It’s been almost a year since we released TFC: The Fertile Crescent into version 1.0. Things have been a bit quieter since then as we’ve been focusing on new projects and other work.
That said, our love for TFC remains as strong as ever, and we’re still tinkering with it. We’re excited to finally share a new round of improvements with you. Check out the full changelog further below!
Sandbox Mode
This has been a much-requested feature by the community. In this mode, there are no mission objectives or enemies. It's just you, the land, and endless possibilities. Take your time to explore the game mechanics and build a city worthy of admiration!
Map Type Visual Differences
Until now, all map types in the game have shared the same visual style. The only real difference lay in how the maps were generated. With this update, each map type finally gets its own distinct visual identity, giving every region a unique vibe and atmosphere.
The new lusher environment of Tigris Delta.
The new sun-baked environment of Timrud Dessert.
The new colder environment of Zagros Mountain.
The unchanged environment of Eridu Plains.
Change log 1.2001
General
Added a new single-player game mode Sandbox.
Map types now have subtle visual differences.
It is now possible to double-click a unit to select all surrounding units of the same type when unit is behind a tree or other object.
When a villager completes the construction of a resource camp or Palace the villager will immediately drop off any resources it carries to it.
AI on higher difficulty levels will now construct a Marketplace and trade food for wood.
Performance improvements during battles with Skirmish and Hordes AI.
Added additional dialogue to mission 2 to emphasize more clearly the importance of striving to keep a food surplus.
Bugs
Fixed problems with AI's warriors during battle. (would in some cases just stand there seemingly doing nothing)
Fixed several rare cases that could cause desyncs in multiplayer.
TFC Tournament: TG2025 (1vs1, 16-17th of April, UTC+2)
We haven't updated the game in a while now, but we are still slowly working on some improvements.
Later this month, we'll be adding the much-requested Sandbox Mode, for those of you who want to play leisurely without the pressure of mission objectives or wanting to deal with enemies.
We're also adding visual differences to the map types.
The sun-baked landscape of Timrud Dessert.
Lastly, we'll be adding a Demo version of the game soon.
Until then, good luck!
UPDATE 1.1002
Balance - Sapper has 1 base ranged armor (from 3)
Other - Fixed that saving a game with a Level IV Wonder (that didn't win the game) would crash the game on loading this save - Minor performance improvements to pathfinding - Fixed a rare potential case for desyncs in multiplayer - Removed 1.0 released panel from main menu
UPDATE 1.1001
- Fixed error that could happen when trying to place Gate on Wall in fog of war - Fixed that the building placement tool showed that Gate could mistakenly be constructed on top of trees and other objects when attempting to place part of Gate on a wall segment - Fixed two rare causes that could cause desyncs in multiplayer - Minor performance improvement
UPDATE 1.1000: General Improvements
This update attempts to fix the most common feedback from the 1.0 release, by implementing some general improvements, balance changes and bug fixes.
Hope you enjoy it!
- Team Wield Interactive
Important regarding save games!
We were forced to rewrite parts of the saving and loading system to fix bugs related to it and add new features; thus, old saves are not compatible with this version. You will not see unsupported save files in your list of games to load. We apologise for the inconvenience!
In the future, if you want to avoid this problem, you can always turn off automatic updates of the game through Steam and wait to update until you are confident that you won't need to load any save files anymore.
We will do our best to inform you when new updates break old save files.
Change log 1.1000
General
AIs are much better at bouncing back from starvation
Added the option to enable or disable Wonder Victory for offline Skirmish games
Improved the tutorial milestone that requires you to complete construction of Village Center so that it's less confusing
General balance
When in starvation mode all units consume 50% less food
Swordsman has 0 base ranged armor (from 2)
All civilizations' War Chariots have 25 more base hitpoints
All wonder stages require 25% more man power to construct
Assyrians
Organised Warfare now also grants +1 ranged damage to military units
Babylonians
Babylonian Defensive Tactics provides Spearman with an additional +1 ranged armor
Babylonian Garden reduces food consumption by 4 (from 3)
Babylonian Fortifications reduces siege damage taken by 50% (from 40%)
Fixed that Babylonian Defensive Tactics didn't provide units with +1 ranged armor like description said
Egyptians
Temple costs 75 clay and 75 wood (from 125 clay and 75 wood)
Temple requires 60 man power to construct (from 100)
Bug fixes
Fixed crash that could happen in Hordes and Campaign mission 2 and 8 when a nomad wave spawned
Fixed a case where nomad wave never spawn in Hordes and Campaign mission 2 and 8
Fixed causes for multiplayer desyncs
Mini map works on ultra wide screens
Fixed replays not always loading correct map type
Fixed cases where you couldn't scroll to the end of the map horizontally on certain zoom levels and resolutions
Showing correctly in tooltips that the amount of food consumed happens in 15 second intervals and not 10
Fixed macOS player freezing when re-focusing or changing resolution
Fixed health bar positions for battering ram and war chariots
Fixed typo in Hordes description tooltip
Replay files folder path corrected
UPDATE 1.0014
Today, we are just reverting one of the changes we patched yesterday.
General - Our best players want a real challenge and so in Campaign on Master difficulty level the NPCs will primarily target you again
UPDATE 1.0013
Hello! Today we are addressing some difficulty level feedback.
General - In mission 3 the two enemy tribes are no longer allies and will attack each other as well (this applies to all difficulty levels) - Skilled AIs will no longer only attack you if you do well later in the game in both Campaign and Skirmish - Master AIs will no longer always attack you in both Campaign and Skirmish until later in the game and only if you are doing well
UPDATE 1.0012
General - Technology Tree pauses game in Campaign missions and single player Hordes - AIs are less likely to starve when transitioning from foraging to farming as they prioritise making farms around Village Center more than other granaries to begin with - Big groups of ranged units are less likely to get stuck behind each other when trying to reach the same target to attack - You can assign hotkey for buildings to the same as for placing a Village Center in customisable hotkeys settings - Changed full screen mode for macOS
Bug fixes - Can no longer put Battering Ram and War Chariot in Watchtower - Hotkeys don't trigger while game over panel is open - Hotkeys don't trigger while saving replay panel is open - Open Replays folder is hidden like intended on macOS and Linux versions - Fixed some typos in Campaign dialogues - Reloaded Campaign missions play music - Reloaded Campaign missions don't cause error upon opening menu - Can no longer keep researching after game has ended
TFC: The Fertile Crescent 1.0 is OUT NOW!
Greetings, Great Kings and Queens of the Bronze Age!
We are thrilled to announce that TFC: The Fertile Crescent has officially reached its 1.0 release! After months of dedicated development, rigorous testing and invaluable feedback from our amazing community, we are excited to present the most polished and feature-rich version of our real-time strategy game yet.
Watch the Release Trailer:
What’s New in 1.0?
Campaign Mode: Dive into 10 missions that will test your strategic skills across diverse challenges.
Overhauled Artwork: Experience revamped pixel art graphics, showcasing a fresh new look for environments, as well as an enhanced user interface.
New Map Types: Explore new terrains with our newly added map types, each offering unique strategic challenges. Expect map obstacles, rivers, and fish to add depth and variety to your gameplay.
War Chariot Units: Unleash the power of the war chariot, a formidable new unit that can turn the tide of battle with its speed and strength. The war chariot has different stats for each Bronze Age civilization.
New Technologies: Enhance your civilization with cutting-edge Bronze Age technologies: Master of Siege Warfare for the Assyrians, Improved Watchtower for the Babylonians and Hieroglyphic Networks for the Egyptians.
Enhanced Game Mechanics: Prepare for deeper strategic gameplay with improved starvation mechanics. Keep an eye on the food trend indicator to anticipate shortages and plan your resources accordingly. Plus, enjoy a more visible counter system. These improvements and others offer a more immersive and rewarding gaming experience for seasoned tacticians and newcomers alike.
Improved AI: Battle it out against a smarter opponent with our improved skirmish AI in Skirmish and Hordes modes.
Quality of Life Improvements: Enjoy a smoother and more intuitive gameplay experience with a host of new quality of life (QoL) enhancements.
Replays: Analyze your strategies and improve your skills with the new replay feature, allowing you to review past battles in detail.
Balance Changes: Experience improved gameplay dynamics with carefully implemented balance changes, ensuring fair and engaging battles.
Bug Fixes: We’ve fixed all known bugs to ensure a more stable and enjoyable gaming experience.
Your feedback has been instrumental in shaping TFC: The Fertile Crescent into what it is today. We’ve integrated numerous community suggestions and bug reports into this release. Thank you for your unwavering support and contributions!
See you on the battlefields of The Fertile Crescent!
- The Wield Interactive Team
1.0 Release Developer Stream
It's been over 7 years since we started development on TFC: The Fertile Crescent! However, in actuality, this is a game that has been 20 years in the making.
André has been dreaming of making an RTS for the majority of his life, and it has all resulted in this moment, which we are excited to share with you all!
After many false starts and attempts at making an RTS that brings new ideas to the RTS space, 7 years ago a set of different mechanics and systems finally presented themselves to André. Soon after, I met André and was super excited to jump on to help out in any way I could. As a big, but very different type of RTS fan, it was a dream to contribute to TFC.
With André's sense of numbers, balancing and symbiotic game mechanics, and my more casual approach to RTS games, we truly believe that we have made something special.
TFC brings new ideas to a genre that in recent years has seen a bit of a revival, and we are exalted to be part of what is hopefully a long and healthy wave of quality RTS games for anyone who wants to check them out!
Come join us on the stream, where we'll talk more in-depth about the trials and tribulations of the development of TFC, what we have learned, what we wish we had learned sooner and anything else you might think to ask us!
