Greetings! It has been a while since my last official announcement. After an inspiring (more on why at some point) break over the Holidays, I have been back at work plugging away at the next major update, Logistics and Outposts. This update is a bit more technically complex than previous releases, and as such is taking longer than expected.
I was invited to attend the Grand Strategy Seminar at Maxwell Air Force Base’s Air War College in Montgomery, Alabama, at the end of this month. I expect to come back from that event, especially the wargame, having gained some useful insights. That will take almost an entire work-week, so with that in mind, I have scheduled this next update to release on March 16th!
I know many of you have been chomping at the bit for this next addition… I thank you all for your patience. Keep an eye out come the 16th!
Update 4.02
Legates,
More bug fixes and improvements to the latest update! The first few bugs were introduced in 4.01.
Update Log:
Fixed projectiles not hitting heads and legs
Fixed roman massacre message when defending camp
Fixed pilums not breaking shields
Fixed archers at camp not seeing enemies until very close
Fixed artillery drifting when navigating to artillery points or formation positions
Update 4.01
Legates,
Just some bug fixes and improvements to the latest update!
Update Log:
Fixed roman archers not counting ranged kills
Fixed romans not counting pilum kills
Fixed projectiles not hitting destroyable camp structures like walls and tents
Fixed engineer units switching to guard duty during a transfer
Fixed soldier menu to not allow background units to be selected
Fixed engineers and archers not transferring backwards
Fixed archer and engineer tents reverting to other tent types when relocating camp
Fixed artillery not following the formation when their crew is killed/not present
Fixed formation unit count not keeping track of officer deaths correctly
Added new unit special override unlock. Acts as a failsafe in case quests are not loading right and preventing new unit unlocks
Artillery now warp to their guard points when within a range, like other units. Acts a failsafe incase the machine gets trapped under the platform
After nearly two months of coding, modeling, and perfecting the new ballistics calculator on the starting farm, I am proud to present the much anticipated Archers and Artillery major update! Archers and Artillery hopes to expand the ranged combat ecosystem in Warlord: Britannia.
The Testudo formation will now be put to its ultimate test, defending Roman lives against a hail of incoming arrows. Keep an eye on the sky, position your formation well, and keep your troops upgraded to minimize casualties from this new threat.
To get back on the offensive, a Thracian Cohort has been called up to bolster your Legion’s ranged capabilities with their professional archers. In addition, a number of Scorpion and Ballista launchers are now at your disposal. In dire circumstances, or when wanting to instill a sense of shock and awe into the barbarian forces, use the Incendiary ammunition option.
For players new to Warlord, or those finding themselves struggling initially to gain the upper hand in Britannia, a new difficulty setting was added to the Options menu. Legate is the default, with no modifier. Centurion decreases damage dealt to Romans by 50%. Warlord increases damage dealt to Romans by 50%.
This update introduces a number of interwoven elements that are difficult to balance against one another. Please reach out on Steam and Discord with balance suggestions! And as always, do not hesitate to notify me of bugs. I rely on all of your help in this regard!
Update Log:
Added Archer unit type with 2 new ranks
Added 2 extra-strength Auxiliary Archer centuries
Added Archer tent
Added Archer guard point
Added 2 Archer Quests and 2 Steam Achievements
Added Scorpion launcher and ammo types
Added Ballista launcher and ammo types
Added Engineering unit type with 4 new ranks
Added 6 Scorpion teams
Added 2 Ballista teams
Added Engineering tent
Added Artillery guard point
Added 5 Artillery Quests and 3 Steam Achievements
Added Platform structure
Added News section with links in the Main menu
Added Ranged Combat section to the Help menu
Added new music track
Added Archer and Artillery exhibits to the Museum
Added difficulty setting in Options menu
Added Indirect Fire toggle to Legion menu
Added Incendiaries toggle to Legion menu
Added new projectile behaviors when hitting armor
Added barbarian archers mixed into all groups
Added new Hold/Open Fire (N) keybind for ranged units
Improved AI ragdoll forces when dying
Adjusted Testudo spacing
Adjusted shield height when blocking
Adjusted weather cycle to reduce rain and storms slightly
Fixed Primus Pilus behavior in formation
Fixed missing Quest errors
Optimized audio code
Optimized AI targeting
Development News
Legates,
It has been a while since the last official announcement so I wanted to send out some news regarding the next update...
The much anticipated Archers and Artillery roadmap update is well underway and planned to release on December 14th! I typically avoid sharing a hard date, but in this case I think generating some hype ahead of time is in order. Assuming I don't fall ill or otherwise become unable to work, you can mark your calendars and keep a look out come the 14th!
Update 3.03
Legates,
Just a couple small fixes as well as the invert Y-axis option I promised, but failed to deliver in the last patch!
Work on the Archers and Artillery update already well on the way. This is going to be a very exciting one…
Update Log:
Added invert Y-axis option
Fixed backwards compatibility check not unlocking auxiliaries
Fixed gate rotations when relocating camp
Update 3.02
Legates,
More fixes for the Auxiliaries update! I am sorry to those experiencing bugs with the Legion menu, I know that can be supremely frustrating. These IU issues tend to crop up as symptoms of an underlying problem, which is harder to track down. This patch fixes the legionary over-death glitch, which I think may be the greatest underlying issue causing the higher level UI malfunctions.
Please continue to submit reports as you encounter unexpected behavior. As a solo developer, your reports are the most useful tools I have in combating bugs and improving the user experience. Thank you!
Update Log:
Fixed auxiliary gold requirement
Fixed odd rotation of units loitering around camp
Fixed error with legionaries dropping shields
Fixed error with doors when removing and trying to open at the same time
Fixed error caused by legionaries being decapitated
Fixed error where legionaries could be damaged after death, resulting in multiple notifications and log entries, may have been the source of other bugs
Update 3.01
Legates,
Just a few quick fixes for the new Auxiliaries update! Thank you all for reporting on Discord and Steam, I was able to track these down pretty quickly.
Update Log:
Added new celtic-themed track to camp life (forgot to mention in previous log)
Fixed broken legion menu and sliders error
Fixed equipment manager error, may have also manifested as the broken legion menu
Fixed demotion not working on tesserarius rank
Auxiliaries 3.0
Legates,
I am happy to announce the release of the second major roadmap update, Auxiliaries! As the roadmap suggests, this update adds a new infantry unit, replete with its own centuries and some unique ranks. These auxiliaries behave in much the same way as their Roman-citizen counterparts but with a few stat differences. They are more expensive initially, have more health, and deal slightly more damage. In addition, hailing from the recently conquered province of Transalpine Gaul, they are visually taller than the Romans, more akin to your Briton enemies.
Speaking of the Britons, they have also received reinforcements in this update in the form of roaming Warbands. Unlike convoys and noble gatherings, these groups are a permanent menace in the world. Warbands have their own uniquely named leader, who is present on the battlefield, accompanied by a bugler carrying the fearsome carnyx.
Aside from the two big features, auxiliaries and warbands, a number of other additions, improvements, and optimizations have been made as well. Please enjoy the new content, and as usual, utilize the Discord server for reporting bugs and making suggestions!
Also, see below for an updated roadmap (this is version 2). I have decided to expedite the delivery of the Archers and Artillery update. This of course pushes out the Logistics and Outposts update, but I think having all recruitable units (with the exception of cavalry) ready first will work out smoother.
Thank you for your support!
Update Log:
Added 4 Auxiliary infantry centuries
Added new Auxiliary object variations and assets
Added 2 Auxiliary high-command ranks
Added Gaulish personal names for Auxiliaries
Added 4 Auxiliary-related quests and 2 Steam achievements
Added Auxiliary contubernium tent structure
Added Warbands of varying size and difficulty
Added new barbarian leader and carnyx bearer assets
Added upgrade-armor button for each century
Added random chance for Pila to drop an enemy shield instead of dealing damage
Added positional damage to barbarians, applies when the player is attacking them
Added legs dismemberment
Added mortal wound
Added new track when encountering warbands
Added new warbands defeated statistic
Added 3 warband-related quests and 2 Steam achievements
Added spacing guideline to tents when building
Updated help menu with info on warbands
Updated Museum with auxiliaries
Updated Museum with carynx and waterloo helmet
Updated Museum with legion vexillum
Improved at-camp pathfinding in front of tents
Improved testudo behavior so units always have their shields up
Improved camp life with tent distinction (officer/enlisted) and pausing in front of tents
Improved AI targeting when in large groups
Improved barbarian shield usage
Improved player ability to push aside AI
Changed Legion menu organization to display groups as they would be arrayed in-game when in Battle 3-rows formation
Changed AI pilum accuracy with added randomness
Changed charge behavior so Centurions participate
Changed main menu theme
Optimized AI targeting by reducing memory usage
Optimized player controller
Optimized environment reflection probe
Optimized AI audio controller
Optimized convoy/raid/gathering controller
Optimized AI projectile controller
Optimized character models with GPU instancing
Increased legionary speed when in marching mode
Increased base health of all AI to make fight last longer
Increased base health of barbarians slightly
Increased barbarian damage slightly
Deceased roman armor effectiveness slightly
Fixed workers not completing structures
Fixed pilum pool running out when in large battles
Fixed furca not dropping to the ground if legionary is killed
Fixed UI issue when selecting units in the Legion tab
Update 2.11
Legates,
This is a small patch which fixes a couple bugs introduced in the 2.1 update.
Update Log:
Added warning about quest and achievement locking in the cheats menu
Fixed workers getting frozen when no storage space is available
Fixed clear cut option resetting timber to max storage value
Fixed workers not prioritizing construction over harvest jobs
Changed help menu buttons as not to compete with the cheats menu default keybind, it is now [ and ] to change pages
Changed “no unit reqs.” cheat to also bypass accommodation requirement
Moved the version name/number to the lower-left corner of the main menu
