Hey everyone, so following up from the recent combat update I've been fixing and expanding some of the pre-existing features while working on the next part of the update. Still in a lot of work to go but I'm glad that the new progress can be easily shared thanks to the combat updates Alpha release!

NO ARMY REACTION (8 features)

Sometimes an enemy force that has been well and truly battered, will have 0 defenders by the time you launch an invasion or a raid. Now the game with recognise this and skip the majority of the battle screens to immediately show you a new alternate set of victory screens. The same is true if you are attacked and have no troops to defend.

* Added new system to skip battle majority of combat if no defenders

* Added new screen for player invading empty enemy land

* Added new screen for enemy invading empty player land

* Added new screen for player raiding empty enemy land

* Added new screen for enemy raiding empty player land

* Added new screen for player skirmishing empty enemy land

* Added new screen for enemy skirmishing empty player land 

BATTLE REINFORCEMENTS (4 features)

In the old combat system your forts and friends could provide reinforcements to you when being attacked or attacking, but it was not present in the new combat system. Well now it is!

* Added reinforcement system for attacking

* Added new pop up for attacking reinforcement showing how many soldiers are gained

* Added reinforcement system for defending

* Added new pop ups showing troops gained by defending reinforcements

STONE SKIPPING (2 features)

There's already one location you can skip stones in thanks to a player suggestion, but in a recent playthrough I made it to swamps end and wished I could do the same. Well now you can!

* Reworked the graphic for swamps end in the west

* Added the ability to skip a stone in swamps end

FRUIT FARM IMPROVED (5 features)

Came across the fruit farm in a recent playthrough and saw that it wasn't quite up to scratch with the rest of the game, now it is!

* Reworked gold indicators in magical fruit farm

* Added new screen with sfx for planting fruit in magic fruit farm

* Added new screen for not having the room to plant fruit

* Added new screen for not having the gold to pay to plant fruit

* Fixed 5 text bugs with fruit farm texts

BATTLE REPORTS FOR WATCHED FIGHTS (4 features)

In the combat update you have the option to watch enemy battles if your spymaster is skilled enough, however I noticed that without the end of battle reports like the player gets at the end of their own battles, the enemy battles just abruptly end and the game moves on. I've added little reports that should help explain and breakdown how the battle went before you choose to move on so it's not so jarring and abrupt!

* Added new battle report for enemy fights you've watched

* Added battle report for draw battle

* Added battle report for defender victory

* Added battle report for attacker victory

BRING BACK MY DEATHEATERS! (3 features)

A rare racial trait in Warsim is Deatheater or Souleater, these races gain +1 battlescore per unit for every 25 kills they get. After some testing I realised this system wasn't in the new combat so I've now added it in and created some new pop up screens you get to show off the battlescore gain as it happens.

* Added deatheater battlescore growth system to the new combat

* Added notification screen when troops gain battlescore from deatheating (with sfx)

* Added notification for it both attacker and defender are deatheaters and both gain battlescore

SEE YOUR DEFENDERS (1 feature)

When you're attacked in Warsim, the game divides your total troops by your total lands. There's nothing in the game that explains this to you so it can seem quite arbitrary. I've added a new screen that pops up when you're attacked that shows you how many defenders you'll have and explains exactly why you have them.

* Added defender breakdown screen when player is attacked

NEW BLUETRII PRE-BATTLE OPTION (1 feature)

It occured to me that before every battle I was using bluetrii, and using the max I could order to be eated each time. I realized I could just add an option on the first screen where you choose if you want to use bluetrii at all, to say 'Use max' and have the game use the most you could use to streamline this. It's a simple little change but it saves a bit of time, and time is money!

* Added new option to choose to eat max bluetrii before battle

EGGHEAD BUILDING (3 features)

In the last update a new feature was added to post battle screens, Eggheads. Now they've been fleshed out into the world a bit more, to be more than just a random thing in the reports.

* Added new building in Artifact Market 'Egghead Building'

* Added alt screen for Egghead Building if player has killed battle report Egghead

* Added 6 dialogues with Head Egghead

GOBLIN PEBBLE BARRAGE (6 features)

While working on this update I figured it's never a bad time to add new random events that can happen during battle. So here's a new one that only happens if you allow goblin slavery, with 5 alternate versions for certain weather!

* Added new random battle event 'Goblin pebble barrage' (only if you allow goblin slavery)

* Added new weather alt 'Goblin pebble barrage on fire' (only in flaming rain)

* Added new weather alt 'Goblin pebble barrage combust' (only in extreme heat)

* Added new weather alt 'Goblin pebble barrage mostly blown away (in windy weather/storm)

* Added new weather alt 'Goblin pebble barrage blown away' (in windy weather/storm)

* Added new weather alt 'Goblin pebble barrage melts' (only in acid rain)

BUGFIXES (9 features)

A handful of fixes thanks mostly to player reports so thanks guys!

* Fixed ability to give dumblestaff even if you don't own it if you have a dumble champion (credit TJ)

* Fixed ability to infinitely give dumblestaff to a dumble champion (credit TJ)

* Fixed sid the bridge troll companions graphic bug

* Fixed useless screen for house of art and tapestries lack of gold

* Fixed battle report disabled text bug (credit Omer@Audiogames)

* Fixed text bug with assault against us text

* Fixed text bug in tutorial (credit u/Overlordopa)

* Fixed 6 text bugs in Arena intro text (credit u/Overlordopa)

* Fixed text bug with spymaster options (credit u/Overlordopa)

EVERYTHING ELSE (6 feature)

A bunch of loose things that couldn't fit anywhere else.

* Added new goblin name 'Boongort'

* Added new screen with sfx for paying pest group to disband and they disband

* Added new screen with sfx for paying pest group to disband and they rob you

* Made cat punishment public opinion loss 5x more likely (credit TJ)

* Added new indicator of gold to celebration pay screen

* Added notification of gold spent when paying to start a celebration

WHAT'S NEXT

There's still much more combat update work to be done, I'm hoping to start soon on multiple attacks per year but have a few things to iron out before I can.

Cheers

Huw