PATCH 4.3 (updates & fixes)


NEW LORD
========
» Yendral, spawn of Tendral (Famous Hero) - Flying lord; two-headed dragon that can attack adjacent targets


NEW MAGE PERK
============
» Pet Dragon (8) lord: Yendral, spawn of Tendral


OTHER CHANGES
============
» Dragonrider Karga (great mage) given 'Pet Dragon' in place of 'Dragon Breeder'
» Gambling (action via mage perk) generates 1 unrest per turn, down from 2.
» Cloak of Darkness (Infernal) cost reduced to 50 gold, down from 60.
» Pirate Ship (neutral) given a range of 3, up from 2 and 62 HP, up from 60.
» All divine terraforming spells now appear in the fourth subgroup of the research tree.
» Higher level spell drops are now strictly reserved for high level loot locations.
» Units of ALL races may now be liberated from relevant loot locations.
» Transport ships of all races have had their core resistances lowered to 80, down from 100. Furthermore, their Life magic resistance was reduced to 50, providing players with strategic options to counter transports with Life magic damage in addition to Spirit magic damage.


BUG FIXES
=======
» The intended spell research order has been restored, fixing a bug introduced in 4.2.2.
» Lava Stone (Rune Forewoman ability) now features an animated spell sprite, correcting a bug in the core game.


VISUAL CHANGES
============
» A handful of spell icons, unit effects, structures and perks have been given visual modifications to make them more appealing.

PATCH 4.2.2 (bug fix)

In order to fix a spell research tree bug that prevented a handful of Renaissance players from researching certain spells, Shidan's Water Terraforming Spells mod has been incorporated directly into Renaissance.

If you've subscribed to both mods, you are no longer required to run both side by side. However, doing so should not cause any conflicts and the display bug *should* remain corrected.

In addition, each of the water terraforming spells has been given a new custom spell icon and their casting times have been slightly reduced, bringing them more in line with other terraforming spells in Renaissance.


SPECIAL THANKS
============
A very special thanks to Shidan for giving me permission to add his Water Terraforming Spells into Renaissance. Shidan, I cannot thank you enough for your continued support of this mod. Not a game goes by where I don't use at least a few of these spells, and I'd bet the same is true of many Renaissance players. Thank you, again. :)

PATCH 4.2.1 (minor updates)

» Slight rebalancing of two new AI quests. Enemy dragons will show up a little less frequently.
» Rodents of Unusual Size (Sylvan) now have standard 'Regeneration' perk in place of 'Lesser Regeneration'.

PATCH 4.2 (updates)


AI IMPROVEMENT QUESTS
==================
Several new quests have been added to the game. These quests grant powerful faction-wide boons, high tier units and a variety of spells. New quests include:

» Guiding Light
» Dragon Merchant
» Divine Gift
» Gift of War
» Dragon Sale! (Monsters only)
» Book of the Dead (Undead only)

Each of these quests is far more likely to trigger for AI opponents than for players (especially on higher difficulties). They were specifically designed to help the AI compensate for various shortcomings.

Even though these quests are intended for the AI, they can (rarely) occur for players. As such, they are fully immersive, each adding something new to Ardania's story.

This change, combined with the other 4.0 AI improvements, yields an AI that can conquer high-end worlds on its own, build holy temples, and create an army of many high tier units. You can count on truly competitive gameplay for even the most experienced players, from the early game to the end game.

This addition closes out the 4.0 AI improvements. Warlock 2 is finally the game so many of us wanted to play.


INFERNALS FINE-TUNING
=================
» Daemonic Idols (Infernals) and 'Metamorphosis' (perk & ability) removed. {The Infernal building tree needed a little streamlining. This building and its perk provided little that couldn't be achieved through better means.}
» Cursed Temple (Infernals) shifted to replace Daemonic Idols in the building tree.
» Molten Spiders (Infernals) given racial 'Infernal' & 'Water Hatred' perks, allowing them to walk on water.
» Fire Wraiths (Infernals) 'Infuse' ability now also grants +1 movement. 'Volcanic Swell' ability removed. {Fire Adepts still possess Volcanic Swell.}


GENERAL BALANCE
==============
» High Blademaster (famous lord) HP raised to 60, up from 50. Upkeep increased slightly.
» Orc Berserker (legendary lord) attack radius increased to target plus surrounding hexes, up from target plus adjacent hexes. Base damage lowered and 'Support Unit' perk removed.
» Crabbers (Naga) HP raised to 36, up from 32.
» Trading cooldown between allied players restored to 1.
» Treasure House (Human) reduced to +50% gold, down from +100% gold. {Gold is the most valuable resource in Renaissance. Humans needed this reduction to bring them more in line with other top gold-producing races.}


BUG FIXES
=======
» Life Bolt is now correctly a stage 2 spell, up from stage 1.

PATCH 4.1 (updates)


AI FINE-TUNING
===========
» Tactical Supremacy perk (all races) now costs 1200 gold (up from 900 gold) and grants +50% power (up from +25%), +50 Life & Spirit resists (up from +25), +5 regeneration, and has been renamed to 'Tactical Supremacy'; the +1 XP per turn has been removed.
» Training Grounds/Training Pool & Military Academy now provide 4x Tactical Supremacy perks each, up from 3x each.
» Holy Sentinels (enemy Holy Ground guardian) deal slightly less damage.

4.0 AI UPDATES - Detailed Explanation:

http://steamcommunity.com/app/205990/discussions/0/496880503076071666/


INFERNALS BALANCE
===============
The inherent weakness to Melee damage of the Infernal faction was a little too easy to overcome. A few tweaks have been made to make this deficit more pronounced.

» Devils, Inquisitor Witches & Fate Witches (Infernal) all have 10-15 less innate melee resistance.
» Blood of the Boar perk (Infernal) grants +15 melee resistance, down from +25.
» Pool of Souls (Infernal) upkeep increased to 8 gold, up from 6.
» Hellgate (Infernal) upkeep increased to 4 food/4 gold, up from 3/3.
» Infernal castle production has been normalized to +2 gold, +1 food, +1 mana at all stages of growth.


GENERAL BALANCE
==============
» Lightning Sphere (Plainstriders, summoned by Charmers) are significantly improved, with +1 move (up from 2) and +8 hit points (up from 4).
» Rune of Fire perk (Svarts) now grants +20 Elemental resist, up from +15.
» Inevitability is now a stage 3 spell, up from stage 2, giving it a stronger effect on most units.
» Guardian Totem (Sylvan) now deals 22 Life damage, down from 24.
» Agrela religious cities now deal 22 Life damage, up from 20.


BUG FIXES
=======
» Corrected Plainstriders naval ships and transport portraits. {These had been incorrectly assigned in the core game.}
» Fixed a few minor spelling errors.


VISUAL CHANGES
============
» Fire Totems & Fire Statues (Plainstriders) have been increased in size slightly. {This helps to further differentiate them from Sylvan transports.}
» Battleships (Plainstriders) have been increased in size to be more consistent with the size of other tier 3 ships.

PATCH 4.02 (hotfix)

» Fixed a bug where Infernal capital cities generated +50 unrest at level 2.

PATCH 4.01 (hotfix)

» Fixed a bug where Infernal capital cities generated +50 unrest at level 1.

PATCH 4.0: EVOLUTIONS

HIGHLIGHTS
=========
» Major AI improvements
» 8 new unit perks
» 2 new guardian units
» Redesigned transport ships
» Various fixes & improvements

------------------------------


MAJOR AI IMPROVEMENTS
===================

EVOLVING THE AI...

Version 4.0 of Renaissance Mod was created with one mission – to "evolve" the AI.

Avid players of the Warlock series universally agree that the AI is subpar in a variety of ways. So when you're finally experienced enough to really enjoy the strategic nuances of the game, the AI becomes a pushover, even on 'Impossible' difficulty.

Renaissance has been working to improve the AI since day one. While patch 3.0 brought some AI advancements in unit hiring, 4.0 enables the AI to use those units to best effect.


ADAPTING THE GAME WORLD...

Through all of my playtesting of various versions of Renaissance, I've watched the AI closely. I've studied how its limitations compromise its game. While it remains impossible for me to totally reprogram the AI, I discovered that I could adapt the world to better suit its handicaps.

Best of all, the changes in 4.0 make the game that much more enjoyable for human players, too. It’s win-win.


DETAILED EXPLANATION HERE:

http://steamcommunity.com/app/205990/discussions/0/496880503076071666/

------------------------------


8 NEW UNIT PERKS
==============
The AI has no trouble perking up units. And perked-up units are much harder to defeat. So 4.0 brings a few new perks to core racial buildings.

» Fine-Tuning (Humans, Mechanics Guild) – +1 move; +10% power
» Elven Elixirs (Arethi Elves, Hall of Commerce) – +3 regeneration; +10% power
» Heavy Armor (Planestriders, Plane Warriors' Guild) 125 gold – Armored status; +30 Melee, +50 Missile resist; -1 move
» Expedition Gear (Svarts, Research and Digging Department) 150 gold – +1 move; passability: hilly, dense/hilly
» Living Essence (Undead, Mill of Souls) 100 gold – +25 Life resist
» Adaptation (Nagas, Land Port) 100 gold – +1 move; passability: poor, dense
» Master of Elements (Monsters, Shaman's Guild) 125 gold – +25% Elemental magic
» Tactical Mastery (ALL races, Training Grounds/Training Pool & Military Academy) 900 gold – +50 Melee, +50 Missile, +50 Death, +50 Elemental, +25 Life, +25 Spirit resist; +25% power, +1 exp/turn


DETAILED EXPLANATION HERE:

http://steamcommunity.com/app/205990/discussions/0/496880503076071666/

------------------------------


2 NEW GUARDIAN UNITS
==================
The AI often has serious trouble with the fire elementals that serve as guardians due to their uneven resistances. 4.0 adds flavorful new units that are equally resistant to all common damage types.

» Portal Guardian (enemy) - Tough melee unit; found in sandobox maps guarding portals {replaces 'Fire Elementals' in this role}
» Holy Sentinels (enemy) - Tough healer unit w/ Spirit dmg and self-healing; found guarding all Holy Ground resources {replaces 'Greater Fire Elemental' in this role}


DETAILED EXPLANATION HERE:

http://steamcommunity.com/app/205990/discussions/0/496880503076071666/

------------------------------


REDESIGNED TRANSPORT SHIPS
======================
All transport vessels have been revamped to serve strictly as TRANSPORTATION units, redesigned to get units swiftly and safely from point A to point B. Each transport vessel now has:

» 20 hit points (up from 16; originally 12 in the core game)
» 4 movement points (up from 3)
» +2 regeneration
» +100 Melee, +100 Missile, +100 Death, +100 Elemental, +100 Life, +50 Spirit resists
» Cannot attack

Yes, transports can no longer attack. Keep this in mind!


DETAILED EXPLANATION HERE:

http://steamcommunity.com/app/205990/discussions/0/496880503076071666/

------------------------------


GAME FIXES
=========
» Fixed a bug where the game would crash when casting 'Volcanic Swell' on a unit within a city or tower hex. Units in within structures can no longer be targeted by that action.
» Fixed a bug in the core game where the 'Intellectual Foment' player debuff, an empire-wide penality that cuts research production by 50%, would not trigger. It may now properly trigger as one possible outcome for exceeding 100+ unrest.
» Fixed a bug where religious quests to defeat enemy temple units were no longer showing up. These quests will now show again and will include new temple units added in Renaissance.
» The threshold for receiving a religious quest to defeat an enemy temple unit was raised to (5), up from (-10). Thus, you will no longer receive quests to improve relations to Gods you are not actively worshipping.

------------------------------


OTHER CHANGES
============
» Upgrading units from one tier to the next now costs the difference between the two units PLUS 10%. {this supports the original intent of the developers, as upgrading units shouldn't be completely free}
» Tier 1 naval ships of all races now come with the 'Armored Hull' perk (+20 Missile, +10 Melee resist).
» Arethi Elves given access to Mint (100% gold). {done for balance, as gold plays a greater role in Renaissance than in the core game; oddly enough, the Elvish building model existed, indicating that this building was dropped at some point -- possibly a bug}
» Arethi Settlers (Arethi Elves) cost reduced to 60 gold (down from 75) and damge reduced to 3, down from 6. {done for balance}
» Gorgons & Elder Gorgons (Naga) restored to original movement points of 3 (down from 4). {rebalanced with the new 'Adaptation' perk in mind}
» Gold Mine (Gold) gives 15 gold, up from 12; 'Prospector' perk removed.
» Training Pool (Naga) & Training Grounds (all other races) now have an upkeep of 8 gold, up from 5. {increase as a result of the new 'Tactical Mastery' perk available here}
» Sylvan turtle units (all tiers) now come with the 'Home Waters' perk (20% power; +1 movement; +10 Melee, +10 Missile, +10 Elemental resists; only active on water) to better facilitate their primary role as a naval unit; base stats adjusted accordingly; 'Natural Swimmer' perk removed.
» Polar Bearman (spawned at Snow-covered Den locations) spawn time reduced.
» Agrela religious cities now deal 20 Life damage, up from 18.


VISUAL CHANGES
------------------
» A handful of unit effects, structures and perks introduced in earlier versions of Renaissance have been given slight visual modifications to make them more appealing.

Renaissance 4.0 set live -- a minor bug crept in. Immediately fixed and republished.

PATCH 3.02 (more rebalancing)

» Void Conduit build time reduced to 4 turns, down from 5
» Flayer and Mind Flayer 'Self Replication' action cooldown increased to 5 turns, up from 4