Undocumented Changes in Patch #3

[anweRU]

Alright, we have an extensive list of changes that came out with the patch. Not all items on that list are true, but there are two threads for that already.

This is for something else entirely. I noticed that the starting positions of several countries have changed, which are not documented. We obviously have to start new campaigns to notice these. So far I only took a brief look at GB & Spain. Here's what I have seen:

General:
The number of ships in the starting fleets have been reduced. GB has lost a total of three ships, Spain one. The Dutch & French fleets near England have also been nerfed.

GB Specific:
- One extra trade port at the start in England.
- Ireland has been revamped. One of the two villages is now available at the start - and is the 1st level iron smith. The order of the villages popping up has been changed as well.

I'm still on turn 1 on my GB campaign, so I'm not sure how this will affect my economic position. The "race to the trade ports" may not be a viable option with the existing fleets anymore - but GB can now spam 7 IM/turn. It can also get a total of 9 trade pacts at turn 1, which is significant. Has this made GB even more powerful vis-a-vis the rest?

What have you noticed such changes in other new campaigns?

[Maleficus]

Am I imagining things, or has Portugal's colour on the campaign map changed?

[joe4iz]

The pirates appear to me to be more aggressive so just spamming Indianmen may not work as well. I still was able to secure my share of tradespots as GB. Not as many as in the past, but war will clear some of the other spots out.

I find I am building more brigs to go in my fleets now.

[Slaists]

I'm still on turn 1 on my GB campaign, so I'm not sure how this will affect my economic position. The "race to the trade ports" may not be a viable option with the existing fleets anymore - but GB can now spam 7 IM/turn. It can also get a total of 9 trade pacts at turn 1, which is significant. Has this made GB even more powerful vis-a-vis the rest?

What have you noticed such changes in other new campaigns?

Post-patch, playing GB (turn 30'ish or so): trade is by far my largest source of income.

Using the starting fleets to 'reserve' spots in trade theaters is still a viable option. Maybe even an exploitative option since the starting pirate fleets in the trade theaters still do not attack ships (any ships) sitting on anchors. Actually, using the American fleet to defend the Caribbean from the pirates (and attack their islands), I managed to secure 4 trade spots near Madagascar (the highest ivory output) and 3 in Indonesia using the other two British starting fleets from Europe.

In general, it seems, at the start of the campaign, the AI is not as prone to rush to the trade theaters. With the same fleets I secured more slots (near West Africa and South America) once the first indiamen arrived to the 'reserved' slots.

I suspect, the trade prices have been nerfed though and have become more a function of supply/demand. Once I had a single indiaman sitting on each of my 'reserved' 4 slots near Madagaskar (the pirates had the 5th), adding more indiamen to ivory anchors seemed to produce only miniscule increases in total trade revenue.

Grabbing more anchors is still important though: helps one monopolize the trade and control the output volume (market price).

[al Roumi]

As the UP, you start with developed towns (that hadn't been before) in both Cuarcao and Ceylon.

I also think you start with a larger fleet in the East indies (approx 4 indiamen, 2 fluyts and maybe a couple of sloops/brigs) -enough to occupy all trade slots in turn one (if you can get around the pirate fleet...)

[maestro]

Yup - I've had about 10 starts as the UK pre-patch and wa\s just staring at the screen thinking wtf for ages trying to work out what was different.

I THINK that GB is two installations up: Bristol is an extra port which I don't think we used to get at the start and (as someone else said) we now get Cork as an Ironsmith. The fleets are down but land units are all the same but I think we're now better placed for the trade rush simply because we can get more IM out quicker

[Relic]

I just looked at Russia. I never played as them before, but as Sweden, I thought the School was west of Moscow, not east?

[anweRU]

I'm pretty sure the university I tore down when I captured Moscow as Sweden (pre-patch) was to the east of Moscow.

[Maleficus]

I THINK that GB is two installations up: Bristol is an extra port which I don't think we used to get at the start and (as someone else said) we now get Cork as an Ironsmith.

The farmland in Norfolk, Scotland and Ireland is also more developed than before.

[Fridgebadger]

Sorry if this was documented... but finally, selected units now show up as a different colour on the minimap. Like Medievil. And Rome

Actually makes the minimap useful now...!