Update # 2 - New Features & Crash Fixes

We`re excited to release a major update today - and it truly is a game changer.

The biggest part of this update is a complete solution for the last common crashing issue. I`m glad to say that the last major stability issue has finally been addressed.

This update also introduces two new major features. Lord`s Armies now make newly created armies feel more personal, with each new army belonging to the lord who is fielding it, complete with unique lord portraits on the world map.

We`ve also added the Global Market to the Trade Menu. This allows you to instantly buy or sell trade goods for silver, though at very unfavorable exchange rates - very useful in emergencies.

But what really makes it a game changer is the completely reworked mid to late game and combat economy, including re-balanced unit costs and siege economy.

In addition, there are dozens of other improvements, fixes and polish across the board.

And once again - thank you so much for the reports, feedback, and support during Early Access!

And now, here are the full notes for Update #2:

New Feature - Lord`s Armies

• Every new army created now belongs to the lord who is fielding that army

• New armies show that lord`s portrait and name when selected

• New armies show the lord`s portrait on the world map by the army

• If main hero is transferred into the lord`s army - his portrait is shown

• Transferring hero out of the army shows Steward`s portrait

• Note - above changes only affect newly created armies or new campaigns

• Different lord portraits are now shown in attack window when inviting armies

New Feature - Global Market

• Global Market can be accessed from the world map trade menu

• Global Market allows instant purchase and sale of trade goods, but at very bad rates

• Added tooltips with detailed explanation of trade menu and global market

Final Fix for Crashing

• Completely reworked engine`s handling of lighting to resolve rare crashes

• Fixed all possible loading screen crash cases, including extremely rare instances

• Resolved last common crash issue during world map load affecting some systems

Siege Combat Balancing

• Rebalanced food drain during combat - to be significantly higher

• During siege battle player must set up food gathering in the camp

• Combination of livestock and Hunter Lodges required to feed the army

• Hunter Lodge income increased during battles

• Sieges with two armies and higher-tier units require several livestock/hunter lodges

Mid to Late Game Balancing

• Major rebalance of mid to late game economy

• Fixed issues with player accumulating too many resources in late game

• Major rebalance of higher-tier unit costs and upkeep

• Mid-tier units like bowmen or swordsmen are now on average 1.5x more expensive and have higher upkeep

• High-tier units like longbowmen and knights are now 2x more expensive

Other Balancing Changes

• Rebalanced auto-resolve victories, on average 50% less now - was giving too many resources

• Redesigned importance of growing citizen population for tax income

• Taxes from cities increased by nearly 80%, making citizen management more important

• Genoan campaign now starts with 3 trade routes - forcing player to capture more ports

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug with some city siege army camp plots showing city plots

• Fixed visual issues with some hamlet terrain not showing grass

• Fixed wrong tooltips shown in non-English languages for some buttons

• Fixed some text in German localization showing in English

• Pisan scripted attack on Genoa now comes with a proper strong army

• Fixed peasants not spawning in naval combat - can now properly loot

Other Changes

• Updated Loot and Plunder message to clearly indicate victory

• Time to loot after battle increased from 2 to 3 minutes

• Improved the look of Research window - especially positioning

• Tutorial - Acre battle polish

• Reworked tooltips for all main world map menus

• New world map menu tooltips go over all features

• Improved icon and tooltip for Global Market

• All new text localized in the 7 supported languages