Knights of the Crusades News

[p]Hey Everyone,[/p][p][/p][p]This week brings a smaller but essential update as we fix key issues from last week’s major patch. World Map AI behavior has been overhauled – no more relentless spam attacks, with AI now launching fewer but stronger assaults. The eastern regions of the map also got a makeover, improving both level design and strategic options.[/p][p][/p][p]We’ve also rebalanced Order mechanics – expect higher costs across the board and proper unit spawning in RTS. As always, thanks for your feedback and support – see you on the battlefield![/p][p][/p][p]As always thanks for all your feedback and here`s the full update details - Game Version: 0.29[/p][p][/p][h3]Engine Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Resolved the new loading screen crashing issues introduced in the last update[/p]

[h3]World Map AI Improvements[/h3]

• [p]Fixed a major bug causing AI factions to launch excessive attacks in Campaign mode.[/p]
• [p]Adjusted attack frequency in both Sandbox and Campaign – AI will now strike less often, but with stronger armies.[/p]
• [p]AI armies are now better composed and more impactful when they engage.[/p]

[h3]World Map Updates[/h3]

• [p]Smyrna is no longer at war with the Teutonic Order.[/p]
• [p]Expanded the eastern regions of the world map.[/p]
• [p]Improved level design in the newly added eastern territories.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug with birds flying unusually slowly.[/p]
• [p]Eastern Middle East edge is now far more playable and accessible.[/p]
• [p]All armies can now register Holy Orders in Rome.[/p]

[h3]RTS Mode Updates[/h3]

• [p]Fixed issue with Order building UI buttons shifting on mouse hover.[/p]
• [p]Visual overhaul for Order buildings: Headquarters, Hospital, and Hostel.[/p]
• [p]Units now spawn correctly from the Order Headquarters.[/p]

[h3]Balance Changes[/h3]

• [p]Rebalanced the cost of Order units and buildings.[/p]
• [p]Order structures and troops are now significantly more expensive.[/p]
• [p]Chapterhouse setup cost has been greatly increased.[/p]

[p]Hey Everyone,[/p][p][/p][p]Welcome back to our fifth weekly update – and this one is absolutely packed. Version 0.28 brings a massive new layer of depth with unique army rosters for Western and Muslim nations, several new unit types, improved campaign content, sweeping balance changes and a number of gameplay changing features.[/p][p][/p][p]A total of eight new units have been added – including Siege Towers, Mounted Archers, and Heavy Macemen – while several others were fully reworked. This now means that different cultures plays very differently with several unique units per culture, with new tactical choices and technologies to unlock them. For example - Muslim nations now dominate in the open field with mostly mounted armies packed with horse archers, while Western nations work great in sieges.[/p][p][/p][p]We’ve also rolled out a major performance boost on the world map – many players will see up to 20 FPS improvements. AI aggression has been dialed up significantly – larger nations now feel genuinely threatening, and border skirmishes are frequent.[/p][p][/p][p]Campaign players will be happy to see 16 new quests, major scripting fixes, and smoother First Crusade progression. We also rebalanced RTS training, battle retreat logic, and siege pacing to improve flow and realism.[/p][p][/p][p]Thanks as always for all your feedback – your support helps us keep moving fast. Check out the full update details below! - Game Version: 0.28[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Engine and Performance[/h2]

• [p] Major visual performance boost on the world map - up to +20 FPS on most systems[/p]
• [p] Fixed rare campaign load bug that prevented proper start[/p]
• [p] Fixed rare level load failure affecting some scenarios[/p]

[p][/p][h2]New Culture-Based Unit Rosters[/h2]

• [p] Western and Muslim culture groups now use distinct unit rosters[/p]
• [p] Each faction now has 8 different units depending on cultural group[/p]
• [p] AI builds and fields different units based on nation culture[/p]
• [p] RTS and World Map now reflect culture-specific unit availability[/p]
• [p] Technologies now unlock different units for different cultures[/p]

[p][/p][h2]New Units and Visuals[/h2]

• [p] New unit: Arbaletist and Veteran Crossbowman (Western factions)[/p]
• [p] New unit: Heavy Maceman (Western)[/p]
• [p] New unit: Mounted Archer and Veteran Mounted Archer (Muslim factions)[/p]
• [p] New unit: Siege Ram (Muslim factions)[/p]
• [p] New unit: Siege Tower (Western factions)[/p]
• [p] Battering Ram - completely new art and stats[/p]
• [p] Belfry - completely new art and stats[/p]
• [p] Reworked Maceman portrait, visuals and stats[/p]

[p][/p][h2]World Map Features[/h2]

• [p] Armies only heal near own/ally towns and if they have food[/p]
• [p] Armies now cost Renown to field: 0 / 20 / 40 / 60 e.t.c increasing for each new army[/p]
• [p] Player can now sell resources at ally and neutral cities (Recruit Menu)[/p]
• [p] Armies now show healing indicator on the Army UI[/p]
• [p] Edge of the world map added to the eastern side[/p]
• [p] Fixed excessive silver rewards when defending towns[/p]
• [p] Updated news feed to avoid broken line formatting[/p]
• [p] Army strength now displays correctly when using custom names[/p]
• [p] Fixed cut-off background for Research titles[/p]
• [p] Unlocked techs now show tooltip popups when hovering icons[/p]

[p][/p][h2]World Map AI Improvements[/h2]

• [p] AI now targets closer cities instead of crossing the map[/p]
• [p] Major boost to world map AI aggression and activity[/p]
• [p] Larger kingdoms (e.g., France, Byzantium) now field massive armies[/p]
• [p] Fixed inactive AI armies not moving to targets[/p]
• [p] Overall strategic AI behavior drastically improved[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Campaign Overhaul[/h2]

• [p] 10 new quests added to the Seljuk campaign[/p]
• [p] 6 new quests added to the Templar campaign[/p]
• [p] Improved pacing and onboarding in both campaigns[/p]
• [p] Seljuk campaign diplomacy now behaves properly[/p]
• [p] Fixed critical bug in First Crusade progression logic[/p]
• [p] Defense of Antioch mission time reduced from 20 to 12 minutes[/p]
• [p] Crusader armies no longer capture player objectives by accident[/p]
• [p] Tutorial “Scout the World Map” quest is now easier to complete[/p]

• [p]Can no longer invite Godfrey to help siege Ma`arat al-Numan.[/p]

• [p]Fixed "Capture Hamlet" objective not completing in the campaign.[/p]
• [p]Fixed player not receiving a reward for acquiring 600 Faith in the Crusader and Templar campaigns.[/p]
• [p]Fixed incorrect cinematic playing after acquiring Faith in the Crusader and Templar campaigns.[/p]
• [p]AI Crusader armies now set off much later — around May 1096 — giving the player a better chance to travel with them.[/p]
• [p]Fixed AI Crusader armies very rarely arriving in Constantinople on time.[/p]
• [p]Combat tutorial now lasts longer before victory is declared.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]RTS Training Logic & UI[/h2]

• [p] Units in RTS now train logically with space and population checks[/p]
• [p] Retreated units are removed from population count[/p]
• [p] Strong/high-level units will now fight to the death instead of retreating[/p]
• [p] Retreated units no longer re-enter battle automatically[/p]
• [p] Improved visibility of building names in towns[/p]
• [p] Palisade gatehouse now aligns properly with adjacent wall sections[/p]
• [p] Fixed unit unlock issues in RTS mode[/p]
• [p] Disabled double-click selection on unit overlay portraits[/p]
• [p] Bird flight speed corrected for RTS camera[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Art Updates[/h2]

• [p]Reworked all building icons.[/p]
• [p]Building icons now show symbols to easily identify their function[/p]
• [p]Improved playable player characters with several new ones[/p]
• [p]Professional soldier battalions now carry a flag banner into combat[/p]
• [p]Player's floating unit portraits are now much more visible[/p]
• [p]Allied group portraits are no longer as prominent[/p]
• [p]Player army flag is now easier to spot in the Your Own Order and Templar campaigns[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][h2]Combat & Balance Changes[/h2]

• [p] Major rebalance of Muslim armies - Horse Archers are now core units[/p]
• [p] Unit speed now varies by armor weight - light units move faster[/p]
• [p] Light units can effectively skirmish heavier units at range[/p]
• [p]Personal Time accumulates more slowly.[/p]
• [p]Increased price of all basic hamlet buildings: Storehouse, Silver Mine, Barn, Stone Mine, Lumber Camp, and Hunter Lodge.[/p]
• [p] Fixed bug causing cavalry to move too fast in Loose formation[/p]
• [p] Reduced RTS defense time: Hamlet 12 → 8 min, Large City 20 → 16 min[/p][p][/p]

[h2]Other Fixes[/h2]

• [p]Fixed a bug allowing some mounted units to run while in naval combat onboard ships[/p]
• [p]Fixed archers not being able to attack Knight Commander and Chevalier units[/p]
• [p]Fixed armies not playing the correct walking animation on the world map during cinematics[/p]
• [p]Night-time city and unit elimination effects (fires, torches, etc.) now occur simultaneously[/p]
• [p]Units created from buildings now form up better if there is no default rally point[/p]
• [p]Units coming out of the Town Hall now form up especially well[/p]
• [p]Changed Bristol to Cardiff[/p]
• [p]World map winter lighting is now brighter[/p]

Hey Everyone,

We`re back with our fourth weekly update - and this one brings massive improvements to visuals, unit clarity, balancing, and overall world map gameplay.

The biggest highlight is a full visual upgrade for all Western units - with new art for every humanoid and mounted unit. It`s now much easier to tell different nations apart, and units no longer blend into the environment as much. Mounted units, weapons, shields, and even horses have all been updated for sharper contrast and better detail.

Separate mentions goes to fixing of last remaining crashing bugs - especially during level transition.

We`ve also adjusted the RTS camera to allow closer zoom, which helps distinguish friend from foe more clearly during battle. Other RTS changes include major performance boosts, increased combat pace, and better visual indicators for enemies of the same nation.

The world map has seen major improvements too - including a western expansion, making Spain fully playable; visual upgrades and a long list of balance changes for resource income, army food use, building upgrades, and more.

AI behavior has been upgraded across the board - armies are more aggressive, defenders launch attacks more frequently, and auto-resolve now delivers fairer results. We`ve also squashed a long list of bugs, from pathfinding issues to unit visuals at night.

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 fourth update (game version 0.27) has in store

[h2]RTS Unity and Art Upgrades[/h2]

• New unit art for all Western humanoid and mounted units
  
• Easier to distinguish units of different nations
  
• Reduced blending of units with the environment
  
• Improved brightness and contrast for horse textures
  
• Heavy swordsman now carries a shield
  
• Polished designs for some weapons and shields
  
• Enemy portraits now have better visibility
  
• Village houses now display lit windows at night
  
• Hamlets look significantly better at night
  
• Palisade gatehouse now has visible flags
  

[h2]Engine Bug Fixes[/h2]

• Final fix for remaining crash CTD issues
  
• Resolved startup issues with incorrect or ultra-high resolutions - often setting 5k+ resolutions
  
• Fixed ultra-bright display bug effecting some players on high resolutions
  
• Fixed missing and incorrect resolution options in settings
  
• Fixed wall pathfinding issues in hamlets
  
• Fixed visual bug with fire torches on healed units at night
  

[h2]RTS Mode Changes[/h2]

• Increased minimum zoom level in RTS mode
  
• Easier to tell player units from enemies in RTS battles
  
• RTS enemy units of the same nation now display a redder heraldry with an At War sword symbol
  
• Faster game speeds are now noticeably faster; slower speeds are slower
  
• All RTS levels now load 30% faster
  
• Combat flow is ~20% faster overall
  
• Projectile weapons (arrows, stones, etc.) now travel 20-30% faster
  
• Increased unit collision to max - significantly affects combat dynamics
  
• Disabled confusing wall cursor icon (crossed-out ladder)
  

[h2]World Map Improvements[/h2]

• World map expanded to make Spain fully playable
  
• Added paper map edge to the west side of the world map
  
• Improved appearance of player army and town banners
  
• World map fog added on lowest zoom level
  
• Max upgrade level for buildings set to 3 (same as RTS)
  
• Building upgrade costs now match between RTS and world map
  
• Demolishing buildings now returns wood and stone
  
• Trade with small nations now gives at least 100 silver per month
  
• Sandbox now starts with a Knight Commander army
  
• Fixed At War display on city/hamlet banners
  
• Text shadows standardized across At War, Civil War, and Outlaw UI
  
• Tutorial island near Scotland no longer disrupts army pathing
  
• Acre is now a port city
  

[h2]Gameplay Bug Fixes[/h2]

• Removed RTS UI lag (especially during unit selection)
  
• Fixed excessive food drain for armies without Knight Commander
  
• Fixed tutorial bug if player captures second hamlet early
  
• Victory cinematic now plays after becoming King in Sandbox
  
• Sandbox King selection now shows crown visuals
  
• Improved nighttime palisade wall visuals
  
• Fixed armies without Knight Commander having extremely high RTS battle food drain
  

[h2]World Map AI Changes[/h2]

• Fixed major issues where AI nations would end up making peace with everyone in late game
  
• Very small kingdoms now properly spawn armies and engage in wars
  
• Increased strength of early game AI armies - which are no longer really weak during the first yet
  
• Fixed all issues armies wandering near target but not attacking
  
• AI will attack player and each other a lot more now
  
• Improved targeting logic - AI is a lot more strategic with picking targets
  
• AI armies will select a new weaker target city - if the city they were heading to got reinforced
  
• Fixed issue where cities thought they had armies when they didn’t
  
• Fixed AI armies just sitting on the map without a target
  
• AI more effectively captures large cities
  

[h2]Combat AI Changes[/h2]

• AI now builds wall defenses on Medium and Hard difficulties
  
• More variety in AI wall defenses - wall catapults, trebuchets, ballistias and oil pots
  
• AI won’t task siege units outside when defending hamlets
  
• AI no longer trains incorrect units from older KW games
  
• Various improvements to AI defensive construction behavior
  

[h2]Auto-Resolve Overhaul[/h2]

• Recalculated strength values for all armies and cities
  
• Stone walls add 20 strength; palisade walls add 10
  
• Unit level now adds 20% strength (down from 33%)
  
• Hamlets and cities have 25–50 lower base strength
  
• Auto-resolve is more fair and balanced overall
  
• Removed exploit where large armies would earn excessive silver from small fights
  
• Auto-resolve now calculates victory using only defender’s strength
  

[h2]Balancing Adjustments[/h2]

• Reduced silver rewards from army vs army battles
  
• First few research tech prices increased
  
• More starting silver in Sandbox mode
  
• Reduced initial personal time in new campaigns
  
• Balanced food drain during battles
  
• Knight Commander armies now consume food during battles (previously disabled)
  
• Faster passive food generation for cows and chickens
  
• Light cavalry boosted across all stats
  
• Sheep silver generation on world map reduced
  
• Masonry and Stone Mine now generate more stone
  
• Rebalanced building upgrade costs (generally increased)
  
• Mercenary unit list re-ordered to be more logical
  
• Scotland no longer trades with England while at war
  
• Toulouse now has a second enemy: Barcelona
  
• Leinster now starts at war with Gwynedd
  
• Fixed England trading with France and Brittany while at war
  
• Fixed France trading with Brittany while at war
  
• Fixed early siege victories being too easy when AI rides out
  

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
  

Hey Everyone,

Thanks again for your continued support and invaluable feedback on Knights of the Crusades! We’re thrilled with the engagement since our Early Access launch and excited to present the second update.

To start things off—you’ll notice smoother gameplay across all systems, particularly on AMD graphics cards. We've also expanded our support for ultra-wide monitors.

On the world map, we've streamlined building management, enhanced the clarity of city and population displays, and improved unit recruitment interfaces. There are numerous improvements in RTS mode as well—like displaying building levels and various other UI enhancements.

We've also begun balancing the game, starting with the introduction of a new Difficulty menu allowing you to adjust the campaign and battle difficulty at any point.

We recommend making sure you're playing on Medium difficulty (Easy difficulty was only intended for players very new to grand strategy and RTS games).

Artistically, we've unified the look of Kings and Lords across each kingdom, creating a consistent yet diverse aesthetic. More art updates will come in the next update.

Finally, we've addressed numerous localization issues across the board.

Thanks again for your continued support—our third update is just a few days away. For full details, see the complete Patch Notes for Update #2 (game version 0.25) below:

[h2]Game Engine Updates[/h2]

• Performance boost across all systems – gaining several FPS
  
• Attempt to fix major performance issue affecting some AMD video cards
  
• Various improvements to wide-monitor resolution support
  
• Added support for resolutions like 2560x1080
  

[h2]World Map Updates[/h2]

• Reworked UI for managing buildings on world map – for upgrading and demolishing
  
• Attack window now properly shows the name of cities that player is attacking
  
• Updated how civilian population is displayed in Recruit window: new icons, centered with Citizen label
  
• Various updates to Recruit and Transfer units display for citizens and army/town names
  
• Strength now shown on main army/city window
  

[h2]RTS Updates[/h2]

• Buildings in RTS mode now show their level
  
• Fixed various issues with game speed controls in RTS mode
  
• Fixed clicks not registering on RTS map when near the top UI panel
  
• Number of improvements to click registration in all RTS situations
  
• Improved appearance of mouse-over pop-ups
  

[h2]Balancing Changes[/h2]

• Added new Difficulty menu to the game's options – allowing battle and campaign difficulty to be changed anytime during the campaign
  
• New players who start the tutorial campaign will automatically play at medium difficulty
  
• Players who already started the campaign after playing the tutorial are recommended to switch to medium difficulty
  
• Started reworking mid- and late-game difficulty to be more challenging
  

[h2]Art Updates[/h2]

• New approach to nations' Kings and Lords: all now wear similar colours representing their Kingdom
  
• New Lord character art for Kingdom of Leinster
  
• New Lord character art for Kingdom of Scotland
  
• New King and 5 new Lord character art pieces for Kingdom of England
  
• 7 new Lord character art pieces for Kingdom of France
  

[h2]Translation Improvements[/h2]

• Fixed loading screen tips text running over borders or not showing entirely
  
• Fixed some text appearing in English on the world map UI
  
• Many improvements to German translations
  
• Improvements to Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Italian translations