Today I want to talk about the upcoming Knight Estate update. It’s honestly one of the biggest updates I’ve ever done.

What's new

Let’s start with face genetics. Characters now have facial features that actually get passed down to their children. It adds a whole new level of realism to the lineage system.

Prisons are now in the game. You can now imprison enemy rulers and nobles, and ransom them for gold later. It's a great way to get revenge or make some money. But keep in mind, this system works both ways. You can also be captured. If your relationships with family and friends are strong, they might ransom you or break you out. If not, you're at the mercy of your captor. Lieutenants can even break you out if you're lucky.

War mechanics have been overhauled. Army size is still crucial, but from now on, the lieutenant's skill plays just as much of a role. It’s no longer just a numbers game.

Upgrades and Fixes

Tournaments have been cleaned up completely. They’re no longer as random like they were in version 1.0.1. Each round is more deliberate and well calculated now. I added a little randomness to simulate real-life flukes, so most of the time the better fighter wins, but every now and then, bad luck can knock someone out. Just like real history.

The tournament section also got a visual upgrade. It used to look kind of bland, but I gave it a sleeker design, and the player screen in general looks sharper now.

Event display has also been fixed. One of the biggest eye sores was the choppiness and missing textures during events. That’s a thing of the past now.

When it comes to war, before, you had to sit there and wait for army numbers to go down to zero before progressing to the next turn. That was rough, especially in longer campaigns like the Jerusalem campaign. So now, you can continue playing while battles resolve in the background. There’s also a surrender button now, so if a war is dragging you down, you can back out.

Balancing

I’ve rebalanced how war works. Lieutenants now act as the game’s version of CK3-style commanders. I also implemented marshals. Depending on your defense level, your army will grow every month. The marshal’s skill affects how many troops you gain during peacetime and also how many you lose. It adds a bit of depth to managing your forces.

Trade and production are now more important than before. They multiply your monthly gold income over time. But to keep things fair, that multiplier resets every year, so no infinite growth loops.

Stewards and administrative buildings now determine how much of your potential income is actually collected. So if you’ve invested gold into your realm, make sure to hire a steward, or you’ll lose a big chunk of your earnings.

Lastly

Google Play Game Services(Leaderboards and Achievements) were supposed to be included in this update, but I ran into some issues. Hopefully, I can get that in by the next update. Sorry about that guys.

I want to thank everyone who’s been playing since last year. The game used to look really rough, but you stuck with it anyway. I appreciate all of you.