Aug 26, 2020

Port Royale 4 ‘The Netherlands’ Beta Update has been released

Port Royale 4 - antsha_lora

Hear ye, explorers!

Today sees the release of update v0.1.0-15080 to the Port Royale 4 beta. This update adds the Netherlands as a playable nation as well as many improvements, changes to balancing, optimization, and lots of bug fixes, all of which could not have been addressed and tackled without your feedback. Thanks for all of your help thus far and keep it coming!

Full changelog below:

Improvements and additions

Unlocked the Netherlands as a new playable nation for Campaign and Free Mode

Introduced new Hardcore Mode

Increased game difficulty and player requirements for veterans and experienced traders

Warehouses

Construction of warehouses no longer requires owning 10 production facilities
Added further description text
Added filling level display

Convoys

New convoys can now be created via the lighthouse regardless of whether an existing convoy is currently docked or selected in the respective town

Naval battles

Naval battles now begin with an atmospheric, cinematic show-reel
Successful boarding manoeuvres now render ships immobilized for only 3 turns instead of until the end of the battle
Naval battles now have clear instructions and visual cues indicating whose turn it is

Trade routes

It is now possible to manually set the number of commodities to be loaded onto a convoy
Town settings within trade route dialogue can now be easily copied onto further towns
When editing trade routes, city names are now highlighted

Free Mode

At the beginning of a game, the player can choose to discover towns themselves or have them already plotted on the map

Players can now fly their flag atop city buildings
Added alternative voiceover lines for the Viceroy

Bug fixes

Fixed instances in which convoys could not be moved
Fixed game speed option where nothing would happen when the player paused the game via Space bar
Added missing percentage symbol in the description of the Inn after player places a Guesthouse
Fixed display errors in various menus, dialogues, and text
Overhauled naval battles
Added notification when there is an insufficient amount of crew available to commandeer a vessel
Hid information about ship when it is being boarded
Ships can no longer attack while undergoing repair
Fire damage is now calculated and displayed
Added missing tool tip when tactics are on cool down
Fixed annexing of towns
Overhauled AI behaviour
Construction AI (no longer ‘blocks’ its town centre with construction sites)
AI loots more convoys
AI can now attack player convoys docked in port
Balanced mission objectives and rewards
Fixed various scripts and trigger conditions
Looped theme music in main menu
Fixed various bugs and improved siege dialogue
Fixed animation and visual display of roads and pathways
Added missing information and icons to convoy menu
Demolishing a building now reimburses the player the full construction cost
Adjusted the display of town names and labels when zooming in and out
Fixed bug which prevented demolishing the Master Builder
Fixed bugs in tutorials
Green areas are now shown (Tutorial 3)
Added arrow display indicator on Necoli (Tutorial 4)
Neutral vessels are no longer displayed outside of the mini map
Clarified instructions for Tutorial 3
Fixed incorrect Viceroy city (Tutorial 6)
Removed irritating arrows (Tutorial 1)
Fixed bug in Viceroy tasks (unachievable objectives, confusing tasks)
Production bonuses are now calculated correctly
Adjusted Spanish campaign
Fixed display of chimney smoke
Adjusted rewards when wiping out Pirate hideouts
Improved performance when running multiple trade routes (less lag)
Improved factors influencing duration of trade routes
Added missing thunder and lightning sound effects
Fixed faulty animations in Viceroy menu
The value of commodities contained in warehouses has been tweaked
Fixed some graphical glitches
Fixed inconsistency in the display of prices for trade and building permits
Adjusted texts within the main menu
Optimized keyboard and mouse controls
Added preview when constructing buildings
Adjusted and repositioned info box in the main menu
Fixed faulty display of neighbouring effects on various buildings (construction menu)

Known issues

Gamepad controls are currently broken. (will be addressed in an upcoming hotfix)
Regional distribution of commodities (set at game start) is not yet fully functional

Aug 6, 2020

Port Royale 4 Beta Update (v 0.1.0-14393) has been released!

Port Royale 4 - antsha_lora

Hear ye, explorers!

Today sees the release of update v0.1.0-14393 to the Port Royale 4 beta. This update adds improvements, balancing changes, optimization, and lots of bug fixes, all of which could not have been addressed and tackled without your feedback. So please keep it coming!

See the full changelog below:

Improvements and additions

Added ability for the Jolly Roger to be lowered at any time
During naval battles, players now receive a notification when it is their turn
Added option to select Captain’s portrait
Increased discoverability of new cities
Reduced the cost of trade and construction licenses
Prayer sounds in Churches can now be played multiple times
Demolishing buildings no longer refunds all initial costs

Bug fixes

Fixed bug where player’s flag would change after plundering a convoy
Overhauled naval battles and improved AI (reduced spamming of smoke each round, added missing minimap symbol)
Fixed CTD when reaching a draw in a naval battle
Fixed button legend (e.g. arrows pointing in the wrong direction)
Tweaked task list (e.g. economic tasks were previously classified as ‘Military’ tasks)
Fixed instances in Free Mode where missions would immediately auto-complete
Fixed instances where the event window would temporarily not show any information
Overhauled ship sequence in the Lighthouse
Adjusted task list in English Campaign
Fixed waterfalls (particles were displaying incorrectly)
Fixed instances where players could besiege cities without the required amount of Command points
Optimized the display of various items and vegetation (e.g. sea spray occasionally a grey-colour, decreased size of anvil icon)
Added missing map marker when digging out a Pirate’s hideout
Adjusted audio settings so that changes always save
Optimized mouse scrolling
Fixed abrupt ending to ‘boarding’ audio clip
Optimized Warehouses (added additional description text)
Optimized button ribbons in the Settings menu
Removed redundant notifications (e.g. new tasks appearing at the end of a campaign, ‘attack not possible’)
Adjusted naval battle HUD (tactics now display on top)
Fixed naval battle game speed option so that changes always save
Overhauled trade routes so that distribution convoys work as planned and available convoys are no longer hidden on the minimap and will update while the game is paused, and convoys now distribute all goods
Reworked filling level indicator (previously, amount of goods delivered deviated from amount of original cargo)
Overhauled Cathedral missions (placeholder graphic removed, fixed incorrect line spacing, ensured goods can no longer be selected twice)
Fixed incorrect display of specific lines of dialogue and info text (Viceroy speech bubbles, boarding manoeuvre, sorting order)
Added missing icon for Gold
Added display for number of workers in Construction menu
Fixed instances where multiple notifications would block each other
Tweaked Patrol Mode so that toggling now requires a Captain
Fixed instances during naval battles where an empty dialogue box would display
Adjusted objectives in Logbook
Optimized flag selection procedure
Reduced amount of optional town missions
Reduced visibility radius for ship-wrecked persons
Fixed instances where convoys could not approach cities
Fixed instances where, during naval battles, players could move with more manoeuvring points than were initially available
Overhauled mission scripts and triggers (previously, construction of the Cathedral was not recognized; removed duplicate missions)
Fixed partially incorrect effects related to Captains
Adjusted number of missions available during Free Play (task lists were previously insufficient when choosing military objectives)
Optimized advisor notification (added clear indication as to what the problem is)
Fixed HUD error when cycling through convoys
Overhauled Pirate hiding places (previously much more difficult to discover)

Gamepad:

Fixed issue with Trading window (+/- step)
Fixed incorrect button legend display for gamepad (Cathedral missions)

Jul 21, 2020

Today sees the release of another update for the Port Royale 4 beta!

Port Royale 4 - Unerde

Hear ye, explorers!

Today sees the release of update v.0.1.0-131519 to the Port Royale 4 beta.

Here, we have added more language options, made some changes to gameplay balancing and fixed a lot of bugs. We love reading your feedback. Please keep it coming!

Full changelog below:

Improvement and additions

Added the languages: French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Brazilian Portuguese.
Added more flags to choose from
Vessels at the shipyard are now sorted alphabetically
Added new description texts within the ‘Convoy Management’ tab
Overhauled animations and sound effects for various vessels and Captains’ tactics
Overhauled ‘Boarding’ animation during naval battles
Added animation to the character ‘Sammy’ in the Tutorial menu
Overhauled triggers for achievement conditions
Added notification for quick saves

Bug fixes

Optimized UI: button legends, dialogue, and menu windows
Fixed various (reported) crashes
Fixed some graphical glitches: yellow coloration of Nassau, incorrect camera angle in ocean, abrupt lighting changes in game menu, tooltips and markers disappearing
Fixed ‘Viceroy’ tab from triggering positive notification when collapsed
Fixed incorrect rounding of Fame points
Fixed missing animations from naval battles: boarded ships now show visual indication of an engagement; sinking ships leave a trail of flotsam
Optimized button placement in ‘Town’ window
Fixed subtitles during intro and outro videos (these are no longer cut off)
Fixed incorrect placement of arrow marker
Fixed missing convoys during Tutorial missions
Fixed instances where mini map would not update while game is paused
Optimized ‘Town’ filter and the grouping of goods by adding a color distinction
Fixed graphical flickering on city plaques and info text
Lowered town satisfaction for certain ports and cities, which was set too high
Adjusted date shown during Spanish intro video: previously, this was set too far in the future
In Spanish campaign, fixed objectives and some tasks that fulfilled automatically
Balanced Spanish campaign objectives: some objectives proved to be too difficult for the amount of fame the player receives
Fixed missing text in ‘Warehouse’ menu
Fixed crashes (CTD) during tied naval battles
Fixed instances in which multiple turn skips during naval battles would prevent progression
Optimized text and icons within ‘Treasure Hunt’ window
Decreased density of Treasure Fleets
Removed redundant mission dialogue e.g. “attack not possible”
Fixed issue where highlighted buttons no longer worked
Fixed instances of naval battle markers on the Campaign map disappearing
Optimized day to night transition
Fixed the incorrect display of trade route waypoints
Fixed info text for ‘Shipyard’ within the Construction menu
Added naval battle sound adjustment to Audio Settings control panel
Fixed missing sound effects for construction and farming when player zooms in or out
Added timer to naval blockades when attacking pirate hideouts
Fixed missing illustration for building plots
Overhauled English campaign dialogue and task updates
Tweaked English campaign objectives (e.g. balanced trade-off between difficulty and reward)
Fixed instance where error messages could display when players boots up the game
Fixed input delay when editing trade routes and optimized controls
Fixed broken city map during Campaign setup at main menu
Fixed bug which prevented convoys from entering ports
Fixed missing tooltips for: ‘Sailors’ icon, ‘Captains’ icon and ‘Siege Battles’ icon

Controller

Fixed issue where selecting a flag would result in nothing happening
Fixed issue where player could assign two actions to one button on gamepad
Fixed issue where, if engaged in a naval battle, the player could not open the game menu during their own turn
Optimized in-game manual colour assignment
Fixed bug which prevented players from leaving the ‘Town’ dialogue
Fixed incorrect button legend display that occurred when a controller is disconnected
Fixed a bug preventing gamepad settings from updating
Fixed low-quality textures in the ‘Setting up a Trade Route’ tutorial

Jul 8, 2020

Port Royale 4 beta update (v0.1.0-131519) has been released!

Port Royale 4 - Unerde

Hear ye, explorers!

Today sees the release of a new update for the Port Royale 4 beta. This update adds improvements, additions, balancing changes, optimization, and lots of bug fixes, all of which could not have been addressed and tackled without your feedback.

Thank you for supporting Port Royale 4 and reporting!
Please keep it up!

Full changelog below:

Improvements

Tutorial dialogue can now be skipped
Steam Achievements have been tweaked

Additions

Clearer instructions regarding where to acquire Queen Anne vessel after completing all 10 tutorial missions
Added icon to convoy names
Added placeholder thumbnail for save states
Added marker on solid cannon ball shots during tutorial
Added additional tool tips for naval battles

Balancing

Balanced Buy vs. Order prices at the shipyard
Balanced mission objectives (‘unrealistic amount of goods to be delivered’).
Balanced character perks

Optimization

Vessel and captain tactics ribbon now has clear visual cues for what is selected
Adjusted drag and drop delay on pins when adjusting trade routes
Tweaked ship rotation during naval battles
Optimized keyboard/gamepad input legends
Optimized Free Play start settings and adjusted alignment of certain game options

Bug fixes

Fixed hot keys that were having issues previously
Fixed Fullscreen Mode in Graphics Settings
Viceroy mission now shows location
Fixed missing convoys when anchor point was missing
Fixed issues where building and trade menu would not open
Fixed missing UI, mission and spoken dialogue text
Fixed graphical glitches occurring in the water and on the hexagon grid
Fixed wind movement animation and direction on the trade route map
Fixed convoy menu so that sailor numbers no longer show in adjacent menu
Fixed incorrect displaying of “current profit per day”.
Fixed incorrect siege tool tips
Fixed issue where language configuration would not save
Fixed tutorial marker which highlighted the incorrect tab
Fixed an issue where ships could not be repaired
Fixed naval battle tutorial, which could be completed by surrendering
Fixed missing game music during English and Spanish campaign videos
Fixed incorrect nation size and distribution order
Fixed redundant task during Spanish campaign
Fixed victory conditions for English campaign mission ‘Conquer All Cuba’
Fixed abrupt ending to English campaign
Fixed graphical glitches during naval battles ‘Imprint of Sunken Vessel’
Fixed bug which prevented certain tactics from being used
Fixed missing naval battle sound effects (‘grenade sound’, ‘Kraken’)
Fixed missing animation for ‘Fire Arrows’ tactic
Fixed and optimized automatic trade route ‘Distribute convoys works as intended’
Fixed incorrect sound effects in construction menu
Fixed and added asymmetry to ‘fish swarm’ animations
Fixed missing contribution to ‘Fame’ points
Fixed issue where AI military convoys would ignore player while successfully attacking a trade convoy
Fixed issue where a stranded person would disappear

Controller

Fixed ‘Convoy & Cities’ filter
Fixed route planning
Added ‘Tool tips and Hints’ tab to main menu
Optimized button legend
Fixed highlighting issue in button legend
Removed duplicate button offering the same functionality (‘Continue’ key)
Fixed missing animation for ‘Hold’
Fixed ‘Trade Window’ tab (‘+ / -‘ now works properly for sailors)

Jun 18, 2020

Port Royale 4 Beta: ‘England – Nation Update` (v0.1.0-12915) has been released

Port Royale 4 - Unerde

Hear ye!
We've got an update for the Port Royale 4 Beta, fresh off the boat!
This update will feature a whole new playable nation to be added: England.

Additionally, the latest update will feature some new features and improvements as well as a lot of bugfixes, that could be tackled with help of your feedback!

Thank you for supporting Port Royale 4!
Please keep it up!

Find below a full list of all bugfixes in this update:

New Features & Improvements

Unlocked England as playable nation for Campaign and Free mode.
Display wind and production with ALT key.
Lightning will be visually represented in storms now.
New hints and information from the viceroy and advisor.
Vegetation: scatter over whole map.
Steam Achievement - 10,000 sailors
Fire arrows now available in naval battles.
Repair effect now implemented.
Kraken have been implemented in naval battles, which snare the opposing ships.
Added a selection of player flags.
New captains’ portraits have been added.
Other country towns are visible from the beginning to the user, which are at the border of the users’ country.

Bugfixes

I. User Interface & Display

Convoy: Repair: Missing UserMessage
Convoy: Captain: Patrol Mode: Missing User Message for lack of command points.
Viceroy: audience - flag moved.
Palm trees have black edges.
Automatic trade routes: Distribute convoys: Ships will sail one by one and not as a full convoy.
Large shipyard: construction order: "Orders placed" is not properly updated.
Viceroy menu: Nations: frame of the VK animations moved.
Convoy: Convoy HUD: "stability" is not updated after damage.
Manual: Distances between normal texts are different.
Headlines in tips and tricks clickable but empty.
Building construction: residential areas: icons for taverns & chapel effect do not update.
Building construction: building menu: "shipbuilder" icon missing.
Polishing: City Dialogue: Production: Selection & Over State equal.
Viceroy: Diplomacy - Wrong text.
Pirate hiding places are not shown.
City Dialogue: City Tab: Missing info on jobs.
City menu: Trade between city and convoy: Usable area of the trade button moved.
If you stop the time the mini map does not update the active trade route.
Route length is not displayed correctly
SFX is missing while toggling over the tabs all over the menus throughout the game.
'Game Menu' does not appear after monitor goes into sleep and resumes on the game screen.
The commodities slider displays an increasing count although loading was aborted after filling the 200 units.
Graphical corruption is observed on the button depictions in HDR enable mode.
Siege Popup without letter of marque.
Click on mini map does not lead to the selected city.
Enter key of Num-Pad does not work.
Trading outside trade window.
Treasure map - landing position does not match with 2D map.
Treasure is not uncovered.
Completion dialogue: Does not show the time required.
Task list: Completion date is displayed twice.
End dialogue: English localization was missing completely.

II. Tutorial

Grain is bought up by AI.
AI buys wheat.
AI buys wood.
Naval Battle Training: - sky changes in short intervals.

III. Campaign and Free Mode

Campaign: Nations swapped
Spain Campaign: It is not clear that Hawkins is a necessary condition
Spain Campaign: Game Start Task List: task is not fulfillable - sold goods are not counted.
Campaign: Audio: success sound to be heard even before the intro video.
Steam: Voice - Campaign video with incorrect voice output.

IV. Naval Battles

Wrong Battlescreen dialogue.
Rotation of a ship cannot be broken off.
Save game slots from naval battles only lead to the main menu/cannot be loaded.
Ship info: Added 3 values in one line
Ship cannot be attacked
End of sea battle - surplus ships are not sunk.
Ships do not sink correctly.
Tactics: repair animation: "Plus" particles have a frame.
Kraken loops around ship.

V. Miscellaneous

Clouds appear and disappear again immediately
Sunshine only visible from a certain zoom level.
Chart/Sea Geometric shape visible on sea reflection.
Pause screen: Dialogue and campaign continues.
Sorting of the cities with the viceroy (request administration).
Sea battle symbol not selectable.
Viceroy: Order - destroying military convoys is not counted.
Options/Settings: Audio: Value changes by itself.
Fixed Freeze after slider usage.
Space bar to stop time does not work in dialogues.
Crash: game crashes when you try to load a score.
Convoys: "plundering" of trade convoys does not always properly work.
Crash after triggering a naval battle / in naval battle start dialogues.
Audio of the game is audible even after locking the PC.
Sound: Tab Sound in the maintenance dock different from other tabs.
Game start: Character - Player name is not taken over.
Game crashes due to runtime error.
Game crashes/ freezes in shipyard dialogue.
Crash: game crashes after a short time in the open game/campaign.
Crash after loading a savegame.
Startup settings: Perks of the characters.
Hometown can be annexed.
Warehouse: several bugs.
View ship details after building/buying.
No location information for search task.
No notification when shipbuilding is finished.
Sound during Trading.
No Fame Generated.
Voice - Campaign video with incorrect voice output.
Character selection: Selection is not saved when going back.
City filter/goods filter: Switching through convoys not possible.
Trade routes | You cannot switch through inactive convoys
Skill "Leadership" obsolete.
Town planning: Cornering bonus is not calculated correctly.
Sinking a treasure fleet is not possible.
Viceroy mission: ships boarding is not counted.
Viceroy mission: quantity of cotton questionable.

VI. Controller / Konsole

Tutorial 4- Toggle Tabs disabled.
Tutorial 4- Button legend not correctly deactivated.
Tutorial 3 - Button legend not correctly deactivated.
Tutorials: Limited interactions are not reflected in button legend.
Tutorial 3 - city list not selectable.
Button Hide legend for ammunition / tactics dynamically.
Crash: naval battle savegame load finished game.
Dialogues - Close Icons (X) not for controller.
Tutorial 7 - Naval battle HUD - conflict with feasible actions.
Remove Tutorial Marker for Tab Controls in Dialogues.
Tutorials - Mark Legend Entries for Tab Switches.
Options - Slider Sensitivity at start too slow.
Tutorials- highlight Change Tab.
Tutorial 5 – Block - Toggle Tabs disabled.
Tutorial 1- Insert highlight button legend.
Info Button - Double Assignment.
Manual shortcut with pad.
Tutorial 3 - User guidance unclear.
Tutorial 3 - City cannot be selected.
Tutorial 4 - Button in legend not deactivated.
Tutorial 2 - "Repair" not highlighted in button legend.
Tutorial 2- "Purchase" not highlighted in button legend.
Tutorial 2 - Add button legend highlight.
Tutorial 4 - Add button legend highlight.
Tutorial 3 - Add button legend highlight.
Tutorial 4 - instructions unclear.
Tutorial 6 - Button legend not correctly deactivated.
Tutorials - Wrong highlight in button legend.
Route mode: Double assignment X.
Tutorial 3 Menu cannot be opened with START.
Pad control: menu - no possibility to enter a player name.
Tutorials - Double focus.
GUI - Reloads on open dialogue to.
Tutorials - Buttons in Interface not disabled.
Tutorial 2 - Buttons in Interface not deactivated.
Trading route - Reset button in dialog superfluous.
Tutorial 2 - Wrong icon in text.
Tutorial 4 - Arrow on tab.
Pad control: Convoy - Tabs are not displayed.
Tutorial 2 - Buttons in Interface not deactivated.
Display of pad buttons in dialogues vs. legend.
Pad control: cursor in sea battles below the sea surface.
Tutorials: Missing button legend and highlights.
Tutorials: when the user opens the radial menu.
Action menu opens again after releasing RT.
Convoy details & filters: move Dpad symbol from legend to HUD.
Scrolling in trade window blocked.
Only two Savegames are displayed in the list.
Radial menu: button legend missing.
Graphics - "3D resolution" setting is not recognized after changes being made.
Options - cannot be saved/changed.
Missing button legend and highlights.
Crash - while loading a savegame.
Radial menu - open/close unintuitive.
Viceroy menu: Wrong button legend.
Access main menu after tutorial not possible.
Narrator text refers to keyboard and not controller assignment.
Trading window |Control pad/Step +/- does not work.
Trade Route Mode: Defaults do not update the buy and sell arrows in the city list.
Trade Routes: You cannot change through inactive convoys.
Game speed cannot be changed in dialogues.
Convoys & Cities Filter: Highlight not visible.

Disclaimer:

Please be aware that due to the sheer volume of reports and feedback we have received so far, we have tried our best to include and implement as many fixes as possible. However, to both showcase those changes and be as transparent as possible, we have needed to look through all reports submitted via many different bug-reporting tools. For this reason, some of the points listed above may not be as polished as we would have liked them to be.

Beta Development Roadmap updated: