Dear Players,

We’re thrilled to bring you our Christmas update! 🎄

First, a big thank-you to everyone who shared their feedback after launch. Over the past few weeks, we’ve been hard at work implementing your most-requested improvements, and we’re excited to share what’s new!

Unit Formations

One of the top requests has been the ability for units to move in formations. While we explored various approaches in the past, we hadn’t found a method we were happy with—until now! With significant changes to our pathfinding system, we took a deep dive and discovered a solution we love.

From now on, units will automatically arrange themselves in formation when reaching their destination. We believe this is a fantastic first step and are eager to hear your thoughts on it. Potential follow-ups include locking unit speeds for a more cohesive movement or offering greater customization options. However, speed locking has its challenges—imagine needing to flee, but faster units are held back unnecessarily.



What do you think of this initial implementation? Your feedback will help us decide where to go next!

The Cannon

It’s clear that many of you were eagerly awaiting the cannon when playing missions, so we made it a priority! As of this update, the cannon is available to unlock at Tier 3. You’ll also find perks in the tech tree to tailor it to your playstyle.

Vibrancy

We’ve heard how much you love the vibrant visuals on our Steam page and wanted to bring that same level of color and detail to the game itself. After experimenting, we’ve implemented three changes that we believe hit the mark:

• Enhanced color grading for richer visuals.
  
• Improved fog effects, now applied across all biomes.
  
• Upgraded terrain textures with detailed normal maps.
  

Take a look at the comparison below:



On the right, you’ll see the updated version, featuring bolder colors, more detailed terrain, and striking fog effects.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on these updates—feedback is always welcome!

Outlook

We hope you enjoy this festive update! Looking ahead, we’re excited to share that a significant overhaul of the skill trees on the home island is in the works. Here’s what we’re planning:

1. Abilities for all units: Currently, units like Snipers, Colonel Smith, and Medicine Woman can unlock abilities. We want to expand this to all units, introducing features like:
   
   • Extra damage when flanking.
     
   • Mounted units continuing as their dismounted counterparts after death.
     
   • Speed boosts when hit.
     
   
   
2. Perk Tree Visual Overhaul: Expect a more intuitive layout with categorized perks and a clear emphasis on the most important upgrades.
   

If you have suggestions, now’s the perfect time to share them, as we’ll be working on this through the rest of the year.

Full Patch Notes

Unit Formations

• Units now automatically arrange into formations upon movement.
  

Hawk-Eye Regiment

• The cannon is now available after unlocking Tier 3.
  
• Sharpshooters now align properly before using the Snipe ability.
  
• Fixed incorrect harbor icons for upgraded units.
  

Visuals

• Enhanced color grading for vibrant visuals.
  
• Improved fog effects, now in all biomes.
  
• Upgraded terrain with detailed normal maps.
  

Missions

• Fixed an issue where the home island tutorial restarted after mission completion.
  
• Trader side-objective markers now disappear correctly.
  

Localization

• Corrected several text errors in localized versions.
  

Thank you for playing and for your incredible feedback. We’re looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this update. Happy holidays and see you in the game! 🎅