v1.03 in the works (Updated: 9/12/2014)

[Nick Thomadis]

Hello Generals,

 

We have addressed all problems concerning game's stability and we will continue to support the game with more patches. The next update will include the following:
 

Gameplay

- Various AI improvements to all characters.

- New optional AI boost settings to increase the challenge. Boost enhances subtly the long range accuracy, condition recover when idle and charge bonus, according to AI character. Indirectly of course morale, efficiency and other factors are affected but overall the boost should provide more challenge without overwhelming odds against the player.

- Artillery will move faster according to distance of waypoint making maneuver columns.

- Skirmishers condition will not decrease so fast when they move.

- Artillery will be more vulnerable in direct projectile attacks (Something that up to now made AI effort very difficult, as Artillery got minimal damage and inflicted 100's of casualties with canister volleys). Additionally artillery vs artillery fights will cause more casualties.

- Slight Union decrease of long range combat effectiveness vs the Confederates.

- Slight Confederate artillery more accurate at long range fire.

- Condition changes more dynamically and will not remain to zero state during firefights so often. Careful management of units now is creating a dynamic, more challenging tempo throughout the battle.

- Various gameplay balances to morale, combat lethality and melee.

- Improved auto-targeting, especially for artillery which will choose the closest threats much more effectively.

 

Battle Flow

- Confederate Thomas brigade is available on speculative 1st day 3rd phase of the battle(requested in forum). Historically it was kept in reserve but since Slocum and Stannard are coming it is logical to appear in the battlefield.

- Confederate McLaws division arrives in a more south position in battle of Devils Den (requested in forum). This is more historically correct to make possible the planned envelopment maneuver for the Confederates.

- Iron Brigade and Cutler will arrive in a slightly more northern waypoint in the 1st engagement and reinforcements arrive in more varying delays.

 

Multiplayer

- New multiplayer map: "Chance to change history". In this historical scenario of 1st July 1863, the Confederates attack with great numbers from West, North and East, heading to Gettysburg and Cemetery hill. The Union forces have a hard task to delay them and hold their ground.

- Various fixes to existing multiplayer maps according to feedback. The most important are: 

  - Reduce of battle delay in some maps that was too big.

  - Balance of VP in some maps that was needed for more balanced battles.

  - Blended in time the reinforcement arrival time for many maps.
  - The Battle of Devil's Den has McLaws to arrive in a more south position (see above in Battle flow).

  - "The confederates counterattack seminary ridge" map is extended to the west, including Cemetery hill and Cemetery ridge and Stannard does not participate. As a result, many more tactical choices are available.

- Updated the gameplay to fit new single player improvements.

- Chat messages include punctuation characters (it was incomplete without them).

 

Bug fixes

- Fixed targeting bug which made units in wavering mode to stop firing. This was very annoying for artillery units which stopped to target and fire until their morale increased or they routed.

- Fixed morale code bug that affected mostly AI actions, eventually making it weaker vs the player. Units that were standing did not receive the proper morale impacts, resulting eventually to just stand and win easily in many cases when in defense. This bug affected also the multiplayer.

 

Patch ETA tomorrow (10/12/2014)

 

We hope you enjoy the game,

 

The Game-Labs Team

Edited December 9, 2014 by Nick Thomadis
Edited change log

[UGGloyalist]

UGG Team,

 

I know I have asked this before. But, are you guys still planning on implementing 2v2, 3v3 multiplayer? This being implemented in this game is the one feature I am aware of that would bring in more people. Thanks for all the hard work! Version 1.02 so absolutely excellent!

[GShock]

Guys,

you've got to add the DC if not the BC... Heth's division without Heth and having AP Hill on the field seems a bit offset. We already have the sprites, just make it smaller (less horses), if it's not right now, please do it for the 1.04.

Then, you can give every player a different DC so that in multi-division fight, we can really have XvsX players in Multiplayer.

 

(what matters is that if a player drops out, the remaining player takes over the "dropped" division).

 

Have you guys thought of implementing the Co-Op multiplayer type?

[YueJin]

I must confess I'm slightly worried at the changes to confederate artillery and the reduction in Union long range firepower. As things stand, I feel that with the exception of conquer the map and Pickett's Charge every multiplayer map is already confederate favoured, having not lost as confederates on any other map since back when I was a 2nd LT. It is possible the introduction of increased canister damage may offset this but the minimal damage for cannon also seems to favour the confederates.

 

I don't like criticising changes before they are made so will leave it there, but please make sure these are delicate changes that don't change the balance of power too much. The skirmisher changes and the faster artillery both sound very good though and of course chat with punctuation.  

[CSA Watkins]

Great update news, it sounds really interesting. (I really like the artillery moving a little faster)/(Artillery will be more vulnerable in direct projectile attacks.)

(Artillery vs Artillery Damage increase.) 

I would see batteries delivering direct hits, time n time again into batteries without them taking any casualties/damage.

-------

I seen when a battery fires canisters, half +, of the shots strike the ground, trailing forward in front of the cannons.

Visually it look likes maybe 20-30% strikes/reaches the enemy......just an observation,,

 

Perhaps modify how Canisters balls are Delivered(visually) forward into the enemy.

Unless this is implemented in the game, which I doubt...

>>>At times, trained artillerists would fire the canister shot towards the ground in front of advancing enemy troops, causing the conical pattern to flatten out as the balls ricocheted and skipped off the terrain. This in effect widened the killing zone. An example of this tactic was at the first day of Gettysburg where Lt. James Stewart's Battery B, 2nd U.S. Artillery on Seminary Ridge skipped canister shot at Alfred M. Scales's approaching Confederate infantry, breaking up their attack and forcing them to take cover in a depression.<<<  http://www.thefullwiki.org/Canister_shot

[Gen Grenadier]

Any change to artillery would be beneficial. The poor rebs don't stand a chance if they ever have to cross open ground, the shell fire alone just destroys the condition and numbers nevermind the canister. And then one volley from even a good brigade like Perrin does 5 damage back, whoop dee @*%^!# doo, And the rebels have vastly inferior artillery and no videttes until day 3 to deal with it otherwise

[Nick Thomadis]

Hello all,

 

Patch 1.03 will arrive tomorrow.

Please read the updated changelog.

[RichardMcCor]

oh! lots of great changes. I expect a bunch of them will really affect my no click battle on day 1 scenario 1. The AI sounds like it was being hampered with ARTY and other negative items making it weaker as it often engaged in ARTY vs ARTY duels to little effect. I also see changes for cutler and IB on day 1 so that will be interesting to re-run the tests.

[RichardMcCor]

The change log says ETA at start of next week but your intext comment is tomorrow?

All relative to today I assume.

Should i be excited for wednesday 10th or next monday 15th?

[Nick Thomadis]

Patch ETA tomorrow (10/12/2014).
It was not edited the whole message. Edited now.