22 August 2019 Update

Troops & Items

• Gave Rohan Riders some power throw.
• Some reward item changes (Imladris, Mirkwood, Dunland).
• Mirkwood elves now have axes.

Assets

• Improved Gondor helmets, added ultra-light LODs (also for some other helms).
• Added a bunch of upscaled and improved textures + normal maps.
• New reward swords for Gondor and Imladris, made by Avelium.
• New Mirkwood axe, made by Avelium.
• New warhorses for Khand and Gondor.

Misc

• Do not reassign archers to infantry when out-of-ammo.
• Pull latest translation updates from Transifex; the updated languages are cns, cnt, cs, de, es, fr, it, pl, pt-BR, ru, sk, tr and uk.
• fixed some houses without collision in Rohan scenes.

Thank you for your support and Enjoy Middle - Earth!

Version: r3007 in the Nightly Builds

1 July 2019 Update

• Fix some new companion personality clash dialogs that were switched around.
• Fixed some werewolf mechanics.
• Adding Berserker health regeneration in sieges.
• Add health point shield to sieges (applies to trolls, lords, etc...).
• Fix an issue with high level kill quest.
• Update the .csv language templates.
• Fix a few copy-paste errors in the new Defeat Target Lord quest strings.
• Fix missing plural forms of the Large Orc Trackers of Dol Guldur and Pelargir Veteran Marine.
• Hopefully, fix the Hungry Orc/Uruk dialogue bug.
• Maybe fix foot lords mounting random mounts; Some item fixes.
• Fixed troop plural names in the troops sheet.
• Add a few new props and materials. Some scene prop shuffling.
• New coifs for Gondor helmet; enabled 'cloak' modifier for some armours.
• New gloves/gauntlets by Narf and CWE.
• Optimised Rohan armour texture usage + some models and LODs.
• Added variants with capes (lots of changes in item_kinds.txt due to changes in armour imod templates).
• Work-in-progress Isengard scene (enjoy exploring!).
• Optimised Rohan warhorse textures; optimised some specular textures.
• Fixed a dialogue that had instead of {playername}.
• Added Isengard flooded and Isengard outside scenes; improved a few other scenes; fixed issues with a few props and particle systems.
• Removed the stretched belt end from some Gondor armour textures and improved meshes.
• Added normal maps for Gondor marble textures.
• Made Moria labyrinth even more confusing.
• Improved Rohan horse assets, changed stepping and redistributed.
• New formula to calculate the number of available recruits, putting more weight on rank, leadership and center relation.
• Pull latest translations from Transifex. Some languages are making a lot of progress.

Equivalent to nightly r2985.

• Make sure animal ghost riders don't get knocked off.
• Pull latest CNS, CS, ES, FI, FR, HU, IT, KO, PL, PT-BR, RU and TR translations from Transifex. Some languages are making a lot of progress.

Equivalent to nightly r2954.

[b]Relatively Major Changes / Additions[/b]
[list]
[] Allow Player to Control Ally Commanders and their troops during battle using Influence Points
[] INT gives bonus XP to heroes after battles
[] Slightly bigger Gondor strength income
[] New Quest: Defeat Target Lord Party In Battle
[/list]

[b]Quality of Life Changes[/b]
[list]
[] Ask guildmaster for lord location (region if not in a center)
[] Ask guildmaster for companion locations
[*] Add Uruk & Black Numenorean Start Options for Dol Guldur
[/list]

[b]Troops & Items[/b]
[list]
[] Adjusted some weapon prices
[] Make sure Horse Archers are regrouped to Archers during sieges.
[] Added Guldur arrows, gave them to Fell Guldur Trackers
[] Fix issues with Bear Shield
[] Gave Dain a red axe
[] Some item and reward item fixes
[*] Other tweaks to items and troops
[/list]

[b]Scenes[/b]
[list]
[] Improved Isengard castle and underground scene
[] Fixed collision mesh for Orthanc
[] Added/improved/adjusted some scene props
[] Other tweaks to scenes
[/list]

[b]Bug Fixes[/b]
[list]
[] Fixed a bug with Mordor reward items
[] Removed unfitting modifiers from horses and wargs
[] Fix Improved Horse Archer setting toggling to ON
[] Change Dol Guldur slot_tier_x_troops to Guldur troops which should fix the Dispatch Scouts quest for DG
[] Fixed bugs with Lossarnach axemaster
[] Fix an old Native MS bug
[*] Other bug fixes
[/list]

[b]Asset Changes[/b]
[list]
[] Added normal map for Mearh
[] fixed spec map for Arnor armours
[] high-res troll textures, custom Isengard troll texture
[] Dale reward sword LODs
[] More improved high-res textures (orc weapons, arnor armours and helms, some corsair helms, Rohan shield paint)
[] Improved Dale and Northmen helms
[] Upscaled + improved some Gondor textures (helms, shields, armours, thanks to NPC99 for the chainmail texture!), added improved armour meshes
[] added feminized meshes to a Dale armour
[/list]

Thank you for your support and Enjoy Middle - Earth!

[h1][b]11 February 2019 Update [/b][/h1]

[b] Troll Changes [/b]
[list]

• Reduced their Hardened Skin HP
• Improved the formula for calculating damage against their Hardened Skin
• Reduced Arrow Damage unless it is a headshot
• Improved Couched Lance damage against Troll Hardened Skin
• Nerfed their AOE strikes
• They can pushback enemies when surrounded
• Overall, should be a better experience now. Thanks for the feedback
  [/list]

[b]Troops & Items[/b]
[list]

• Gave itp_crush_through, itp_unbalanced, itp_can_knock_down to some weapons
• Tweaked all horses for better balance. There's no longer any single best horse.
• Expanded Umbar troop tree, adjusted their items and their stats
• Slightly more cavalry for Dale
• Added Corsair Master Assassin to Night Troops list
• A lot of reward item shuffling and tweaking
• Reduced day-/nighttime penalties
• Fix Arnor Shield texture
• Added spec and normal maps to Arnor items
• Fixed Pinnath Gelin Knight shield
• Redistributed warg types, made them slightly less tanky
• Less wargs and throwing weapons for Gundabad
• Moved Gundabad elite infantry a tier up, re-added t4 Moria orc archers
  [/list]

[b]Scenes[/b]
[list]

• Moved Faniul to a place that is easier to find
• pimped up some castle scenes
• Fixed Minas Tirith Siege
• Improved some props and Caras Galadhon scene
  [/list]

[b]Bug Fixes[/b]
[list]

• Fix "amount til promotion" visual issue
• Fix Lord Healing dialogue bug
• Fixes to some dialogues (thanks to JTLannister)
• Re-dressed Kili
• Fix issues with Alternate Training quest
  [/list]

[b]Other Changes[/b]
[list]

• Low Level Orcs will start up front while in formation, elite orcs behind
• Add Pre-War Condition to Spawn Bandit script (More bandits before war starts)
• Increased probabilites and reduced prices for item modifiers
• The better your relations is with a town, the better quality items you'll see in smiths
• Give Glorfi & Lyka advanced combat AI cause they are badass
• Add Riding Skill exceptions to protect against being unseated during KO animal attacks
• make battle encounter effects optional through a menu
• change some fog distance during Saruman's storm
• Capture Commander & Rescue Prisoners quest should only be given after War starts
• Adjusted party size morale malus
• tweaked raider parties for Defend Refugee Quest
  [/list]

[h1] December 18, 2018 Update [/h1]

[b] New Troll Behaviour and Attacks [/b]
[list]

• Trolls now attack just like troops
• Trolls now charge. There are still some issues with it, but for now, it works relatively well.
• Some trolls have shields.
  [/list]

[b] Player Battle Victories Support Current Theater Allied Factions [/b]
[list]

• When the player wins a battle, the spoils (i.e faction strength boost) are shared between the allied factions of that theater
• Previously, the player's faction would get the spoils.
• This allows the player to actually make a bigger difference in allied theaters, without making the player's faction overpowered.
  [/list]

[b] Companions [/b]
[list]

• 3 New Evil Companions Added.
• Companions are no longer found inside castles. They will be found somewhere in the town center. Look for them there.
  [/list]

[b] Troop & Item Changes [/b]
[list]

• remove blur from isengard weapons that makes the weapon disappear
• Made Isengard bow slightly thinner and tilted to the side to improve first-person aiming
• add female variation of Beorning Berserker armour and Khand Kilt
• Fixed Northmen Nasal Helm missing mesh, Dale reward sword position and missing materials, some more missing materials and asset doublettes.
• Minor adjustments to Beorning, Dale, Corsair troop trees
• Adjusted Gundabad&Moria top tier levels
• Made Khand kilt available in shops
• Fixed Dunedain Ranger stats,
• Changed some Beorning walker and guard troops
• Improved Umbar armour normal maps and UVs, rotated+improved big bucklers
• Reorganised some reward items according to sheet
• New Shield of Tuor reward by Avelium
• Nerfed Morthond Hunter and PG knight a bit
• Implemented Faradon's dwarf armour
• New Rohan armours, helms, boots, horses by NPC99
• Adjusted Rohan troop tree
• Removed dismounted Rohan troops from party templates
  [/list]

[b] Campaign / Campaign AI Changes [/b]
[list]

• Remove Dol Amroth as Secondary Gondor Capital
• MT cannot be sieged unless X amount of Gondor Centers have fallen + minor AI tweaks to favour sieges
• remove the 'we are campaigning' restriction when requesting council.
• Change Umbar & Moria faction colours to be less similar to Moria
• New Lord Command: Ask Lord to attack a besieged center
• Don't reinforce factions in Last Stand mode
• make some changes to guardian party quest
• Fixed limited defender spawns in sieges, rebalanced defender starting numbers and reinforcments.
• Prevent division by zero in script_calculate_rank_gain_new, hopefully also fixing the rank gain exploit
• Allies will now help the player against deserters. They still don't hunt them down though (as designed).
• Removed player faction str income nerf
• Some work on Moria and Gundabad reinforcement templates
• More garrison size adjustments
• attempt to fix division by zero errors in ai scripts
  [/list]

[b] Scenes & Scene Props Fixes / Changes [/b]

• Improved some native scene props
• Some scene fixes (Dol Amroth landmark scene, Dol Guldur center)
• removed some buggy tree LODs;
• new Isengard underground terrain
• Some more details to Beorn's House.
• Hopefully fixed troops spawning below terrain in Gundabad mirkwood outpost.
• New Beorning village scene
• Improved some AI barriers in Erebor and Rivendell camp siege
• Pimped up MT siege a bit
• Reduced blue ground colour in some Gondor scenes.
• Hopefully fixed the water foam particle for WB
• disabled formations in Gondor coastal scenes
  [/list]

[b] Others [/b]
[list]

• renamed some factions for better grammar
• Fix Battle Encounter Effects formula + make fogginness relative to scene size
• Add new male faces (textures, head mesh, modified beards)
• Make sure dead companion is not resurrected
• Add Merlkir's new Funeral Pyre Oath drawing + Added Funeral Pyre Oath menu
• Fix Moria / Gundabad Oath Kill Counter
• Make sure Moria book can't be taken twice from Moria
• Hardcode some scout camp locations, so hopefully they don't spawn on inaccessible terrain
• Change Targeted kill quest to be level dependent.
• make sure heroes aren't eaten
• make sure retreat party has at least 1 troop
• Show rank points til next rank in Reports
• Add extra checks for Berserker Trait
• Make Slower Agents when Wounded Optional through a Menu (Battlefield AI tweaks)
• Put in a hard limit for # of attackers in village defense quest
• made sea battle (south) a bit easier (less javelins)
• Fix Saruman Storm Lightning effect + Tweak Battle Encounter Effects Formula Again
• Henneth Annun no longer a target for certain quests
• Add info on who killed hero both in news and in mound/pyre + target that faction for oath of vengeance
• New face codes for Gondor town NPCs, by Merlkir
• New day/nighttime penalties, also affecting melee
• added a new preset to Fixed Custom Camera: Center View
  [/list]

[h1] [b]Another September 2018 Patch[/b] [/h1]
[list]
[] Fixed a bug found when we implemented reinforce next theater script
[] Fixed weather effects happening when it is not intended to
[] Added preliminary Dol Guldur troop tree by moving orc trackers to DG + making them a bit stronger;
[] Made Rhovanion Marchwardens ranged troops;
[*] Rotated Dale Bill so it actually hits with the blade
[/list]

Thanks again and Enjoy Middle Earth!

[h1] September 13, 2018 Patch [/h1]

New Feature:

[list]
[*] Battle Encounter Effects

• Depending on the faction strength of certain factions AND where the player is on the map, some special effects leading to buffs/debuffs might occur during battle (BETA)
  [] Extended Battlesize: Minimum is now 90; Maximum is 350.
  [] Made sure Sieges always have optimal battlesize
  [/list]

Other changes:
[list]
[] Prune Prisoners from Centers faster (From once a week to twice a week)
[] Fix Guild Master Quest Ranges (should fix the Guildmaster kill quest issue)
[] Fix kill quest counter from counting each kill as double.
[] Upscaled and improved more textures + added normal maps for Rhun, Beornings
[] Fixed some strings
[] Improved woodmen / beorning normal maps, fixed one mesh
[/list]

Thanks again for your continued support! Enjoy Middle Earth!

Previous release broke something. Fixed!

[] Add Last Stand of Durin's Folk Custom Scenario
[] Add Faction Selection Presentation
[] Hardcoded some Scout Camp locations so that they will always be reachable
[] Changed Dale troops' inventories, so that the Dale armours hopefully show up in shops; also adjusted some item stats;
[] Put deprecated troops back in for old savegames. May be overwritten in a few months.
[] Changed some reward item text so it is more understandable + change isengard mine to give +2 tactics for now