Age of Empires II HD: Patch 5.3 open beta available now!

Hello Age fans!

 

Thank you for participating in the Open Beta Program! Based on your ongoing feedback we have identified a few additional AI improvements which we would like to include before full release. Due this these additions we will be rolling the Patch 5.2 improvements forward and combining them with the new Patch 5.3 fixes, being made available now.

As we mentioned earlier, we want to continue to provide insight into the road ahead as we maintain focus on community issues and bug fixes. For what’s coming next, please take a look at this future patch plans discussion thread!

Again, thank you for your support and we look forward to hearing more of your feedback!

Improved Network Speeds:

• Removed the added network delay on game start
• Tuned the calculations involving network speed granularity to address the issue players were seeing where the game felt too fast or too slow.
• Lowered the minimum command delay to allow max performance on faster machines
• Improved the throttling system to allow for faster network speeds (where applicable)
• In game ping/lag icons have been updated to appear in the correct situations
  • Yellow ping circles appear for players above 200ms ping.
  • Red ping circles appear for players above 400mp ping (previously 700ms)
  • Turtle icons appear for each player that cannot maintain 90% of the simulation frame rate (previously only showed for the slowest player)

Community Focused Bug Fixes:

• Monk tool tip should no longer crash in Russian localization
• Repeatedly loading into treaty mode games no longer crashes
• Unit selection circles now behave correctly when unloading transport ships
• Line of sight circles should now correctly follow units (in rare cases they would be misaligned)
• Villagers should no longer stop and attack wolves (ordering a move command will now take priority so users can move villagers if desired)
• Saving during a game should no longer cause a desync when watching the replay
• Full Random should no longer select maps that players do not own
• Rise of Rajas main menu music should now randomly be selected
• Player units should be less likely to get stuck in forests or teleport through walls
• Custom campaigns should now unlock in order rather that always being unlocked by default.
• Custom campaign instruction images should now display correctly
• Custom campaign instruction scrollbar should now display correctly and not hide text.
• Loading a saved campaign file and completing the scenario should now correctly unlock the next one.

Community AI Improvements:

• AI improvements when pathing around walls and gates to avoid teleporting through them
• AI should attack correctly and no longer freeze during a game
• AI improvements when sn-enable-patrol-attack set to 1
  • Soldiers should no longer get stuck in animation loops
  • Soldiers should now attack the wonder correctly
  • Villagers should now respond to weak units attacking
  • Villagers should now attack towers correctly inside town-size

Additional Bug Fixes:

• Spectators should no longer crash when opening the tech tree in the game lobby
• AI Huns housing bonus should now function correctly with the original dataset
• Le Loi 5 AI should now attack correctly
• Bayinnaung 1 cinematics should now appear correctly

Balance Improvements:

• Malay cheaper fishing ship cost removed
• Malay Battle elephants 25% cheaper (rather than 20%)
• Malay age up bonus decreased from 100% to 80%
• Elite Rattan Archers +1 bonus attack vs infantry removed
• Elite Camel Archers +1 bonus attack vs infantry removed
• Elite Karambit warrior pierce armor reduced from 2 to 1
• Arquebus speed modifier on bombard cannons and bombard towers removed
• Harbors reload time increased from 2.5s to 3s
• Harbors HP reduced from 2200 to 2000 (docks are 1800)
• Elite Arambai search radius increased by 2 (so they target easier)

Campaign Fixes:

• Saladin 2 trade carts now travel to the correct market.
• Dracula 4 should now advance correctly after completing the first objective.
• Dracula 4 no longer gets stuck due to an issue with the AI monk during the cinematic.
• Sforza 1 should now reward soldiers after completing the correct objective.
• Sforza 3 now has a clearing visual path to the monastery.
• Sforza 3 has improved resign logic so you should no longer have to destroy every pavilion.
• Dos Pilas triggers should now behave correctly.
• Prithviraj 2 should now finish correctly even if purple is the last to go.
• Sundjata 4 should now complete the rescue princess objective correctly
• Sundjata 5 should now be easier.
• Yodit 2 AI should now function and attack correctly.
• Yodit 3 triggers should now function correctly when Dagnajan reaches the pass.
• Yodit 3 ending dialogue should now appear correctly.
• Yodit 3 cyan AI should not be easier to defeat.
• Yodit 4 should now complete the appropriate quest when conquering all nearby tribes.
• Yodit 4 Stelae should all provide resources now.
• Yodit 4 Stelae should now correctly change ownership to the AI when they’re next to it.
• Yodit 5 no longer triggers two petard triggers

 

• In Steam, right click on Age of Empires II: HD (while the game is not running).
• Select Properties.
• Select the BETAS tab.
• From the drop down, select Open Beta – Patch 5.3
• Exit and restart Steam to ensure the update installs correctly.
• To go back to the Live Build, select None in the BETAS tab dropdown.

 

Got questions, comments, or other feedback for the devs? Head over to the patch notes discussion page on Steam!