Empire Total War #3

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There's currently a bug in the economic information that's causing a client to desynch with host in the multiplayer campaign but we're close to getting it fixed.

Seperately, Sensei and I managed to play a multi campaign today where we fought together as France and Spain (He Spain, me France) quite succesfully. We had strong early success by ganging up on Portugal, whilst being constantly harassed by the Barbary States and the Pirates.

I dispatched a land army to Spain from Paris to assist in his storming of Lisbon and we lay siege to the city together. Sadly, Morocco took the opportunity to invade from the south and we ended up storming Lisbon, taking casualties in order to free up for the defence of southern Spain.
At this moment the United Provinces declared war on me in Europe, I asked for his assistance and he duly agreed. The meagre forces I had left in Paris rushed to defend Brusells but it was lost to the maruading Dutch.

By clever building I'd managed to access one of the new free units who I pulled into a grand armee and threw at the Dutch, just to hold them from the gates of Paris.

At this stage Sensei deigned to inform me he'd almost lost control of Portugal to rebellion thanks to fleeing to Madrid to see off the Moroccans. Britain inadvertantly assited us by landing an army in Northern Africa and invading Tripoli, halting the Barbary aggression for a while.

But with the United Provinces at the gates of Paris, The Moroccans within spitting distance of Madrid and a turbulant Porutgal we're in for a heavy fight tomorrow. We tested out the save/load facility and will hopefully get a chance to resume our campaign on Friday.

Tomorrows update will be more technical in nature, we just wanted to share a story for this one.

Kind regards,
Kieran

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Op woensdag 3 juni 2009 22:14 schreef TheJanitor het volgende:

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Dat zoek ik ook, ik merk dat de troepen bij Pruisen goedkoper zijn volgens mij...

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Hello everyone, today we would like to give you an update on how the next patch beta test is going.

The beta testers have reported much improved battle AI as we have fixed the problem that was resulting in it getting into melee too much in 1.2.

On the campaign AI side they have reported AI getting into less wars, making peace more, keeping allies and when it does wage war doing so more sensibly. This confirms various improvements we have made since 1.2 in our continued effort to improve the AI.

Big performance improvements have been reported thanks to the new performance improvements that are in the next patch.

They've also been enjoying the various free goodies that are going to be in the next patch.

Hope you all have enjoyed this update and have a good weekend.

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Op zaterdag 6 juni 2009 02:12 schreef piekartz87 het volgende:
ben benieuwd naar die patch dan, vooral ook het performance gedeelte, ik draai het spel al aardig hoog maar misschien kan ik hem dan helemaal los gooien, het gaat toch ook om het grafische spectacel met die grote veldslagen.

de paarden mogen trouwens ook wel iets gevoeliger zijn voor kogels en niet allemaal dood gaan als ik gewoon routing units aanval.
val ik een routing groepje aan van 5 units oid.. vallen er iets van 4 paarden gewoon neer. wtf slaat dat op?

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Op zaterdag 6 juni 2009 02:27 schreef piekartz87 het volgende:
ja hoe gaat dan in zijn werk dan met die campaing via lan? echt een hele campaign met zn 2en, ik neem aan dat je die kan saven dan?

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Op zaterdag 6 juni 2009 12:02 schreef ufopiloot het volgende:
Die AI klinkt veel beter. Ik was met Engeland bezig (ook mijn eerste World Domination campaign die ik speelde), en had alle Americas in bezit. En toen viel Nederland mij opeens aan, terwijl ze very friendly tegenover mij waren en ik nooit problemen heb gehad. Toen heb ik ze van de kaart geveegd in de Americas (toen had ik gelijk 46/50 gebieden) en een vrede afgedwongen. Daarna heb ik Noorwegen, Zweden en Finland ingenomen en als laatst nog IJsland en toen had ik alle 50 benodigde regio's.

En nu speel ik met Nederland, waar ik me eerst richt op de handel (ik heb alle routes in de indies, alle routes in madagascar, alle routes op 1 na in brazilië, en alle routes op 1 na in West-Afrika, zonder 1 gevecht te doen). Nu ben ik trade ships aan het sturen naar deze trade posts, en toen viel Spanje mij aan. Op zich wel te begrijpen, want we hebben niet echt een goede relatie met de Spanjaarden.

Toen heb ik Vlaanderen ingenomen, en vrede gemaakt met de Spanjaarden. Eén beurt later verklaren de Fransen mij de oorlog. Toen heb ik hun Antillen overgenomen en vrede gemaakt. En weer een beurt later verklaren ze mij weer de oorlog, terwijl ik de vorige beurt vrede heb gekregen met ze. Ik sloeg de aanvallen af en wilde weer vrede, dat lukte ook weer. En de volgende beurt wilden ze wéér oorlog

En daarna verklaarde uit het niets Pruisen mij de oorlog en blokkeerde de haven van Rotterdam met een enorme vloot, waar ik niks tegen kon doen Na een paar beurten gingen ze weer weg maar ik was ondertussen bankroet

Ik vind het ook heel erg dom dat territorial expansion zo zwaar telt voor alle facties. Als ik in Amerika een Indianenstam uitroei, worden facties in Europa daar minder blij mee. Sowieso vind ik dat het heel erg zwaar telt. Als je 4-5 regio's hebt veroverd heeft iedereen al een hekel aan je.

En bij de ene factie telt het weer niet mee, en bij de ander weer wel.

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Hi guys,

The third free unit that we will shortly be releasing is the Spanish Guardias de corps. The cavalry unit is only available in a monarchy system and are very strong at charge and melee. This unit will replace the standard household cavalry to add a more unique flavour to the faction.



Thanks,

Mark O'Connell
(aka SenseiTW)

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Hi guys,

The latest free unit we'd like to reveal for the upcoming free unit pack is the Swedish 'Lifeguards of foot'

These are a highly trained replacement for the standard Swedish guard. They are often used as a force in a system that defends a monarchy and can be relied upon for utter loyalty and deadly accuracy in the field. Their professionalism is reflected in their fearsome battle reputation.



More units will be detailed soon.

Thanks,

Mark O'Connell
(aka SenseiTW)

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Op woensdag 10 juni 2009 10:53 schreef piekartz87 het volgende:
hoe komen we nu aan die units?
komen die er vanzelf in of moet je dokken?

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Op woensdag 10 juni 2009 10:34 schreef Luctor.et.Emergo het volgende:
Heb ik de eerste twee gratis eenheden gemist?

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Op woensdag 10 juni 2009 15:54 schreef TheJanitor het volgende:
w00t Dutch guards

[ afbeelding ]

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Dear All,

Today's update concerns the Campaign AI. The next patch naturally contains fixes and upgrades to the AI but there will be further work to do. Naval invasions will be slightly more frequent for the new patch and we will continue to make them more likely. The AI campaign diplomacy is also being examined, in order to make it better 'fit' with the recent changes to the game's economical model and relative values.
The 'counter offer' system is also being relaxed, meaning it will be more likely the AI will return an offer with amended terms as opposed to simply refusing.

We're also moving some of the hard coded AI values for diplomacy into the data space to allow them to be modified by modders.

Kind regards,
Kieran

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Hi guys,

Today's slightly late update reveals another forthcoming free unit. The Prussian Garde Du Corp are a replacement for the Prussian standard Household cavalry. These heavy horse shock troops are best used to break enemy lines and overrun enemy positions. With a strong charge and fearsome attack, these riders make short work of those who would oppose a Prussian monarch.



Thanks,

Mark O'Connell
(aka SenseiTW)

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Op zaterdag 13 juni 2009 15:04 schreef ganzenherder het volgende:
Iemand een idee hoe die trading posts werken? Ik snap het nog steeds niet

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Op zaterdag 13 juni 2009 17:04 schreef TheJanitor het volgende:

[..]

Daar moet je een trade schip inzetten, dan krijg je vanzelf geld per turn. Als je het goed gedaan hebt zie je zo'n trade lijntje lopen en als je dan je muis daarop houdt dan zie je hoeveel je krijgt per turn.

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Hi guys,

Today we introduce the Spanish Grenadiers. They are a replacement for the standard Spanish Grenadiers with a distinctive bearskin hat to mark them out as exemplary on the battlefield.



Thanks and have a great weekend!

Mark O'Connell
(aka SenseiTW)

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Hi guys,

Today's update features a forthcoming free Prussian unit. The Prussian life guards are equipped similarly to line infantrymen. However their uniforms are altogether more splendid, marking them out as a superior force, in arrogance if nothing else. They do a good job as garrison troops and are dedicated to the crown.



Thanks,

Mark O'Connell
(aka SenseiTW)

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Op dinsdag 16 juni 2009 13:23 schreef piekartz87 het volgende:
kun je deze units al een keer terugvinden in het spel?

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Due to popular demand today's update will be more technical in nature.

1. We made fixes to campaign map data reprocessing.

2. SimpleUniString bug fixes, we corrected some string values so they were default constructed.

3. We changed rebel data storage to store data in regions as well as armies for code sourcing purposes.

4. Reduced the prestige bonus for obtaining technology first, as a rebalance.

5. Unit group speed matching changes implemented. Unit group formations match speed more coherently.


For those of you hoping for new unit details, this will follow shortly.

Kind regards,
Kieran

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Hi guys,

For the second part of today's daily update, we introduce another free unit - the Prussian Grenadiers. Wearing a distinctive brass fronted mitre cap, the Prussian Grenadiers are an explosive force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.



Thanks,

Mark O'Connell
(aka SenseiTW)

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Today's update concerns the campaign difficulty levels and current balancing. Looking beyond the changes made to the upcoming patch we're continuing to test different campaign scenarios with various difficulties.
We've increased the likelihood of rebellions on the harder settings now.

The patch has also made it into final testing. This means it's frozen, no more changes made and it now needs final approval, providing we find no issues all will be well.

Kind regards,
Kieran

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Op donderdag 18 juni 2009 09:44 schreef TheJanitor het volgende:

[..]

Patch komt dus bijna!

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Op donderdag 18 juni 2009 10:06 schreef Luctor.et.Emergo het volgende:

[..]

die vrije eenheden komen ook in deze patch erbij? En zitten ze er dan gelijk bij je huidige spel? Of was als je een neiuw spel start?

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Op donderdag 18 juni 2009 10:35 schreef TheJanitor het volgende:

[..]

Ja, en ik denk dat ze gelijk inzitten ja

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Hi guys,
Update 1.3 will be released for Empire: Total War on 22nd June 2009. Ahead of its release, here are the major features coming to the update:

We’ve worked on implementing the multi-threading in the game for multi-core processors and made many optimisations that will also help increase performance on single core machines.
Players will see huge benefits through increased frame rates particularly in land and naval battles.
14 Free Units have been included in this patch, adding a large amount of diversity to the playable factions and the armies the player will face. These units replace ‘generic’ equivalents giving each faction a unique identity on the battlefield. Here is a description of each free unit available in the update:

Prussian Grenadiers
Wearing a distinctive brass fronted mitre cap, the Prussian Grenadiers are an explosive force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.

Spanish Guardias de infateria
These elite guard infantry are charged with protecting the monarch and are a potent force on the battlefield.

Swedish lifeguard horse
This cavalry regiment forms part of the monarchs’ household guard. Superbly drilled, they act as a shock force on the battlefield.

Holland Horse Guard
Armed with heavy cavalry sabres, these disciplined cavalrymen represent the elite of the army.

Prussian Garde Du Corp
The Prussian Garde Du Corp are a replacement for the Prussian standard Household cavalry. These heavy horse shock troops are best used to break enemy lines and overrun enemy positions. With a strong charge and fearsome attack, these riders make short work of those who would oppose a Prussian monarch.

Prussian Life guard
The Prussian life guards are equipped similarly to line infantrymen. However their uniforms are altogether more splendid, marking them out as a superior force, in arrogance if nothing else. They do a good job as garrison troops and are dedicated to the crown.
Russian Grenadiers
This new Russian unit is great for assaults and their grenades pack a mighty punch!
Spanish Guardias De Corp
The Spanish Guardias De Corp replace household cavalry for Spain. With almost unbreakable morale, on the charge they are almost unstoppable.

Spanish Grenadiers
These are a replacement for the standard Spanish Grenadiers with a distinctive bearskin hat to mark them out as exemplary on the battlefield.

Swedish ‘Lifeguards of foot’
These are a highly trained replacement for the standard Swedish guard. They are often used as a force in a system that defends a monarchy and can be relied upon for utter loyalty and deadly accuracy in the field. Their professionalism is reflected in their fearsome battle reputation.

Holland Guard
The Holland Guards from the United Provinces are superior line infantry units. Carrying smoothbore muskets, they were traditionally chosen to protect the royal family and have an incredibly high morale, often making them the last troops to break in a fight.

Scots
The Scots are a Highland ex-patriate infantry used by the United Provinces, renowned for their deadly charge.

Swiss Infantry
Very disciplined infantry of the United Provinces with quick reload and excellent marksmanship.

Mamelukes
Mamelukes are fearless light horsemen, deadly when deployed against a broken or unsupported enemy.
Additionally the Spanish nation has had a new uniform design to better reflect its historical look.
Audio:
Sound loading has been made asynchronous, so heavy disc access is reduced to a minimum. This makes loading times faster and reduces any instances of ’stuttering’. Unit group sounds have also been improved, for more realistic group movement. The primary sound library (Miles DLL) has been updated to stop occasional clicking. And we’ve added more sound variation for unit deaths and musket fire.
Campaign:
- Several crash bug fixes in saves, movement, agents and logic.
- Various optimisations have been made to AI and path systems to reduce the campaign map turn times.
- When the pirates are destroyed and re-emerge they now maintain a status of at war with all and are unable to enter into diplomatic negotiations.
- Added small ships on domestic trade routes from the trade nodes to home regions moving in the correct direction, i.e. with the flow of trade.
- The AI should now no longer repeatedly sign a diplomatic agreement and then break it the next turn. Treaties are more valuable and adhered to.
- We’ve fixed some border trade agreements allowing greater numbers of bordering factions to properly trade with one another.
- Movement arrows now reflect the range of the selected units, not the whole army/navy.
- AI will no longer counter-offer and ask for more money than the player has available.
- Fixed commerce raiding taking money from blockaded trade routes.
- Fixed navies getting stuck when forced to retreat from ports (tactial retreat).
- Fixed rare inability to attack certain ports.
- Fixed middle mouse button camera drag stopping working occasionally.
- Made emergent factions be at war with the faction they emerged against if that faction is human.
- Fixed various movement extent crashes.
- Changed background income for minor factions.
- Fixed diplomatic relations with emergent factions.
- Tactical withdrawal will now always leave armies on the landmass containing the settlement of a region.
- Changed war score system to make the AI more likely to accept peace.
- Fixed crash when embarking and disembarking armies at ports.
- Fixed trade ships not being correctly registered in trade nodes after splitting forces.
- Fixed government change diplomatic effect.
- Improved commerce raiding display on trade screen.
- Faction specific text is now used in diplomacy.
- Prevent players cancelling the movement of fleeing agents.
Balance changes

Units
- Charge bonus generally increased across the board for all units and melee defence reduced.
- Greater diversification of stats between different unit types designed to emphasise differences and improve balance.
- Redone costs for all units for multiplayer to improve game balance which better reflects the actual battlefield worth of each unit.
- Mob formation added in for Native American, irregular and some skirmisher units.
- Spot distance for light infantry, skirmishers, irregulars, light cavalry and missile cavalry increased allowing them to spot hidden units at longer distances.
- Russian line infantry stats have been boosted to allow them to compete more with other faction’s line infantry.
- Movement speed of all unit types reduced by 10%.
- Ammo for light infantry increased to 20, line to 15.
Land battle morale
- Charge morale bonus reduced from 10 to 4.
- Recent casualties, extended casualties and total casualties morale penalties increased slightly for higher percentages.
- Rear and flank exposed morale penalties increased.

Fatigue
- Fatigue penalty for melee reduced from 18 per tick to 10.
- Running fatigue penalty for heavy and light cavalry reduced from -3/-2 to -2/-1.
Artillery Changes
- Calibration area for cannons and howitzers reduced. Accuracy of non-round shot shot types reduced to compensate.
- Muzzle velocity of round shot for cannons increased to make them fire lower and bounce more, accuracy also increased.
- Lethality of shrapnel pieces reduced to match canister shot, range also reduced to 350.
- Load time for special shot types for howitzers increased slightly, and range reduced to 350.
- Calibration area for mortars increased, accuracy of round shot increased to compensate. Reload time increased slightly.
- Accuracy of 18 lbr horse guard artillery restored to 65.
Hit points of gun trains increased to 50, all guns and caissons to 25.

Thanks,
Mark O’Connell

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Op vrijdag 19 juni 2009 16:10 schreef Luctor.et.Emergo het volgende:
Waarom pas na het weekend?

Maar wel lekker veel nieuwe eenheden

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Op vrijdag 19 juni 2009 16:29 schreef TheJanitor het volgende:

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Wel jammer ja maar zullen ze echt niet doen om je te pesten ofzo hahaha

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Speciaal om Luctor te pesten, komt de update na het weekend

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Op vrijdag 19 juni 2009 18:32 schreef Luctor.et.Emergo het volgende:

[..]

nee, daar ga ik ook niet van uit. Zou wel humor zijn.
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