Feudums News

[p]If you'd like more consistent, bite-size updates, or don't want to miss the updates on the single-player version, consider joining our Discord, where I’m more active. Alternatively, we have a newsletter for milestone community polls and major game updates.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Ladies and Lords of the Realm,[/h3][p]We've updated both our servers and the game client today — everything should be back online and running smoothly! The updated client will roll out on Steam in any minute.[/p][p][/p][h3]The Current Update[/h3][p]You’ll find a summary of key changes below. As always, thank you for being part of this journey — and don’t forget: your feedback drives everything.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]A Glimpse into the Future[/h3][p]Things are starting to heat up! The community-voted next major milestone — Sieges and Vassalage Basics — is now within reach. If all goes smoothly, it will land with the next update. That said, summer can be unpredictable, and if obstacles arise, I may split the milestone release: first a more regular update with parts of the milestone content, followed by the rest afterwards.[/p][p]Development on the long-awaited single-player mode is also making steady progress! However, since I’m currently juggling three major areas — contract work to pay the bills, the multiplayer core game, and the single-player version — you can expect more substantial updates on that front after the multiplayer milestone release.[/p][p]As always, a quick reminder: the project remains entirely self-funded and non-monetized (aside from a voluntary Patreon). which continues to be a challenge and may affect our timeline. Your continued support and patience truly mean the world.[/p][p] [/p][p][/p][h3]Pretender Wars![/h3][p]Our ranked community multiplayer clash lurks around the corner — likely kicking off in about a week![/p][p]Will someone finally dethrone the pretender? Last time, challengers came close... but they couldn't unite, and it ultimately costed them the victory. Maybe this time, with you, challengers can turn the tide. If you're around, sharpen your lance — glory awaits.[/p][h3] [/h3][p][/p][h2]Changelog[/h2][h3]Gameplay & Vibe[/h3]

• [p]More Animations: All Castles now proudly display banners, and updated the visual offset of culture-specific castles on hilly terrain. Also added new (WIP) Labourer animations for Ecclesiastical Fiefs covering both exclusive variants: Monks and Winegrowers.[/p]
• [p]Updated the Rain effect.[/p]
• [p]A new Color Theme setting lets players choose how Company and Castle flags appear in-game. Currently: Friend or Foe (based on diplomatic status) or Mixed (based on CoA/affiliation). A fully heraldic CoA-based system is coming soon.[/p]
• [p]Major Economy & Resources rebalance:[/p]
  • [p]Food and Timber are now treated as more abundant, lower-value resources. Labourer output (Fishermen, Herdsmen, Farmers, Hunters), Production Line demands, and market expectations have been all adjusted accordingly.[/p]
  • [p]Farmland territory increased by 20%, with matching expansion of related labourer slots.[/p]
• [p]Population Dynamics:[/p]
  • [p]Food rations matter more: with food now more accessible, reducing rations will cause stronger public backlash. Rations also have a greater impact on both Social Wellbeing and Public Health.[/p]
  • [p]Morale, Health, and Stability systems rebalanced, with additional pressure levels introduced for finer control.[/p]
  • [p]Health bonuses from freshwater access are now more detailed.[/p]
  • [p]Morale & migration penalties from hostile presence have been reworked to be less punishing and more progressive.[/p]
  • [p]Stability changes: Morale and Unemployment modifiers are now more granular, and unemployment is slightly less punitive.[/p]
• [p]Strategic Warfare changes:[/p]
  • [p]Improvements now play a greater role in combat — their level and type significantly affect battlefields, and can heavily alter the default terrain modifiers.[/p]
  • [p]Virtue gained from winning battles and clearing raiders has been significantly increased.[/p]
  • [p]Unit Edges and stats were rebalanced for more variety.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][h3]Further Quality of Life Changes[/h3]

• [p]Region Jump (Wasteground): The jump-to button will now cycle through all Wasteground tiles, making navigation much smoother. (Community-requested!)[/p]
• [p]Tooltips for Improvements and Terrain now visually display Battlefield Widths along combat modifiers, improving strategic clarity. (Community-requested!)[/p]
• [p]Diplomatic Proposal Timeouts: Data type changed to allow for larger thresholds. (Community-requested!)[/p]
• [p]Discord Integration has been updated to use the latest Discord API.[/p]
• [p]Company Paths: You’ll now only see the last x (moddable setting) ticks of movement paths for Companies you don’t have favorable diplomatic status with.[/p]
• [p]Garrisons: no longer receive their defensive bonus if they are fighting on a different tile.[/p]
• [p]After-Battle Reporting: All participants now get updated unit compositions and stats, even if they died before the end of the battle.[/p]
• [p]Charting has been optimized for smoother, faster performance (UX comes next!).[/p]
• [p]Animation System Overhaul: Major backend improvements — better caching, smarter selection, and more automation. This makes it much easier to add new animations going forward.[/p]

[h3]Bugfixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed missing or outdated text in the military tile claim dialog. (Community reported – thanks!)[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where Garrisons didn’t receive terrain + improvement defense bonuses when attacking. (Community reported – thanks!)[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the Battle Card displayed the defender's terrain bonus for the attacker if they were a Garrison. (Community reported - thanks!)[/p]
• [p]Fixed Garrison Defense bonus incorrectly showing on the Battle Card when the Garrison was not actually defending. (Community reported - thanks!)[/p]
• [p]Fixed a visibility issue where a Company could be seen through. (Community reported - thanks!)[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where Company animations could get stuck and also show incorrect combat strength. (Community reported - thanks!)[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where transfer unit command highlights didn’t show targets on mouse hover.[/p]
• [p]Removed the misleading “Feudum created” world rumour when a new player joins.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a division by zero error in the battle display under rare conditions.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where generic labourers were shown in animations even if the terrain had no labourers.[/p]
• [p]Fixed and optimized animation lookups, and added robust error handling to prevent animation failures.[/p]
• [p]Fixed misleading warnings during Lay Claim when the tile was unclaimable or the player was over the claim limit.[/p]
• [p]Fixed various typos in labourer-related localizations.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a missing localization string for the highest Morale level, and updated fallback logic for better matching when localization entries and system levels don’t align.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Battlefield Width tooltips ignoring the Minimum Width setting.[/p]
• [p]Fixed misaligned Ecclesiastical Fiefs when placed on hill tiles.[/p]
• [p]Clarified some localization strings related to the Feudums list.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the highlights for transfer unit commands did not show the target on mouse hover.[/p]
• [p](Additional fixes on backend)[/p]

[h3]Previous Releases[/h3][h3][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink] [/h3][p]Until the next update... Enjoy Feudums![/p][h3][/h3]

[p]Join the Noble Houses! ➻ ✉️ Newsletter | 💬 Community Discord | 💗Patreon[/p]

[p]If you'd like more consistent, bite-size updates, or don't want to miss the updates on the single-player version, consider joining our Discord, where I’m more active. Alternatively, we have a newsletter for milestone community polls and major game updates.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Ladies and Lords of the Realm,[/h3][p]Once the current game wraps up (expected Friday around 15:00 CET), we'll take a short technical break to update both the server and game client.[/p][p][/p][p]No new games will launch during this downtime — but we’ll be back within a few hours, and new sessions will follow right after![/p][p][/p][p]This update will include important bug fixes (thanks to community reports!), a couple features, and some gameplay tweaks. I’ll post the changelog once we’re live.[/p][p][/p][p]Thanks for shaping this world with us — your feedback drives everything.[/p][p][/p][h3]Previous Updates:[/h3][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p]

[p]Join the Noble Houses! ➻ ✉️ Newsletter | 💬 Community Discord | 💗Patreon[/p]

[p][/p][p]As the TurnBasedThursdayFestival soon wraps up, we're going out in style — with blood, steel, and high-stakes warfare. The next Pretender Wars round kicks off in the next couple hours, based on the latest demo update![/p][p][/p]

[p]New to the game? This event is recommended for players already familiar with the basics — but there’s always at least another, more relaxed game running for newcomers. Whether you want to explore the systems, meet other Houses, or prepare for future battles, it’s a great place to start.[/p][p]Feeling bold? You’re absolutely welcome to join the Pretender Wars too — if you’re up for the high stakes![/p]

[p][/p][h3]How to join?[/h3][p]Just look for the game called Pretender Wars to join the fray (remember, you can set an alert for upcoming games on our 💬 discord!).[/p][p][/p][h3]Know Thy Enemy![/h3][p]House Elliott still holds the throne after last round’s contenders let victory slip through their fingers.[/p][p]Remember the Coat of Arms of the current Pretender. Burn it into memory — so you’ll recognize it the moment it appears on the battlefield. No excuses. No surprises.[/p][p][/p][p]Remember, going solo in the Middle Ages was... unwise. Players can form alliances of two or three and win together. Competing parties may cooperate to take down the Pretender or other competing parties — but only one of those alliances can claim victory in the end. Use diplomacy, trade, and military might to rise above the rest![/p][p]Don't forget, you can now create outposts using the Pacify Company Stance:[/p][p][/p][p]Will this round see new champions rise, or will House Elliott hold on to its claim?[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Rewards[/h3][p]A heraldry package 🛡️ and the "Pretender House" achievement, that will appear on your player profile. The active pretender(s) also receive a special, highlighted 🜲 Pretender role on our discord server. [/p][p][/p][h3]Guides & Community[/h3][p]You can still find a few starting tips for the ranked games in a bite-size guide here on Steam: [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]We also have a dedicated chat for Pretender Games on our 💬 discord! [/p][p][/p][p]To arms, and enjoy Feudums![/p][p]
[/p][p][/p]

[p]Join the Noble Houses! ➻ ✉️ Newsletter | 💬 Community Discord | 💗Patreon[/p]

If you'd like more consistent, bite-size updates, or don't want to miss the updates on the single-player version, consider joining our Discord, where I’m more active. Alternatively, we have a newsletter for milestone community polls and major game updates.

[h3]Ladies and Lords of the Realm,[/h3]

We've updated both our servers and the game client today — everything should be back online and running smoothly! The updated client will roll out on Steam shortly.

This patch brings a mix of community-requested features — including a few real game-changers — plus quality-of-life and UX improvements, and a healthy batch of bug fixes to help streamline the multiplayer experience. Some of these changes continue to lay the groundwork for the long-awaited siege mechanics, so we’re steadily inching toward that major milestone. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy exploring what’s new!

[h3]A Glimpse into the Future[/h3]
While we keep rolling out regular updates, sieges and vassalage basics are both getting closer, and development on the long-awaited single-player mode is progressing well — things are looking promising!

That said, the project is still entirely self-funded, which continues to be a challenge and may affect our timeline as the year unfolds. So far, 2025 doesn’t look any less unpredictable or complicated than the past few — but I'll keep marching on.

[h3]Pretender Wars Returns![/h3]
A new, ranked multiplayer clash begins next week — let’s see if someone can finally dethrone the pretender! If you’re around, sharpen your lance and join the fray — glory awaits.



You'll find a summary of the key changes below. As always, thank you for being part of this journey, and remember: your feedback drives everything!

If you are able, you can also support me and Feudums (while unlocking awesome perks and exclusive heraldry) on Patreon!

[h2]Changelog[/h2]
[h3]Gameplay & Vibe[/h3]

• Alliance Victory Conditions: Victory conditions for alliances now scale based on the number of members. A full alliance must meet the original victory thresholds, while smaller alliances need to reach proportionally lower goals — with a slight penalty to keep things competitive.
  
• Military Can Claim Territory Now!
  A new tactic modifier has been introduced. Units using a stance that allows claiming can attempt to establish control over unclaimed tiles, even far from their main territory. However, they cannot initiate combat and are more vulnerable to surprise attacks. If disrupted and unable to resume their activity within a timely manner, their claim progress will be lost — so bringing escort troops is highly recommended.
  
• Gossip & World Rumours: Various in-game events can now spark rumors that spread across all courts, based on game session settings. These whispers aren’t always accurate or complete, but attentive lords and ladies may still find them useful.
  
• View Past Reports: you can now review past reports — and rumors — depending on your game’s settings. This applies to all report types, making it much easier to trace events that unfolded while you were away, or to finally shed light on incidents that had remained without a known culprit.
  
• Feudum Statistics: You can now view historical data for key indicators of a given feudum on a chart, covering a timeframe based on your game’s settings. This feature is still a work-in-progress and not yet optimized — but I wanted to give you a glimpse of what’s coming, and not only to feudums, but also for other entities. Feedback is most welcome!
  
• Company Animations & Banners: Company animations have been improved and now loop smoothly. Units also proudly display properly drawn banners, which respond to wind direction. Their banners and some uniforms now reflect the owning player’s Coat of Arms base color (while enemies and allies remain colored according to the Friend-or-Foe scheme).
  
• Default Ruleset Tweaks: Numerous balance changes and rule adjustments have been made to economic, military, and diplomatic settings based on extensive, community-driven testing & feedback — affecting the default ruleset going forward!
  

[h3]Further Quality of Life Changes[/h3]

• Farmland UI: Improved layout and tooltips for farmland-related UI elements.
  
• Tile Info Cards: Tile cards now conveniently show the battlefield modifiers of constructed improvements for both attackers and defenders.
  
• Claiming-related hints and error messages have been revised for clarity and consistency. Minor flow tweaks included.
  
• Commands now show (next to costs) if Administrative Reserves can be used on them.
  
• Several company tooltips have been clarified or updated — including clearer display of Line of Sight (LoS) and Area of Control (AoC) mechanics.
  
• Chat: You can now copy messages from the in-game chat. (Note: scrolling is disabled over copy-paste areas.)
  
• Badge Lists: More usable space for the company, feudum and diplomacy lists.
  

[h3]Bugfixes[/h3]

• Fixed: Company animations now loop properly.
  
• Fixed: Garrisoned companies were shown as Companies in specific case.
  
• Fixed: Companies’ armor tints now age correctly over time.
  
• Fixed: command dialogs no longer blocks interaction with the top-left side of the command queue.
  
• Fixed: Advisory comments can no longer be clicked through (e.g. during claiming).
  
• Fixed: Reports were not showing correctly (were cut too soon) due to an incorrect setting (regression).
  
• Fixed an issue with Economy Report's sprite lookup
  
• Fixed: The Farmland Settings's top (land distribution) handle was not interactive.
  
• Fixed: Command costs over 99,999 are now displayed properly without breaking text layout.
  
• Fixed: In a specific case, a design-time placeholder text was shown in the Diplomacy dialog.
  
• Fixed: Some tile tweening issues.
  
• Fixed: Tweening error when the Welcome Message was closed abruptly.
  
• Fixed: Various server-side issues.
  

Until the next update... Enjoy Feudums!

Join the Noble Houses! ➻ ✉️ Newsletter | 💬 Community Discord | 💗Patreon

If you'd like more consistent, bite-size updates, or don't want to miss the updates on the single-player version, consider joining our Discord, where I’m more active. Alternatively, we have a newsletter for milestone community polls and major game updates.

[h3]Ladies and Lords of the Realm,[/h3]

Once the current game wraps up (expected on Wednesday), we'll hit pause for a technical break to update both the server and game client. We expect to be back later the same day.

No new games will launch during this downtime — but trust me, it's worth the wait.

This patch packs dozens of bug fixes and rolls out a bunch of community-requested features and some key gameplay tweaks, all pushing us closer to that major milestone - with sieges and all - you voted for.

I'll share the details and the changelog right after the update goes live. Until then — thanks for helping shape this world with us. Your feedback drives everything.

Join the Noble Houses! ➻ ✉️ Newsletter | 💬 Community Discord | 💗Patreon