Version 1.1 Invisible Hand Update revealed

xphantomx

Chieftain
Joined
Jul 20, 2013
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98
No patch this week, but at least we got this



National Economy Screen – A Game-Changer for Management

One of the most exciting additions is the National Economy screen, designed to streamline resource management and reduce micromanagement, which has been a top request among players. This new screen allows players to globally manage crafting, set supply priorities, and automate improvement processes through the policy screen. If you’ve set policies for certain improvements, the game will automatically check for supplies and apply them as needed, greatly reducing the manual labor.

Jonn A. Macdonald Joins the Roster

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As Canada’s first prime minister, John A. Macdonald is a disciplined leader who excels in government and military development. His traits reflect his pragmatic governance and resourcefulness.

His Disciplined trait gives a hefty +50% boost to government and military builds, letting you establish a strong infrastructure quickly. However, his Pacifist trait reduces unit strength outside your territory by 10%, encouraging a focus on defensive strategies rather than aggressive expansion. Meanwhile, his Woodsman ability increases timber production from logging camps, making him perfect for players who want to optimize resources while fortifying their nation.

Amenity Pack – Expanding Your Arsenal

Another exciting feature is the addition of over a dozen new amenities that cover technological progress throughout human history. These will give players new tools to shape the development of their nations, expanding on how leaders can shape the lives of their citizens. Whether it’s increasing prosperity or improving national stability, the amenity pack is a valuable new set of assets for strategic depth.

Battle Viewer – The journey begins

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While Ara: History Untold isn’t a war game, war is a crucial aspect of gameplay. The new Battle Viewer paves the way for additional depth being added to combat such as showing how different unit types clash with each other as well as the first step to making terrain matter more in combat. The ongoing development of this feature will allow players to better understand the complexities of warfare in Ara, providing more transparency in battles.

Unit Upgrades – Bringing Your Army into the Modern Age

One of the most asked for features has been the ability to upgrade units. In version 1.1, players will be able to upgrade individual units within an army. Gone are the days of marching modern armies alongside spearmen or having to disband units entirely. This feature provides a preview of costs and benefits, ensuring players make informed decisions when upgrading their forces.

Adviser System – Smarter Onboarding

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Ara is a big game and while the tutorial provides new players with a straightforward way to learn the game, the team wanted to also provide ongoing advice to players. To address this, a new Adviser system is included as part of 1.1. Leveraging the powerful narrative event system, advisers will offer real-time guidance based on your chosen leader and paragon. While this initial version will live in a panel, future iterations will make advisers more integrated and visible throughout gameplay.

Modding Basics – A Four-Phase Plan

Ara is embracing the modding community with open arms. Version 1.1 introduces the first phase of modding support, allowing players to mod files and use them in their games. Following phases will focus on mod management, sharing, and seamless in-game mod integration. For those eager to tweak and expand their experience, this is a welcome development that will open countless possibilities.

The Earth Map – A Fresh Take on Global Strategy

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The much-anticipated Earth Map will make its debut in version 1.1. Balanced for gameplay first, the continents are sized such that each nation has a bit of breathing room. The map will bring historical flavor to the game, but it will also ensure fairness for all players, preventing certain nations from having an overwhelming geographical advantage. With more iterations on the horizon, the Earth Map promises to be a staple for fans of historical strategy. The Ara team plans to continue iterating on this map as additional nations are added, and player feedback comes in.
 
Wow! Looks like a great update. Addresses micromanagement and upgrading Armies. Two things that were heavily requested.

More amenities are cool and Sir John, eh? As a Canadian, this makes me very happy. ❤️

The first Earth Map is a good start. I'm excited to play it.
 
I wasn‘t sure before, but Ara starts to become very interesting. I‘m starting to think about buying the game seriously. 🤔
 
I wasn‘t sure before, but Ara starts to become very interesting. I‘m starting to think about buying the game seriously. 🤔
Many of the developers worked on Civ V and seem to be very passionate about this project. They've been very responsive to the community and doing their best to appease everyone. I only expect this game to get better. They have already admitted that they have big plans for the future. The game does many things that I always wanted Civ to do. The micromanagement seems to be the biggest complaint and this update will address that. Anybody who takes a role playing approach to Civ like me will probably like this game.
 
Anybody who takes a role playing approach to Civ like me will probably like this game.
And i‘m pretty sure i will like the game too. It‘s just that my old potato PC has a GeForce GTX 680, which should be too slow to even fulfill the minimum requirements. Sometime next year, with a new PC, Ara is a must-have for me.
It really looks great to me and it doesn‘t have Denuvo. I hope moddability for the modders out there will be even better in the future… would be cool to see custom 3d stuff and graphics in general. :)
 
And i‘m pretty sure i will like the game too. It‘s just that my old potato PC has a GeForce GTX 680, which should be too slow to even fulfill the minimum requirements. Sometime next year, with a new PC, Ara is a must-have for me.
It really looks great to me and it doesn‘t have Denuvo. I hope moddability for the modders out there will be even better in the future… would be cool to see custom 3d stuff and graphics in general. :)
Ara came out with funding pre-approved for a full year of free updates, so by the time you get your new PC, it is going to be even better. :-)

I feel like both the developers and the publisher have shown a great attitude towards their player base, and this first content update just confirms it for me. I was expecting the new economy manager, as the sheer amount of management has been the main complaint from players since the alpha stage. Don't get me wrong, it does get more manageable as you learn the game, and get more familiar with the UI (which is actually not bad when you figure it out). But I look forward to not having to manually upgrade my farms to use Heavy Plows instead of Plows. :-D

What I was not expecting was all the other stuff. Some of it, like the Earth Map, has been talked about before, I was just not expecting it so soon. Getting a new leader, new amenities, an improved battle viewer, those things I did not see coming at all. Ara is off to a strong start.

The developers have stated that modding is a priority for them.
 
Looking at the xbox.com article, I just noticed this:
Version 1.1 is just the start — the road ahead is filled with exciting updates like diplomacy improvements, a map editor, naval supremacy, and more

I'm especially curious to see where they are going with diplomacy. There's a lot of potential there. Perhaps we'll get a World Congress/Planetary Council thing at some point? :-)
 
Looking at the xbox.com article, I just noticed this:


I'm especially curious to see where they are going with diplomacy. There's a lot of potential there. Perhaps we'll get a World Congress/Planetary Council thing at some point? :-)

paired with nukes maybe 😏
 
I think this game could really benefit from skilled modders 👍🏻
The thing which really opened my eyes to mods, was the "Fall from Heaven" modpack for Civ 4. Then later Vox Populi for Civ 5. In a dream scenario, where Ara is a great success and attracts a strong modding community, I would be overjoyed if something like that would come from Ara at some point in the future.

paired with nukes maybe 😏
Yes, I could see how that might work. :-) Nukes are apparently also coming at some point.
 
The thing which really opened my eyes to mods, was the "Fall from Heaven" modpack for Civ 4. Then later Vox Populi for Civ 5. In a dream scenario, where Ara is a great success and attracts a strong modding community, I would be overjoyed if something like that would come from Ara at some point in the future.


Yes, I could see how that might work. :) Nukes are apparently also coming at some point.
Well you might get your wish. The components I've been releasing are part of a bigger project. I'm currently redoing the tech "tree" for historical accuracy. Trying to work with the existing art assets for now. I'm sure some savvy modder could figure out how to add new art to the game. The format isn't much different than Civ. I have a long list of ideas that I originally created for Civ V that I'm currently working through. The base game actually has quite a bit of content. It will definitely be a challenge to keep up with the regular updates they are releasing simply due to the nature of the coding. But it's definitely fun to mod. I'm surprised there aren't more Civ modders experimenting with this yet.
 
Looking at the xbox.com article, I just noticed this:


I'm especially curious to see where they are going with diplomacy. There's a lot of potential there. Perhaps we'll get a World Congress/Planetary Council thing at some point? :-)

I am hoping for more interaction with the independent cities/states. Right now, it is a little bare bones.
 
The thing which really opened my eyes to mods, was the "Fall from Heaven" modpack for Civ 4. Then later Vox Populi for Civ 5. In a dream scenario, where Ara is a great success and attracts a strong modding community, I would be overjoyed if something like that would come from Ara at some point in the future.


Yes, I could see how that might work. :-) Nukes are apparently also coming at some point.

A Fall from Heaven II type mod would be amazing. My favourite mod of all time.

Yeah, I really hope Ara can attract more and more modders. UncivilizedGuy is doing yeoman work so far and paving the way. 👍
 
A Fall from Heaven II type mod would be amazing. My favourite mod of all time.

Yeah, I really hope Ara can attract more and more modders. UncivilizedGuy is doing yeoman work so far and paving the way. 👍
I don't think I'll be doing a Fall from Heaven mod. But something along the lines of Rise of Mankind is what I'm aiming for
 
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