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Update #3 - New Features

Hey Everyone,

We`re back with our third weekly update - and this is a big one - bringing major new gameplay systems and changes across the board.

To start off, we`ve completely reworked how port cities function on the world map. They`re no longer just scenery - now they have strategic importance for both trade and movement. Hostile ports must be captured before they can be sailed through, and attempting to bypass them will now trigger a battle.

Mercenary recruitment has also been fully redesigned. Each city and hamlet now has a limited number of available mercenaries, which refresh over time. Some unit types will be harder to find, while others may only appear in specific areas. A new UI indicator also shows how many mercenaries are currently available in a location.

We`ve also introduced the ability to buy wood, food and stone from friendly cities - giving more flexibility in preparing for major construction or reinforcing your forces in the field.

Trade agreements are now tied to port cities - each deal will require an additional port under your control, adding another layer of strategy to diplomacy and conquest.

This update also brings a number of UI and art improvements - such as clearer unit recruitment windows, updated Lord and King portraits for several major factions, and a visual rework of portraits and frames on the world map.

Finally, balancing has been improved across the board - early game AI is more aggressive, late game diplomacy is more costly, and tutorial rewards have been scaled down. We`re working to make the campaign more challenging and engaging at every stage.

Thanks again for all your feedback and support - and stay tuned for next week`s update. Details of today`s major update are below (keep in mind, we`re only listing the biggest changes here). So let`s take a look at what our third update (game version 0.26) has in store

[h2]General Updates[/h2]
  • Fixed issue with Templar and Seljuk campaign not unlocking for some players
  • Added support for various additional ultra-wide resolutions
  • Added background to unit names in the recruit units world map window
  • Reworked frame around portrait units on the world map
  • Clearly indicating units that can be recruited in the world map recruit window


[h2]New Port Cities feature[/h2]
  • Port cities now have special gameplay importance
  • Hostile port cities can`t be bypassed without capturing them by AI or player
  • Attempting to sail to or from a hostile port city will force a battle


[h2]Reworked Trade Agreements[/h2]
  • Trade agreements now require control over port cities
  • Each trade agreement requires one additional port city
  • Added various tooltips and messages to indicate port city requirements


[h2]Reworked Mercenaries System[/h2]
  • All hamlets and cities now have a finite number of mercenaries for hire
  • Some mercenary types are not available
  • Cities and hamlets slowly gain new mercenaries available for hire
  • Added indicator for the number of mercenaries available in the city


[h2]Buying Resources from Cities[/h2]
  • Added ability to buy wood, food and stone from friendly cities
  • Added wood, food and stone purchase to the Mercenary screen


[h2]Balancing Changes[/h2]
  • Balancing for AI armies in early game - slightly stronger armies, increasing early game difficulty
  • Adjusted balancing for Holy Order buildings - previously they made mid to late game too easy
  • Increased the price of a lot of the diplomatic actions - making late game a lot more difficult
  • Fixed balancing at the end of the tutorial where player would get too much silver
  • Acre is now a port city - affecting gameplay in the Middle East


[h2]Art Updates[/h2]
  • New Lord character art for Duchy of Toulouse
  • New Lord character art for Kingdom of Castile
  • New Lord character art for Kingdom of Naples
  • New Lord character art for Venetian Republic
  • New King and 4 new Lord character art pieces for Kingdom of Denmark
  • New King and 4 new Lord character art pieces for Kingdom of Poland