Creative Assembly Kingdoms Update [Archive]

SenseiTW

11-23-2007, 10:42

Hi guys,

I am pleased to finally bring you the following update regarding the reported Kingdoms issues. As previously mentioned, CA Oz moved on to a new project soon after Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms release. Because of which, resources had been reassigned with new milestones to meet. We have some good news though…

Today I am delighted to report that CA Oz has started producing an official Kingdoms update. We are really pumped about this as the core Kingdoms issues that have been found will get resolved. This should be the definitive update for Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms. We have been collecting bugs for several months now and the number to resolve is looking quite manageable.

Some of you questioned why we couldn't simply release a quick fix for these issues. In actual fact it isn't the fixes themselves that take the time to produce. Most of the time goes into checking that the changes don't have knock-on effects and that the balance of the game both on the campaign map and with individual units remains as it should.

It's a bit early to talk about release dates and actual fixes, though we will get some information for you as soon as we can. CA Oz has opened up a good sized window running into early next year to produce this update for you, after that they will resume their commitment to their next project until its completion. We will of course keep you informed on progress of the update as we near release.

I would like to personally thank everyone who has posted on our forums, sent me PMs and instant messaged me over the weekends throughout this process. Your feedback is invaluable and always most welcome.

Best regards,

Mark O'Connell
(aka SenseiTW)

Shahed

11-23-2007, 10:46

Hi Mark,

That's great news. Thank you so much for informing us.

Good luck !

Baby Boomer

11-23-2007, 11:07

Excellent news, I do hope it fixes most bugs. I ask with interest, and no hope, if this new project is a totally new TW game not involving ETW?

phonicsmonkey

11-23-2007, 11:16

Great news, thanks for letting us know

Grombeard

11-23-2007, 11:21

OK, so after months of just reading this forum, i found this to be an appropriate reason to sign up and yell: YAY! FINALLY! :D

Thanks for this descision, CA! I hope though, 'cause you say this will be the one big update, that all the major bugs will get fixed in it (Stone Forts, Welsh Uprising, Kalmar Union, etc.)...

LestaT

11-23-2007, 11:27

Will the patch covers the main M2TW game too ?

Jason X

11-23-2007, 11:30

good news!

marrow

11-23-2007, 11:48

Fantastic, thanks very much!

DVX BELLORVM

11-23-2007, 15:32

Thanks, SenseiTW, you just made my day! :yes: Excellent news indeed. I hope you will also address vanilla issues...

Ramses II CP

11-23-2007, 17:39

Much appreciated! In the aftermath of the patch I'll personally be reconsidering my decision not to purchase Kingdoms. :2thumbsup:

Dare I drag the hulking, shadowy beast into the light? Is SecuRom off the discussion table?

:egypt:

Fookison

11-23-2007, 17:59

This is indeed good news! The fact that there will be a major patch set out for this title will make it one of my favorite of all times.....Can't wait to play the full potential of this game. Its been great even in its beginning stages of development. Thank you CA!

Omanes Alexandrapolites

11-23-2007, 18:43

I don't own Kingdoms, or M2:TW even, but this choice has positivity effected my decision to purchase it. I'm very pleased the CA have decided to continue supporting their games rather than leaving them in the negative situation that they were in.

On the other hand though, there is the burning question - what about SecuROM? It would be preferable if a patch removed the system, since its purpose, to protect the game, has failed. The patch is one thing, but if SecuROM is removed, M2:TW and Kingdoms are guaranteed to end up on my Christmas list. I'm sure many other interested players will also add Kingdoms to their collection of games if this was the case.

Warmaster Horus

11-23-2007, 18:55

Kingdoms already is on my Christmas list - along with Crysis, World in Conflict and Call of Duty 4. A nice, balanced Christmas, in other words. And, yes, I'm a spoiled brat.

On topic, great news! But is SecuROM going to be removed?

FactionHeir

11-23-2007, 19:06

While it is nice that the expansion pack is getting a well deserved patch, if I am reading SenseiTW's words correctly however, this patch will be for Kingdoms only and only fix the core game issues, such as certain features not working, but not fix any of the usual M2TW bugs (otherwise he would have mentioned this specifically). Thus, I would not hold my hopes too high on this patch which won't fix core M2TW issues as well.

PseRamesses

11-23-2007, 19:08

Sensei TW,
From the depth of my heart, thanks, and pass it along to the crew. I was almost on the verge(sp?) to lose faith in CA´s commitment to released products.:shame:

ReiseReise

11-23-2007, 20:08

Excellent, I knew you guys would come through. Such magnificent games have been produced for a rather limited market (ie not FPS, traditional RTS, or Sim/Tycoon), and I couldn't stand to see Kingdoms rot away under the almighty bottom line.
Lets give praise where praise is due, CA comes through with excellent TW titles time and time again. They have some bugs but the games are so different from anything anyone else is trying. Sure, M2TW is RTW with a facelift, but what a nip & tuck it is, and.... Empire, EMPIRE!!!! As for all the "I won't buy any SecureRom games blah blah blah" crowd, its SEGA, not CA. Heres some advice: Use Linux, play opensource games and smile about it in all your 1337n355, maybe you can actually contribute to the OS community (or get a job) instead of ranting all day. "Oh God, 100 people out of how many million will 'boycott' our next game, what will we ever do?"

Privateerkev

11-23-2007, 20:23

CA puts out a product with broken features. They then state that they will refuse to fix those broke features. Then they state they will fix those broken features.

And I am supposed to be excited about it?

What I don't like is that they are acting like they are doing me a favor... :no:

If I bought a new car from GM and the air conditioner was broken, I would simply expect GM to fix my air conditioner. I wouldn't run up and give the salesman a hug or anything. My response would be, "well of course your going to fix features that you advertised..."

So yes I am happy CA has agreed to fix broken things about the game. But they aren't doing anything special. They are just doing what they should have done in the first place. And that is make sure that their advertised features actually worked when they released the game.

I should not have to mod my own game just to get advertised features such as; stone forts in Crusades, welsh reinforcements, and Kalmar Union units, working properly... :no:

_Tristan_

11-23-2007, 20:34

Some great news...

However, this will be the end of development for M2TW if I read correctly, so it will be up to the community to come up with ways of solving some of the bugs still existing in the game...

But, a fixed Kingdom expansion will be great...

katar

11-24-2007, 09:02

while SecuROM is still attached to Kingdoms i will not be touching it at all... patch or no patch.

i say to you: lose the SecuROM and gain a player. :2cents:

sapi

11-24-2007, 09:10

It's a good sign, in my opinion.

Sure, the patch might not do everything we want: but as many people have rightly pointed out, CA could very well just have ditched us, so this is better than the status quo, and definitely better than nothing ~:)

Stuck, on the off-chance that people actually read stickies :grin2:

Mouzafphaerre

11-24-2007, 09:46

.
That is overall good news and shows that you listen to your fanbase, at least partly. :bow:

But, as already stated, two issues remain:

Will the malware copy protection be removed? If not, this whole patching business is useless. :no:
Will there be a patch for the main game? If not, CA will have continued the bad habit of leaving their games unsupported and the bonus of the expansion patch will be diminished.

I hope especially for the malware removal to be addressed. If the main game is patched along with the expansion (they are two seperate commodities mind you) CA would restore much of their prestige, at least for me. :yes:
.

icek

11-24-2007, 11:23

Lets hope this time it will be released till february...

crpcarrot

11-24-2007, 18:21

if securom is removed u will earn another customer cheers

Zenicetus

11-24-2007, 20:32

while SecuROM is still attached to Kingdoms i will not be touching it at all... patch or no patch.

i say to you: lose the SecuROM and gain a player. :2cents:

I'm not personally going that far, but we're all going to be setting our own personal comfort levels with this. I'll accept SecureRom for the duration of the game, but I won't buy Kingdoms unless the new patch includes removal of any and all SecureRom files left behind after I uninstall the game.

So, what's the word on this? Can I buy Kingdoms, or not?

hrvojej

11-25-2007, 15:55

Thanks. Please also fix M2TW proper and the original game mechanics, e.g. the hardcoded issues with the battle engine, otherwise this is not going to be worth the effort IMO.

Cheers,

Goaswerfraiejen

11-25-2007, 16:22

I posted this elsewhere, but it would be good to have it here, so I'm re-posting it. As always, my own concerns are for the main game which, IMO, still has not received the attention that it deserves. I hope you've all learned a lesson from rushing to buy Kingdoms before the main game was properly fixed; just because something looks awesome, doesn't mean you should get it ASAP.

---
I was pleased to see the patch announcement today, but I'll still not be buying either Kingdoms or Empire--unless they wind up in the $5 bargain bin. I still very much enjoy R:TW, but I've been so disappointed with the M2TW experience overall that I'm really wary of spending any kind of money on future TW products until it's proven to my satisfaction that we won't have to deal with this crap any more. M2TW had some great stuff going on, but it was also all half-assed--hell, I couldn't even command any battles personally for the first week I had it because the shield bug (I think that's the one) screwed with them all, making battles take 6+ hours to complete. Furthermore, I expected some serious differences from R:TW beyond the time period, and the game just didn't feel different enough. Part of that was probably simply due to the similar engine, but I digress--the point is that I'll not be buying any TW games on faith any more. It simply can't be justified--you spend forty bucks on a game that your new computer can't run properly on the lowest settings, and it's so buggy that even I notice it. =/

So there it stands. I'm overjoyed to see the patch announcement, but I urge you all to proceed with caution when considering your next TW purchase. Don't get fooled by the same tricks again (Naval battles! Graphics! Yaaaaayy...harrumph.), because then we're back to square one and the complaints will never end. At this point, we're just as much to fault as the developers.

Mori Gabriel Syme

11-26-2007, 02:43

I am pleased that you have decided to offer a patch after all. I will not buy the expansion until SecuRom is removed, however.

Aurelian

11-27-2007, 06:29

I haven't bought Kingdoms yet due to the SecuROM issue. If the patch deals with SecuROM difficulties I'll gladly plop down my $29.99. If not, they obviously don't need my money.

Fate

11-27-2007, 14:31

As good as the news of Kingdoms being patched is, i still wont touch M2TW, Kingdoms, or Empire until the SecuRom issue is settled.

(I'm aware M2TW doesnt have SecuRom, but if i start playing it ill wanna play Kingdoms)

Sort it out CA.

Or CA, sort out Sega, im sure thats much more accurate.

hellenes

11-27-2007, 21:30

gardibolt

11-28-2007, 23:32

while SecuROM is still attached to Kingdoms i will not be touching it at all... patch or no patch.

i say to you: lose the SecuROM and gain a player. :2cents:

I agree wholeheartedly. I am not buying Kingdoms or any future TW game that has SecuRom as part of it. Period. Update to get rid of that, and I buy. Simple as that.

Old Geezer

12-04-2007, 19:11

Just buy a computer and dedicate it to playing Kingdoms only and when you are through with the game replace the hard drive. You can then take an hammer to the drive or sell it down the river.

crpcarrot

12-05-2007, 10:57

so i should spend say what £500 just to play kingdoms??

Akka

12-05-2007, 15:38

Thanks. Please also fix M2TW proper and the original game mechanics, e.g. the hardcoded issues with the battle engine, otherwise this is not going to be worth the effort IMO.

Cheers,
Exactly my thoughts.
As long as the horrible "anti-blob" makes the battles apathetic, tiresome to control and unenjoyable, I won't buy anything else in the serie.

They already changed its hardcoded radius for 1.2, so it means it can be done. Just give the option to externally alter this radius so we can use the radius we're comfortable with, and be done with it.
Until then, I'm keeping my money.

Oh, and SecuROM needs to go, too.

abdecken5

12-07-2007, 19:56

We will release a fix list closer to the Update being released.

after sensi's latest post on the official forum (doding the question) it looks like the patch will probably just be a few token fixes made during some overtime when ever they do decide to realse it rather than the commited support the critical issues need to fix them.

with the new E:TW the emphasis is shifting from seiges and melee combat and this is the last chance for this type of total war game until the next game after Empires, which is many years and probably pointless expansion packs (see Kingdoms) away.

lancelot

12-11-2007, 00:10

Well, the main game had better get patched to a decent (if not superb) level or I wont be buying Kingdoms or any further CA games, especially if there is invasive software involved.

CA have had their chance with me and blown it quite frankly, it will take some serious issue fixing to get me singing their praises again...Im getting seriously tired of companies rushing out half finished games (which we kindly beta test for them!!) and then they dont even patch it sufficiently! :furious3:

Jambo

12-11-2007, 10:56

Either they patch it proper, M2Tw included, or they shouldn't bother patching at all. There's little point in any kind of half-way house patch. I don't even play Med 2 or Kingdoms anymore, so I'm somewhat disinterested in the whole matter anyway. Given there's only 35 posts or so in a patch thread, it seems more than just me feels this way.

pike master

12-12-2007, 03:19

i agree

mtw2 included

or at the least give the modders the stuff so they can finish up all the loose ends.

as it stands right now there are things in the game that modders cannot fix or finish because the necessary files are not there.

Akka

12-12-2007, 14:47

Given there's only 35 posts or so in a patch thread, it seems more than just me feels this way.
Gotta agree with that. It's quite revealing, usually these kind of threads are cluttered in a matter of hours, while here we don't even have a post a day...

CA needs to realize something is seriously wrong, and act to correct it.

or at the least give the modders the stuff so they can finish up all the loose ends.

as it stands right now there are things in the game that modders cannot fix or finish because the necessary files are not there.
Yep.
It's already sad that modders are the ones fixing the game for CA, but it's even sadder when they can't even do that...

Prodigal

12-13-2007, 06:30

That is really great news. :2thumbsup:

Niterider613

12-19-2007, 03:42

I have really been enjoying the Kingdoms expansion but an update will be great and make it better :)

hellenes

12-20-2007, 22:24

Just buy a computer and dedicate it to playing Kingdoms only and when you are through with the game replace the hard drive. You can then take an hammer to the drive or sell it down the river.

So kingdoms costs 700 euros now? :dizzy2:

Slurms

12-31-2007, 12:55

excuse the noobness and the offtopicness, but what exactly does the SecuRom screw up?

FactionHeir

12-31-2007, 13:04

excuse the noobness and the offtopicness, but what exactly does the SecuRom screw up?
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=90997

icek

01-01-2008, 11:35

Still no release date, beautifull just beautifull...

Dutch_guy

01-01-2008, 18:50

Well, I'm hoping they'll manage to sort out the core issues and not cause any further problems in the process. The way I see it there's no rush, and I'm therefore interpreting the lack of a deadline as a good thing. I'd rather have them take all the time they need to fix those problems, than work too fast to make their deadline and invariably miss out on a potential game-breaker.

:balloon2:

Mouzafphaerre

01-04-2008, 05:05

Bravedude

01-28-2008, 22:11

Its been two months at least tell us when you think it will be finished.

SigniferOne

01-28-2008, 23:39

No need to be rude.

I hope some information will be forthcoming, too.

Grombeard

01-29-2008, 18:46

Take a look in the official forums at totalwar.com!

Latest news there is that the patch is currently in the QA process after which it will be released. May still take a while though.

irishron2004

01-29-2008, 20:04

With everything I have read, I still can't see how they can have a patch for Kingdoms without addressing M2TW. Kingdoms is only an expansoin pack and the only way they could bypass it is make it standalone. Do I miss something here?

Spartan198

02-02-2008, 06:52

What's this SecuRom thing? It's not something that's harmful to the system running the game,is it?

irishron2004

02-02-2008, 16:30

What's this SecuRom thing? It's not something that's harmful to the system running the game,is it?
Could be. Read this: https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=90997

Spartan198

02-03-2008, 04:04

I read in another thread that this SecuRom thing is limited to Kingdoms,so I'm relieved to know that my M2 is safe to install. I've decided to shy away from Kingdoms until this SecuRom issue is dealt with. My thanks to everyone on top of this and my sincerest sympathies to anyone already plagued by it.

icek

02-24-2008, 10:34

I wonder why they ever started talking about patch if they wont release it. I stoped playing in m2tw and waited for it :no:

Ramses II CP

02-25-2008, 00:11

More time = a better patch. Customers who demand a rush, rush, rush to release are going to get a buggy product that's probably worse than no patch at all. Measure twice, cut once, etc. :yes:

:egypt:

Nebuchadnezzar

02-25-2008, 03:23

LOL...
All businesses work on deadlines. To assume that everything delivered in a timely manner is buggy is nothing short of nonsense. A good patch delivered at short notice is a result of excelent project leaders and great managment.

Ramses II CP

02-26-2008, 04:17

Yeah, if we didn't know that this was, in fact, a completely unplanned patch which only made it into the budget because of fan demands that might make some sense... but we do know those former things. So, as demonstrated by virtually the entire rest of the gaming industry, either these guys can do exactly what I described as a bad thing (Rush the product out the door to meet demand from above and below, make their money despite the bugs, then drop support and move on to the next project) or they can spend the time to do it right.

And you know what? The 'give it to me now' attitude is exactly why we get buggy, broken products in the first place. If consumers were patient, especially with their wallets but also with their demands, it wouldn't be profitable to put a game out there as problematic as Kingdoms/MTW2 in the first place.

:egypt:

irishron2004

02-27-2008, 01:21

Monsieur Alphonse

03-01-2008, 13:53

They are working on it:

This was posted on 29th of february at the COM

from SenseiTW

Hi guys,

First of all, apologies for my limited presence on the forums in recent weeks. I have been doing a lot of press demos around Europe and so haven't had as much time to spend with you as I'd like. I do however continue to read all of your messages and emails, and appreciate your feedback.

The latest news on the Kingdoms Update is that CA Oz has just submitted the release candidate to SEGA to begin their own phase of testing. If all continues to go well (which we hope it will), we can then start planning for its release.

Rest assured that we have made every effort to address as many issues as possible, and taken the time needed to ensure it was done properly.

Have a good weekend,

Mark

antisocialmunky

03-03-2008, 03:37

Mmmm... QA, the longest of the development cycle.

orgo.love

03-18-2008, 04:27

Any chance that this will be released before the end of this month?

Nebuchadnezzar

03-18-2008, 04:56

They may have encountered some glitches hence the delay. 6 months wait for a patch on only an expansion lol...

It would be funny if it wasn't me that was waiting

Old Geezer

03-19-2008, 14:03

They must be waiting to release it on "April Fools Day". (But what year?)

Nebuchadnezzar

03-20-2008, 01:52

Yes April fools Day. Be funny if they release the patch that day...

...and to discover all it contains is an updated securom version.

irishron2004

03-20-2008, 02:35

That's sounds like Sega having fun at our expense.

Callahan9119

03-20-2008, 03:34

better late and complete than rushed and still broken :sharky:

irishron2004

03-20-2008, 03:43

better late and complete than rushed and still broken :sharky:

Agreed.

Gaius Terentius Varro

03-21-2008, 17:36

This has just convinced me that Kingdoms is the last CA game I will ever buy. Lots of the so called "selling points" for the expansion are broken and it's been 6 months now. I left the game waiting for the patch 3 months ago and lol it's still not here. It's actually not funny.:thumbsdown: CA take good look at Blizzard who still supports and updates the first Diablo game. That is the way to do things in gaming if you intend to keep your customers.

Rhedd

03-22-2008, 00:39

better late and complete than rushed and still broken :sharky:Sadly, I'm betting it'll still be broken, no matter how long it takes.

I think there's about a 0% chance they'll fix the shadow bug (the one that makes shadows not show up on any decently new video card), and that, unfortunately, is really sapping the fun out of the game, for me.

Let's face it, the game is just okay, but the beauty of the spectacle was unmatched. Take away the fantastic graphics and this goes from a game I intended to play for ages to one that I simply can't bring myself to care about.

What a nice surprise to find after getting a brand-new video card... Neat! My favorite game looks crappier than ever!

Ramses II CP

03-22-2008, 02:23

Well, this is completely a personal opinion kind of thing, but shadows in games always look like complete **** to me, and they're almost always the first thing I turn off. The shadows in the TW games are some of the worst offenders, sort of a mix of the black bar across a spotlight effect with the blob of indeterminate goo bit on the side.

Not disagreeing that they should feel an obligation to fix that bug, not at all! But if I had to pick something to take a pass on, it'd be those already ugly shadows. :yes:

Good luck getting 'em back though. :2thumbsup:

:egypt:

neoiq5719

03-22-2008, 12:21

CA chain of events:
RTW- patch 1.2, patch 1.3, patch 1.5
Barbarian- patch 1.6
Alexander- 1.7 or 1.9 ............. still buggy? who cares lets entertain them with another game

M2TW patch 1.1, 1.2
Kingdoms and...........i guess a day before Empires they´ll release the so called 1.3. Do we actually expect a bug free game after that? NO WAY JOSE. That´d be it and the same thing will be with Empires, patch 1, 2 and so on because this line of work has been a constant in CA and it´s not going to change.Hey but now we will have naval battles so we should forget about the past. This new thing i guess would bring about another bugfest.
Anyone wants a good example? Starcraft 2. expected to be released 2 months ago and still working on it. But that is when you are serious about your work.

locked_thread

03-28-2008, 03:09

edit

chickenhawk

03-31-2008, 20:42

I have simply decided that I will not buy any CA product until it has been patched twice. This includes Kingdoms. If they want my money they can rediscover the concept of supporting their products.:shame:

Galain_Ironhide

04-01-2008, 10:46

I must say I am not stressing about this, because I will not be buying the game until the patch comes out. I already have plenty of great mods, which I don't even need to pay for, that have taken the game to the next level - where the original game should be.

What I do find a little slack on CA's behalf is that they originally posted this thread back in November 2007 - basically 4 months ago and they havent reported anything back to their customers who have been anxiously (and very patiently!) waiting for it.

Thats my:2cents:

Nebuchadnezzar

04-01-2008, 14:47

Basically thats 6 months not 4. Lord have mercy... if all businesses moved at this rate....

ataribaby

04-01-2008, 19:56

Nebuchadnezzar

04-02-2008, 05:26

Your right!! Stupid me to think the game needed patching from the day after release rather than sometime after the riots (+ 50% exaggeration since it was really only discontent) and subsequent patch announcement.

@ataribaby
I'm not sure what your sexual preferances may be but let me assure you that I am not your love!!!! I hope thats clear enough.

ataribaby

04-02-2008, 17:08

Okay ducky.

Old Geezer

04-03-2008, 20:36

If they'd just charge us each $10 (what's that now - 2 Euros?) for the patch maybe they'd have more incentive to get it out. Why not? We all (well I guess y'all in the more socialistic countries don't) have to pay extra when our physicans screw up? CA could have a patch of the month club where everyone pays 10 florins a month and gets a patch every month or you could prepay with 1000 florins and get lifetime patches for all their games.

PS Ataribaby, try using the term "pardner" : it works great here in Texas (with those who speak English or Texan).

Gaius Terentius Varro

04-04-2008, 15:38

The OP is 23rd November. So that's the last week of November plus December, January, February and March. How is that 6 months?

Don't get me wrong it's all a bit of a pisser wating for the patch, especially since I've already started playing the Kingdoms campaigns with their bugs, but there's no need to exagerate the wait by 50%. Calm down love!

From wikipedia

Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms is the expansion to the 2006 PC game, Medieval II: Total War. The expansion was released on August 28, 2007 in the US and has four new campaigns.

That's how it is 6 months or probably more i can't count over 6

ataribaby

04-04-2008, 19:22

What I do find a little slack on CA's behalf is that they originally posted this thread back in November 2007 - basically 4 months ago and they havent reported anything back to their customers who have been anxiously (and very patiently!) waiting for it.
And Galain Ironhide and I were talking about the time lapsed since the announcement of the patch.

Gaius Terentius Varro

04-04-2008, 22:10