Knights of the Crusades News

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
  

Hey Everyone,

We’ve been blown away by the support and feedback since launching Knights of the Crusades into Early Access. Your enthusiasm and insights have been invaluable, and we’ve been working hard to address the most pressing issues while adding some quality-of-life improvements.

Today, we're rolling out our first post-launch update, focusing on technical fixes, world map improvements, and some key quality-of-life changes that you’ve asked for. And starting next week we`ll be rolling our more content, features and art updates in accordance to our Roadmap: https://steamcommunity.com/app/3440120/discussions/0/592896011253361999/

With our first update we’ve tackled a problem preventing some players from starting the game on the first run, improved V-Sync functionality, and added camera speed adjustments to the options menu. Plus, you can expect smoother performance overall.

We’ve also made several improvements to the world map experience. You can now discard units during recruitment and demolish buildings during construction. Recruitment itself has been streamlined, and some minor visual glitches have been addressed. Additionally, the Diplomacy window now better reflects the nations closest to your kingdom.

We didn’t forget the UI! You’ll notice better click detection on units in RTS mode, improved tooltips, and clearer army strength displays. Plus, we’ve refined some quest notifications to make sure important info doesn’t get missed.

And now - for detailed patch notes, for Update # 1 (game version 0.24):

[h2]Game Engine Updates[/h2]

• Fixed a common issue with players being unable to start the game on the first run.
  
• Enabled V-Sync.
  
• V-Sync now properly limits frames with a 60 FPS lock.
  
• Added camera speed to the options menu, allowing players to slow down or increase scrolling speed.
  
• Various performance improvements.
  

[h2]World Map Updates[/h2]

• Players can now discard units from an army/town on the world map while the recruitment window is open.
  
• Players can demolish buildings in a town on the world map while the building construction window is open.
  
• Reworked unit recruitment on the world map - it no longer replaces one unit in the army with another.
  
• New messages appear when the army is full and the player tries to recruit.
  
• Players can no longer disband or replace the Knight Commander hero in the army.
  
• Improved the Diplomacy window list of nations - it now shows the nations closest to the player's kingdom.
  
• Fixed very slow-moving birds flying around the world map.
  
• Upgrading building on the world map - redesigned - requires stone and wood, and shows the cost of upgrade
  

[h2]UI Improvements[/h2]

• Improved click detection on units in RTS mode at the top part of the screen near the resources bar.
  
• Greatly improved the look of RTS mode tooltips for buildings and units.
  
• Unit tooltips on the world map now show the strength value of all units.
  
• Army strength is now displayed when an army is selected.
  

[h2]Campaign and Tutorial Updates[/h2]

• A new quest notification now appears if the player arrives at Constantinople without reaching 100 strength.
  
• The new quest has voice acting and is localized in all languages.
  
• In the New Order campaign, the player can no longer capture Antioch, Nicaea, and Jerusalem; these can only be given to Christendom.
  
• Using Monks' and Knight Commanders' abilities now shows proper pop-ups informing of low stamina or cooldown time.
  

I've been meaning to research the Crusades for a while. A series of vicious medieval religious wars for control of the Holy Land, initiated by the Latin Christian Church following the conquest of Jerusalem by the Rashidun Caliphate, they've become a collection of memes bandied around by today's armchair fascists. See also, "deus vult". I've explored them indirectly in articles about the cultural inheritance of Warhammer 40,000, but never really dipped into any history books or crusader fiction save for ailing 2004 action game Knights Of The Temple: Infernal Crusade, in which Sir Spamalot Go Bonk against a majestic sunset.

One place to start the R&D rollout might be Knights Of The Crusades, a grand strategy 4X game in which players re-enact the period from the perspective of Christian and Muslim factions.

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