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Tomisama
06-21-2009, 13:08
Just incase you have missed the news, Monday June 22nd we will have another Update.


Update 1.3 Features List

Hi guys,

Update 1.3 will be released for Empire: Total War on 22nd June 2009. Ahead of its release, here are the major features coming to the update:


We’ve worked on implementing the multi-threading in the game for multi-core processors and made many optimisations that will also help increase performance on single core machines.

Players will see huge benefits through increased frame rates particularly in land and naval battles.

14 Free Units have been included in this patch, adding a large amount of diversity to the playable factions and the armies the player will face. These units replace ‘generic’ equivalents giving each faction a unique identity on the battlefield. Here is a description of each free unit available in the update:


Prussian Grenadiers

Wearing a distinctive brass fronted mitre cap, the Prussian Grenadiers are an explosive force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.


Spanish Guardias de infateria

These elite guard infantry are charged with protecting the monarch and are a potent force on the battlefield.


Swedish lifeguard horse

This cavalry regiment forms part of the monarchs’ household guard. Superbly drilled, they act as a shock force on the battlefield.


Holland Horse Guard

Armed with heavy cavalry sabres, these disciplined cavalrymen represent the elite of the army.


Prussian Garde Du Corp

The Prussian Garde Du Corp are a replacement for the Prussian standard Household cavalry. These heavy horse shock troops are best used to break enemy lines and overrun enemy positions. With a strong charge and fearsome attack, these riders make short work of those who would oppose a Prussian monarch.


Prussian Life guard

The Prussian life guards are equipped similarly to line infantrymen. However their uniforms are altogether more splendid, marking them out as a superior force, in arrogance if nothing else. They do a good job as garrison troops and are dedicated to the crown.

Russian Grenadiers

This new Russian unit is great for assaults and their grenades pack a mighty punch!

Spanish Guardias De Corp

The Spanish Guardias De Corp replace household cavalry for Spain. With almost unbreakable morale, on the charge they are almost unstoppable.


Spanish Grenadiers

These are a replacement for the standard Spanish Grenadiers with a distinctive bearskin hat to mark them out as exemplary on the battlefield.


Swedish ‘Lifeguards of foot’

These are a highly trained replacement for the standard Swedish guard. They are often used as a force in a system that defends a monarchy and can be relied upon for utter loyalty and deadly accuracy in the field. Their professionalism is reflected in their fearsome battle reputation.


Holland Guard

The Holland Guards from the United Provinces are superior line infantry units. Carrying smoothbore muskets, they were traditionally chosen to protect the royal family and have an incredibly high morale, often making them the last troops to break in a fight.

Scots

The Scots are a Highland ex-patriate infantry used by the United Provinces, renowned for their deadly charge.

Swiss Infantry

Very disciplined infantry of the United Provinces with quick reload and excellent marksmanship.

Mamelukes

Mamelukes are fearless light horsemen, deadly when deployed against a broken or unsupported enemy.

Additionally the Spanish nation has had a new uniform design to better reflect its historical look.

Audio:

Sound loading has been made asynchronous, so heavy disc access is reduced to a minimum. This makes loading times faster and reduces any instances of ’stuttering’. Unit group sounds have also been improved, for more realistic group movement. The primary sound library (Miles DLL) has been updated to stop occasional clicking. And we’ve added more sound variation for unit deaths and musket fire.

Campaign:

- Several crash bug fixes in saves, movement, agents and logic.

- Various optimisations have been made to AI and path systems to reduce the campaign map turn times.

- When the pirates are destroyed and re-emerge they now maintain a status of at war with all and are unable to enter into diplomatic negotiations.

- Added small ships on domestic trade routes from the trade nodes to home regions moving in the correct direction, i.e. with the flow of trade.

- The AI should now no longer repeatedly sign a diplomatic agreement and then break it the next turn. Treaties are more valuable and adhered to.

- We’ve fixed some border trade agreements allowing greater numbers of bordering factions to properly trade with one another.

- Movement arrows now reflect the range of the selected units, not the whole army/navy.

- AI will no longer counter-offer and ask for more money than the player has available.

- Fixed commerce raiding taking money from blockaded trade routes.

- Fixed navies getting stuck when forced to retreat from ports (tactial retreat).

- Fixed rare inability to attack certain ports.

- Fixed middle mouse button camera drag stopping working occasionally.

- Made emergent factions be at war with the faction they emerged against if that faction is human.

- Fixed various movement extent crashes.

- Changed background income for minor factions.

- Fixed diplomatic relations with emergent factions.

- Tactical withdrawal will now always leave armies on the landmass containing the settlement of a region.

- Changed war score system to make the AI more likely to accept peace.

- Fixed crash when embarking and disembarking armies at ports.

- Fixed trade ships not being correctly registered in trade nodes after splitting forces.

- Fixed government change diplomatic effect.

- Improved commerce raiding display on trade screen.

- Faction specific text is now used in diplomacy.

- Prevent players cancelling the movement of fleeing agents.

Balance changes


Units

- Charge bonus generally increased across the board for all units and melee defence reduced.

- Greater diversification of stats between different unit types designed to emphasise differences and improve balance.

- Redone costs for all units for multiplayer to improve game balance which better reflects the actual battlefield worth of each unit.

- Mob formation added in for Native American, irregular and some skirmisher units.

- Spot distance for light infantry, skirmishers, irregulars, light cavalry and missile cavalry increased allowing them to spot hidden units at longer distances.

- Russian line infantry stats have been boosted to allow them to compete more with other faction’s line infantry.

- Movement speed of all unit types reduced by 10%.

- Ammo for light infantry increased to 20, line to 15.

Land battle morale

- Charge morale bonus reduced from 10 to 4.

- Recent casualties, extended casualties and total casualties morale penalties increased slightly for higher percentages.

- Rear and flank exposed morale penalties increased.


Fatigue

- Fatigue penalty for melee reduced from 18 per tick to 10.

- Running fatigue penalty for heavy and light cavalry reduced from -3/-2 to -2/-1.

Artillery Changes

- Calibration area for cannons and howitzers reduced. Accuracy of non-round shot shot types reduced to compensate.

- Muzzle velocity of round shot for cannons increased to make them fire lower and bounce more, accuracy also increased.

- Lethality of shrapnel pieces reduced to match canister shot, range also reduced to 350.

- Load time for special shot types for howitzers increased slightly, and range reduced to 350.

- Calibration area for mortars increased, accuracy of round shot increased to compensate. Reload time increased slightly.

- Accuracy of 18 lbr horse guard artillery restored to 65.

Hit points of gun trains increased to 50, all guns and caissons to 25.


Thanks,

Mark O’Connell


http://blogs.sega.com/totalwar/2009/06/18/update-13-features-list/

Thank You Mark and Crew :2thumbsup:

Fisherking
06-21-2009, 16:27
And this is not a comprehensive list of the changes. There are more.

Some are listed in the daily updates.

From the sound of it, it will no doubt play like a different game.

KrooK
06-22-2009, 12:58
Nice nice
and...
1. where new maps!!!!!!! Even 10000 FPS on Finland still makes it boring
2. how about bugs with light infantry!!!!!!!

Jochi Khan
06-22-2009, 17:54
The new patch 1.3 has now auto-installed on my ETW game.

Nice one CA....the 14 new units....that are supposed to make the factions even better to play with you now have to PAY FOR. Yep £1.99. A small amount admitted but this is still a liberty. No mention of having to pay for them in all the hype that we have been given about the new patch.

Went to test that the patch had installed successfully....all the games are now not compatable with my version. So it appears no-one else has had the patch auto-installed ???????

NihilisticCow
06-22-2009, 18:45
The new patch 1.3 has now auto-installed on my ETW game.

Nice one CA....the 14 new units....that are supposed to make the factions even better to play with you now have to PAY FOR. Yep £1.99. A small amount admitted but this is still a liberty. No mention of having to pay for them in all the hype that we have been given about the new patch.

Went to test that the patch had installed successfully....all the games are now not compatable with my version. So it appears no-one else has had the patch auto-installed ???????

No, there's the new units with the patch which they announced, and 14 extra ones that you can buy if you want, and don't if you don't. Not really a liberty?

KrooK
06-23-2009, 09:13
Jochi - looks like you are one of these CHEATERS who are having community mappacks!!!
Shame on you - you did not pay CA for additional maps. Its not excursion that CA did not make them.


Simplier - uninstall all mods and mappacks. Should work ok.

Tomisama
06-23-2009, 11:49
Jochi - looks like you are one of these CHEATERS who are having community mappacks!!!
Shame on you - you did not pay CA for additional maps. Its not excursion that CA did not make them.


Simplier - uninstall all mods and mappacks. Should work ok.

A "CHEATER" for having a community map pack?

This is way over the top, and not just a bad choice of words!

Every player in the Clan Wars Competition (40 Clan Teams) has several community map packs to be able to play competitively, as the maps CA gave us are basically worthless.

Where are you coming from with this Total Baloney!

This is Outrageous!!!

NihilisticCow
06-23-2009, 12:13
mmm I think Krook was being ironic, as the patch prevented the map pack from being used (well having it installed and being able to connect to normal games with people without it), i.e. considering them as incompatibile, modded or "cheating" versions.. ;)

KrooK
06-23-2009, 16:03
OMG Tomisama
I never expected I will have to explain post above because
IT WAS IRONY - I R O N Y.
Actually I never expected you will not understand it :)

I think next patch will be with new maps - of course for cash.
Anyway community can do only 1 thing. Bring all community maps
to 1 mappack and then we can use them (you just have to add or delete
1 file so its quite fast to change).

Tomisama
06-24-2009, 00:32
Please forgive me. I am about at my wits end.

This whole thing with the foisted update system, that resets your game wiping out all of your credits, giving you “unnecessary” new factions, making you pay for more, and the ultimate insult, no new maps! Worst than that, you can’t have even one community map added on to you game with out swapping out files.

In my opinion it was worse than all for nothing, who is in charge of this nightmare anyhow? Do they ever really play the game? This whole Empire thing has been one big sad joke, and I am one of their biggest supporters, so I can only imagine how all of the folks I have been encouraging along the way feel. I am totally beside myself with disappointment, and flat out anger!

There, I’m better now…

Sorry I read you wrong Krook :bow:

Jochi Khan
06-24-2009, 01:40
Please forgive me. I am about at my wits end.

This whole thing with the foisted update system, that resets your game wiping out all of your credits, giving you “unnecessary” new factions, making you pay for more, and the ultimate insult, no new maps! Worst than that, you can’t have even one community map added on to you game with out swapping out files.

In my opinion it was worse than all for nothing, who is in charge of this nightmare anyhow? Do they ever really play the game? This whole Empire thing has been one big sad joke, and I am one of their biggest supporters, so I can only imagine how all of the folks I have been encouraging along the way feel. I am totally beside myself with disappointment, and flat out anger!

There, I’m better now…

Sorry I read you wrong Krook :bow:

I did not take offence because I 'read' Krook's post as a light hearted dig at me for complaining about having to pay for more units. :yes:

As for the rest of your post that I have quoted Tomi, I have been saying similar things about ETW and the Steam Server for a long time now as you are aware.

I am at the point of wondering if there is any reason to carry on playing.

The game itself is fun but the setup to enable you to play MP is, to say the least, dismal.

NihilisticCow
06-24-2009, 12:03
Maps are an annoyance to say the least, which is a pain as I do like the game itself, and the balance seems to be an improvement with this patch. That you pretty much cannot play on anything other than Finland for larger team games unless you have a full set of people with the map pack online is pretty crap and I do so hate that map.. Is even more annoying that you can't lock games if you want to do a 3v3 on it.

The thing is I'd be not even remotely bothered about paying for DLC for new maps as long as I'd be able to actually get games on them (this is ofc a big if, as other people might just not be willing to pay for the maps, so hence it being another unplayable option), it just is frustrating that they're just not there and all there is, is Finland.

Maybe easiest scenario for CA would be to flatten out some of the more obtuse hills in the 1v1 maps and make them playable for team games? As long as we get something (and soon) I don't mind. Part of me doesn't want a grassy flatland though, got so sick of practically every single game in RTW/BI being on that barren featureless wasteland due to it being the only really fair map (though it probably is needed for tourney decider games, probably best left in a pack). Though it'd be an awful lot better than Finland.

KrooK
06-24-2009, 15:57
I will put it clear guys
If CA want us play on community maps, they would put it on steam as update. Everyone would get it and game would better. But CA definitely doesn't want multiplayer good. They prefer single player - 98% of gamers plays single. CA IMO decided that they are not able to made good multiplayer game, so they should improve single as much as they can.

Jochi Khan
06-24-2009, 17:17
Why did they 'break' the option that we had in previous TW game?

The option that allowed...as long as the Host had the map installed others could join the game even if they didn't have the map. It saved a lot of downloading and installing for those who found it a hassle. Also, some would not be prepared to pay for 'extras' like new maps.

As I posted above, I do not agree with additional units at a 'price'. They should be included with the game/patches.


Edit: Uninstalling the Community Mappack enabled me to see all MP games as...compatable. Thanks Krook. :2thumbsup:

KrooK
06-24-2009, 19:36
This option is bad too. Then hosts maps were maps from single - there were only few maps designed for multi.
Anyway I cant join steam atm. Looks like CA reads us :)

KrooK
06-24-2009, 20:32
Anyway
after new patch i can't log on on my steam account. Before patch everything were ok so i assume its patch fault. If any of you got contact to jack lusted - please tell me.
I think someone has to finally break this matrix he lives in and show him truth.

KrooK
06-26-2009, 22:56
i finally managed to log on but game keeps crashing
ca simply are very bad developer
they simply cant make games
they should start selling fish

Megas Methuselah
06-29-2009, 03:40
On another note, we can't edit the patch.pack for multiplayer use anymore. Doing so makes the regular games incompatible.

Immediate results:

-nobody can use the unplayable factions, meaning we are now stuck with the default 12 factions for multiplayer
-nobody can make unique units playable for different factions, preventing super-armies (Winged Hussars, Grenzers, and Ferguson Riflemen in one army, for example)

Mixed results. CA should just go ahead and make most of the "unplayable" factions playable. There's nothing wrong with most of them...

Tomisama
06-29-2009, 12:25
As disappointed and helpless as I feel at the moment, there is another side to all this. It wasn’t too long ago that there was a wave of fear that passed through the community concerning modifications of cost, and tweaking of other unit specs. There seemed to be some evidence to support this, and some actual instructions on how to do it somewhere (never looked). Whether it ever actually happened or not, is still in question, as the game was very new and had some quirks of its own yet to be solved.

Well, we are now protected against the above, with the unanticipated result of no further modification (we should have known). I can only imagine the folks working on this, shaking their heads and saying something like “Well isn’t that what you wanted?” only maybe not so nicely stated :no:

Megas Methuselah
07-02-2009, 22:10
As disappointed and helpless as I feel at the moment, there is another side to all this. It wasn’t too long ago that there was a wave of fear that passed through the community concerning modifications of cost, and tweaking of other unit specs. There seemed to be some evidence to support this, and some actual instructions on how to do it somewhere (never looked). Whether it ever actually happened or not, is still in question, as the game was very new and had some quirks of its own yet to be solved.

Well, we are now protected against the above, with the unanticipated result of no further modification (we should have known). I can only imagine the folks working on this, shaking their heads and saying something like “Well isn’t that what you wanted?” only maybe not so nicely stated :no:

Unit costs were moddable for mp use. But not unit specs, that would have crashed the game. Anyways, I think people got it confused because a lower unit cost would mean the cheater would be able to give extra experience to his units, making them better. Bad times...

I do, however, regret not being able to play as Westphalia and the Knights of St John anymore. They were my favourite factions to play online.