changes to balancing, optimization, and lots of bug fixes, all of which could not have been addressed and tackled without your feedback. Thanks for all of your help thus far and keep it coming!

Full changelog below:

[h3]Improvements and additions[/h3]
[h3]Unlocked the Netherlands as a new playable nation for Campaign and Free Mode[/h3]

[h3]Introduced new Hardcore Mode[/h3]

• Increased game difficulty and player requirements for veterans and experienced traders

[h3]Warehouses[/h3]

• Construction of warehouses no longer requires owning 10 production facilities
  
• Added further description text
  
• Added filling level display

[h3]Convoys[/h3]

• New convoys can now be created via the lighthouse regardless of whether an existing convoy is currently docked or selected in the respective town

[h3]Naval battles[/h3]

• Naval battles now begin with an atmospheric, cinematic show-reel
  
• Successful boarding manoeuvres now render ships immobilized for only 3 turns instead of until the end of the battle
  
• Naval battles now have clear instructions and visual cues indicating whose turn it is

[h3]Trade routes[/h3]

• It is now possible to manually set the number of commodities to be loaded onto a convoy
  
• Town settings within trade route dialogue can now be easily copied onto further towns
  
• When editing trade routes, city names are now highlighted

[h3]Free Mode[/h3]

• At the beginning of a game, the player can choose to discover towns themselves or have them already plotted on the map

• Players can now fly their flag atop city buildings
  
• Added alternative voiceover lines for the Viceroy

[h3]Bug fixes[/h3]

• Fixed instances in which convoys could not be moved
  
• Fixed game speed option where nothing would happen when the player paused the game via Space bar
  
• Added missing percentage symbol in the description of the Inn after player places a Guesthouse
  
• Fixed display errors in various menus, dialogues, and text
  
• Overhauled naval battles
  
• Added notification when there is an insufficient amount of crew available to commandeer a vessel
  
• Hid information about ship when it is being boarded
  
• Ships can no longer attack while undergoing repair
  
• Fire damage is now calculated and displayed
  
• Added missing tool tip when tactics are on cool down
  
• Fixed annexing of towns
  
• Overhauled AI behaviour
  
• Construction AI (no longer ‘blocks’ its town centre with construction sites)
  
• AI loots more convoys
  
• AI can now attack player convoys docked in port
  
• Balanced mission objectives and rewards
  
• Fixed various scripts and trigger conditions
  
• Looped theme music in main menu
  
• Fixed various bugs and improved siege dialogue
  
• Fixed animation and visual display of roads and pathways
  
• Added missing information and icons to convoy menu
  
• Demolishing a building now reimburses the player the full construction cost
  
• Adjusted the display of town names and labels when zooming in and out
  
• Fixed bug which prevented demolishing the Master Builder
  
• Fixed bugs in tutorials
  
• Green areas are now shown (Tutorial 3)
  
• Added arrow display indicator on Necoli (Tutorial 4)
  
• Neutral vessels are no longer displayed outside of the mini map
  
• Clarified instructions for Tutorial 3
  
• Fixed incorrect Viceroy city (Tutorial 6)
  
• Removed irritating arrows (Tutorial 1)
  
• Fixed bug in Viceroy tasks (unachievable objectives, confusing tasks)
  
• Production bonuses are now calculated correctly
  
• Adjusted Spanish campaign
  
• Fixed display of chimney smoke
  
• Adjusted rewards when wiping out Pirate hideouts
  
• Improved performance when running multiple trade routes (less lag)
  
• Improved factors influencing duration of trade routes
  
• Added missing thunder and lightning sound effects
  
• Fixed faulty animations in Viceroy menu
  
• The value of commodities contained in warehouses has been tweaked
  
• Fixed some graphical glitches
  
• Fixed inconsistency in the display of prices for trade and building permits
  
• Adjusted texts within the main menu
  
• Optimized keyboard and mouse controls
  
• Added preview when constructing buildings
  
• Adjusted and repositioned info box in the main menu
  
• Fixed faulty display of neighbouring effects on various buildings (construction menu)

[h3]Known issues[/h3]

• Gamepad controls are currently broken. (will be addressed in an upcoming hotfix)
  
• Regional distribution of commodities (set at game start) is not yet fully functional