Update #9 - Last Crashes Fixed

First, thank you once again for all your feedback, bug reports, and continued patience.

Today’s update fixes the last remaining major crash issue - specifically, the infamous loading-screen crash, which has finally been resolved.

This crash usually affected players during longer sessions, particularly when repeatedly switching between the world map and RTS mode.

This issue took months to resolve. We tried one possible solution after another before finally identifying the real cause: the game was gradually running out of video memory. While the cause may sound simple, the solution was anything but.

Previously, the crash could occur after only two or three transitions between the world map and RTS mode, making longer sessions extremely frustrating. After the latest fixes, the game can now handle these transitions reliably during normal gameplay.

I do have to mention that it is still possible to encounter a crash after playing nine or ten large city battles within the same session. However, this requires so many hours of continuous play that it should almost never occur during regular gameplay.

A special thank-you goes to everyone who submitted crash logs, save files, and detailed descriptions of this issue. That information was instrumental in finally tracking down and resolving this terrible engine bug.

Thank you for helping us make the game better.

Now, let’s take a look at the other changes and additions included in today’s update:

Stability Fixes

• Fixed the loading-screen crash.

• Fixed a rare crash during combat.

• Fixed a rare crash on startup.

• Improved overall performance.

• Fixed an issue that could cause some graphics cards to overheat.

AI Improvements

• The AI will now train more units during RTS battles.

• Defending AI armies will now build more siege weapons on city walls.

• Significantly improved how the AI handles the defense of large towns.

• Greatly improved AI unit progression during sieges.

• Ranged AI units will now advance properly during sieges.

Other Fixes and Balancing

• Improved the default RTS camera view, making units easier to see.

• Reduced and normalized the RTS camera rotation speed.

• Improved the Chinese translation.

• Fixed excessively long pauses between sentences in the Chinese voice-over.

• Reduced the damage dealt by ship-mounted catapults.

• Updated the Call to Arms flag description.

• Improved the quality of mounted-unit portraits for all cultures.

• Novgorod and Granada now display the correct hero portraits in RTS mode.

• Reduced the number of citizens in Genoa, making the city less crowded and improving performance.