Ara: History Untold News

[p]Long time no see! Sorry about that. Happy New Year![/p][p]The sausage factory behind the scenes means that there are often multiple projects happening simultaneously. The Oxide team is busy working towards having a beta version of their near-future RTS: Ashes of the Singularity II. Do me a favor and wishlist that please! If you like strategy games, especially ones with a strong single player effort, and that focus on strategy instead of click speed, you’ll probably like it.[/p][p]A lot of the Stardock time has been finishing up on the remaster of the fantasy 4X series, Elemental (War of Magic + Fallen Enchantress + Sorcerer King). It’s actually in early access and you can go check that out here: Elemental: Reforged on Steam. If you like Ara and want to imagine what a fantasy version would be like, there you go (except no supply chains).[/p][p][/p][h2]The Good News[/h2][p]We talked with Microsoft near the end of the year and they were happy enough with how things are going that they’ve renewed us to continue working on Ara for another year. Our success is based on sales of the game and the DLC. That’s what determines our staffing levels (well not mine, I’m with you guys no matter what).[/p][p][/p][h2]National Production Policy[/h2][p]We have been working on version 2.1 which has turned out to be a lot more complex than originally expected.[/p][p]Besides having lots of balance and other tweaks the big feature is the National Production Policy system:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]So here’s how that works:[/p][p][/p][p]Players can globally set what quotas they want for all their items and set a priority for reaching that quota.[/p][p]That part is done and working great. The tricky part is how to handle it in the cities and here’s what we’ve designed and slowly been implementing:[/p][p]Choice 1: Player wants to manage their improvements themselves or let the store owner handle it (which is what you have now):[/p][p][/p][p]But as you can see, the UI (this is a mockup btw) is a little different here. We are trying to make it easier to use.[/p][p]Choice 2: You allow the improvement to be managed by the National Policy.[/p][p][/p][p]So in this case, your National Economic Advisor chooses what’s being built. You still have to decide what improvements are being built, what ingredients you want to let them use to speed things up, etc.[/p][p]But this isn’t as straightforward at it sounds. There is a fine line between automation and having the game play itself.[/p][p]And we’ve actually considered having this feature gated behind a technology in Act II or even Act III because by the time you’re entering later ages, you really shouldn’t feel like you have to tell every grocery what they should be doing. You have bigger fish to fry.[/p][p][/p][p]So we’d like to hear what you think! Let us know in the comments![/p]

[h2]50% off Ara: History Untold and DLC[/h2][p]Ara: History Untold is an evolution in historical grand strategy, featuring beloved classic PC strategy mechanics alongside innovative gameplay like a national crafting economy, true simultaneous turn resolution, a non-linear technology tree, and cloud-backed synchronous/asynchronous multiplayer - all with an expansive and vibrant presentation where you can zoom out from surveying the very edges of your empire all the way down to your citizens living their daily lives. In Ara, there are no pre-set paths to victory, leading to endless possibilities. Your choices will define the world you create, your experience, and your legacy. [/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[h3]Also take advantage of 50% off Ara History Untold: Anniversary Edition![/h3][p]Play Free this Weekend[/p][p][/p][p]From November 27 to December 1, 2025, players can experience the game at no cost on Steam. Ara: History Untold is a turn-based historical strategy game where you build a nation starting at any point in human history and compete for supremacy. Engage in diplomacy, fight wars, and go head-to-head with other leaders from history.[/p][p]Players can also receive Ara: History Untold for 50% off during the free weekend.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[h2]Get Ara: History Untold for 50% Off [/h2][p]This epic historical turn-based strategy game is on sale November 21 to December 2. Engage in diplomacy, fight wars, and go head-to-head with other leaders from history. [/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]Ara: History Untold is an evolution in historical grand strategy, featuring beloved classic PC strategy mechanics alongside innovative gameplay like a national crafting economy, true simultaneous turn resolution, a non-linear technology tree, and cloud-backed synchronous/asynchronous multiplayer - all with an expansive and vibrant presentation where you can zoom out from surveying the very edges of your empire all the way down to your citizens living their daily lives. In Ara, there are no pre-set paths to victory, leading to endless possibilities. Your choices will define the world you create, your experience, and your legacy.[/p][p][/p][h3]Features in Ara: History Untold[/h3]

• [p]Explore an Immersive Living World[/p]
• [p]Build Your Nation[/p]
• [p]Guide Your People through the Eras of Human Discovery[/p]
• [p]Oversee a Rich and Detailed National Economy[/p]
• [p]Rule Your Way[/p]
• [p]Grow Your Nation[/p]
• [p]Experience True Simultaneous Turns[/p]
• [p]Defend Your People by Land, Sea, and Air[/p]
• [p]Prove Your Worth in Online Multiplayer[/p]

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[h2]The latest update introduces significant balance changes, tooltip improvements, and technical fixes.[/h2][p]View the Full Changelog Below
[/p][p]The latest update for Ara: History Untold, v2.02 has been released, bringing a variety of adjustments aimed at enhancing gameplay and stability.[/p][p][/p][h3]Culture & Traits Updates[/h3][p]Several Culture Traits have been rebalanced to improve their strategic distinctiveness. Key changes include increased influence for Field Distinction, as well as raised culture bonuses for Victory Parades and Solitary Brilliance. The Celebrated Empire trait has been adjusted, reducing its culture bonus. Other traits, such as Convincing Doctrine and Religious Authority, have seen increases in their Religion Spread Strength. Tooltip improvements have also been made, including fixes for the Celebrated Hardships trait and ensuring that Capital Pride applies correctly.[/p]

• [p]Trade Production Balance Changes: Trade production bonuses have been increased for several traits, including Organized Merchants and Shared Routes, enhancing their effectiveness in gameplay. The bonuses for Confident Traders and Shared Plunder have also been raised, improving trade dynamics.[/p]
• [p]New Tooltip Improvements: Comprehensive tooltips have been added to enhance the understanding of trade production calculations, detailing base rates, connection types, and modifiers. Nested tooltip navigation allows players to hover over and click on production values for a full breakdown by nation. Tooltips are now integrated across various UI panels and feature improved readability and localization for all languages.[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]Gameplay & UI Improvements[/h3][p]The update resolves an issue where starting a crafting project could unintentionally cancel building upgrades, ensuring that upgrades complete as expected. Late-game performance has been optimized, significantly reducing UI lag when adjusting crafters in the Improvement Panel. The Eternal Siege event has also been modified to provide a temporary security boost instead of unlocking City Walls.[/p][p] [/p][h3]Economy & City Management[/h3][p]Filter tags for Cured Meats and Salted Fish have been corrected to ensure proper display under the City Growth filter in the Amenity selection menu.[/p][p] [/p][h3]Technical & Stability Updates[/h3][p]This patch includes improvements to startup performance on high-end NVIDIA GPUs and fixes for a rare startup hang related to texture loading.[/p][p] [/p][p]Players can look forward to a more balanced and stable experience with the release of this update.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]v2.02 Changelog[/h2][h3]Culture & Traits[/h3]

• [p]Rebalanced several Culture Traits to make each feel more rewarding and strategically distinct:[/p]
  • [p]Field Distinction: Influence increased from 2 → 4[/p]
  • [p]Victory Parades: Culture bonus increased from 20 → 25[/p]
  • [p]Solitary Brilliance: Culture bonus increased from 20 → 30[/p]
  • [p]Celebrated Empire: Culture bonus reduced from 20 → 10[/p]
  • [p]Convincing Doctrine: Religion Spread Strength increased from 2 → 5[/p]
  • [p]Religious Authority: Religion Spread Strength increased from 5 → 10[/p]
  • [p]Cultural Exchange: Culture bonus per Trade Agreement increased from 1 → 2[/p]
  • [p]Cultural Diffusion: Culture bonus per Research Agreement increased from 1 → 2[/p]
  • [p]Monument Builders: Prestige bonus reduced from 2 → 1[/p]
  • [p]Artistic Glory & Systemic Inquiry: Updated text to better describe their effects[/p]
  • [p]Capital Pride: Now correctly applies only to Capital Cities[/p]
  • [p]Fixed the Devotional Reach Culture Trait so it properly boosts Influence when your Religion is dominant.[/p]
  • [p]The Celebrated Hardships trait now correctly appears in the Golden Age tooltip.[/p]
  • [p]Ensured Grand Duke starts with a Culture Value in Cities as intended.[/p]

[p]Trade Production Balance Changes[/p]

• [p]Organized Merchants: Trade Production bonus per City Controlled increased from 5% to 10%[/p]
• [p]Shared Routes: Trade Production bonus per Alliance Maintained increased from 5% to 20%[/p]
• [p]Respected Caravans: Trade Production bonus increased from 10% to 25%[/p]
• [p]Confident Traders: Trade Production bonus increased from 20% to 50%[/p]
• [p]Shared Plunder: Trade Production bonus after conquering a city increased from 50% to 100% (lasts 20 turns)[/p]

[p]New Tooltip Improvements[/p]

• [p]Detailed Trade Route Tooltips:
  Added comprehensive tooltips showing how trade production is calculated — including base rate, connection type (Land, Sea, Air), modifiers from traits and buffs, and total production per turn.[/p]
• [p]Nested Tooltip Navigation:
  Hovering over Production Per Turn now reveals a full breakdown by nation (e.g., “Korea +0.3, Egypt +0.9”), and clicking on a nation opens that nation’s detailed trade production tooltip.[/p]
• [p]Integrated Across the UI:
  Tooltips are now available on the Trade Agreement Panel, Diplomacy Screen (Agreements Subpanel), and Diplomatic Relations Panel (Receiving Section).[/p]
• [p]Accurate Modifier Calculations:
  Trade bonuses now display exact numerical contributions (e.g., Protective +220), ensuring full accuracy with internal buff calculations.[/p]
• [p]Improved Readability:
  Tooltips now feature clear visual spacing, color-coded values (white for base, green for modifiers), and icons for time-based information.[/p]
• [p]Localized for All Languages:
  All tooltip text has been externalized for localization, ensuring consistent and translatable presentation across languages[/p]

[hr][/hr][h3]Gameplay & UI Improvements[/h3]

• [p]Fixed an issue where starting a crafting project could unintentionally cancel a building upgrade. Upgrades now complete as expected.[/p]
• [p]Optimized late-game performance when adjusting crafters in the Improvement Panel:[/p]
  • [p]Significantly reduced UI lag (especially in larger empires).[/p]
  • [p]No gameplay logic changes — purely a performance enhancement.[/p]
• [p]Eternal Siege event updated: the second option no longer unlocks City Walls (which previously caused stalled wars). It now grants +10 Security for 20 Turns, maintaining the defensive narrative without blocking progression.[/p]

[hr][/hr][h3]Economy & City Management[/h3]

• [p]Corrected filter tags for Cured Meats and Salted Fish, ensuring they properly appear under the City Growth filter in the Amenity selection menu.[/p]

[hr][/hr][h3]Technical & Stability Updates[/h3]

• [p]Improved startup performance on high-end NVIDIA GPUs.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a rare debug startup hang related to texture loading.[/p]

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