Update #8 - Balance Overhaul
[p]Hey Everyone,[/p][p] [/p][p]This week’s update brings a major round of balancing and improvements across all areas of the game - with focus on world map performance, RTS battle flow, and key balancing changes to the campaign and economy.[/p][p] [/p][p]The world map has seen a big boost in performance, especially in regions like Greece, Anatolia, and the Middle East. The Nile region has also been completely reworked into a lush and vibrant landscape. We've also cleaned up several visual issues, including palm trees and world edge polish.[/p][p] [/p][p]On the campaign side, we've overhauled how Crusader armies behave after the First Crusade, preventing late-game exploits and making their actions more grounded. We’ve also improved town entry mechanics with clearer rules and UI feedback.[/p][p] [/p][p]RTS battles feel smoother and more cinematic now — with better AI, slowed-down combat pacing, and far less lag. Auto-resolve has been reworked to reduce frustrating unit losses, and healing now happens in real time rather than waiting for the end of the month.[/p][p] [/p][p]Thanks again for sticking with us - and we’re just getting started. Here's the full list of changes in Game Version 0.31:[/p][p][/p][h3]World Map Changes[/h3]
- [p]Major performance boost across the entire world map.[/p]
- [p]Drastically improved performance in Greece, Anatolia, and the Middle East regions.[/p]
- [p]Reworked Nile region — now lush and green.[/p]
- [p]Fixed Beirut incorrectly displaying as Acre.[/p]
- [p]Polished the top-left corner and outer edge of the world map.[/p]
- [p]Greatly improved the visual quality of palm trees.[/p][p][/p]
- [p]After completing the First Crusade, Crusader armies now garrison in captured cities[/p]
- [p]Fixed exploit that allowed easy conquest of the Middle East using Crusader armies[/p]
- [p]Tripoli now correctly transfers to Crusader control after the Crusade[/p]
- [p]Hamlet capture cost increases by 50% (base) for each hamlet you control[/p]
- [p]City capture cost increases by 50% (base) for each city you control[/p]
- [p]Combat food drain increased by 30% — cow and chicken income reduced accordingly[/p]
- [p]AI now attacks much less frequently[/p]
- [p]Army unit healing now occurs in real time, no longer tied to the end of the month[/p][p][/p]
- [p]Player units heal faster near friendly towns[/p]
- [p]AI units heal more slowly[/p]
- [p]Auto-resolve is now less likely to kill player units when clearly winning[/p]
- [p]Auto-resolve now favors damaging units over killing them[/p]
- [p]Stronger forces benefit more from auto-resolve[/p]
- [p]Reduced renown rewards from battles[/p]
- [p]Monthly renown output from buildings reduced by ~50%[/p]
- [p]Rebalanced income, upkeep, and renown for Order and Church buildings[/p]
- [p]Slightly slower accumulation of personal time[/p]
- [p]Entering a town now deducts 1 minute of personal time[/p]
- [p]Player must have at least 2 minutes of personal time to enter a town[/p]
- [p]Added message notifying player when they lack enough time to enter[/p]
- [p]Rebalanced attack stats for Macemen and Billmen[/p][p][/p]
- [p]Major reduction in lag during RTS battles[/p]
- [p]Combat slowed slightly for improved cinematic pacing[/p]
- [p]Better overall combat flow in RTS mode[/p]
- [p]Ranged units now properly auto-attack targets[/p]
- [p]RTS AI now defends large cities more effectively[/p]
- [p]AI will no longer sortie unless player is heavily outnumbered[/p]
- [p]Large-town sieges are now significantly more difficult[/p]
- [p]Nighttime lighting in RTS is now brighter[/p]
- [p]Reduced distance fog, especially in winter[/p]
- [p]Fixed terrain appearing overly bright in fall season[/p]
- [p]Fixed bug with newly constructed buildings being sideways or upside down in Army vs Army camps[/p][p][/p]
- [p]Fixed rare game-breaking issue where the game could freeze during a cinematic[/p]
- [p]Major corrections to Spanish translation[/p]
- [p]Major corrections to Italian translation[/p]