It's been a while, but it's time for another dev blog on the upcoming expansion for Age of Empires II HD!

This time we're focusing on the new architecture set, which will be used by some of the new African civilizations in the game.

As a teaser, we have a screenshot of a small feudal Malian village.


If you're interested in reading more on the upcoming African building set, you can check out the full dev blog at the Forgotten Empires website: http://www.forgottenempires.net/age-of-empires-ii-hd-dev-blog-4-african-architecture

It's been a while, but it's time for another dev blog on the upcoming expansion for Age of Empires II HD!

This time we're focusing on the new architecture set, which will be used by some of the new African civilizations in the game.

As a teaser, we have a screenshot of a small feudal Malian village.


If you're interested in reading more on the upcoming African building set, you can check out the full dev blog at the Forgotten Empires website: http://www.forgottenempires.net/age-of-empires-ii-hd-dev-blog-4-african-architecture

Discussion thread

Performance:

• Vastly improved overall performance by enabling the renderer to update separately from the World Update.
  
• Text rendering has been improved and combined into a single pass (down from 5). Virtually all text in the game used to render 5 different passes to create the text outline effect.
  
• Command inputs now feel responsive when entered quickly. One common example was when the player would select a villager and quickly hit “build” “house” but the house command would not register.
  
• Upgrade and Build progress bars should appear smoother.
  
• The game will no longer take up 100% CPU, which will reduce heat buildup and energy consumption, which is mostly a problem with laptops.
  
• Large native fps improvements under Windows 10 (In some cases, more than 200% frame rate improvements have been experienced). NOTE: Only applies to people upgrading from Windows 8.

General:

• Old Saved games and Replays should now load correctly without desyncs.
  
• Record game is always enabled by default for multiplayer matches.
  
• Restore Multiplayer game should now function correctly.
  
• Hotkeys now correctly display and use special characters without corruption or crashing.
  
• Bright fonts and highlight colors have been toned down.
  
• Civilization sounds now play correctly at the start of a game and the delay has been removed so the game starts quicker.
  
• Main Menu music now has new logic to determine which music variation to play depending on which combinations of DLC the player owns.
  
• Selecting Random Civilizations should now function correctly with minimal duplications.
  
• Checkboxes in the Multiplayer Lobby now appear correctly when selecting Ready.
  
• Tech Tree images now correctly display the player color.
  
• Campaign Difficulty popup text no longer cuts off in localized languages.
  
• Campaign Difficulty setting is now saved correctly.
  
• Campaign background images no longer appear corrupted in the dark/shadow areas.
  
• Players are no longer able to make Player profiles with the same name.
  
• Players are no longer able to delete their last Profile.
  
• Game Launcher now functions correctly with Windows 10.
  
• Game Launcher text should now appear correctly in localized languages.

In Game Improvements:

• Taunt/Command audio now play correctly when selecting them in the Chat menu.
  
• Taunt/Command text should now display correctly in all localized languages.
  
• Help Text is no longer being cut off and the “hit point” and “hotkey” information is now being displayed correctly.
  
• Scrolling now has a small accelerate/decelerate value which is also tunable in the Options menu as Scroll Inertia (If you turn this off, scrolling will behave exactly the same as before).
  
• Clamped Mouse scrolling now functions correctly and players are able to easily move Windowed screens.
  
• Objectives menu now contains additional information (like Map Type, Treaty Length and Teams Locked).
  
• Diplomacy menu now correctly displays radial buttons.
  
• Players are no longer able to send tribute to enemy players.
  
• Non-Host players can no longer swap teams in scenarios when that option is disabled.
  
• Help cursor no longer stays active when using ESC to exit the Diplomacy menu.
  
• Save menu now displays dataset icons next to each entry.

Scenario Editor:

• Display Instructions message box for the Trigger Effects has been increased to 200 characters (up from 50).
  
• Display Instructions images no longer appear corrupted.
  
• Gaia’s default player color is now defaulted to grey.
  
• Additional Units, Buildings and Heroes now have placement sounds (like Amazon Archers, Sheep, Yurts and William Wallace).
  
• Starting Age now correctly updates the building visuals when loaded.
  
• Re-ordering Triggers with Effects should now function correct and maintain the correct Trigger association.
  
• Play Sound Trigger Effect no longer has “None” as a valid option and the Effect text will remain red until a sound file is selected.
  
• Teleport Trigger Effect now functions correctly and units no longer try to navigate back to their starting location.
  
• Lock and Unlock Trigger Effects now function correctly for Gates.
  
• Change Ownership Trigger Effect should now function correctly for Town Centers.
  
• Upload Trigger Effect now functions correctly with the Set Location Option.
  
• Disable Buildings Option now functions correctly with the Forgotten Dataset and disabled buildings are no longer available to build.
  
• Set Area should now function correctly with Patrol and Attack Move commands.
  
• Random Start Option should now function correctly with Starting Age, Unit Ownership, Town Center locations and Triggers.
  
• Opening the Menu while entering text no longer prevents further text entry once the Menu has been closed.
  
• The Delete Scenario Confirmation popup now correctly displays the file name being deleted.
  
• Saving a scenario no longer disables scroll wheel functionality in some menus.

Mod Manager:

• Filters have been integrated which include Status/Dataset check boxes and a text field.
  
• Players can also use the minus (-) key at the start of their text to create a negative filter.
  
• Shift+Click on Priority Up will move the selected item to the top of the list (or to the bottom if Priority Down was selected).
  
• Shift+Click on Enable will enable all visible mods based on the current filter setting (or
• Scenario movies and .BINA files should now load correctly.
  
• Publish Mod Preview Image help text now correctly says to use a .JPG file.
  
• Movies have been added to the Steam Tag list and recognizes .AVI and .WMV files.
  
• Clicking in the Mod list when it’s empty no longer crashes the game.

Known Issues:

• Quick Match functionality has temporarily been disabled.
  
• If fonts disappear after patching from older builds – please reboot your PC to resolve the issue.
  
• When watching replays, replaying at the fastest speed can lead to an eventual crash due to recent render decoupling changes.

Discussion thread

Performance:

• Vastly improved overall performance by enabling the renderer to update separately from the World Update.
  
• Text rendering has been improved and combined into a single pass (down from 5). Virtually all text in the game used to render 5 different passes to create the text outline effect.
  
• Command inputs now feel responsive when entered quickly. One common example was when the player would select a villager and quickly hit “build” “house” but the house command would not register.
  
• Upgrade and Build progress bars should appear smoother.
  
• The game will no longer take up 100% CPU, which will reduce heat buildup and energy consumption, which is mostly a problem with laptops.
  
• Large native fps improvements under Windows 10 (In some cases, more than 200% frame rate improvements have been experienced). NOTE: Only applies to people upgrading from Windows 8.

General:

• Old Saved games and Replays should now load correctly without desyncs.
  
• Record game is always enabled by default for multiplayer matches.
  
• Restore Multiplayer game should now function correctly.
  
• Hotkeys now correctly display and use special characters without corruption or crashing.
  
• Bright fonts and highlight colors have been toned down.
  
• Civilization sounds now play correctly at the start of a game and the delay has been removed so the game starts quicker.
  
• Main Menu music now has new logic to determine which music variation to play depending on which combinations of DLC the player owns.
  
• Selecting Random Civilizations should now function correctly with minimal duplications.
  
• Checkboxes in the Multiplayer Lobby now appear correctly when selecting Ready.
  
• Tech Tree images now correctly display the player color.
  
• Campaign Difficulty popup text no longer cuts off in localized languages.
  
• Campaign Difficulty setting is now saved correctly.
  
• Campaign background images no longer appear corrupted in the dark/shadow areas.
  
• Players are no longer able to make Player profiles with the same name.
  
• Players are no longer able to delete their last Profile.
  
• Game Launcher now functions correctly with Windows 10.
  
• Game Launcher text should now appear correctly in localized languages.

In Game Improvements:

• Taunt/Command audio now play correctly when selecting them in the Chat menu.
  
• Taunt/Command text should now display correctly in all localized languages.
  
• Help Text is no longer being cut off and the “hit point” and “hotkey” information is now being displayed correctly.
  
• Scrolling now has a small accelerate/decelerate value which is also tunable in the Options menu as Scroll Inertia (If you turn this off, scrolling will behave exactly the same as before).
  
• Clamped Mouse scrolling now functions correctly and players are able to easily move Windowed screens.
  
• Objectives menu now contains additional information (like Map Type, Treaty Length and Teams Locked).
  
• Diplomacy menu now correctly displays radial buttons.
  
• Players are no longer able to send tribute to enemy players.
  
• Non-Host players can no longer swap teams in scenarios when that option is disabled.
  
• Help cursor no longer stays active when using ESC to exit the Diplomacy menu.
  
• Save menu now displays dataset icons next to each entry.

Scenario Editor:

• Display Instructions message box for the Trigger Effects has been increased to 200 characters (up from 50).
  
• Display Instructions images no longer appear corrupted.
  
• Gaia’s default player color is now defaulted to grey.
  
• Additional Units, Buildings and Heroes now have placement sounds (like Amazon Archers, Sheep, Yurts and William Wallace).
  
• Starting Age now correctly updates the building visuals when loaded.
  
• Re-ordering Triggers with Effects should now function correct and maintain the correct Trigger association.
  
• Play Sound Trigger Effect no longer has “None” as a valid option and the Effect text will remain red until a sound file is selected.
  
• Teleport Trigger Effect now functions correctly and units no longer try to navigate back to their starting location.
  
• Lock and Unlock Trigger Effects now function correctly for Gates.
  
• Change Ownership Trigger Effect should now function correctly for Town Centers.
  
• Upload Trigger Effect now functions correctly with the Set Location Option.
  
• Disable Buildings Option now functions correctly with the Forgotten Dataset and disabled buildings are no longer available to build.
  
• Set Area should now function correctly with Patrol and Attack Move commands.
  
• Random Start Option should now function correctly with Starting Age, Unit Ownership, Town Center locations and Triggers.
  
• Opening the Menu while entering text no longer prevents further text entry once the Menu has been closed.
  
• The Delete Scenario Confirmation popup now correctly displays the file name being deleted.
  
• Saving a scenario no longer disables scroll wheel functionality in some menus.

Mod Manager:

• Filters have been integrated which include Status/Dataset check boxes and a text field.
  
• Players can also use the minus (-) key at the start of their text to create a negative filter.
  
• Shift+Click on Priority Up will move the selected item to the top of the list (or to the bottom if Priority Down was selected).
  
• Shift+Click on Enable will enable all visible mods based on the current filter setting (or
• Scenario movies and .BINA files should now load correctly.
  
• Publish Mod Preview Image help text now correctly says to use a .JPG file.
  
• Movies have been added to the Steam Tag list and recognizes .AVI and .WMV files.
  
• Clicking in the Mod list when it’s empty no longer crashes the game.

Known Issues:

• Quick Match functionality has temporarily been disabled.
  
• If fonts disappear after patching from older builds – please reboot your PC to resolve the issue.
  
• When watching replays, replaying at the fastest speed can lead to an eventual crash due to recent render decoupling changes.

AGE2: Patch Version 4.2.681794

We are not incrementing the version here to 4.3, but the build will patch with the following updates. Replays may not appear correctly due to the AI changes from previous builds.

Discussion thread

AI:

• AI should now function correctly and participate during gameplay.
  
• AI should now attack Palisade Walls

Scenario Editor:

• Change Unit Stance no longer crashes the game.
  
• Selecting transfer arrows with nothing selected in the options tab no longer crashes the game.
  
• Trigger scroll bar now scrolls correctly when using the up/down arrows.
  
• Seed values for map generation can now be changed after deselection.
  
• Trigger descriptions can now be edited.
  
• Character limit for trigger display instructions has been increased.
  
• Lock teams button should now function correctly.
  
• Choose Teams should now be on by default for older scenarios.

Mod Manager:

• Modded taunt files should now be functioning.
  
• Preview images when publishing are no longer gigantic.
  
• Preview images now function correctly as jpg files.
  
• Visibility drop down now functions correctly.
  
• A View Workshop button has been added and will bring up the appropriate Steam page.

Additional Improvements:

• Accepting a Steam invite should now allow players to interact with the multiplayer lobby.
  
• The multiplayer lobby screen should no longer freeze when the host if file transferring.
  
• Incorrect cursor outlines should no longer appear.
  
• Corrupted cursor should no longer appear
  
• Deleted scenarios no longer appear as the default option when creating a game.
  
• Added launch option “oldschool” for those who value style over readability (may not function in all languages)

Known Issues:

• Quick Match functionality has temporarily been disabled.
  
• Restore multiplayer games has not been fully implemented and may not load correctly.
  
• Fonts may not appear when patching from older builds – please restart your pc to resolve.
  
• When cancelling while joining a lobby players may still join the lobby (host can still kick).
  
• When updating a Legacy Mod the text field may appear cut off.
  
• Changing hotkeys to their current value may result in a crash.
  
• When building items without a hotkey it may cause a crash (reset hotkeys as a workaround).
  
• In the Editor the Choose Teams options does not affect Triggers.
  
• Embedded AI scripts inside campaigns are not properly being referenced. As a workaround, you can include necessary files to run campaigns inside resources/_common/ai/ folder.
  
• Civilizations are not randomizing correctly.
  
• Some customers may be experiencing framerate issues, this is currently under investigation.

AGE2: Patch Version 4.2.681794

We are not incrementing the version here to 4.3, but the build will patch with the following updates. Replays may not appear correctly due to the AI changes from previous builds.

Discussion thread

AI:

• AI should now function correctly and participate during gameplay.
  
• AI should now attack Palisade Walls

Scenario Editor:

• Change Unit Stance no longer crashes the game.
  
• Selecting transfer arrows with nothing selected in the options tab no longer crashes the game.
  
• Trigger scroll bar now scrolls correctly when using the up/down arrows.
  
• Seed values for map generation can now be changed after deselection.
  
• Trigger descriptions can now be edited.
  
• Character limit for trigger display instructions has been increased.
  
• Lock teams button should now function correctly.
  
• Choose Teams should now be on by default for older scenarios.

Mod Manager:

• Modded taunt files should now be functioning.
  
• Preview images when publishing are no longer gigantic.
  
• Preview images now function correctly as jpg files.
  
• Visibility drop down now functions correctly.
  
• A View Workshop button has been added and will bring up the appropriate Steam page.

Additional Improvements:

• Accepting a Steam invite should now allow players to interact with the multiplayer lobby.
  
• The multiplayer lobby screen should no longer freeze when the host if file transferring.
  
• Incorrect cursor outlines should no longer appear.
  
• Corrupted cursor should no longer appear
  
• Deleted scenarios no longer appear as the default option when creating a game.
  
• Added launch option “oldschool” for those who value style over readability (may not function in all languages)

Known Issues:

• Quick Match functionality has temporarily been disabled.
  
• Restore multiplayer games has not been fully implemented and may not load correctly.
  
• Fonts may not appear when patching from older builds – please restart your pc to resolve.
  
• When cancelling while joining a lobby players may still join the lobby (host can still kick).
  
• When updating a Legacy Mod the text field may appear cut off.
  
• Changing hotkeys to their current value may result in a crash.
  
• When building items without a hotkey it may cause a crash (reset hotkeys as a workaround).
  
• In the Editor the Choose Teams options does not affect Triggers.
  
• Embedded AI scripts inside campaigns are not properly being referenced. As a workaround, you can include necessary files to run campaigns inside resources/_common/ai/ folder.
  
• Civilizations are not randomizing correctly.
  
• Some customers may be experiencing framerate issues, this is currently under investigation.

*edit*
If you're seeing a discolored cursor, simply disabling and renabling vsync should resolve it. It's been added to the known issues list and will be resolved with the next patch.

Discussion thread:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/221380/discussions/0/530645446316424075/

Performance
We've exposed a few in-game chat commands that allows you to customize the performance to your desires and needs. Most computers can handle 30FPS and draw the UI every frame without issue, but some systems cannot. The default will be set to 10 updates / second for the UI, but now it is fully customizable. Here are the chat commands:

• getfps -- reports the current FPS for the max frame rate and UI frame rate.
  
• setmaxfps # -- Set it between 5 and whatever you want, and the game will render as fast as possible. If it caps out at 60, then turn off your v-sync. This is still restricted to 30fps in multiplayer games due to the fact it is tightly coupled to network events and running a network game at 60fps would result in double the network activity for each player. As mentioned we’re working on trying to decouple these in the future
  
• setuifps # -- Set it between 1 and whatever you want, but it will not exceed the max fps. This works in both single and multiplayer games.

1) Scenario Editor:

• Change Object Name Trigger now functions correctly and enables players to change names.
  
• Triggers in the Editor no longer disappear when editing the map.
  
• Triggers in the Editor are now correctly highlighted yellow.
  
• Units list now correctly defaults to the Units category.
  
• Difficultly level now says hardest rather than harder.
  
• Delete Garrisoned Unit button no longer crashes.
  
• Deleting triggers and effects no longer crashes.

2) Mod Manager:

• Preview images now need to be jpg files to get around the 1MB limit.
  
• The “Error 25” message when adding a large preview image has been improved.
  
• Validation should no longer stall if the player has not accepted the Steam User Agreement.
  
• Legacy mods now show the appropriate icons for subscribed and published.
  
• Invalid mod files will now be removed when running the game (If the player had extension-less files in their mods directory that matched the name of the mod they were trying to upgrade the extraction would fail).

3) History Page:

• Images are no longer cropped.
  
• Mouse wheel scrolling now functions correctly.
  
• Britons header text is now displayed correctly.
  
• Britons history text is no longer cut off by the scroll bar.
  
• Civilization specific audio should now be playing correctly for each civilization.
  
• Generic drum audio should now be playing for all non-civilization categories.

4) General:

• Dragging the selection box in the mini map is now smoother.
  
• Tribute resource images are now being displayed correctly.
  
• Clearing Tribute now correctly clears the number on the image.
  
• Campaign objective text is now correctly being crossed out when completed.
  
• Selecting Print Screen on the Main Menu no longer crashes.
  
• Addressed a random crash when selecting Scenario/Main Menu on the Post Game screen.
  
• Unit heath bars are now larger and more visible.
  
• Tech tree info boxes are no longer bold.
  
• Tech tree info boxes are no longer highlighted yellow, the background is now white.
  
• The game will now launch if the installation directory started with a space.

Known Issues:

• Quick Match functionality has temporarily been disabled.
  
• Restore multiplayer games has not been fully implemented and may not load correctly.
  
• Fonts may not appear when patching from older builds – please restart your pc.
  
• When cancelling while joining a lobby players may still join the lobby (host can still kick).
  
• Mods that require files outside the “_common” folder may not function correctly.
  
• When updating a Legacy Mod the text field may appear cut off.
  
• Changing hotkeys to their current value may result in a crash.
  
• When building items without a hotkey it may cause a crash (reset hotkeys as a workaround).
  
• In the Editor the Choose Teams options does not affect Triggers.
  
• We are still working through other issues as well (like Editor, AI and forum post concerns).
  
• Embedded AI scripts inside campaigns are not properly being referenced. As a workaround, you can include necessary files to run campaigns inside resources/_common/ai/ folder.
  
• Civilizations are not randomizing correctly.
  
• Multiplayer file transferring is still encountering issues.
  
• FPS issues are still occurring and we are activing trying to improve performance.

*edit*
If you're seeing a discolored cursor, simply disabling and renabling vsync should resolve it. It's been added to the known issues list and will be resolved with the next patch.

Discussion thread:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/221380/discussions/0/530645446316424075/

Performance
We've exposed a few in-game chat commands that allows you to customize the performance to your desires and needs. Most computers can handle 30FPS and draw the UI every frame without issue, but some systems cannot. The default will be set to 10 updates / second for the UI, but now it is fully customizable. Here are the chat commands:

• getfps -- reports the current FPS for the max frame rate and UI frame rate.
  
• setmaxfps # -- Set it between 5 and whatever you want, and the game will render as fast as possible. If it caps out at 60, then turn off your v-sync. This is still restricted to 30fps in multiplayer games due to the fact it is tightly coupled to network events and running a network game at 60fps would result in double the network activity for each player. As mentioned we’re working on trying to decouple these in the future
  
• setuifps # -- Set it between 1 and whatever you want, but it will not exceed the max fps. This works in both single and multiplayer games.

1) Scenario Editor:

• Change Object Name Trigger now functions correctly and enables players to change names.
  
• Triggers in the Editor no longer disappear when editing the map.
  
• Triggers in the Editor are now correctly highlighted yellow.
  
• Units list now correctly defaults to the Units category.
  
• Difficultly level now says hardest rather than harder.
  
• Delete Garrisoned Unit button no longer crashes.
  
• Deleting triggers and effects no longer crashes.

2) Mod Manager:

• Preview images now need to be jpg files to get around the 1MB limit.
  
• The “Error 25” message when adding a large preview image has been improved.
  
• Validation should no longer stall if the player has not accepted the Steam User Agreement.
  
• Legacy mods now show the appropriate icons for subscribed and published.
  
• Invalid mod files will now be removed when running the game (If the player had extension-less files in their mods directory that matched the name of the mod they were trying to upgrade the extraction would fail).

3) History Page:

• Images are no longer cropped.
  
• Mouse wheel scrolling now functions correctly.
  
• Britons header text is now displayed correctly.
  
• Britons history text is no longer cut off by the scroll bar.
  
• Civilization specific audio should now be playing correctly for each civilization.
  
• Generic drum audio should now be playing for all non-civilization categories.

4) General:

• Dragging the selection box in the mini map is now smoother.
  
• Tribute resource images are now being displayed correctly.
  
• Clearing Tribute now correctly clears the number on the image.
  
• Campaign objective text is now correctly being crossed out when completed.
  
• Selecting Print Screen on the Main Menu no longer crashes.
  
• Addressed a random crash when selecting Scenario/Main Menu on the Post Game screen.
  
• Unit heath bars are now larger and more visible.
  
• Tech tree info boxes are no longer bold.
  
• Tech tree info boxes are no longer highlighted yellow, the background is now white.
  
• The game will now launch if the installation directory started with a space.

Known Issues:

• Quick Match functionality has temporarily been disabled.
  
• Restore multiplayer games has not been fully implemented and may not load correctly.
  
• Fonts may not appear when patching from older builds – please restart your pc.
  
• When cancelling while joining a lobby players may still join the lobby (host can still kick).
  
• Mods that require files outside the “_common” folder may not function correctly.
  
• When updating a Legacy Mod the text field may appear cut off.
  
• Changing hotkeys to their current value may result in a crash.
  
• When building items without a hotkey it may cause a crash (reset hotkeys as a workaround).
  
• In the Editor the Choose Teams options does not affect Triggers.
  
• We are still working through other issues as well (like Editor, AI and forum post concerns).
  
• Embedded AI scripts inside campaigns are not properly being referenced. As a workaround, you can include necessary files to run campaigns inside resources/_common/ai/ folder.
  
• Civilizations are not randomizing correctly.
  
• Multiplayer file transferring is still encountering issues.
  
• FPS issues are still occurring and we are activing trying to improve performance.

We've got a bunch of changes in response to a number of issues experienced by customers around patch 4.0, with more on the way. For full details please head over to our announcement post on it, or check the list that will fit into the announcement block below.

Patch 4.1 Notes

Additionally, if you're experiencing crashes around custom hotkeys, we're hoping to get some reproducible scenarios from players and have a discussion thread set up for just that purpose:


1) Framerate:

• FPS in singleplayer once again defaults to 60 fps.
  
• The UI now renders on each button press (providing immediate feedback to the player).
  
• In game chat commands are now functional for controlling FPS:
  
  • “getfps” to see what their current ui/fps values are.
    
  • “setmaxfps #” to alter their maximum fps in singleplayer.
    
  • Replace # with a number between 5 and 10000.
    
  • “setuifps #” to alter their maximum ui fps.
    
  • Replace # with a number between 1 and 10000.
• Please note that increasing these value may reduce responsiveness or create drops in overall fps.
  
• Please note that you may need to disable vsync in the options menu to see the fps increase.

2) AI:

• Custom AI mods now correctly appear and are selectable from the Player Name drop down.
  
• While setting up a standard game with Conquerors enabled, the player name dropdown now properly calculates custom AIs.
  
• AI now default to Computer in the Player Name drop down when returning to the setup screen.
  
• AI will now respond to player commands (like asking for food or trying to ally).
  
• AI will now resign when appropriate.
  
• AI will now attempt to go after the relic in Capture the Relic games.

3) UI:

• The red Age Advance bar is back!
  
• Resource fonts are now using the correct font type and no longer flicker.
  
• When hosting a game, the Game Lobby title is now Multiplayer Game.
  
• Post game Player Names are now centered in the banner.
  
• Post game Technology Stats headers are now visible in all columns.
  
• Tech tree icon is now updated and centered.
  
• In the Editor the Trigger Toggle buttons are now visible.

4) Mod Manager:

• Upgrading mods should now function for all players.
  
• Improvements for players with more than 50 published mods (now easier to manage).
  
• Added a commandline argument “FASTVALIDATE”.
  
  • This will sacrifice smooth animation onthe validation screen in exchange for greater processing speed (most noticeable for players with 300+ mods).
• Fixed an infinite loop crash during validation when it’s waiting for something it can’t find.
  
  • If you run into an infinite loop, you can hit Ctrl+C to break out of it.
• Icons for status and type are now displayed next to each mod (along with help text).
  
  • Status Subscribed is an open scroll icon.
    
  • Status Published is a sealed scroll icon.
    
  • Status Unpublished is a blue feather pen icon.
    
  • Status Legacy Published is a stone tablet icon.
    
  • Type Dataset is a gear icon.
    
  • Type Legacy mod is a broken stone tablet.
• Coming soon: These icons are work in progress towards a filter system. Once filters are in place, it'll be much easier to understand the icons and to manage mods. In the interim, you can hover the mouse over the column headers to get in-game descriptions of the icons.

5) General:

• When launching the patch for the first time the game will attempt to auto relocate files including custom scenarios, AI and random map scripts.
  
• Intro/outro sequences for the “Battles of the Forgotten” scenarios are now functioning.
  
• When holding a relic while force closing the game it will no longer crash.
  
• Relay network message will no longer spam players.
  
• Relay network message should appear localized correctly for the player (not the sender).
  
• Campaigns should now work correctly for players with Chinese Local.
  
• Game Lobby file transfer bar has been improved.
  
• Launch Option NOMODS no longer breaks video playback.

Known Issues:

• Quick Match functionality has temporarily been disabled.
  
• Restore multiplayer games may not load correctly.
  
• When cancelling while joining a lobby players may still join the lobby (host can still kick).
  
• Mods that require files outside the “_common” folder may not function correctly.
  
• When updating a Legacy Mod the text field may appear cut off.
  
• Left clicking to pay a tribute may display an incorrect resource image.
  
• Changing hotkeys to their current value may result in a crash.
  
• When building items without a hotkey it may cause a crash (reset hotkeys as a workaround)
  
• In the Editor the Choose Teams options does not affect Triggers.
  
• In the Editor the Delete Garrisoned Units button may result in a crash.
  
• Some users may experience a passive AI during skirmish matches
  
• We are still working through other issues as well (like Editor, AI and forum post concerns).
  
• Embedded AI scripts inside campaigns are not properly being referenced. As a workaround, you can include necessary files to run campaigns inside resources/_common/ai/ folder.

We've got a bunch of changes in response to a number of issues experienced by customers around patch 4.0, with more on the way. For full details please head over to our announcement post on it, or check the list that will fit into the announcement block below.

Patch 4.1 Notes

Additionally, if you're experiencing crashes around custom hotkeys, we're hoping to get some reproducible scenarios from players and have a discussion thread set up for just that purpose:


1) Framerate:

• FPS in singleplayer once again defaults to 60 fps.
  
• The UI now renders on each button press (providing immediate feedback to the player).
  
• In game chat commands are now functional for controlling FPS:
  
  • “getfps” to see what their current ui/fps values are.
    
  • “setmaxfps #” to alter their maximum fps in singleplayer.
    
  • Replace # with a number between 5 and 10000.
    
  • “setuifps #” to alter their maximum ui fps.
    
  • Replace # with a number between 1 and 10000.
• Please note that increasing these value may reduce responsiveness or create drops in overall fps.
  
• Please note that you may need to disable vsync in the options menu to see the fps increase.

2) AI:

• Custom AI mods now correctly appear and are selectable from the Player Name drop down.
  
• While setting up a standard game with Conquerors enabled, the player name dropdown now properly calculates custom AIs.
  
• AI now default to Computer in the Player Name drop down when returning to the setup screen.
  
• AI will now respond to player commands (like asking for food or trying to ally).
  
• AI will now resign when appropriate.
  
• AI will now attempt to go after the relic in Capture the Relic games.

3) UI:

• The red Age Advance bar is back!
  
• Resource fonts are now using the correct font type and no longer flicker.
  
• When hosting a game, the Game Lobby title is now Multiplayer Game.
  
• Post game Player Names are now centered in the banner.
  
• Post game Technology Stats headers are now visible in all columns.
  
• Tech tree icon is now updated and centered.
  
• In the Editor the Trigger Toggle buttons are now visible.

4) Mod Manager:

• Upgrading mods should now function for all players.
  
• Improvements for players with more than 50 published mods (now easier to manage).
  
• Added a commandline argument “FASTVALIDATE”.
  
  • This will sacrifice smooth animation onthe validation screen in exchange for greater processing speed (most noticeable for players with 300+ mods).
• Fixed an infinite loop crash during validation when it’s waiting for something it can’t find.
  
  • If you run into an infinite loop, you can hit Ctrl+C to break out of it.
• Icons for status and type are now displayed next to each mod (along with help text).
  
  • Status Subscribed is an open scroll icon.
    
  • Status Published is a sealed scroll icon.
    
  • Status Unpublished is a blue feather pen icon.
    
  • Status Legacy Published is a stone tablet icon.
    
  • Type Dataset is a gear icon.
    
  • Type Legacy mod is a broken stone tablet.
• Coming soon: These icons are work in progress towards a filter system. Once filters are in place, it'll be much easier to understand the icons and to manage mods. In the interim, you can hover the mouse over the column headers to get in-game descriptions of the icons.

5) General:

• When launching the patch for the first time the game will attempt to auto relocate files including custom scenarios, AI and random map scripts.
  
• Intro/outro sequences for the “Battles of the Forgotten” scenarios are now functioning.
  
• When holding a relic while force closing the game it will no longer crash.
  
• Relay network message will no longer spam players.
  
• Relay network message should appear localized correctly for the player (not the sender).
  
• Campaigns should now work correctly for players with Chinese Local.
  
• Game Lobby file transfer bar has been improved.
  
• Launch Option NOMODS no longer breaks video playback.

Known Issues:

• Quick Match functionality has temporarily been disabled.
  
• Restore multiplayer games may not load correctly.
  
• When cancelling while joining a lobby players may still join the lobby (host can still kick).
  
• Mods that require files outside the “_common” folder may not function correctly.
  
• When updating a Legacy Mod the text field may appear cut off.
  
• Left clicking to pay a tribute may display an incorrect resource image.
  
• Changing hotkeys to their current value may result in a crash.
  
• When building items without a hotkey it may cause a crash (reset hotkeys as a workaround)
  
• In the Editor the Choose Teams options does not affect Triggers.
  
• In the Editor the Delete Garrisoned Units button may result in a crash.
  
• Some users may experience a passive AI during skirmish matches
  
• We are still working through other issues as well (like Editor, AI and forum post concerns).
  
• Embedded AI scripts inside campaigns are not properly being referenced. As a workaround, you can include necessary files to run campaigns inside resources/_common/ai/ folder.