Gameplay update

Greetings, Lords!

This time, we're rolling out some significant changes designed to enhance the gameplay experience. Here’s the full changelog:

A new, concise tutorial
No more unit limits outside the player’s faction
Game speed options
Tooltips for unit statistics
Screen shake effect for big hits
Various bug fixes

Below, I’ve outlined the core details of this update.

[h2]New and Shorter Tutorial[/h2]
The previous tutorial was long and highly detailed, perhaps a bit too much so? :)
I've now created a new, shorter tutorial that focuses on the essentials. With just 10 popups, it highlights the most important aspects of the game. A well-crafted tutorial is key to ensuring players understand the mechanics, and this one should get you up to speed quickly.

You can find the new tutorial here:

[h2]No More Limits on Units Outside of Player’s Faction[/h2]
When I first implemented this restriction, I thought it would provide a more immersive experience, encouraging players to rely mainly on faction units, with just one unit from outside their faction (such as a Neutral monster).
However, after testing and reflection, I now see this was a misguided choice. This game offers a wealth of creatures with unique abilities, and the most enjoyable part is combining these units in creative ways during battles.

So, I’ve decided to remove that limit! Now, team compositions only have two restrictions:

You can have a maximum of 3 Elite units
No more than 3 identical units in one team (for example, no more than 3 Footmen)

With this change, you can conquer a Kobold’s Dwelling and recruit up to 3 Kobolds in one team. These creature has the unique ability to summon reinforcements during battle. Now, your Kobolds can call even more Kobolds! Kobolds everywhere!

Additionally, the Ambassador hero skill, which was previously used to bypass this limit, has been reworked. The new version of this skill reduces the Diplomacy Food cost with Neutral creatures to 0. That means you can recruit Neutral units for free if you have a hero with the Ambassador skill.

[h2]Game Speed Options[/h2]
Is the game running too slowly? Or perhaps too fast? Not anymore.
In the game options menu, you’ll now find an adjustable game speed setting. This allows you to fine-tune the pace of the game to your liking.

Available speed options:

75%
100%
125%
150%
200%
250%
300%

By default, the game will be set to 125%.

[h2]Tooltips for Unit Statistics[/h2]
I've added a handy new feature to enhance your gameplay experience!
Now, when you open a unit card, you can simply hover your mouse over any statistic you're interested in, and a tooltip will pop up with detailed information.

This also works for checking the current status effects on a unit.

Additionally, the bonuses provided by Glyphs or auras are now visible directly on the unit card, giving you a clearer view of how these enhancements affect your units.

[h2]Screen Shake Effect[/h2]
To make high-impact hits more satisfying, the screen will now shake slightly whenever a unit deals more than 100 damage with a single attack or area ability. This adds a nice bit of flair, letting you feel the power of your high level heroes and units.
If you’re not a fan of this effect, don’t worry, you can turn it off in the settings.

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]
Bugs are a constant challenge, but I’ve squashed several major ones in this update:

Fixed an issue with the Charge ability, where it sometimes activated even if the Cavalier or Knight hadn’t moved at least 2 tiles
Resolved a glitch that allowed players to move through the Portal without spending a move point
Academy shows all abilities to buy, even if some units that use these abilities are blocked in the mission (that is mostly important in the campaigns)
Fixed a bug where loading a save would activate all hostile teams on the map, even those that should have remained inactive while waiting in their Dwelling to recruit more units

Several minor bugs also have been addressed.

[h2]What’s Next?[/h2]
Looking ahead, I plan to focus on visual improvements. Perhaps some lighting and shadow enhancements, weather effects, or contrast and color corrections.
As a programmer, I don’t have much experience with visuals, but I’ll give it my best shot.

That’s all for now. Take care!
— Mateusz from Boargames