Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition — Update 13088

Stability & Performance

• Disabled the execution of superfluous code when it’s not required in order to prevent out-of-sync errors caused by numerical operation issues.
• Fixed performance issues caused by misidentifying maps which feature cave terrain.
• Fixed a crash triggered when a mod challenge reward fails to subscribe to the targeted mod.
• Fixed a potential memory issue when exiting a Home City.
• Fixed a potential memory corruption in the unit grouping code.

Graphics

• The Cathedral in the Spanish Home City (Seville) now displays the proper banners when unlocked and applied.
• Fixed an issue where trees on the Arctic Territories map would “breathe” in unsettling synchronization rather than waving their branches all natural and tree-like.
• Fixed an issue in the Swedish Home City (Stockholm) where the bases of several lamp posts would flicker noticeably when certain customization options were selected.
• Urumi units will now be holding shields when placed in the Scenario Editor.
• Updated the icon of the British Consulate.

UI

• The leaderboard is now capable of fetching more than 200 entries total, and will now progressively load the next block of 200 entries as you progress through the list. Note that, as a result of this change, the “First” and “Last” button will now jump forward or backwards 10 pages rather than going to the very beginning or end of the list.
• The Objectives panel will now be automatically hidden when there are no objectives to be displayed.
• Added the ability to view the map or progress to the postgame screen from the Victory/Defeat endgame panel.
• Players on the Steam version of the game will now see their Steam Profile Name displayed in the upper-right corner on the home screen.
• Added a button to the home screen that allows you to jump to your player profile.
• Fixed an incorrect vertical offset when displaying Chinese characters that resulted in numbers being displayed higher than the rest of the characters.
• The technology tree has been renamed to “Deck Tree” during campaign missions, as it displays the cards rather than the technologies and units available during the mission.
• Updated the French tech tree to display their unique unit, Coureurs Des Bois, in place of Settlers.
• Updated the Indian tech tree to properly display the wood cost of building Villagers rather than food.
• Added a missing text string to the Edo campaign tech tree.
• Corrected the map image of the Saguenay map to display the correct number of Mines (11 rather than 10).
• Added optional tooltips to the Apply/Discard and Yes/No modals that appear throughout the game.
• Added some missing icons when non-Hero units have something to say during the campaign.

 Maceman: Hid redundant stats.

Settings

• Windowed Mode has been renamed to Display Mode in the Graphics options.
• When running in Windowed Display Mode, the window size can now be selected from a dropdown list in addition to being manually resized using the mouse.

Event Challenges

• Fixed the countdown timers of in-game events to ensure the event and challenges are in sync.
• Added a text string reminding participants that previous challenges must be completed for consecutive challenges to be unlocked.

General

• Placing a structure on top of a wall that has not been fully constructed is now far less likely. If you do manage to do so, the wall will no longer be passible.
• Implemented partial safeguards to ensure that a Trading Post can still be constructed even when an enemy unit is adjacent to the socket.
• Added hotkey support to train Black Riders and Swiss Pikemen units at Forts.
• Added hotkey support to train Fusilier and Highlander units at the Barracks and Blockhouses.

Chasqui: Can now construct Town Centers and Trading Posts when obtained via an Incan ally.

Exploit Fixes

• Closed an exploit which could be used to Revolt and Age Up at the same time.
• Disabled the use of the recorded game controls outside of replays and spectating, as a potential exploit fix.
• Disabled the use of several fog-of-war functions during multiplayer games to prevent exploitation.
• Fixed a “Dop-Box” exploit where Doppelsoldner’s could be tightly packed around an Explorer, similar to the “Cav-Box” exploit.

Fixes

• Fixed a bug where removing a card from an active deck would instead remove the adjacent card.
• Fixed an issue where Priestesses will continue to try converting an enemy who, at some point during the process, was killed.
• Fixed a bug which prevented the cycling through buildings within a control group if a Consulate or Big Button structure was also a part of that group.
• Fixed a certain type of tree which would not fall on the Alaska and Rockies maps.
• Fixed an issue which would allow AI prompts to be sent by human players.

Campaign Missions

• Fixed an issue which would cause the Asian Dynasties Acts I and II to reset when playing Act III.
• Blood, Ice, Steel (Act II): Updated the Manufacturing Plant and Harbor (and their respective icons) to display the correct cosmetics when the Boston Home City is updated during the campaign.
• Clearing the Road (Act I): Players are no longer able to control fish.
• Last City of the Inca (Act III): Fixed an issue where the Incan ally would spawn too many units and trivialize the scenario.

Historical Battles

• Algiers: Fixed instances where ships from the blockade would break the line to retreat and heal at the Docks.
• Chuvash Cape: Goats are now able to be rescued from the pen across from the southern Trading Post.

General

UNITS & BUILDINGS

• AbstractCoyoteMan: The game now refers to this unit class as “Hand Shock Infantry” when displaying the effects of upgrades, similar to the “Hand Cavalry” classification. Content affected by this change has been adjusted accordingly.

Rattan Shields and  Tiger Claws have been assigned the Hand Shock Infantry tag.

• Frontier Fortifications: Corrected Shock Infantry multipliers from 1.5x ▶ 1.3x.

 Native Scout and Chasqui: Their damage deficiency versus Villagers is now removed upon sending the Advanced Scouts or Aymara support card, as opposed to being automatically improved upon reaching the Commerce Age.
 Pirate: Corrected Shock Infantry multiplier from 4x ▶ 2.8x.
 Privateer: Following a revolution as the Barbary States, the Privateer can now properly train Falconets, Culverins, and all units trainable via the Galleon.
 Tiger Claw: An erroneous “Infantry” tag has been removed from the unit. This means they are no longer countered by Artillery and other units which normally counter Infantry, but rather act as Shock Infantry within the counter system.

CARDS

The Extensive Fortifications cards which enable additional Frontier Fortifications to be constructed (such as Outposts, War Huts, Castles, Nobles Huts and so on) has been adjusted as follows:

• A variant of the card is now available to ALL civilizations.
• Access to the card has been moved from the Commerce Age to the Exploration Age.
• Cards now increase the build limits by +100%, effectively doubling the number of Frontier defenses that can be built.
• The +25% bonus to hit points granted to Outposts now applies to ALL fortifications, including Walls and Forts.
• Adjusted the tooltip text to better communicate the behavior and strengths of the cards.

The Inca

UNITS & BUILDINGS

The following adjustments have been made to the  Maceman unit:

• Fixed a bug which prevented them from using their snare ability.
• Siege attack is now properly halved when in Cover mode.
• Can now target Naval units.

Other updates:

Chasqui: Can no longer construct Native Embassies for the purpose of Treaty balance.
Kallanka: Updated the unit types which can be garrisoned to prevent certain military units from being left out. (Note that AbstractArtillery units are still left out.)
 Plumed Spearman: Reduced Siege attack damage from 42 ▶ 35. This change is largely aimed at making “base trades” less effective in team games while creating opportunities for siege units such as the Huaraca and  Maceman to be used.

CARDS

• 7 Bolas Warriors (III) ▶ 8 Bolas Warriors (III)
• INF 6 Bolas Warriors (III) ▶ INF 7 Bolas Warriors (III)
• 13 Bolas Warriors (IV) ▶ 16 Bolas Warriors (IV)

The Indians

CARDS

• Professional Handlers: Now decreases the population cost of Siege Elephants from -1 ▶ -2, for the purpose of Treaty balance.
• Professional Handlers: Fixed a bug which caused Native Warriors and Heroes to begin costing more population.

The Ottomans

CARDS

• TEAM Team Defenses (III): Now delivers Military Wagons rather than Outpost Wagons.

The above change closes an exploit which allowed the Villagers of non-European civilizations to construct up to seven Outposts in addition to their own Frontier Fortifications. Military Wagons can be used to construct any military structure normally available to the civilization.

The Spanish

UPGRADES

• The Logistician (II): Now benefits all Exploration Age shipments as well as Improved Buildings, Hot Air Balloons, Native Lore, and Extensive Fortifications.

The Papal Guard politician has been adjusted as follows:

• Now enables Guard Crossbowmen and Pikemen upgrades to be researched at no cost rather than activating them and their prerequisites instantly.
• Reduces the cost of the Royal Guard upgrade from 1000 wood, 1000 coin ▶ 300 wood, 300 coin.
• Where applicable: reduces the cost of other Guard upgrades for Hand Infantry—such as those for Halberdiers and Doppelsolders—to 300 wood, 300 coin.

These changes to Papal Guard affect all civilizations, but are largely aimed at reducing the strength of the Spanish “fast Industrial” strategies while simultaneously improving its usefulness to other civilizations. As always, we will be watching to see the impact this has on gameplay.

The Swedes

CIVILIZATION

Added a wood crate and removed a food crate from the starting resource piles.

• Jaegers, Black Riders, and Landsknechts can now be recruited from the Saloon as a default civilization feature.

UNITS & BUILDINGS

The Torp has been adjusted as follows:

• Increased the placement restriction radius from 5 ▶ 7.8. This not only reduces the number of Torps that can be built around a single mine to 4, but will generally require Sweden to spread their Torps out over a wider area of the map.
• Cost increased from 115 ▶ 125 wood.
• Reduced the amount of food in spawned Berry Bushes from 150 ▶ 125 food.
• Berry Bushes now have a build limit of 30 to prevent the body-blocking of enemies during long matches, such as in a FFA.
• Berry Bushes now respect rally points, allowing them to be planted in more convenient directions, if desired.

The  Carolean has been adjusted as follows:

• Range increased from 10 ▶ 12.
• Veteran, Guard, and Imperial upgrades no longer grant +1 range.
• Snaplock (card): Reduced the bonus range granted from +4 ▶ +3.
• Platoon Fire (card): Reduced the Heavy Cavalry multiplayer from +1 ▶ +0.7x. Shock Infantry adjusted accordingly.
• Caroleans no longer inflict bonus damage to Light Ranged Cavalry.

Additional unit balance changes:

 Hakkapelit: Increased ranged resistance from 10% ▶ 20%. The Harquebusier has been adjusted accordingly.
 Leather Cannon: Can now be trained from Forts, as intended.

UPGRADES

• Mercenary Contractor (III): Now allows Jaegers and Black Riders to be trained from regular military buildings.

CARDS

• [NEW] 3 Hussars (II)
• All “Contract” cards now unlock the ability to recruit any Mercenaries they deliver from regular military buildings. Related hotkeys have been adjusted accordingly.
• Contract Fusiliers (II): Reduced the cost from 700 ▶ 400 coin, and reduced the number of Fusiliers delivered from 4 ▶ 3. Since Caroleans no longer counter Light Ranged Cavalry, this change aims to make Fusiliers (which do) more accessible in the Commerce Age without changing the overall resource value of the shipment.
• Engelsberg Ironworks: Reduced the coin gathering rate bonus from +125% ▶ 100%.
• Blackberries: Can now be re-sent upon reaching the Imperial Age.

The Blueberries card has been reworked in an effort to more effectively achieve its original design goals:

• Blueberries: Now transforms all pre-existing Torp Berry Bushes into Blueberry Bushes.

This should be useful in two ways: as a “greedy” early booming tactic, or as a way to make Torps which were deconstructed and rebuilt in new locations (after depleting their original resources) more rewarding.

General

• The Trade Monopoly win condition is now (correctly) available on maps with 2 Trading Posts, rather than the previous requirement of 3.
• The Trade Monopoly win condition is no longer available in Treaty; only in Standard rulesets.
• Added an Ending Age option to skirmish and casual multiplayer game settings which allows you to cap the Age to which you can advance during a match.

Added a Starting Resources option to Skirmish and multiplayer Supremacy games. This allows you to choose from the following options when setting up a match:

• Standard: 0 food, 0 wood, 0 coin + Crates
• Medium: 1,000 food, 1,000 wood, 1,00 coin + Crates
• High: 20,000 food, 20,000 wood, 20,000 coin + Crates
• Ultra: 100,000 food, 100,000 wood, 100,000 coin + Crates
• Infinite: 900,000 food, 900,000 wood 900,000 coin + Crates
• Random: Everyone starts with the same, random amount between 0 and 20,000 of each resource.

Map Balance

• Bayou: Added a small “starting” group of Turkeys for each player.
• Carolina: Removed one of the crates that spawns on the desert island.
• Carolina: Fixed a bug that could prevent whales from spawning on the map.
• Central Plain: Fixed a bug which prevented the Trade Cart upgrade from being researchable at the Trading Post.
• Central Plain: Fixed a bug which could prevent Trading Route sockets from spawning.
• Central Plain: Increased the total available food in a 1v1 matchup from 56000 ▶ 64000 and balanced herd sizes around the map. Proportional adjustments have been made to Team games.
• Indochina: The Inca now properly spawn with a Community Plaza instead of a Saloon.
• Patagonia: Added an additional whale node and additional fish to the sea.
• Fixed a bug where shipments delivering Carib Blowgunners could not be sent if a Carib Settlement was present on the map.