Medieval II Update 2 Feature List

[Caesar Vastator]

Here are the list of improvements fixes for the next patchhttp://p223.ezboard.com/Medieval-II-...ID=16038.topic

[R'as al Ghul]

Thanks Caesar!

Here's the list:

Primary features for Update 2:

1) The Launcher
2) Fully implemented Hotseat mode
3) Cinematic Editor
4) Battle Editor (now fully functional)

Resolved Bugs/Issues:

AI
• Units do not clump together when told to complete a 180 degree turn.
• Janissary Musketeers now fire consistently.
• Enemy AI army formations in bridge battles now allow their own artillery to fire.
• Enemy cannons do not fire at unbreakable walls.
• Grouped archers out of ammo will attack enemy units in melee combat when ordered to do so.
• AI does not deploy outside of enemy gates.
• When defending an enemy settlement with multiple exits, taking your army out of the side/back door does not make it easier to defeat the enemy.
• Siege AI is not passive.
• Cavalry can now charge a spearman army.
• General's bodyguard unit now marches correctly outside castles.
• AI now effectively assaults 2nd tier of a Fortress.
• Sallying AI army now reacts properly to being assaulted from 2 sides
• Attacking Siege AI concentrates on taking the settlement rather than chasing down units outside the settlement.
• Generals are now more effective at chasing down routing units.
• Enemy AI reacts to being bombarded with Trebuchets while inside a settlement.
• Siege AI now more difficult to defeat if player places missile units outside the walls.
• AI controls it units more effectively in a Citadel
• AI artillery more decisive in its positioning
• Remaining AI army now advances to use siege equipment
• AI Cavalry can now flank a Spear Wall
• AI now responds to missiles when sieging settlements
• AI now crosses bridges to attack
• AI responds more quickly to gates that have been opened by Spies (while sieging).
• Units do not break formation when chasing routers
• Enemy AI effectively attacks when player's units in a settlement square
• Enemy AI now utilises spare rams
• Improved enemy AI response to stakes
• Shortened Siege attack timers
• Enemy AI will no-longer send out General's bodyguard on a suicide mission while defending

Diplomacy
• Improved responses to monetary offers
• Bribery attempts do not always fail after an unsuccessful first attempt
• Diplomatic 'Just Rejected' response no-longer to 'Not Interested' response to counter-offer, no matter how generous
• Aztecs now appear in the correct year (for diplomacy actions)
• Generals in a Crusade do not get inquisition
• Improved diplomacy mechanic - AI Factions now stick with alliances and/or attack 'more intelligently'

Crash
• Soft-locks in MP Lobby no-longer occur
• Host random hangs fixed
• Resolved issue with client CTD when host ends game that client is joining
• Auto-resolve Siege battle hangs fixed
• Siege tower catching fire no-longer causes random hangs
• Random hangs after loading Campaign save game

Pathfinding
• Battering Rams no-longer stuck in gates
• Ship movement area fixed
• Ram crew no-longer stuck between rams
• Northern European Castle terrain fixed to allow docking of towers
• Improved use of ladders
• Southern European Fortress wall fixed to allow docking of towers
• Improved the way units use Way-points
• Siege of Setenil slow-down tweaked
• Units no-longer become stuck on canyon walls on 'Canyon' map
• Units do not ascend/descend invisible ladders
• Units do not get stuck on Siege towers
• Cavalry pathfinding improved when sallying out from a Fortress
• Bridge battle pathfinding improved (units do not constantly reform)
• Citadel and Fortress paths fixed so that units can avoid assaulting inner walls
• Breach pathfinding tweaked

Combat
• Enemy spearmen do not charge with raised spears
• 2H axemen attack tweaked, inc. Attacking Cavalry
• Defending units can no-longer enter a siege tower as soon as it docks with the walls

Mechanics
• Mouse Cursor position now updates when scrolling with the arrow keys.
• Assassination exploit fixed.
• Mission "Reinforce Region" now functions correctly
• Attacking an enemy army from inside a sieged settlement no-longer causes the enemy to lose all built siege equipment
• Fixed two family members (brothers) with the exact same name
• Rudder event now triggers at the correct time
• When an enemy sallies and is defeated you no-longer have to wait for the timer to run out in-order to win.
• Assassin mechanics tweaked
• Mercenary recruitment tweaked
• Diplomatic Information scroll updates correctly.
• Online replays now match
• Slowdown fixed on Desert Sanctuary
• Metallic Resource now support Mines
• Cavalry charges do not fail when charging skirmishing/moving units or if a knight is out of position
• Units can now withdraw on the Eifel Mountains Battle Map
• Construction queue exploits fixed
• The carroccio standard can now fit through the gate on a sally out battle.
• Southern European > Fortress: routing Enemy AI now leaving the map
• Printing press event triggers at the correct time
• Ladder docking/undocking tweaked
• Faction standings tweaked
• Priests no-longer convert to heretics if travelling on a fleet
• Hotseat Game-mode added
• Upper limit added on how long units stay in loose formation for.
• Traits/VnV triggers tweaked

Camera
• Camera height does not drop under bridge in River Po Custom Battle map.
• Camera does not drop below water's surface in Palm Beach, Andalusia and Italian Wars map/scenarios.
• Camera does not show the underneath of a bridge when General is killed on the bridge

Controls
• Drag Deploy functionality tweaked
• RTS camera functionality tweaked

Graphics
• Princess character now greyed out upon death on Family tree
• Venice battlemap ambient building placement tweaked
• Fixed issue with trees disappearing when panning camera
• Added paths to doorways in Southern European Large City
• Added paths to doorways in Southern European City
• Fixed minor lighting issue in Southern European City
• Fixed misaligned platforms in Southern European Large Town
• Tweaked Crusade Army banner
• Fixed texture gaps and unwelded verts on Middle Eastern Huge City buildings.
• Fixed incorrect Tower Path in Mesoamerican City
• Fixed path through wall in Mesoamerican City Wall
• Fixed floating buildings above the battle map in Aztec Gold Scenario
• Fixed floating spikes in Mountain Redoubt scenario
• Added correct image for Paladin ancillary
• Fixed grey reinforcement area that states that 'This army cannot fight in night battles' even though the current battle is not a night battle.
• Added correct image for Aztec Rebel - Native Archer
• Added correct image for Aztec Spearmen
• Fixed floating torches in SE Citadel courtyard
• Garrison quarters no-longer change to Town Guard when in Construction queue
• Armoury building image in construction queue no-longer changes to an armoury
• Fixed issue with Trebuchets sometimes disappearing when zooming in close
• Fixed maps have the winter option but don’t have winter texture on the battle map
• Night attack selection tick and reinforcements do not disappear if user selects night attack option and then views enemy army details.
• Fixed officers not animating while riding
• Removed trees in the water in The Battle of Otumba.

Deployment
• Units can no-longer be deployed on inaccessible sections of wall
• Fixed deployment issues with Southern European Wooden Castle on either side of the main gate.
• Units no-longer deployable in buildings in Mesoamerican City

Collision
• Ballista collision improved
• Southern European Citadel gate collision improved
• Middle Eastern Gatehouse collision improved
• Issues with units getting pushed into areas that can't be deployed into.
Battle Editor/Cinematic Editor
• Numerous issues with both editors fixed and improved so that they can be released for public use.

UI
• Mission scroll hotkey added
• Financial Details hotkey functionality and tooltip added
• Reveal/Advance advice hotkey functionality added
• Battle Tutorial Dismiss advice functionality added
• Magnifying glass added to Disaster Strikes scroll
• Princess appears correctly on family tree
• Chat Window errors fixed
• Family Tragedy scroll triggered correctly
• Console text appearance tweaked
• Now possible to launch game from autorun launcher
• Fine Grain time control added (accessible by holding Shift and clicking + and - on battle UI)

Save/Load
• Loading saved game of the same turn no-longer allows user to keep both allies when they declare war
• Russian and Czech autosave fixed

Audio
• Movement_Embark speech now triggered correctly
• Allies breaking through gates of citadel now triggers correct speech
• Battle ending in draw when timer runs out now triggers correct speech
• Campaign Map interface sounds added
• End Turn sound now fades out nicely
• Win/Lose music is now representative of the Faction
• Enemy King killed speech now triggered
• Enemy Reinforcements arrive speech now triggered correctly
• Player Army Tired Battle Event Speech is now triggered.
• Player Army Half Gone Battle Event Speech is now triggered.
• Enemy Army Half Gone Battle Event Speech is now triggered.
• Player Under Attack Idle Battle Event Speech is now triggered.
• Player Winning Combat Battle Event Speech now triggered correctly.
• Player Losing Combat Battle Event Speech now triggered correctly.
• Leaves Fleet speech now triggered correctly.
• Player Tide Of Battle Up Battle Event Speech now triggered correctly.
• Player Tide Of Battle Down Battle Event Speech now triggered correctly.
• Muslim Enemy General Killed Battle Event Speech now triggered correctly.
• Christian Enemy General Killed Battle Event Speech now triggered correctly.
• Allied General Captured Battle Event Speech now triggered correctly.
• The "spy infiltrated our settlement" audio/speech is now played when "Start battle" is pressed during cutscene
• Correct region music plays when loading a saved campaign game.
• Added sound trigger for planting archer stakes in ground.
• Clicked-on characters on the Campaign Map no-longer stack their audio response if clicked multiple times.
• In the Historical battles, Battle of Otumba and the Battle of Hastings the music speeds up when you attack
• Other minor audio tweaks also carried out.

Text
• Minor grammar/spelling errors fixed

I'm trying not to be negative but these are the only points concerning the shield bug, pike bug, 2H bug and the whole cavalry vs. Spearmen issue.

• Cavalry can now charge a spearman army.
• AI Cavalry can now flank a Spear Wall Combat
• Enemy spearmen do not charge with raised spears
• 2H axemen attack tweaked, inc. Attacking Cavalry

I'd hoped for more. Am I missing something?

R'as

[sapi]

The last one might be the 2h weapon bug, but i'm not sure.

I'll read the buglist thoroughly later.

I doubt that this thread will slip anywhere near the second page of the forums, but if it does, i'll give it a sticky Nice work!

[econ21]

It sounds a pretty beefy patch - the 2H bug is a big one for me; plus cavalry charge failing skirmishing/moving units is something that has frustrated me ever since RTW.

But I agree with R'as al Ghul - there's no mention of the shield bug here. That's the biggest bug with the game so far uncovered. Whassup?

Second biggest unanswered question: is it savegame compatible?

[sapi]

There's also no mention of a whole host of the bugs in the buglist

Better than nothing though...

[JCoyote]

I know it caught them off guard, but still... without the shields fixed, the game just plain won't work as intended or advertised. It's the only major gameplay mechanic bug we CAN'T correct or adequately compensate for ourselves.

There are a bunch of nitpick fixes in there I wish had time go to fixing shields instead. Though to be fair, they probably had many of those done almost in time for 1.1 and before that bug was discovered.

So does this mean May/June before shields and pikes do what they should?

[sapi]

It seems so to me.

IMO, CA should at least come out and say that they know that the shield/pike bug exists but couldn't fit a fix into this update, or something of the kind.

[Caesar Vastator]

This seem a good patch for single player but it's a very bad patch for Multyplayer!! The combat engine is full of errors and they have fixed only the "2H bug"!! The shield bug (the biggest one for MP) its again here, so the MP clan that have left medieval2 for its bug, umbalances, Gamespy , will not return to multy.

[Carl]

Follow your own link. A CA dev says it's only 99% complete ATM, so that could be the last thing on the list as it where (i.e. it's whats taking the longest). I'm sure when lusted shows up he'll be able to confirm that they've fixed it.

Or if they havn't give a damm good reason why.

[grinningman]

- Cavalry charges do not fail when charging skirmishing/moving units or if a knight is out of position

It sounds like it will be easier to get consistent cavalry charges.

Palamedes mentioned in the blog about the first update that cavalry charges would be less powerful in the second update - I don't see any mention of this. It looks like cavalry will now be even more powerful against spearmen (and everything else), as it will be easier to pull off a formed charge.

No mention of the shield bug being fixed? Oh well, at least European cities now have paths to doorways
Yeah, yeah, I know, separate people working on different areas, but it's still damn frustrating.

[sapi]

I'm still hoping, as Carl is, that the shield bug will be a last minute addition

/prays

[econ21]

It's early days - we should not jump to conclusions. We will only know for sure the shield bug is not fixed in the patch if CA say so - like they said the 2H fix would not be in patch 1 - or if we get the patch and confirm it. In my experience with computer games, it's not unusual to find really big bugfixes or rebalancing somehow do not make it on to official patch feature lists.

[Lusted]

Follow your own link. A CA dev says it's only 99% complete ATM, so that could be the last thing on the list as it where (i.e. it's whats taking the longest). I'm sure when lusted shows up he'll be able to confirm that they've fixed it.

You know i can't confirm anything, or at lest not without talking to Palamedes or Caliban.

[sapi]

True, although i'd love to see less boasting of features (although having them is by no means a bad thing), as it seems to me that CA might be trying to hide something in a cloud of good publicity.

Still, you have a point, and I'll reserve judgement until I actually get to play around with the patch. You may be right in pointing out that unless a fix is specifically denied, it may still be in the works.

EDIT:

@Lusted - understood

[Lusted]

Just talked to Caliban, the feature list above is not complete. Hopefully i'll know more soon.

[sapi]

Thanks again

[Lusted]

Once Caliban gets back to me about things, it looks like i will have permission to tell you guys what i know.

[sapi]

Okay - that'd be great.

I won't be able to post for almost 24 hours so i'll just say thanks in advance

[Lusted]

I doubt i'll hear before then, them being in Oz and me being in the UK and all.

[Jambo]

Lusted,

If you are allowed to speak to us, then I don't suppose you know whether aiding AI armies will be able to build their own siege equipment in 1.2? Currently any additional AI armies present at a siege just use the original besieging army's equipment or do nothing.

[Lusted]

No i don't know anytihng about that.

[Carl]

@Lusted: I knew you couldn't confrim anything without their permishion (obviouslly), but I figured you wouldn't be on here till later on and would probably have been given permishion by then. Sorry for the confusion.

[Lusted]

Well hopefully if things go alright, i'll know by about midnight tonight(early morning Oz time), if not it'll be tomorrow morning.

[JCoyote]

OK that makes sense. This post then ONLY confirms things they have already fixed and are ready to ship with. There are other things being worked on that haven't been added yet.

Works for me. Nice to know plenty of pathfinding and AI issues will be fixed. And 2h. And that annoying sound stacking thing! Thank God! Sometimes I have to click on a unit several times in a row... it wore on my sanity hearing the same stuff over and over.

[Lusted]

OK that makes sense. This post then ONLY confirms things they have already fixed and are ready to ship with. There are other things being worked on that haven't been added yet.

Sort of, from what Caliban was saying not all fixes are listed, only those that definitely work are in. I think the patch has gone for final testing to see if the final few fixes work correctly and don't introduce any new bugs.

[Sirius 21]

Please, Lusted, could you ask them if the localized patches are going to fix text and audio bugs of localized games?

[grinningman]

It's early days - we should not jump to conclusions. We will only know for sure the shield bug is not fixed in the patch if CA say so - like they said the 2H fix would not be in patch 1 - or if we get the patch and confirm it. In my experience with computer games, it's not unusual to find really big bugfixes or rebalancing somehow do not make it on to official patch feature lists.

Yes - hopefully Lusted will tell us tomorrow that the shield bug is fixed after all. And I don't want to sound only negative; it looks like there are significant improvements and some new content in the update, which is great.

[SMZ]

good stuff, always like more - but nice list of fixes and improvements there

[crpcarrot]

what the hell is a hotseat mode???

[Point_Blank]

Can you ask him to clarify the armor upgrade system please?