So what are your thoughts on how 1.5 is performing?

**Fisherking** · 10-05-2009, 18:33

Here we are already at 1.5

Fixed a bug which which occasionally allowed factions who were not allied to be invited to join a war
Improved campaign map performance
Republics will no longer dispute a claim to a throne via a war of succession
Fixed a crash when pathfinding for embarking/disembarking
Fixed situation where balance-of-power bar on battle screen was not considering the correct set of reinforcements
Made the decision of which third-party factions can be involved in a campaign battle slightly fairer
Interceptions are no longer suppressed when blockading a port
Fixed rare crash after naval battles
Fixed rare crash caused by successful revolutionary armies containing units that were not permitted for the resulting government type
Fixed crash in AI logic structures
Reduced AI army clustering
Improved AI invasion troop movement
Various light infantry behaviour fixes
Naval and Land unit balancing
General AI improvements

Also the DLC of Warpath.

How is it working for you?

**TomPaine** · 10-05-2009, 19:22

As I just posted in the bug list, um, 1.5 doesn't perform at all for me: 100 percent of the time, it crashes on the opening credits/splash screen. 1.4 ran pretty flawlessly yesterday. Sooooooo ...

**Lord Dazed & Confused** · 10-05-2009, 19:49

Same here

Got it working :) it was the IS patch text pack

**TomPaine** · 10-05-2009, 19:53

Hi guys -- I realized I had been using the Blood and Smoke mod, which seemed to be pretty version neutral, as no previous patch had developed any conflicts with it. But 1.5 does ... I disabled BSM, and now everything runs just fine. I played one turn; Austria offered me an alliance (I was Great Britain), which I haven't seen before ... I do miss the smoke tho.

**Quickening** · 10-05-2009, 20:56

Yeah apparently the mere existence of mods causes 1.5 to crash. I don't use mods and it runs fine for me.

**Monk** · 10-05-2009, 21:09

1.5 is working fine for me, as is the DLC.

Also the DLC of Warpath.

How is it working for you?

Warpath first impressions:

Decidedly average and unbalanced. The start date is 1783 but native factions (at least the Cherokee, who i played at the start) are completely outmatched technologically by the Europeans. European factions start off with colonial line fully upgraded with socket bayonets while natives have bows and arrows... As a result playing the native factions feels like playing a barbarian faction from RTW, you have to rely on numbers and rush tactics to win battles - which is very disappointing and not at all what the adviser tells you to do ("employ irregular tactics"). It feels wrong to be saddled with this kinda tech gap at such a late date.

So far Warpath is a smaller, shorter, and much more unbalanced version of the vanilla game. Lacking the option to play as the US or any of the other European factions, it feels as if the deck was purposefully stacked against you.

**nameless** · 10-05-2009, 21:52

Originally Posted by Fisherking

Republics will no longer dispute a claim to a throne via a war of succession
?

I've always wondered about that. I mean why would a republic dispute a claim to the throne?

Unfortunately in a straight up fight colonial line will beat Tribesmen.

It was in fact the first battle I did, the spanish attacked one of my western provinces and I had two units of tribesman against a general, an artillery unit and one unit of line infantry.

I waited in some tree-lines where I could draw the spanish in and charged them right about as they were setting up their artillery. The AI panicked and packed it up. The first tribesmen unit attacked the general while the second attacked the Line infantry.

Line infantry fired off a volley and killed around 7 of my men, the initial shock was great for the tribesmen but they have no staying power. Line infantry beat them with 60/80 men left while my tribesmen were reduced to 30/80 and routing.

The other tribesman unit killed the enemy general on contact, but then were routed as well by his bodyguard, 35/80 and routing.

I always hate fighting native americans but that's because their archer units can hide and shoot while they always seem to outnumber you in most circumstances. I'd rather fight with Euro factions than them.

From what you're seeing I'm guessing they rebalanced it in favour of the colonials? Natives shouldn't have an issue in hand-to-hand combat (They always best me in those fields)

One thing I noticed in your description however was that you didn't have a general in your army. You just had a captain vs. an actual general which probably made a difference.

**Claudio** · 10-06-2009, 22:16

I think I am finally content with the AI with this new (1.5) patch. I began a new campaign as my favourite faction, Austria. I went through all the usual motions. Bought plug bayonets off of Prussia for 5,000 florins, requested trade rights with all factions I hope to stay friendly with for the entire game, shuffled my ministers, disbanded the Pandours, who aren't worth a damn in any way, shape or form, shared plug bayonets with all of France's future enemies and my faithful Bavarian allies, and ended my turn.

The Ottomans, as usual, declared war on me, and sent a few small armies toward Transylvania. They took it for 1 single turn, but my army of militia, pikemen and my Turk hating general took it back. They have made no more attacks since, and it is now 1704.

Prussia declared war out of the blue, but there was no action for 3 years. They have taken Gdansk from Poland, and wiped out Saxony. They just took Silesia before I saved my game and quit to make this post, but I have a large army of line infantry at the ready to take it back with all haste.

The part that impresses me most is as follows. Poland, obviously, hate Prussia. When the campaign began, they weren't too friendly with me either, and I imagined we would soon be at war, but when Prussia took out their protectorate, Saxony, and garrisoned it with almost a full stack of that scary Prussian line infantry, Poland came to me with their hat in their hands and offered me a military alliance. I checked to see if such an alliance would conflict with any of my interests, and Poland is at war only with Prussia, and since I am at war with Prussia, I accepted, and begun trading with them. I noticed at this point that my relations with Russia had gone from neutral to friendly, so in the same turn I offered them an alliance too, since we share a common enemy in the Ottoman empire. To my surprise, they accepted. I took Moldavia from the Ottomans so I could begin trading with my new allies.

The AI, perhaps through sheer coincidence, perhaps knowingly, has formed with me an alliance of 3 major nations, all neighbours, all with common enemies, against the aggressive, expansionist Prussians, and the Ottomans, who I have done the Russians a favour in taking Moldavia from the Ottomans, thus depriving them of making any aggressions upon Russia without first going through me.

What I have in this campaign, I have never been able to achieve in Empire until now. I have a perfect balance of action, with 2 major nations at war with me, and diplomacy, with Poland and Russia allying with me, and Bavaria being my protectorate. I plan on taking Saxony from the Prussians and giving it to Bavaria, which would take the strain off of myself by turning Bavaria into a semi-major nation on the border with Prussia, who they are at war with.

The AI hasn't been without it's idiocy though. In 1703, for some unknown reason, Poland declared war on New Spain. Aside from that, so far so good.

**hoof** · 10-07-2009, 00:53

I'd have to agree with Claudio. So far the AI is working well, given the enormous set of expectations and requirements imparted upon it. 1.3 was a low point (mostly because of the irritating DoW's that wrecked the diplo side of things). So far (speaking for 1.4 mostly, but also with a few turns of 1.5) the AI has acted sanely, including offering peace on more than on occasion (but usually demanding a territory in return). I was even able to buy two of the three territories I needed for Louisiana (as the French) from the US. Kind of a reverse-Louisiana Purchase!

But in all seriousness, ETW has finally reached it's potential, at least to me. I just hope it isn't too late for the franchise (judging from that blog in the other thread, it might be).

**Quickening** · 10-07-2009, 03:52

Going to have to give up on this VH/VH GB campaign, just can't compete with the Huron.

On one occasion, they took Rupert's Land because my army had just left to advance on their territory. I went to assault and reclaim it but first offered them the chance to surrender... which they did. I was very happy to see that because previously the AI never surrendered even if it had only a few civilian mobs at its disposal.
I wasn't so happy when I reclaimed Rupert's Land to find that EVERYTHING I had built had been destroyed, both in the city and in the region itself. Fourteen years of progress down the drain. Considering I was already stretching my resources rebuilding my navy, this really messed me up.

Also, the United States arose as an independant nation, I have never seen that happen before, I didn't think it did in the Grand Campaign.

EDIT: Oh by the way, that means I'm impressed with the patch.

**AussieGiant** · 10-07-2009, 13:38

I'm on a H/H UP campaign and decided to be aggressive from the off.

Took flanders from the Spanish and have been bounced around each turn by France ever since. Each battle could be the end at that particular moment, so it's been a real treat to experience.

CAI has been solid. I managed to ally and get trade from my two land neighbours so I always have a little bit of money coming in. Ports are being blockaded left and right as I got spanked by the French navy in the Channel. I've gone defensive everywhere else to try and build up some navy strength.

France has assassinated two of my Generals!! Bastards are doing a good job against me.

Only one performance issue.

The new XP drivers 191.07, from Nvidia (I have a 8800GTX) do not work with E:TW. I get all sorts of Campaign screen visual issues. I've moved back to the previous ones.

**Slaists** · 10-07-2009, 16:22

Originally Posted by AussieGiant

I'm on a H/H UP campaign and decided to be aggressive from the off.

Took flanders from the Spanish and have been bounced around each turn by France ever since. Each battle could be the end at the moment so it's been a real treat to experience.

CAI has been solid. I managed to ally and get trade from my two land neighbours so I always have a little bit of money coming in. Ports are being blockaded left and right as I got spanked by the French navy in the Channel. I've gone defensive everywhere else to try and build up some navy strength.

France has assassinated two of my Generals!! Bastards are doing a good job against me.

Only one performance issue.

The new XP drivers 191.07, from Nvidia (I have a 8800GTX) do not work with E:TW. I get all sorts of Campaign screen visual issues. I've moved back to the previous ones.

Hmm, why do you let them do that to you? Pre 1.4, I always held a small fleet of sloops handy to raid my enemies' ports. I believe, sloops are still good for that function despite being elevated to the super-sloop status. If France declares war on you, raid their Atlantic ports. No ports - no French navy in the channel.