RTS WTF? Battle Realms still getting updates in 2022

[luj1]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1025600/Battle_Realms_Zen_Edition/

So apparently something called Battle Realms Zen Edition exists.

It is 9/10 on Steam and receiving frequent updates.

BECOME A PART OF THE COMMUNITY​

PACKED WITH DETAILS & INNOVATION​

• Strategy Over Production - With a limited number of units at the player's disposal, victory is in the hands of the player who outthinks rather than outnumbers his opponent.
• Living Resource System - Peasants come out of their huts at their own pace and face a multitude of choices. Should they gather resources, construct buildings, water rice crops, extinguish fire, catch horses or perhaps train to be skilled warriors?
• Unit Alchemy - Peasants train to become soldiers. Newly trained soldiers may then continue training to become specialists in various disciplines or study and acquire new combat abilities. All units are unique and most of them have innate abilities that give them or their allies an advantage in various situations.
• Damage System - Battle Realms employs a six-way rock/paper/scissors damage system, or in this case, a cutting/piercing/blunt/explosive/fire/magic system. Each unit deals a particular type of damage, in addition to being strong against some types of damage and weak against others.
• Immersive Combat - All units have unique animations for all occasions, the fights are fluid and enjoyable to observe. Missile units can fight in melee when they have no choice. All units will limp when critically wounded, while others will perform magic rituals to boost their comrades' morale.
• Retreat - Attempting to save as many of your units as possible is an important strategy. After a minute of rest, your units will be almost as good as new, ready to attack again.
• Running and Walking - Running offers players a number of choices: should they slowly sneak through the forest and save their stamina for special attacks, or should they run in and try to catch enemies off guard?
• Strategic Surroundings - Fire consumes buildings if not extinguished, birds will give away enemy positions if startled, wild animals attack lone wanderers and boulders can be pushed to deal devastating damage.
• Horses As An Individual Resource - Peasants capture horses, which are then taken to the stables and domesticated. Horses provide a unit with a variety of bonuses: speed, stamina, health and damage. While most units mount the horse, peasant, for example, use it as a packhorse to streamline their harvesting operations.
• Battle Gears - Battle Gears were designed to give units versatility they wouldn't otherwise have. Each clan acquires its Battle Gears by different means: buildings are common means, but some soldiers get them from other units or bizarre necromantic rites.
• Yin and Yang - By awarding Yin and Yang points based on performance in battle, the game incentivizes players to actually get out there and fight.
• Zen Masters - Each clan has its share of heroic figures known as Zen Masters, their powers vary as widely as the heroes they stem from, ranging from impressive healing abilities to teleports. Zen Masters are masters of their particular alignment, and benefit from the presence of Yin and Yang.
• Terrain - As in real battle, using the lay of the land to one's advantage is critical to victory. Units gain a damage bonus when attacking from higher ground. Units that attack from lower ground suffer a small damage penalty.
• Forest - Forests are not obstacles, but rather terrain to be used. Troops can enter the forest and will be largely invisible to their opponents. Care must be taken when moving through the woods - move too quickly, and birds scatter from the trees, alerting enemy players to movement.
• Line of Sight - Gaining control of the high ground and forests is an important strategy, as shroud wouldn't allow players to effectively strategize.
• Weather - Rain slows the advance of all units, extinguishes building fires and helps rice regrow faster. Snow slows the rice growth and unit movement down. Some of the game's more powerful heroes can alter the weather to suit their clan's strategic needs.
• Environmental Effects - Frogs hop through the swamp and fireflies gather around trees at night. As units walk through shallow riverbeds the water ripples, then splashes when the soldiers begin to run...

STEAM GREENLIGHT​

This game has been Greenlit by the Community back in 2014. Despite all the hardships, we were able to finally release and continue developing it. We sincerely thank everyone for the support, Battle Realms has not been forgotten and is now getting a second life!

EVERYBODY WAS KUNG FU FIGHTING...​

Fun fact: Back when it was released in 2001, Battle Realms caused a many month delay of Warcraft III. The staff at Blizzard played Battle Realms and agreed that it was better than their current version of their game. Then... they did an outstanding job and brought an epic RTS of their own for the whole world to remember!
READ MORE

ABOUT THIS GAME​

Every warrior has a name and they are all willing to die for you.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Ed Del Castillo (producer of Command & Conquer) proudly presents the return of his masterpiece: Battle Realms.

Critically acclaimed and enjoyed by fans worldwide, Battle Realms is packed with innovation, deep strategy, and an immersive world filled with meaningful detail. It's a game defined by its setting -- an RTS that combines resource management, unit development, and tactical gameplay with storytelling inspired by the Kung Fu movies and oriental culture.

If you missed it the first time, now is your chance to experience one of the most innovative RTS's in the genre. Even though the original Battle Realms came out almost two decades ago, many of its features have yet to be copied in other games. With unique units and many original ideas Battle Realms is a game that no RTS fan can afford to miss.

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Zen Edition:​

☯ Early Access: The game is in continuous development yet once again. Help the game flourish by leaving feedback in the community hub. Don't forget to read our Early Access statement!

☯ Complete: Includes the original Battle Realms and its Winter of the Wolf expansion that focuses on the Wolf clan and serves as a prequel to the original campaign.

☯ New & Improved: Countless bugfixes, dual-monitor support, updated screen resolutions, online multiplayer... and more!

Unique Gameplay:​

☯ Train Your Warriors: Experience one of the most unique troop creation systems in RTS. Peasants train into soldiers, which in turn, can follow multiple training paths like Samurai, Cannoneers, Bandits, Berserkers, and many other mythical warriors.

☯ Live or Die by the Land: Seize tactical advantages in a living world teeming with life - birds fly when startled, wolves attack troops, higher ground offers increased power to ranged attacks, and when it rains, fires are put out and crops grow faster.

☯ Command the Power of Zen: Your Zen Masters wield fantastic powers in the heat of battle - heroic feats inspire your people, granting almost magical powers and opening up new strategies.

☯ Blood Spilled Is Power Gained: Lead warriors to victory and earn Yin & Yang points to acquire destructive new weapons and magic. The more you do, the more powerful you become.

☯ A War for the Masses: Stage epic battles with up to 8 players. Dozens of multiplayer maps and a deeply customizable PVP skirmish mode.

Immersive Storyline:​

☯ Battle Realms: Kenji, exiled heir to the Serpent throne, must stake his claim in a chaotic world wracked by the subversive intrigues of the Serpent, Wolf, and Lotus clans. Shall he vanquish the land under a campaign of malevolence and terror or restore the war-torn realm to its former glory? Enter Battle Realms and choose your destiny.

☯ Winter Of The Wolf: Explore the history that led up to the events in Battle Realms. Scattered and unorganized, your enslaved Wolf brethren hunger for revolt against their corrupt Lotus Clan masters. You must unite them. You must lead them. You must free them.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀

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There are four major clans that comprise the population of Battle Realms Island. Each with unique characteristics, units, cultures and histories, the decision of which is best is up to you. Within the borders of this broken land, three clans maintain an uneasy coexistence, fraught with tension and, at times, slavery and open war.

The Wolf Clan in the northwest, the Lotus Clan high on their northern plateau, and the Serpent Clan in the fertile lowlands. And always, at least in some minds, there is a ghost of a fourth great clan, the lost Dragon Clan, forefathers of the Serpent. Despite their proximity, no three persons could be more different. As yet there is no clear victor in this three-handed struggle; alliances and enmities are unstable, and you never know who or what might be massing on your borders. If you are to survive in this world, you must study your enemies and your friends alike: know their ways, their warriors, and their weaknesses.

☯ Dragon Clan: The Path of Righteousness​

The ancient Dragon Clan prizes honor above everything else. They are Yang followers with honor as their symbol. Their warriors seek to become one with their weapons. Due to their devotion to honor, the Dragon deity assists them during times of great peril.

☯ Serpent Clan: The Way of the Wicked​

A derivative of the Dragon Clan, the Serpent Clan have forgotten their honorable ways and have resorted to thievery and deceit. Serpent clansmen are Yin followers. Unlike their Dragon ancestors, they do not scorn the use of firearms; instead they have learned to employ its use in many of their fighting arts. Even though the Dragon Clan knew how to use gunpowder, it was the Serpent Clan which uncovered its secrets. Stealthy, flexible, and cunning, the Serpent Clan uses a plethora of Battle Gears to disable their opponents and produce an advantage.

☯ Wolf Clan: The Spirit of Might​

The wild Wolf Clan prizes freedom above all else. They are Yang followers with freedom as their symbol. Unlike the other clans, they have no cavalry, nor do they have healers. They feed the horses to their wolves, which accompany them and partake in their battles. Their wounds knit surprisingly fast, even more so with the use of herbs. They know some magic, and much of what they do know is tied to nature. Wolf clansmen are down to earth, hardworking people, and take a delight in nature. They are also known for their use of shale as their armor.

☯ Lotus Clan : The Essence of Darkness​

The Lotus Clan is the remnant of a Yang Clan of old, but it is now a Yin Clan. Lotus clansmen are Yin followers with corruption as their symbol. They follow the Forbidden Path, which focuses on death and decay. Their religion centralizes around three ancient brothers, now long gone, who tended the Tree of Corruption. The Lotus Clan's strategy is based on their immense understanding of magic, which translates to unit abilities and Battle Gear.

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Sit by the fire, young nobleman, and help yourself to a goblet of jasmine tea. You are wise to come here. So many warriors before you attempted to unite this realm under their reign. They were brave and strong. They had the noble knowledge of tactics. They knew how to choose the best steel for swords. They had fists that could punch holes through stone walls. They had eyes that could spot a sneaking ninja in the middle of a cloudy night. They had hearts that knew no fear nor remorse. But none of them came to seek advice of an old man living on the mountain. And--one by one--they failed. Their power crumbled, their dreams vanished, and their lives faded. You are wise to come here, young nobleman. But this is only your first step towards the true wisdom and the true power that only comes with balance...

Once upon a time there was a proud empire with many great clans. The Serpent Clan ruled this empire while the other clans like the Lotus and Crane maneuvered for greater control of it. It is said, that in those times a great darkness grew from the shadows and formed sinister creatures of pure night. Like droplets of rain they dotted the land and overwhelmed the one clan after another. Tarrant, the leader of the Serpent clan, was the first to accept the fate of the empire. He fled to the south with the remnants of the Serpent Clan and its prized possession, the Dragon Orb.

Further and further they travelled until he could see the Southern Seas and the end of the land. It was here that he turned and faced the Horde. Summoning all the power of the Dragon Orb, he separated the southern tip of the continent from the rest of the mainland with the awesome power of the orb. Neither it nor he would ever be seen again. The Horde could not cross running water, so Tarrant had saved his people at the cost of his own life and the Orb.

To this protected place came two other Clans, the Lotus and the Wolf. The Lotus Clan, twisted and corrupt managed to cross to safety by means unknown. The Wolf Clan, whose matriarchal Druidesses foresaw the drowning of their lands by tidal wave (a result of Tarrant breaking the world) built massive arks for their people which rode the surge and shipwrecked on the new formed island.

How they came to know one another and fight for their piece of the island is the story of Battle Realms!



_____________________________________________

NEWS​

Wed, July 20
News Of The Realms - Almost There!

Greetings, Warriors!

We are here, once again, to share the last pre-release note regarding the by now notorious update 1.58, our magnum opus in the making.

It's been 4 months since the last news, and
almost a year
since the open-beta release of the update 1.57.9. It's been a while indeed, but fret not, we are here to provide some insight into what's been happening with the development, and to reassure you that the work has indeed been going non-stop all this time, and it is soon to culminate.

Before we begin, we would like to share a reminder:

• This is the most important update for BR:ZE, and thus it is the most complex to develop. We're working in multiple directions, but the majority of the dev time has been dedicated to ensuring that the D3D (DirectX) update goes smoothly.
• For the longest time, we've been working with the outdated C++ '99 codebase of BR (which is indeed more or less updated to modern standards by now).
• We're still a team of only 4 people learning to navigate the inner workings of BR in an agile manner.

These are the 3 main reasons why things have been taking as long as they have been taking. Alas, the development time has exceeded all our estimates and beyond, time and time again. At this point, we're operating on "when it's done" basis, no ETAs can be further provided by us.

That being said, we're not completely underwater and have always been open to communication with our players via our Discord server. We have also assembled a full YouTube playlist with all 1.58 Sneak Peeks so far (10 in total at the time of writing this).



Beyond all that, let's talk about what's in store...

• State of the Update 1.58
Right now, the update is complete enough for us to release it soon. We're emphasizing "enough" because it is not as complete as we would like it to be, but the game hasn't seen any updates in a while and we must release as soon as possible, especially considering how different 1.58 is from the main game by now (in all the good ways).

In the end, we're cutting corners, not only there won't be D3D12 rendering on release (no DirectX 12), but D3D9 will also not be fully complete. D3D9 is mostly complete, about 90%, the other 10% revolve around minor polishes and figuring out engine-specific issues. We will resume the work on those features shortly after the update releases.

We've run extensive tests to deem the update "release ready", right now we have to figure some things out within the team and prepare ourselves for the release.

• Preparing for the Release
About that... As 1.58 is our claim to fame, once it releases we will be running an extensive outreach campaign to garner as much attention as possible.

Would you like to lend us a hand? Simply share the news with your friends or leave a review on the store page of the game, that already helps us a ton! If there are content makers reading this, you can reach us at support@battlerealms.com , we might have a bunch of keys we would like to share with the people who are willing to review the game on YouTube, any streaming platforms or perhaps even their personal sites.

All and any help is appreciated!

• Sneak Peeks
Those who are hunting for the juicy update intel, do we have a treat for you! We can't show much, but hopefully what we can show will pleasantly surprise you.

As has already been mentioned, we've been working on multiple fronts, doing various kinds of things, here are some of them:

• Texture Improvements

As previously mentioned, all textures in the game have been improved to look less pixelated due to the introduction of newer widescreen and ultra-widescreen resolutions, and also because we actually can.

Here's a comparison between the legacy Lotus Clan UI and ZE UI

And here's the Dragon one

Forest Temple (Wolf) Techniques. A bunch of things like this had to be redrawn for the update.

• Visual Effects Improvements

For 1.58 we just restored and improved a handful of effects where it was required, but in the future we will improve all VFX across the game.

For example, previously, the Kabuki Warrior from the Dragon Clan was missing the animation for
Star Dust
, one of his Battle Gears. He just stood still while the ability magically activated in the targeted spot.

The truth is, Kabuki was supposed to use the same animation he uses when casting
Flash Powder
(his other BG), and Star Dust itself was supposed to be a projectile. We fixed that and remade the FX, here's the end result:

The VFX editor, albeit dated and outclassed by most editors of today, is still very powerful. Liquid certainly knew what they were creating. This basically means we can experiment and create VFX that are a bit more modern, without being held back by hardware limitations.

• Gameplay Improvements

There has been a lot of work done in this field. New Poison and Siege systems, AI tweaks, unit behavior improvements, various QoLs... you name it.

For example, missile units can finally use projectile-based targetable Battle Gears mid-combat without needing to stand passive beforehand. It is now fixed once and for all!

• Balance Improvements

1.58 (next update) is bringing a lot of balance changes to the table. We would like to believe we're on the right track regarding balancing the game.

For example, Spreading Goo BG of Unclean One or Haste BG of Issyl will no longer have any effect on any other animations, but the movement ones.

We will be eagerly awaiting the community's feedback on the upcoming changes, so we can shape the game for the better together.

• Future Integrations

We've also been working on the Rich Presence feature in both Steam and Discord. Style points go to Discord in this one.

• ...And More.

Much more, you may even see some lore-friendly content restored.

• Go Open Beta!
Even though we don't miss on a chance to remind that
Open Beta 1.57.9
exists, our statistics shows only
3.79%
of the whole player base play on it.

Please, remember that open beta is the future public release version, you can always take part in that future by sharing your feedback with us.

• Final Words
Trust us,
it's coming
. We want it released as much as all of you do. We have been working on the game this whole time, and this work will soon be released as the glorious Update 1.58. Until then... some final moments of patience.

Thank you everyone for your support and attention. We shall soon meet again!

  

Join the official server for the game, the universe, and the community if you haven't. Discord has proven to be a very helpful and fun program to use for us (as developers), so we're quite keen on maintaining our server.

Populated by more than 4000 warriors, it is a solid communication bridge between us and all of you.
If you're having issues, planning to report a bug, or just want to learn something new about the game and communicate with other fans or even developers -- we'd like to see you there, come around!

This game was super fun in LAN back in the day. We used to book internet caffes for 2v2s and 3v3s.

It was sort of a contemporary of Warcraft III, it went gold some time prior to it.

I liked the unique system of training your peons vias building to become various units. Resources were water and rice. You could also tame horses (!) and mount your units onto them. Each clan had a super unit, which was complicated to train. I believe the Wolf Clan had Werewolf, Lotus Clan had Warlock, Serpent had Necromancer and Dragon I think had a dragon statue as superweapon? Combat animations were actually better than Warcraft's, if I recall every unit would visibly parry and dodge attacks. BR also had a clone, the little known and obscure War of the Ring, a LotR RTS. Battle Realms had a campaign and expansion pack called Winter of the Wolf.

 

[Kruno]

This game was so fucking fun back in the day. I remember going down the dark path made the game a ton more difficult. I can't wait.

 

[luj1]

This game was so fucking fun back in the day.

Yeah it was fun. We played it while waiting for the Warcraft III demo.

Another fun thing I just remembered was the way towers worked. You construct a platform, then can mount various units on it.

I can't wait.

I can't seem to find nowhere the changes that the Zen Edition brings, except this one sentence.

☯ New & Improved: Countless bugfixes, dual-monitor support, updated screen resolutions, online multiplayer... and more!

 

[luj1]

 

[Feyd Rautha]

Is it using the same fonts as WC3?

 

[AdamReith]

I like this game but it's really annoying how the damage types work. It's completely unintuitive and you have learn what counters what completely by trial and error.

Maxing out on mounted samurai is pretty great though, even if it takes forever.

 

[Scarcity]

Good game. Have they added ranked ladder and matchmaking tho?

 

[luj1]

Trailer from 2020:

 

[luj1]

Maxing out on mounted samurai is pretty great though, even if it takes forever.

oh yeah I remember that

Tho I recall werewolf could take out 2 samurai or 2.5

 

[luj1]

saeci hey normie bum

 

[Lucumo]

Maxing out on mounted samurai is pretty great though, even if it takes forever.

oh yeah I remember that

Tho I recall werewolf could take out 2 samurai or 2.5

Swordsman + Glass Sword. Serpent clan ftw.

 

[luj1]

Zymeth

I remember this guy used to be really nasty

 

[Deadyawn]

Biggest update yet has just dropped

Update 1.58 - The New Era Begins!
An update powerful enough to break the world...
Welcome back, Warriors!

It sure has been a while., almost a full year since the latest update that was the Open Beta 1.57.9 launch in fact. It's been too long, and probably should have been better communicated with all of you, we apologize for that.

That being said, we're hoping to make up for what we lack in public relations with something absolutely amazing, which culminates with the release of the update 1.58, our Magnum Opus that is finally able to see the light of day.

This is where all the stars align, and a decisive turning point for the BR: ZE development is reached. With the update 1.58, the game receives a massive overhaul on every front.

This is going to be a big one, it's a year of almost non-stop work we are about to break down to you, so get comfortable, grab a drink, some snacks, and prepare for the good stuff.

• Updated Codebase | D3D Upgrade | Visual Updates

• Codebase has been updated to modern standards. It has been cleaned, improved and overall provides better performance across the game.
  
  
• D3D7 has been upgraded to D3D9, which eliminates most of the graphical issues you might have experienced before, most notably the glitchy mini- map, shadow bugs and other visual artifacts.
  
  
• Proper support for AMD GPUs has been implemented. AMD videocard users will no longer experience any abnormal stutters or FPS issues simply caused by the game's dislike for AMD (most notably - extreme fps drops with buildings on fire).
  
  
• All textures across the game have been updated with the help of neural upscaling technology with some of the additional fixes from our artists.
  
  
• Support for a number of resolutions has been added, including 2K and 4K (alas, the UI remains stretched on any aspect ratio that isn't 4:3 or 5:4 as updating the game's UI in particular proves to be very difficult).
  
  Newly added resolutions:
  1152x864, 1280x720, 1280x960, 1366x768, 1600x900, 1600x1200 , 2048x1080, 2560x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160

• Reduced Input Lag | Controls Overhaul
• You've read it right -
input lag has been drastically reduced
, that essentially solves the notorious "BR Delay" that has been the bane of many BR players for years. Enjoy better unit responsiveness!

• Global Unit Control Changes:

1. Units will now force-move by default (won't be auto-aggressive during movement).
2. Units will now run by default instead of walking.
   
   
3. CTRL
   modifier key will make units attack-move (instead of force-move- its previous behavior.
4. ALT
   modifier key will make units walk (instead of making them run - its previous behavior).
5. CAPSLOCK
   key will display units' health bars.

To preface this - three of the most important control keys in the game can only be found within the original printed manuals of 2001/2002. Those keys are CTRL, ALT and SHIFT. Without them, unit control in BR will be quite a hassle for pretty much everyone. And if you ever found yourself bothered by unit disobedience and non-flexibility, that is one of the major reasons why.

In order to "force-move" units without them auto-attacking things in their way one had to hold the
CTRL
modifier key, and in order for units to run one had to hold the
ALT
modifier key (or double-right-click, which wasn't always reliable especially during lags in multiplayer).

As a QoL change, we've made those keys modify movement in the opposite way, closer to the traditional RTS games. That means by default all units will
force-move
and
run
instead of
attack-moving
and
walking
.

Now one will only need to press
CTRL
or
ALT
if they want their units to
attack-move
or
walk
respectively.

That will be the new control scheme by default. However, players who find that unnecessary will be able to go into Options and bring back the legacy control scheme for CTRL and ALT.

• BR attack-move becomes an actual attack- move. Previously, the default movement option in the game was... a hybrid of attack-move and force-move. It would preserve automatic unit aggression when moving but would become a force-move upon disengagement. Force-Move was initiated via CTRL.

It is now gone as we remade it into the attack-move that is in-line with the traditional RTS design. It will be 100% aggression on the move and will not break unit engagement like before.

Here's a description from the Starcraft Wiki:

Attack-Move
causes the selected unit group to move to a location. If any enemies are encountered along the way, the group will attack that enemy until it is killed. They will repeat this until all encountered enemies are dead, then resume moving to their original destination.

However, there are incidents in which a player should use force move rather than attack move. Examples include rushing past base defenses to attack more important units and structures, retreating from a more powerful enemy army, and using units to serve as a distraction rather than a threat.

• Guard Command Improved

Previously, the Guard command was pretty much broken and was only useful to make units follow other units. Unit that was supposed to guard something or someone would still be auto-aggressive and attack anything losing the Guard order in the process.

• In 1.58 Guard command will no longer reset under any circumstances other than direct attack orders or behavior order switch.

• The order will not reset if the unit on Guard is attacked.

• Unit on Guard will guard a unit, building or terrain in a short radius. Whenever the unit is out of the radius, it will return back into the radius.

• Units on Guard will only scan for enemy units, they will not attack buildings.

• Behavior Control Orders Become Toggles
Behavior Control Orders are
Stand Ground
and
Passiveness
, which essentially tell units how to behave. These keys will now become
ON/OFF toggles
, which will allow units to retain those settings when necessary.

Previously
Stand Ground
,
Passiveness
and
Guard
orders would reset on every occasion. That meant players would have to reissue them almost all the time if they wanted to keep their units in check. Most notable examples would be units being attacked or simply moving (even a meter away), that would disable the orders making units auto-aggressive again.

Now, that these keys become toggles, units will retain those orders as long as they are toggled ON. These orders will only reset if they are toggled OFF or units are instructed to attack.

Passiveness/Stand Ground
Legacy Behavior
1.58 ZE Behavior (TOGGLE ON)
1.58 Notes
Resets when attacking
⠀⠀⠀⠀✓
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀✓
Stand Ground will not reset on ranged units ordered to attack
Resets when being attacked
⠀⠀⠀⠀✓
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀✖
If toggled on, unit will not reset the order
Resets when moving
⠀⠀⠀⠀✓
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀✖
If toggled on, unit will not reset the order
Resets when Stop hotkey is issued
⠀⠀⠀⠀✓
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀✓
Stop will clear all toggled orders

• As is with any toggles, if any behavior order is active, and you press the same key again, it's going to deactivate (toggle off) unless you have units in your selection that have no behavior orders.

If there are units that have no behavior order in that selection, pressing the same key will toggle that order on for them first, and only then you will be able to disable the order (by pressing the same key, again).

• You can clear all behavior orders by pressing the Stop command (S by default) or by ordering units to attack (will not reset Stand Ground on ranged units).

• Unit portraits will now show what order unit has on.

• Pressing Stand Ground on Hybrid units (Kabuki Warrior, Dragon Warrior, Samurai and Bandit) will force them to use their ranged weapon, this is essentially a melee-to-ranged switch for this type of units.

• Hotkeys & Controls Reference Screen
Considering all the information stated above, we decided to add a hotkeys & control reference that will pop up whenever one presses the T hotkey (which is default for Tech Tree Tips). We are hoping this will help our players navigate around the game controls.

• Multiplayer | Networking
• Steam Multiplayer
The importance of Multiplayer in any game, and especially a game like BR, can't be overstated. Almost every single day of the 1.58 development was dedicated to ironing out all the MP issues, and with great confidence we can say it has been stabilized. We don't want to get ahead of ourselves just yet, so we will let you see for yourself.

• Fixed numerous issues with hosting/joining lobbies.
• Fixed a number of crashes that would occur when starting games.
• Fixed all the possible desync triggers we could find. We are almost sure there are none left.
• Redesigned the main lobby screen a bit.
• Fixed an issue in the lobby listing that only displayed local lobbies. Now all lobbies from around the world will be displayed.
• Ping will now display properly. It will also get colored according to its value (white is good, yellow is bearable, orange is suspicious, and red is downright awful).

• Database integrity check has been implemented for online lobbies. A new column called MOD will now be among the lobby filters.

This column will let you see whether the host uses a modified database file. You won't be able to join those lobbies if you don't have the exact same mod as the host. A special pop-up will let you know that.

That will also display in-game on the UI panel. Because of this integrity check, we now have no issues with people trying to modify the database file, so feel free to share your mods in our Discord server!

• LAN & Direct IP Removal
LAN and Direct IP Multiplayer modes have been removed from the game.
Now, by clicking 'Multiplayer', the player will be taken directly to the Steam Lobbies.

There are 3 reasons for this:

1. Piracy concerns.
2. Ed Del Castillo's goal of centralizing the community.
3. Security issues that currently can't be resolved due to the game's age and Steam network not really properly supporting LAN.

Steam Multiplayer should by now be an overall better way to play online, but yes, it requires internet connection.

Steam Multiplayer in Battle Realms: Zen Edition uses Peer- to- Peer networking. There are no servers, only p2p hosted games. This method was chosen for a number of reasons, but essentially it means players will be able to host Multiplayer games for as long as Steam exists as a service.

• Balance Overhaul
A lot of time and thought has been put into the initial balance overhaul. We will highlight only major changes, but the complete changelog can be found below, it is 45 pages long, but we strongly recommend getting acquainted with it.

A good bunch of community suggestions can be found there. We are hoping to keep this up and improve the game for the better together with the help of our amazing community.

If you are willing to participate in this, please leave your feedback either in the Steam Discussions or our Discord Server (preferred way).

1.58 Update - Balance Changelog

• Unit Training Time
• Serpent Clan no longer has the 5 seconds advantage when it comes to training units

Previously, Serpent Clan trained units 5 seconds faster than the other 3 clans. Now all clans train units 5 seconds faster. Meaning that not only they are equal in training speed, but they also train troops faster than they do in the legacy game.

• The Siege System
Unit damage to buildings has been completely rebalanced, as there are now Siege and Non-Siege units. To sum it up- if you don't train Siege units, you won't be able to effectively destroy buildings.

• Unit Class will show as Siege in “Smart Tooltips” when selecting units.

Here's a list of all Siege units and their BGs for each clan:

Dragon

Chemist (default attacks), Chemist (Starburst Rockets BG), Powder Keg Cannoneer (default + all BGs), Archer (Fire Arrow BG), Dragon Warrior (Flame Sword BG), Teppo, Kazan, Otomo

Serpent

Raider, Musketeer (Blast Shot BG), Cannoneer (only after technique)

Wolf

Mauler (only after technique), Hurler (Lava Rock BG), Sledger (default attacks), Pitch Slinger (default attacks), Shale Lord, Grayback, Longtooth

Lotus

Staff Adept (only after technique), Unclean One, Warlock (Lythis' Dark Arson BG), Master Warlock (default attacks), Shadow Steed (Flame Breath BG)

• The Poison System

In the legacy game, Poison units would deal 50% of their initial base damage upfront and then 50% overtime. Base damage and poison were closely interconnected hence why Zen Masters like Shinja dealt very little damage.

• In 1.58, we untied Poison from base damage and made it a separate "true" damage value that applies overtime.

• In addition to that change, Poison will now slow affected units' movement speed down by 40% and Geisha won't be able to heal poisoned units.

• On top of that, there are units that are immune to Poison:

- Nightvol, Hordeling, Spirit Warrior, Spirit Wolf, Shale Spider, Zombie, Shambler
- Last Stand Guardian
- Unclean, Infested, Diseased
- Necromancer, Shale Lord, The Three Brothers

• Geisha Overtime Healing System

In 1.58, we introduced "Overtime Healing" in order to encourage unit preservation and making combat less forgiving for players with Geishas. Now there’s a good chance that focused attacks will overpower geishas’ overtime heal, so if units stay in combat while being healed, they will most likely die.

• Geishas will no longer instantly heal units to full health
• Geisha will instantly heal 25% of units’ base health and will add a 75% base health overtime effect (3% per 25 ticks).
• Geishas won’t be able to cast another heal until the first heal stops.
• Once units reach full health, the effect stops.
• Once Geisha dies, her healing effect stops.

• Horses

In order to encourage "ground combat" and delay the "horse stage" we made a decision to lock Stables behind 3 combat buildings for each clan. It's not an ideal solution and we will come up with something better in the future.

• Explosive and Fire damage types become effective against horses (together with Piercing).

• In 1.58, horses no longer share a percentage of damage with riders. Melee units will always 100% damage horses, Missile units will always 100% damage riders. AoE damage will always damage both rider (100%) and horse (100%), 200% in total.

• Peasants with pack horses will have an icon over them so they can be found more easily. This is only visible to the players who own the peasants, not allies or enemies.

• Artificial Intelligence Redone

Many of our players have highlighted the increase in campaign/skirmish AI difficulty. That was only partially purposeful, there was a bunch of bugs that resurfaced with us restoring some of the AI features. This should be solved now.

• In 1.58, we taught AI how to actually play the game, more or less. It will micro units in combat, it will consider appropriate counter picks, it will retreat, it will cooperate with other AI, it will not be easily baited into an ambush, it will give you a hard time... if you are unfamiliar with the game.

We would like AI to be a sparring partner that will show you the core mechanics of the game rather than just a punching bag. Knowledge is power!

• Because of that, we removed
all the cheats
that AI had used since the legacy version (and there was a lot). When it comes to AI Skirmish battles, rest assured AI has no unfair advantage over you other than the basic AI things (reaction times mostly).

• Based on its profile parameters, you will see AI employ advanced tactics in various situations.

• Visual Updates
• All textures across the game have been upscaled/improved.

• Many visual effects have been fixed/remade/improved.

• Let us know how it looks!

1.58 Technical & Gameplay Changes list
There's a lot to digest here, so we had to pack it away in yet another google document.

1.58 Update - Technical & Gameplay Mechanics Changelog

Miscellaneous info:

  

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If you're having issues, planning to report a bug or just want to learn something new about the game and communicate with other fans or even developers -- we'd like to see you there, come around!

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- The Battle Realms Team
MORE ABOUT THIS GAME

 

[luj1]

Good but dont like everything

 

[Deadyawn]

Units draw their weapons when selected and sheathe them when not. If they kill something they get bloody.
Units have different animations when near death and move really slow.
Ranged units actually fight melee style when engaged in that range.
Units can explode, really good gibs.
If a unit dies in a river, the water around it turns red.
You can spot enemies if they run under trees and scare the birds.
Villagers carry resources in actual containers, so if you send a farmer to do something else another farmer can just come and collect his rice bag, no resource lost. You can even steal them from enemies.
Horses are a limited resource which can be used in war or make your villagers more effetive.
Buildings can burn down and fire propagates.
Weather system, rice growth is affected by rain.


Just in attention to detail alone this 20 year old game is incredible. It's a shame that Warcraft smothered it back then.

 

[Axioms]

No game will ever defeat the amazingness of the special titan in Achron that steals enemy resource nodes after going back in time.

But this game is pretty interesting.

Both Warlords Battlecry and Battle Realms are more interesting than Warcraft 3 IMO.

 

[Deadyawn]

I've been going through the campaign on hard with the new balance + ai and it's absolutely fucked. They make counter units very effectively and even if controlling units wasn't somewhat sluggish you can't out-micro a machine, so using ranged/support units feels both tedious and useless. They just run through the frontline directly into the backline and destroy it.

On 1v1 or even 1v2 you can manage but some maps they pit you against 3+ enemies and you have to rush them (as in go attack with your starting units), take out at least one of them, and hope that's enough so that you don't get swarmed since they seem to coordinate their attacks now. This issue is compounded by the fact they start with fully geared bases while you are lucky if you start with one fucking peasant hut. Maybe just giving you a couple of buildings from the get-go would be enough to offset this bullshit.

I'm thrilled with that they've accomplished in the last update and it's clear accounting for how it would affect the campaign wasn't a priority, but they should really get on balancing it because I've been stuck on a map which is 1v5 for a while now and distilling the cheesing formula like I did a previous map (1v4) is just no fun whatsoever. I get no satisfaction from beating it.

Skirmish/multiplayer is actually much improved and a lot of fun.

 

[Lucumo]

Just in attention to detail alone this 20 year old game is incredible. It's a shame that Warcraft smothered it back then.

Did it though? It's a 2001 release and should have been able to stand on its own two legs. Looking reviews up, it seems like magazines generally rated it highly even. I guess the competition was just too strong around that time. I know I got Empire Earth that Christmas.

 

[Deadyawn]

Did it though? It's a 2001 release and should have been able to stand on its own two legs. Looking reviews up, it seems like magazines generally rated it highly even.

It does stand on its own two legs; the game is awesome. It did great with critics and players, sold an okay number of copies, but for whatever reason failed to gather much of a playerbase. Maybe it's unfair to lay blame on Warcraft 3, considering it arrived 8 moths later. Maybe the gameplay was not so appealing when there were so many other alternatives at the time. I don't know.

It's a shame nonetheless.

 

[Lucumo]

It does stand on its own two legs; the game is awesome. It did great with critics and players, sold an okay number of copies, but for whatever reason failed to gather much of a playerbase. Maybe it's unfair to lay blame on Warcraft 3, considering it arrived 8 moths later. Maybe the gameplay was not so appealing when there were so many other alternatives at the time. I don't know.

It's a shame nonetheless.

There is no doubt about the game being great. I meant with that that the game should have been relevant.
Are you sure about the number of copies part? Because the add-on didn't even get properly localized here and as such the new stuff had a lot of English in it (unit voices etc) which obviously broke any kind of flow.
(And man, I remember playing Cossacks around the time as well. It truly was the best of times to be an RTS fan.)

 

[Lyric Suite]

I never played the game in multiplayer but i'm going out of a limb and assume the fault lied in there somewhere.

I enjoyed the single player very much back then. I'd like to jump on this but every time i see "early acess" in a game i just instantly close the page and move to something else.

 

[Lucumo]

I never played the game in multiplayer but i'm going out of a limb and assume the fault lied in there somewhere.

It worked perfectly fine in LAN at the very least, like basically all the RTS games back in the day.

It was definitely because of the competition, like I mentioned. I mean, you had Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge the month before, Stronghold the month before. Empire Earth (for me, and probably others, a quasi-sequel to Age of Empires II) the same month, Cossacks: The Art of War the same month, Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds the same month. Not to mention the other stuff that came earlier that year. Another title which also got overlooked was Conquest: Frontier Wars which released in August 2001 in the US...but also the same month as Battle Realms and everything else in my country. It was basically a flood of good titles from established series and new challengers.

/edit: Let's just include some screenshots, because I can.

Spoiler

 

[Lyric Suite]

I never played the game in multiplayer but i'm going out of a limb and assume the fault lied in there somewhere.

It worked perfectly fine in LAN at the very least, like basically all the RTS games back in the day.

I'm pretty sure by that point Battle.net was the "established" standard for online play. We are talking about years after Starcraft had been a thing i don't think LAN was gonna cut it anymore.

 

[Lucumo]

It worked perfectly fine in LAN at the very least, like basically all the RTS games back in the day.

I'm pretty sure by that point Battle.net was the "established" standard for online play. We are talking about years after Starcraft had been a thing i don't think LAN was gonna cut it anymore.

Hence "at the very least". I've got no clue whether the online play was any good, since we never tried it. Probably would have used some client like GameSpy or whatever and that would have been decent and the standard.

 

[Cassar]

This game has one of my favorite manuals. Thick, nearly 100 pages and everything is narated like a story, like a short novel, every game function and so on. Like reading a short story while the game installs