Beta Patch Notes e1.9.0

[Totalgarbage]

@cuce I've got to say, even though I love the new mercenary units, there's still the issue of availability. I think we should be able to hire 10-25 units from the tavern at once rather than 2-10(?) units like it is now. The scale of the game is so much larger than warband and mercenary units need to become more convenient to hire.

 

[Grank]

Could I also ask you if there are plans to add peasant women to villager parties (maybe they already are and I haven't noticed?) for us to recruit Sword sisters an alternative way?

Yeah I agree with this too. Not sure why, but those peasant bands were a pleasant touch for immersion. Rescuing imprisoned peasants from bandits was always a feel good moment. The Caldaric Empire is less sexist than Warband era Calradia too, with ladies leading armies and fighting battles, so it's quite jarring that we're not seeing peasant women doing peasant things.

 

[JunKeteer]

I did some tests on my own in custom battles. I only tried tier 6 cavalry against tier 5 mixed infantry (shield + shock infantry), and I can confidently say that while the cavalry are MUCH better in holding their own, mixed infantry is still better. In my few tests, even if cavalry won the battle, they had huge losses (around 2/3) ish. Infantry also wrecks cavalry if they assume any defensive formation, especially square (maybe also circle but it's such a hassle to make an optimal size circle formation). Cavalry also wrecks normal archers, but I'm sad to inform that Fian champions win quite handily against melee cavalry, even on flat ground.

I think melee cavalry is good where it is now, the problem is Fian champions being ridiculous.

Have we tested the 'cost' equivalent ratio (#calvary vs #infantry); using that as the equalizer for comparison? ie 1000d of cavalry vs 1000d of same tier infantry?

 

[Totalgarbage]

No I didn't, I just tested how the best cavalry units performed against T5 mixed infantry formations, archer formations and Fian champions.
I don't know what the benefit of cost effectiveness would be anyways, more armoured and higher tier units will die less often even when they are taken down, they will also most likely kill more units, so higher tier units will end up being more cost efficient anyways.

 

[Lazregamesh]

UI
Changes

• Enabled right-click to open the encyclopedia page in Gather Army popup for party leaders which allows players to see their traits before calling them to their army.

Thank you for adding this, i remember asking for it a while back and i got a reply that they might add it. Glad to see opinions matter here Good luck and i can't wait to see further "polishing"
Good day!

 

[LuciusDomitiusAurelianus]

Anyone else seeing weird "shadows" on the campaign map? I'm seeing a lot of streaks of blue and red blobs, like 16 bit sprites or something. You can even see it in @Strat 's latest 1.9.0 battle a bit on the map.

Melee cav is performing so much better now, when employed correctly, they still get mauled pretty bad if you try to F1+F3 them into a forest, hill, or water - which is good. I want to dominate flat fields with them and also want to be crushed in deserts trying to fight high-cav Aserai parties.

Still seeing a lot of grain hoarding though - first battles in the game against Minors they're dropping like 100 grain a pop - which likely means they have at least 5X that amount on them?

I'm also with @Totalgarbage re: More merc variety and having more available. Gives a decent Role Play option but also rounding out with more archetypes included in a theoretical "Northern" or "Southern" mercenary would be a great option late-game in contested territory that barely has any manpower allocated

 

[nereid]

Maybe take another look at the items or at least make weapons throwable if it is in the name

Also this Reinforced Mail Barding looks a lot like the full Lamellar Barding

Maybe also take a look at the item modifications

 

[Apocal]

custom battles use the same values and calculations as single player but are not modified by various campaign effects like captain perks and banners, so result might be different in some cases.

It was noted, among other places, in this thread here:

About why lance/spear cavalry so weak in SandBox

There is a thread discussed about this issue before: https://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php?threads/fix-cavalry-charge.442262/ As we know, developers changed reorganizing range of cavalry in Beta e1.5.10, but it affects few. Every reason you can found in codes. For example, the Mount Charge...

forums.taleworlds.com

Was that changed at some point?

 

[Dabos37]

Wowwee! Melee cavalry aren't garbage any more! They can actually perform very well against infantry who do not have pikes, as they should. Making them worth the additional cost/time of buying them warhorses, finally!

Testing in Battle_terrain_m, which is a reasonably open field with some small hills, good for cavalry:

* 60 T5 Champions against 60 T5 Elite Menavliaton - Champions won with 20 casualties.
* 60 T5 Vanguard against 60 T5 Elite Menavliaton - Vanguard won with 22 casualties.
* 60 T5 Vanguard against 60 T5 Legionaries - Vanguard won with 6 casualties.
* 60 T5 Cataphracts against 60 T5 Legionaries - Cataphracts won with 2 casualties.
* 60 T5 Cataphracts against 60 T5 Heroic Line Breakers - Cataphracts won with 4 casualties.

I also tested Veteran Faris. They don't have couched lances so they have to rely on just stabbing, which is still inaccurate for cavalry AI.

* 60 T5 Veteran Faris (hold fire) against 60 T5 Heroic Line Breakers - Veteran Faris won with 2 casualties.
* 60 T5 Veteran Faris (hold fire) against 60 T5 Elite Menavliaton - Menavliaton won with 3 casualties.

I also tested cavalry against pikemen. Worryingly, the cavalry beat the pikemen because the AI doesn't seem to understand that they need to brace their pikes when being charged by cavalry, even when they are on defense!

* 60 T5 Champions against 60 T5 Pikemen (offense) - Champions won with 5 casualties.
* 60 T5 Champions against 60 T5 Pikemen (defense) - Champions won with 11 casualties.

So we still aren't where we need to be, but regardless, this is a big improvement. We are rapidly approaching balanced combat and Good Tactics™.

Now that cavalry AI is decent, I think it is time to reduce how cavalry units pass through infantry so easily.

Anyway, I am glad to see the AI improvements and cavalry units finally doing well.

 

[Totalgarbage]

Now that cavalry AI is decent, I think it is time to reduce how cavalry units pass through infantry so easily.

Anyway, I am glad to see the AI improvements and cavalry units finally doing well.

From what I've seen, they don't really pass through anymore if the enemy formation is anything other than line or loose. Even with line formation, it depends how many lines there are.

 

[Ser Jon]

Interested in seeing the AI changes in action, but am definitely not downloading 30gb+ just to see it. Anyone got video of it, or a rundown?

 

[Blood Gryphon]

This class is new in 1.9.0: `AutoCaptainAssignmentLogic : MissionLogic`.
It picks a captain for the spawned formation. So yeah, AI does get captains now.

you can use your companions as formation captains and equip them with banners as well, but for ai they will only have one formation with banner yes

Thank you guys for the confirmation!

 

[MArdA TaleWorlds]

Maybe also take a look at the item modifications

We have identified the issue. We will be fixing it as soon as possible. Thank you!

 

[nereid]

We have identified the issue. We will be fixing it as soon as possible. Thank you!

Thanks for the heads-up

 

[froggyluv]

Now that cavalry AI is decent, I think it is time to reduce how cavalry units pass through infantry so easily.

They finally fixed this? Are they as accurate as Warband's cav?

Also was wondering -if you beat an enemy AI with a special skill giving banner -can you find those in the loot?

 

[Grank]

They finally fixed this? Are they as accurate as Warband's cav?

They fixed the horse rearing, so now cavalry doesn't get stopped as easily and can charge through infantry better. Besides that, there's this:

• Improved the cavalry troops' couch lance behavior, making them more inclined to use it.

 

[SanicK]

It doesn't rain but it pours!
The Deluge of Devs.

Thanks TW for all of your ( ongoing ) BL work ......

Yeah. +1

It's looking good. Keep up the good work!

 

[Julio-Claudian]

Are items such as wool, velvet etc. supposed to be exempt from certain modifiers like 'hardened' 'cracked' and so forth? I saw someone post an image of "Cracked Wool".

 

[OptiqueMarquis]

We have identified the issue. We will be fixing it as soon as possible. Thank you!

not to sound ungrateful or entitled or anything but why is this price inconsistency between these two mostly obscure items more important than the floating parts of crafted swords that has gone ignored for so long?

 

[Ananda_The_Destroyer]

@Ananda_The_Destroyer Have you tried 1.9.0 cav?

Not really, 2 of them (t3) beat me up though and the ones I have (Imperial caravan guards) handled looters and embers of the flame without losses, so that's a sign of improvement. I will wait till I have the big gun Cataphracts and a lords party to fight to get a real opinion though.
Edit: t2 and t3 horse archer on hold fire seem much improved a killing with melee, so that's another indication that cav in general is better at hitting. I also notice enemy cav landing hits on me with spears that I would expect them to wiff based on past battles..

Also was wondering -if you beat an enemy AI with a special skill giving banner -can you find those in the loot?

So far yes, I got one off of the ember of the flame (same one some Imperial nobles have). I also received one from joining the Aserai, not sure if it's only the 1st faction you join, but we'll see tomorrow. Would be cool to grab all of them this way, but I doubt it.