Norland News

Hello everyone, Dmitry here.

So, the 2025 Steam Awards have begun! Nominations are open, and I’m hoping you’ll support Norland by nominating it in the Labor of Love category.

As I recently wrote in a short article in our Reddit community, Norland is being developed in an old-school early-2000s style. We’re rethinking (though without fanaticism) almost every conventional mechanic, designing the game as if 30 years of genre evolution never happened.

This approach has its pros and cons — which I described in detail in that article — but one thing I can promise for sure: you can expect tons of fresh gameplay in frequent, as much as possible, patches, simply because we genuinely enjoy working in this genre and experimenting with it.

Over this past year, we’ve significantly changed the game, but the most exciting things are still ahead. To be honest, I don’t see a single aspect of medieval urban civilization that we couldn’t at least try to implement in our game, so we’re committed to working for a long time without slowing down.

So thank you for supporting us along this journey, thank you for your feedback, your suggestions, and for being part of our warm and friendly community. All of this makes possible one of the subtle wonders of the modern world — when hundreds and thousands of people take part together in creating unique game universes.

In that sense, I feel that Norland is definitely a Labor of Love, in many ways. :)

And here you can take a look at the list of patches we’ve released over the past year to see how far we’ve come (you can click on each image to see the contents of the post):



So, if you want to show Norland some extra love during the Steam Awards, please click the “Nominate” button that’s part of this post and nominate it for the 2025 Labor of Love award.

Thank you again for supporting Norland!

[h3]Hello everyone,[/h3]

This is Dmitry.

It’s been quite a while (two weeks? three?) since we released a meaningful update, so this one will be rather large (BETA though). The post will be large as well, but this time it comes with pictures.

Note: As always, all saves are compatible.

In this version, the tutorial is also disabled, so if you haven’t played the game before, we recommend not downloading this BETA.

[h2]New Progression System[/h2][hr][/hr]Below is some theoretical design discussion for those interested in designing complex game systems; you can skip it and move on to the actual content.

[expand]
[h3]Why We’re Changing It[/h3]
So, the current system has long been outdated, but we never quite got around to remaking it properly. Now, with the steady flow of new art and an expanding economy, we realized we could no longer postpone this reform. Otherwise, the situation with piles of books and knowledge would turn into a mess.

[h3]Two Possible Approaches[/h3]
We had two options: a tech tree, typical for 4X strategies and colony builders, or population‑based progression, typical for city‑builders.

In the first scenario, progression happens parallel to city development and is largely independent of it. In the current version, that’s roughly how things work: you research one technology, then it unlocks access to the next.

In the second scenario, new knowledge is unlocked as the city reaches certain development levels, usually expressed through population.

[h3]Why We Didn’t Expand the Tech Tree[/h3]
We could have complicated the first system.

For example, a new building would be researched by a lord who spends time and resources on studying it (regardless of books). Or for another example: a lord uses 10 units of Beer studying it at the Brewery, eventually unlocking Ale. Burns 10 logs at the Sawmill. He “invents” coal. And so on.

The problem is that this system becomes detached from what’s happening on the map.

[h3]Why Population-Based Progression Works Better[/h3]
The second option felt more organic for our hybrid genre. The idea is that as a city grows, it attracts more trouble. Bandits, greedy neighbors, the church, diseases, etc. And the church offers you knowledge to help deal with these problems, in the form of books.

[h3]Balancing Challenge Through Migration Control[/h3]
With strict migration control added (You don’t need walls. Migration can be stopped with one button), we get a more balanced system that avoids a common scenario: players already in a difficult situation get more and more problems piled onto them, feeling that the game punishes them unfairly.

Now, if the player is not ready (meaning they aren’t doing well enough to keep their population happy and reach a new population tier), they won’t receive new challenges, but also won’t receive new knowledge. This should make the gameplay more balanced and prevent the situation where players get “buried” under problems that appear regardless of whether they’re ready for them.

[h3]How Population Tiers Unlock Knowledge[/h3]
As you hit clear population thresholds— 20, 40, 60, 75, etc. —the settlement advances to a new level. The Matriarch will kindly inform you which challenges now threaten you, and the caravan will bring new books to help deal with them. In the caravan’s book menu, you will also see which books will become available at the next stage.


You’ll keep control over when to progress, since migration can now be stopped with a single button. Or sped up by purchasing prisoners.

We removed many starting buildings from the initial tech set so that players unlock them themselves. At the start you will now have far fewer things—buildings, resources, technologies—but you will unlock and build them consciously and only as needed.

The old ambition system has been disabled as outdated.

[h2]New Resources and Art[/h2][hr][/hr]We’ve added a stonecutters’ camp, stone and steel tools (needed for mining it), a sawmill (the old sawmill is now the woodcutter’s camp), wooden blanks, firewood, and the fletcher’s workshop. Stone is needed for constructing high‑level housing.

Here we extract stone from so‑called spolia — the most common method of quarrying in the Dark Ages.


This required new crafting recipes. For example, tools are now made from Iron and blanks (not coal), and the Workshop now crafts maces instead of bows (bows have their own dedicated building).



We also updated the environment. Dirt patches under houses now look nicer and match the actual footprint of the buildings, making road planning easier. Roads have also been redrawn, with special attention to how they connect to plazas and buildings. The world now looks more organic, in our opinion.



[h2]Balance[/h2][hr][/hr]We reduced the fertility of fields (and pig farms), especially carrots, which were cannibalizing flour economically. But now vegetables can grow anywhere. They no longer require fertile soil.

With safe carrots, you can afford that.

Tree growth speed has been decreased (so woodcutting is faster), but the price of wood and wood‑based products has risen significantly, so early in the game, you can make good money on it.

Drought now raises food prices, so it’s no longer only a punishment. It’s also an opportunity. Wolves now yield 7 meat (and their price has increased).

And we made Mines infinite. Well, their production drops to one‑third when depleted, but not to zero.

[h2]Politics and the Bishop[/h2][hr][/hr]In the new system, the first politician appears at a population of 40. At the same time, we disabled the Bishop’s ability to become a politician since he already has plenty of tools. Now he can also be turned into a puppet.

Politicians will no longer immediately trigger unrest when you ignore their demands—they will first worsen their relations toward your king. We will be revisiting their mechanics more seriously soon; we like this direction.

We also made the Bishop more useful: at good relations, he can preach Joy and Loyalty sermons in favour of your king. It’s easier to build relations with him—he improves his attitude toward repentant sinners, and you can now invite him to go hunting (helpful if he annoys you).

[h2]Cultures[/h2][hr][/hr]Cultures now differ more strongly.

• Makha migrants will have twice as much money.
  
• Kaiden peasants will carry a dagger, and their Combat skill is at least 4–7.
  
• Tanaya have double the chance to become fanatics after a sermon, and their prayer‑related thoughts are twice as strong.
  
• Varna residents cannot be poisoned by Rutabaga and wolves do not attack them.
  

The Scriptonic will bring you books only of your own culture; these are also tied to population thresholds.

[h2]Prisoners[/h2][hr][/hr]Prisoners’ escape chance is now higher and heavily influenced by their mood. However, after living in your city for 10 days, they gain the Humility trait, which prevents escapes and increases their value.

[h2]World Map[/h2][hr][/hr]Provinces of the same culture are now grouped by regions on the map. Conquering provinces of a different (especially hated) culture will be harder, as the kings of these provinces will be more hostile to the suzerains of foreign cultures. Meanwhile, ambitious kings will always be of any culture except yours (meaning *you* are the ambitious king). So at first it will be relatively easy to unite your own cultural region before moving on to tougher neighbours.

Bandit camps now very rarely appear without reason, but have a 70% chance to appear in neighbouring provinces as a consequence of war. Their growth algorithm has been reworked so they no longer grow uncontrollably in your territory, but they will send Cutthroats to you along with migrants.

[h2]Common Knowledge[/h2]
Economic knowledge known in your province for 10 days now becomes common knowledge. That means everyone knows it: it no longer needs to be taught, transferred, etc. This should greatly reduce micromanagement in the late game.

We also considered the idea that if you stop producing something or a building stands idle for too long, widespread knowledge may become unique again and be lost. Tell us whether you like this idea, or if we should keep the simpler system—knowledge becomes common forever.

[h2]Urban Planning[/h2]
Level 1 and 2 houses now give a comfort bonus based on spaciousness (residents like having fewer people living with them). Higher house levels reduce this bonus, and levels 4 and 5 again increase comfort (though level 5 requires stone). This gives low‑level houses more purpose.

Residents now dislike when their workplace is too far away (and it also wrecks efficiency because they spend too much time commuting). You’ll see an icon over a house where such a worker lives. Move buildings (which is cheap and fast in our game) or build a tiny hamlet near important resources like a Mine.



[h2]Army Morale[/h2][hr][/hr]Squad banners now display morale, and its factors are visible in the squad interface. We also reworked the morale system: for example, losing a friendly squad will now hit morale hard. This may add tactical depth to battles, but will certainly make them more transparent.



I think I didn’t forget anything. Please try the new version and tell us what you think, since there are many changes and some things may have turned out too sharp.

By the way, if you’ve read this far, you have no choice but to leave us a review on our Steam page.

Thank you.
[/expand]
[h2]Full Changelog[/h2][hr][/hr][h3]Events & Problems[/h3]

• Disabled the “Invasion of Vagabonds” and “Yellow Fanatics” calamities.
  
• Disabled early‑game sequential tutorial advices in the top flag, as they are outdated.
  
• Added threat display in the tooltip for reaching a new settlement level; added triggers for settlement level‑ups — arrival of the Scriptonic, and a bandit camp at 20 population
  
• Disabled the “no food/alcohol production” problem indicator
  
• Removed alcohol‑related advice from the citizen tooltip
  
• When a problem (flag indicator) is resolved, a top‑screen event and an animated checkmark now appear on the flag
  
• A child’s coming of age now clears the “child not studying” problem
  

[h3]Politics, Kings & Vassals[/h3]

• A lord can become a politician if they have the highest knowledge and there are no other politicians in the town except the king.
  
• Ambitious kings will no longer appear among AI kings whose towns share the same initial culture as the player.
  
• Bishop can no longer be a politician; if a lord stops being a politician, their active political demand is removed.
  
• Removed the “King’s Ambition” selection; the ambition hint (top panel) is now replaced with a settlement progression hint. Added display of progress toward the next settlement level
  
• Reworked the “Lord Marriage” advice — it now lists all lords who qualify for the recommendation
  
• The “An enemy is plotting” advice will no longer appear while the player is protected by the Loving Family
  
• AI lords on the global map now start the game with fake parents, making initial AI families properly recognized as relatives
  
• Politicians will no longer start riots if their relationship with the king is above 0
  
• Clicking on “Politician Gave a Gift” and “Politician Flattered a Lord” events will now centre the camera on the participants
  
• Player’s politicians will no longer demand attacks on the player’s unfriendly vassals
  
• Fixed a bug where a new AI king, if he had +25 or higher relations with the previous king, would receive the “Sworn Enemy” thought toward the player’s king even if the player was not responsible for the previous king’s death
  

[h3]Cultures, Migrants & Religion[/h3]

• Cultural technology hints now show the culture name in colour with the corresponding icon.
  
• A child born from a father who is already dead or already an ex‑husband will no longer generate the sin “Forbidden Child”
  
• Removed culture happiness display from the citizen tooltip
  
• The Bishop can now hunt and can be invited to hunts
  
• The Bishop can now perform “Sermon of Joy” on player command
  
• Province cultures are now distributed differently at the start of a new game; the player can now see cultural distribution during province selection
  
• Bishops will now improve relations when performing sermons and granting absolution
  
• Culture names now have unique icons and colours in tooltips
  
• Religious fanatics in rebellions now gain the “Joy of Rioting” thought, boosting their morale during the uprising
  
• Migrants from Makha now bring twice as much money; Kaiden migrants carry daggers and have combat skills between 4–7; Tanai residents are twice as likely to become fanatics after sermons and gain double the thought strength from prayer; Varna residents cannot be poisoned by rutabaga and are never attacked by wolves
  
• Peasants will no longer gain sin for fighting during riots started by a politician
  

[h3]Bandits & Crime[/h3]

• Bandit camps in the player’s province now spawn and grow by the same rules as in AI provinces. Unhappy departing residents and soldiers will no longer populate the bandit camp.
  
• Fixed a bug where the number of peaceful residents shown in the top UI panel incorrectly counted bandits as well
  
• Fixed a bug where unique visitors leaving the player’s city were treated as escaped peasants and could join bandit camps (most common with pilgrims)
  
• From “war consequences” in a neighbouring province, there is now a 15% chance that a migrant will turn out to be a vagrant. While a bandit camp exists in the player’s province, there is a 50% chance that one of the migrants will be a thug
  
• Bandit camp spawning reworked: in AI‑controlled regions, camps now have a 5% base spawn chance; if a neighbouring AI city is successfully attacked, there is a 70% chance a bandit camp will appear (triggering a “Consequences of War” notification). The camp may appear in the attacked or a nearby region
  

[h3]Army, Squads & Combat[/h3]

• Fixed a bug where hourglass icons did not appear on soldiers whose contracts were about to expire
  
• Fixed an issue where the army list did not refresh after hiring soldiers with expired contracts
  
• Fixed a bug where enemy squads with an active capture order (e.g., vagrants capturing peasants) did not fully cancel the order and looped between old and new orders
  
• Recruitment tooltips for peasants and prisoners now indicate that recruitment is permanent
  
• Soldiers and knights with expired contracts will only appear in the recruitment menu after returning their equipment and joining the mercenary faction
  
• If squad editing is currently unavailable, the “Edit Squad” button will now be disabled
  
• Prisoners with the “Humility” trait will no longer attempt to escape
  
• Switching between lords in the family setup menu during new game creation, adjusting skill levels, and setting talents now happens on mouse press instead of release
  
• The “Commander Not in Battle” thought now appears as a squad morale modifier in the squad menu when the “Hold Back” option is enabled
  
• Fixed a bug where it was impossible to select an immobilised soldier by clicking their card in the army menu
  
• Soldiers who are currently surrendering or retreating can no longer be added to a squad
  
• Fixed a bug where soldiers added to an existing squad (e.g., via “Modify Squad”) did not receive the commander’s morale bonus or the “Loyalist in Battle” thought if they were loyalists
  
• Updated the squad menu — it now shows special thoughts that affect squad morale, such as “Squad Losses,” “Enemy Losses,” and others
  
• Added a new squad morale display method: a numerical morale value now appears near the squad banner
  
• In simulated battles, archers now shoot slower, and damage to gates and towers is dealt twice as fast — making results closer to those of manual combat
  
• Characters in a squad can no longer catch fire or take burn damage from burning fortifications (gates, towers, etc.)
  
• Fixed bugs where the calculation of victory chances and power ratios against the enemy did not account for the city garrison and other factors
  
• Fixed a bug that allowed lords to be dismissed in the army menu
  

[h3]Thoughts, Morale & Mood[/h3]

• The “Enemy of My Idol” thought was weakened to ‑15 and now detaches if the lord stops being a puppet or if the idol stops considering someone an enemy.
  
• Squads will now receive proper “loss” thoughts when soldiers die not in melee (e.g., from enemy archers)
  
• Updated the condition for showing the “Citizens are unhappy” advice — now it checks only the current average mood instead of a 2‑day average
  
• Fixed a bug where fleeing a battle did not apply loss thoughts to squads and did not trigger traits that depend on escaping combat
  
• Reworked the algorithm for determining the strength of “average thoughts” (top‑left population tooltip). For example: if a thought lasted only 1 hour out of 24, it will appear as 24× weaker
  
• Improved the citizen tooltip (top‑left): advice text now uses full width; cultures have their own colour and icon
  
• Trait tooltips from talents now include a line explaining how to unlock the trait
  
• Fixed a bug where a character’s romantic attachment faded from a deceased person before the grief thoughts were attached, causing them to miss the “Lost a Loved One” thought
  
• Grouped various morale thoughts about fleeing, capture, or death into categories: “Squad Losses,” “Enemy Losses,” and “Commander Loss”
  
• Thoughts about the destruction of friendly or enemy squads are now applied only to nearby squads
  
• Added thoughts for witnessing the destruction of friendly or enemy squads
  
• Added a new prisoner thought: “Caught During Escape”
  
• Removed the thought “Foreigners are pushing us out!”
  
• Removed the reduction of negative thought strength for vassals
  
• The “Handsome” trait now gives +20 to interest instead of +30
  
• The “Charismatic” trait no longer provides an interest bonus
  
• Fixed a bug where the strength of the “Hated Culture” thought was lower than intended on peaceful difficulty
  
• Increased the strength of the thought “Ignored political demand” to ‑18
  
• Removed the “Malnutrition” trait and thought, which were applied if the hidden hunger parameter fell below 20
  
• The thought “Obsessed with Desire” will no longer weaken over time
  
• Fixed a bug where strong positive thoughts were selected incorreсt
  

[h3]Join the Norland Community[/h3][hr][/hr]You can visit the community wiki for more details about the game.

Join the conversation or follow updates for Norland on Discord, BlueSky, Twitter, YouTube, and Reddit.

[p]Hi.

We’re preparing a major patch this week, but since it will go to beta, we also decided to improve a few things in the main branch as well.[/p][p]
Here are patch notes:[/p]

• [p]A politician will no longer start a riot sermon after the player ignores their political demand if their relationship with the king is 0 or higher [/p]

• [p]Fixed a bug where unique guests leaving the player’s city could “join” a bandit camp [/p]
• [p]Reduced the time required to start a new game or load an existing one[/p]
• [p]Other minor bug fixes and balance improvements[/p]

[p]Hello everyone.[/p][p]We’re rolling out a hotfix for the latest patch.[/p][p]Huge thanks to all of you for the bug reports![/p][p]Also, just a small reminder: your review on Steam is like a sip of fresh Flavorful Ale for us! Thank you in advance!

Patch notes:[/p]

• [p]Fixed a bug that could cause an AI faction’s own support army to be present in a city it was attacking [/p]
• [p]Mercenaries with expired contracts will now automatically leave their squad on the local map. Mercenaries whose contracts have expired and who are not currently on the local map cannot be rehired until they return home [/p]
• [p]Characters will now experience jealousy only toward people present on the local map [/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where some social actions on the global map (e.g., seduction) did not work [/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where characters became jealous of their lovers’ relatives; [/p]
• [p]Аlso fixed an issue where notifications about the same rivals appeared every two hours [/p]
• [p]Removed the “Malnutrition” trait and thought, which were applied if the character’s hidden satiety value fell below 20 [/p]
• [p]Low REST values will no longer prevent characters from performing work tasks, since this is a hidden parameter not visible to the player[/p]

[p]Hello everyone.[/p][p]Today we’re rolling out Patch 42 to the main branch, adding a number of fixes and improvements. Nothing revolutionary, but that only makes next week’s patch more interesting.[/p][p]Here’s what we’ve adjusted compared to the current beta:[/p][p][/p][h3]Interface and hints[/h3]

• [p]Fixed the template for displaying residents’ thoughts in tooltips[/p]
• [p]Fixed incorrect selection of statistically strong positive thoughts for the residents’ hint[/p]
• [p]Character behavior and tasks[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where characters would automatically wake up and get out of bed after loading a morning save, which prevented them from gaining inspiration[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where an incapacitated lord could not be carried to the stone hall if one bed slot was already occupied[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where a character’s menu would not open if they had a training task while the teacher was not present on the local map[/p]
• [p]Growing up now resolves the issue of “the child does not receive training”[/p]

[h3]Economy and balance[/h3]

• [p]Fixed a bug where residents could buy nectar at any set price, effectively creating money out of thin air[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where the “Offering to the King” action could cost 0 resources[/p]
• [p]Player policies will no longer require attacks on the player’s hostile vassals[/p]

[h3]Battles and world map[/h3]

• [p]Characters in an army can no longer catch fire or receive burns from burning fortifications (gates, towers, etc.)[/p]
• [p]Fixed multiple bugs in the battle simulation on the world map, where city garrisons and other factors were not taken into account when calculating victory chances and balance of power[/p]
• [p]Archers now fire more slowly in simulated battles, and damage to gates and towers is dealt twice as fast — simulation results are now closer to manual battles[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where retreating using the world map button with a vassal’s or ally’s army counted as an automatic victory[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where editing an existing army allowed adding a lord who was already part of another army[/p]
• [p]Fixed a crash that could occur after burning down the city of an alliance or vassalage leader[/p]
• [p]Fixed the NO error that occurred when appointing a younger lord as a knight[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where the “Puppet Uprising” button did not work[/p]

[h3]Sound[/h3]

• [p]Fixed a bug where battle preparation music would play simultaneously with battle music during a cultural uprising[/p]

[p][/p][p]And here are the Patch 42 contents (the remaining improvements compared to the main branch):[/p][p][/p][h2]Full Changelog[/h2][h3]Buildings and Assets[/h3]

• [p]Updated assets for buildings with plazas — Hall, Altar, Den, and Market. The plaza now occupies the entire building area without a half-tile margin.[/p]
• [p]Characters can now enter the Temple through any door, not just the lower one.[/p]
• [p]Updated model for the Chancellery.[/p]

[h3]Interface and Notifications[/h3]

• [p]Added an on-screen notification when a lord gains a romantic rival.[/p]
• [p]Added a new filter in the Relations menu: “Spouses and Children.”[/p]
• [p]The mercenary recruitment menu now displays soldier equipment; four mercenaries will have starting weapons and armor.[/p]
• [p]Mercenary tooltips now show whether their contract has expired.[/p]
• [p]Added tooltips and status messages for “Preach” and “Study Knowledge” actions, explaining their function and why they can’t be performed right now.[/p]
• [p]If the player cannot cancel a command, the tooltip now specifies the reason.[/p]
• [p]Added detailed explanations for why certain tasks cannot be forced.[/p]
• [p]Fixed icon and number alignment in tooltips (e.g. gold amounts no longer break into separate lines).[/p]

[h3]Character Behavior, Orders, and AI[/h3]

• [p]Conspiracy activities are now marked as important — the player cannot override them.[/p]
• [p]The cancellation event for conspiracies now includes the initiator’s name.[/p]
• [p]Guest traits Schemer and Duelist are now displayed at the top of the trait list.[/p]
• [p]Reworked the guest role “Duelist.”[/p]
• [p]Tasks assigned by guests now appear in the task list of both the executor and the target.[/p]
• [p]Duels are no longer considered “bad” — relations with the Matriarch won’t worsen if the duelist isn’t from the player’s faction.[/p]
• [p]Updated the activity selection algorithm: bad mood or low hunger/sleep/rest no longer fully block actions; they’ll just happen less frequently.[/p]
• [p]Task priority is now divided into three levels — assignment (low), self-initiated (high), and player command (highest).[/p]
• [p]Knowledge study tasks now have higher priority so they aren’t interrupted by other lords.[/p]
• [p]Dates are now only canceled when sex begins, not when the date starts.[/p]
• [p]The Date button now checks for nervous breakdowns.[/p]
• [p]Characters having a mental breakdown can no longer carry others.[/p]
• [p]Guests with the Lothario role no longer flatter — they now spend time seducing.[/p]
• [p]Guest tasks can no longer be forced.[/p]
• [p]Removed the old character menu code (previously used for animals). Animals now use the standard character menu.[/p]
• [p]Many orders now use the treasury instead of lords’ personal funds.[/p]
• [p]Added a flag for “problematic” houses with negative comfort.[/p]
• [p]Added positive and negative thoughts based on the distance between home and workplace.[/p]

[h3]Needs, Traits, and Actions[/h3]

• [p]Added a new Need task button — “Drink Alcohol,” shown when a character has the Alcohol Addiction trait and wants to drink.[/p]
• [p]Added “Drink Nectar” for the Nectar Addiction trait.[/p]
• [p]Added detailed explanations for why a character cannot perform an assigned “Study Knowledge” task.[/p]
• [p]Added “Play Dice” for Gambler characters who aren’t currently thinking about playing.[/p]
• [p]Reworked the needs satisfaction buttons (Eat, Sleep, Bribe Peasant for Sex) — they now appear only if the character has the matching trait and thought.[/p]
• [p]Added explanations for why “Play Dice” cannot be performed.[/p]
• [p]Inspiration is no longer gained from fulfilling a dream; it now appears when a lord wakes up with mood ≥ 90.[/p]

[h3]World, Crime, and Events[/h3]

• [p]Thugs can now rob the Hall, not just lord houses.[/p]
• [p]Vagabonds now steal the most valuable non-equipment resources from warehouses and flee town; guards will attempt to stop any bandit leaving after a crime. If caught, all stolen goods go to the player’s warehouse.[/p]
• [p]On Peaceful difficulty, a bandit camp will appear in the player’s province on Day 4 (once per save).[/p]
• [p]After migration due to war ends, a bandit camp may appear in the player’s province if none exists.[/p]
• [p]Bandit camps now attack every 3–5 days instead of 4–6.[/p]
• [p]If a camp has 7+ bandits, one may join incoming migrants.[/p]
• [p]The “Church is Displeased” counsel will no longer appear if “Matriarch Enraged” is active.[/p]
• [p]Forest bandits attacking the player’s city will now steal gold from the Hall instead of resources.[/p]

[h3]Economy and World Map[/h3]

• [p]Book prices doubled.[/p]
• [p]Reworked letters from unique guests, prophecies, and Inquisition warnings — now end with “Click to read the message.”[/p]
• [p]If a vassal has walls, their military power counts as doubled when calculating rebellion chance. During rebellion, other vassals with relations < -25 will join with 100% chance, < -15 with 50%.[/p]
• [p]Walls also double perceived strength in the “Might of Liege’s Army” thought.[/p]
• [p]Removed the “Trade Agreement” thought (it’s now covered by daily trade relations).[/p]
• [p]Vassals of different cultures now gain a negative thought toward their suzerain; if the culture is hostile, the effect is stronger. Added a tooltip warning about this when vassalizing.[/p]
• [p]Tribute offerings now scale with the AI’s total army value.[/p]
• [p]Added a new quest: “Demand to Remove Tribute.” It can appear if a vassal’s strength ≥ 50% of the player’s and relations < 0.[/p]
• [p]Added “Remove Tribute” and “Restore Tribute” actions in vassal cities on the global map.[/p]
• [p]Kings now gain a positive thought toward neighboring rulers of the same culture who are under a foreign king’s rule.[/p]
• [p]Allies now send 100% of their troops (up from 70%) to assist other alliance members, keeping only a garrison behind.[/p]

[h3]Food, Addictions, and Misc. Balance[/h3]

• [p]Added negative thoughts from consuming flour and carrots (lords and soldiers only).[/p]
• [p]The turnip thought is now 1.5× stronger and lasts twice as long for lords and soldiers on all difficulties.[/p]
• [p]The meat thought is weaker and shorter.[/p]
• [p]Alcohol thoughts are now half as strong for lords.[/p]
• [p]Fixed bugs where characters rarely developed alcohol addiction from beer or moonshine.[/p]
• [p]Fixed hangovers triggering only after beer, not moonshine or ale.[/p]
• [p]Reduced flowers per bush from 3 to 2; daily regrowth chance lowered from 10% to 6.6%.[/p]
• [p]Brewing now produces 1 ale per 1 flower and 1 hop (previously 2).[/p]
• [p]Added negative interest modifier between characters with different counts of Holy Rings.[/p]
• [p]Dice game stakes raised to 100 coins; win/loss thoughts now last 24 hours (up from 4) and are stronger.[/p]

[h3]Misc. Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed a bug where ongoing global map orders were canceled after loading.[/p]
• [p]Changing preferred social stratum now triggers job recalculation.[/p]
• [p]Fixed king culture icon position when zooming out on the world map.[/p]
• [p]Fixed error when pressing Q or E while all lords were on the opposite map layer.[/p]
• [p]Fixed missing tooltip for “Punish” order when no scaffold was built.[/p]
• [p]Fixed task progress indicators not appearing until reopening the city menu.[/p]
• [p]Fixed lord capture and execution logic — lords no longer consider executions “dishonorable” if ordered by the king.[/p]
• [p]Fixed self-targeting tasks (deposit/withdraw money, punishments).[/p]
• [p]Fixed reward desire persisting after a character became king.[/p]