Oriental Empires -- 4x historical strategy

[Surtur]

Hi guys,

We released a pretty big patch a couple of days ago. It took us a bit longer than expected, but a new version is now available. This update contains a lot of fixes and balance changes based on your initial feedback. The trade and siege mechanics have gotten some love and should now work much better. In addition, we increased the rate at which unrest is reduced when your people are given some rest.

The full changelog can be found here.

[W8taminute]

This is great news Surtur!  Thanks for the update.  I love this game and it's only going to get better.

[Philippe]

I've gotten past 200 turns and everything has unlocked.

Believe it or not I'm still learning how to play the game, but I now understand why everything wasn't available on day one. 

Going past 200 turns unlocks herders, and I've been having a blast figuring out how to play steppe nomads.  It's almost like learning the game over again.  There are a lot of grassy plains out there, and I've just managed to cross what I think is the Gobi desert.  Now if only I could figure out why I would want to.

There are still a few kinks here and there, but apart from that the game feels pretty polished for early access.

And when they get multiplayer up and running, its going to be a blast.

[jomni]

I've gotten past 200 turns and everything has unlocked.

Believe it or not I'm still learning how to play the game, but I now understand why everything wasn't available on day one. 

Going past 200 turns unlocks herders, and I've been having a blast figuring out how to play steppe nomads.  There are a lot of grassy plains out there, and I've just managed to cross what I think is the Gobi desert.  Now if only I could figure out why I would want to.

There are still a few kinks here and there, but apart from that the game feels pretty polished for early access.

And when they get multiplayer up and running, its going to be a blast.

Historically, the steppe nomads would raid and threaten the agricultural kingdoms to gain some economic concessions.  I that in the game?  I haven't gone that far yet.

[Hofstadter]

http://steamcommunity.com/games/357310/announcements/detail/508182627715119717

UPDATED


Diplomacy Changes
Added limited trading of settlements. Settlements may be traded as part of a peace deal, or if returned to the previous owner or founder, or if small enough to be disbanded.
Added trade embargo declaration.
Added option to trade info about enemies
Added diplomatic agreement to attack other players
AI and Player can make counter offers during negotiations
Number of diplomatic offers a player can make per turn is limited to 3.
Can only initiate negotiations with other factions if city or character location is known
Trade status shown on diplomacy screen
AI more likely to combine against player who is winning
Improved ai algorithm for detecting if player is likely to attack them
AI and player offer fraternal harmony pacts of same length (40 turns)
Looting reduces diplomatic liking
Vassals can't loot or block trade if player has an agreement with their overlord. Similarly if a player has an agreement with an overlord, they can't loot their vassals.
Can't make own noble rebels into vassals

Other Changes
Looting messages now given for each stack looting, so that zoom button can function
Stacks can't replenish if they've been in a battle
Fixed problem with trade routes being duplicated when a settlement changes hands
Fixed freeze bug when shooting
Fixed being able to click improvement icons through UI
Fixed cities starving in first turn of custom game.
Fixed issues with trade routes not being removed when at war
Improved handling of eliminated players
Fixed a couple more bugs relating to freezes and lost income.
More animation improvements.
Added a notification for when there isn't enough money to start a queued building.

[Gusington]

Ooh...gotta get around the playing this.

[Philippe]

And they're spending most of their time getting ready to roll out multiplayer.

There are still a few kinks in single player that should be worked out.  Non-agricultural factions still feel like they need some more TLC, but overall the game is a lot of fun.

My one reservation about multiplayer is that a game needs to run a hundred turns or so just to get going.  Sometimes you don't have to do anything in a turn apart from checking to make sure that all possible actions have been taken, but that's still a lot of turns (especially when the whole thing needs three hundred turns plus to finish).  But in any case, they've nailed the 'one more turn' effect.

The game is a lot of fun, and I have no regrets buying it, even on Early Access.

[Gusington]

I hate that sort of waiting around. I'm surprised that exists in this game...veteran developers of these types of games usually always attempt to give the player work to do during every turn.

[Boggit]

I'd like to see some strategic units like spies and agents provocateurs added to the game to create destabilisation in cities.

[Gusington]

^Me too.

[Surtur]

Hi guys,

Great to see you are enjoying the game. The diplomacy update should bring a significantly better experience for the campaigns, especially to those who like to roleplay a bit.

For multiplayer. We know it is generally a minority that plays it, but we think it can work very well with this type of game. Our internal tests are already showing that the game get's going a lot faster in multiplayer, as everyone wants to get an edge early. This means preying on new and still defenseless settlements and by raiding each others farms. Playing on smaller maps, also helps a lot to speed up the game both in single and multiplayer.

Thank you for your feedback as well, it is always interesting to read the ideas of the experienced strategy/wargamer.

Cheers,

Surtur

[Surtur]

I should add that we will be present at PAX East with the game if anyone wants to give it a go there, or just come and say hi :)

[Gusington]

^Very cool.

[Surtur]

Hi guys,

We are releasing the full version of Oriental Empires next week! The main changes are the inclusion of multiplayer and the Warring States historical scenario!

Full announcement:

After an interesting period of 1 year, Oriental Empires will be leaving Steam Early Access soon! What can you expect to see at full release? Aside from many improvements, fixes and updates, we will launch the game with multiplayer, more supported languages and a brand new historical campaign!

During Early Access we have regularly patched and updated Oriental Empires. We've added new languages, new diplomacy options and the battles and AI have been vastly improved upon. In addition, we made many other tweaks and changes to enhance the user experience and help first time players to find their way.

Upon release, we will present you with a major update. This update will bring all the latest tweaks and changes from the beta branches, as well as the multiplayer mode and a brand new scenario focused on the infamous Warring States Era. With this scenario, players will be able to jump directly into a populated map as one of several new factions. The Warring States scenario brings a completely new experience to the game, where factions have already established themselves and war might break out during the very first turn.

The final release of the game will by no means mean the end of development. We will continue to update and support the game, so keep your feedback coming!

[Gusington]

Sweet! I'm ready.