Patch 1.6 is out

[Mr White]

SEGA Europe Ltd. is pleased to announce that "Update 1.6" for the award winning Empire: Total War will be available today. The update introduces a large number of revisions to the Artificial Intelligence in real time battles. Amongst many other improvements, the Battle A.I. now maintains its lines more rigorously, has better army movement and engages in melee more tactically. It is also better at protecting its own advance and engaging opponents with flanking attacks.

I said I would start playing again when 1.6 came out. So has any tried it out yet and has it improved ETW?

[A Nerd]

Yay! So excited! Haven't tried it yet for this is the first I've heard about it! If I have any relevant and/or useful information to provide I will do my best to be semi-coherant!

[Fisherking]

It says:
Empire: Total War Update Released
March 31, 2010, 9:08 am - Valve - Product Update

SEGA Europe Ltd. is pleased to announce that "Update 1.6" for the award winning Empire: Total War will be available today. The update introduces a large number of revisions to the Artificial Intelligence in real time battles. Amongst many other improvements, the Battle A.I. now maintains its lines more rigorously, has better army movement and engages in melee more tactically. It is also better at protecting its own advance and engaging opponents with flanking attacks.


What else is up to us to find.

[Monsieur Alphonse]

The following files are new or have been altered: Patch4, Patch5 (new?) checksum and the Empire.exe file. I hope that we get a full list of all the improvements.

From CA:

Dear All,

We're pleased to announce that Empire patch 1.6 will soon be released containing the much anticipated Battle AI improvements.

The AI has been improved to allow it to handle formations better, form and maintain lines and reduce the occurrence of unnecessary melee behavior. It also reduces non reactive fort assault behavior.

Whilst this is not the improved AI system from Napoleon Total War, it does make a significant advancement on Empire's current Battle AI.

Thank you all for your patience and constructive feedback, we're keen to continue to support you in the manner you support us.

The update will go live at approximately 1700GMT today 31 March 2010.

Kind regards,
Kieran

[antisocialmunky]

I am glad they stuck with it. Thought its still a little annoying that last bug fix for some of the most major issues comes out a year after the game. But that's good service that they are still doing this after a year.

[Fisherking]

I am glad they stuck with it. Thought its still a little annoying that last bug fix for some of the most major issues comes out a year after the game. But that's good service that they are still doing this after a year.

Agreed.

I have not had a chance to try it yet. But I see from Steam that ETW is actually more played than NTW.

NTW is such a leap a head of ETW I can only assume that it is not widely owned as the older game.

ETW has wide scope and is a fun game. As you can see it is still widely played even if so many say it is a turkey and have not bought NTW for that reason.

I hope they will do a bit more DLC for both, and soon.

Happy Playing, which ever you go with, or both.


http://store.steampowered.com/stats/

[NimitsTexan]

Is the patch actually out? When I started up my game, it still showed a 1.50 version.

[Fisherking]

I have the same thing, and I never saw it download.

I have restarted steam several times and went into the game and got the same.

Maybe someone who knows they have the patch can post the build number?

[Monsieur Alphonse]

I have version 1.5 also. It is build 1332.21992. But some file were altered. Maybe it was a fix and they didn't change the version number.

[Fisherking]

Thanks, that was quick!

[Monsieur Alphonse]

According to Shireknight of the official forum, the correct version number is 1.5.

[A Nerd]

I was on the internet and wasn't playing ETW at the time and saw a little pop-up in the lower right corner of my computer screen that said steam was updating ETW. I assumed this was the patch. Also, I've read on TWC that they didn't change the number from 1.5 to 1.6...don't know how true that is though.

[Peasant Phill]

Quit odd indeed. Perhaps it's just the code of the update that's missing the part that ...

[Madoushi]

Steam auto updated it for me last night. Have no idea what it does, to be honest, I haven't played Empire since I got EB.
Since I have to run it on minimum stats, it looks ugly as sin, runs slowly and just ins't as rivetting to me as M2 or EB.

[Mailman653]

Has a proper change log appear anywhere? I haven't played ETW since 1.3 and I'm tempted to give it another go.

[Fisherking]

There are change logs, I think in the old Update thread, or maybe Daily Updates for 1.4 & 1.5 there were some hot fixes too though.

If you have not played since 1.3 you just have to give it a go. It is a different game now.

[NimitsTexan]

Sooo . . . anyone notice any actual improvement in 1.6/1.5+

[A Nerd]

I can't provide a very detailed, overall view as of yet, but in my current campaign as Russia I've noticed the AI forming and using firing lines. They also melee less, especially when it is more oportunistic to exchange vollys. I had one interesting battle, a small battle, there was no way I could win but I was pleased with the AI performance. I set up some infantry to fire on his approaching melee troops, got off one volly and they engaged, I had two units to his one in the melee but was losing. Meanwhile, he moved two units of calvary to a flanking position and hesitated until my units were ready to rout and finished the job. I must say, I'm not the best at this game but I though the AI didn't perform too badly.

[Grombeard]

Tech trade window is still bugged, so: Instant Uninstall! -_-

Worst buy ever for me... There is no other full price game that I've played less...

[antisocialmunky]

Hey atleast it wasn't 200 dollars:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_52

[Lucius Verenus]

Sooo . . . anyone notice any actual improvement in 1.6/1.5+

Had three battles since the patch. Prussians v Poles . The Poles did seem to form line better and not wander round and put in piecemeal flank attacks.

One of the battles Polish reinforcements entering the battlefield were getting the last 6 men on the right flank 'stuck' behind a farmcart.
The rest of the unit marched into the center of the field and halted.
I used ground attack with mortars and howitzers to kill them then moved the howitzers to kill the ones stuck behind the cart.
Timer ran out and I lost the battle though the 'stuck' guys were the only enemy left.
Reloaded and same thing happened but as I was watching for it I got to the the farm cart much earlier. when GE blast from 3 howitzers managed to kill 4 of them the other two unstuck - and then 2 gun batteries (invisibly stuck behind) came onto the field (and got wiped out as my dragoons were nearby). Then another line unit came on - same thing happened, the last 6 men on their RF got stuck !!

Oh maybe I should make clear that you cannot attack the unit affected, you get an 'x' when you try and your men ignore them - targetting ground near them is the only way to eliminate them. When I eliminated that unit another marched on and the same thing happened again

The only way around it was to reload a couple saves back (I save after almost every activity with this game), then moved my stack to attack the same enemy but from a slightly different direction - no cart no problem. I never experienced this in many battles in 1.5 so likely another new bug?

The second was a fort defense ( Breslau ) with a full stack Polish army against my defenders also a full stack - frame rate slowed to a crawl during the peak of the battle, I haven't experienced that since 1.5 came out so looks like an old bug is back again.

[Fisherking]

It isn't new. I have been having it since about 1.3 but it could go back to the beginning. It is just in some places it seems to happen.

[Veho Nex]

So... I haven't noticed anything improved... During sieges my frame rate goes from a constant 40-60 to a staggering 5-10.

Then there is the land battles, first one i had the Austrians charged their cav into my waiting cannons and musket shot, then sent the inf to their doom. The only thing that gives me trouble is the light inf, but they have been giving me trouble since 1.3