We are proud to announce that the open beta for Napoleonic Era is nearly done. It will include all features of the full version except ESO support and the Inca and Persian civilizations; which are still in development. The Open Beta with LAN support is about to be released this week. Watch out for news in the coming days.
IMPROVED IMPERIAL AGE AND REVOLUTION
All European civilizations now have access to additional Imperial Age technologies at their Capitol and University. Revolution provides each civilization with more different options for shipments.
• Capitol Technologies: Industrialism, provides a player with additional XP for more shipments. Intelligence Service, upgrades Spies and provides additional line of sight for buildings and units. Artillery Regiments, greatly reduces artillery unit train time. Urbanization, increases Town Center build limit. The Field Marshal upgrade is available after taking the Peerage and Knighthood upgrades. It upgrades the Explorer's damage and line of sight, and allows him to grant a small bonus to nearby military units.
• Saloon Technologies: An Imperial upgrade for Outlaw units is available. Industrial and Imperial upgrades for Mercenary units are available. Also, the Bounty Hunter upgrade is available; this upgrade improves heroes (such as Explorers) against outlaw units and guardians, and increases the amount of XP they gain for killing enemy units. Finally, depending on the map, another upgrade is available, which improves the Saloon itself in some way.
• Revolution: Four new shipments are available to players who revolt: A mixed force of Hussars and Chevauxlegers, a mixed force of Skirmishers and Sharpshooters, a mixed force of Explorers and Swashbucklers, and an upgrade card for all revolution units.
NEW TECHNOLOGIES
Most technology buildings yield one or more additional technologies for players in the Napoleonic Era. Mostly, these are shared technologies, but each civilization also has access to one or more technologies which are unique to that civilization.
NEW BUILDING: UNIVERSITY
In the Napoleonic Era, all European civilizations have access to the new University building. This building is available starting in the Industrial Age, and provides special random upgrades. It contains a special Imperialism upgrade for all civilizations, which costs a shipment, but makes it free to revolt or cheaper to go Imperial. In addition, it provides some unique upgrades for each civilization. Finally, universities can be used to buy special elite units in the Industrial Age and beyond. These units only come in limited batches, and cost shipments in Imperial.
NEW UNITS
All existing civilizations gain access to additional units. Some units are unique to existing civilizations, others are shared among several. Four new units are especially strong, and generally only available in the Industrial Age, through University upgrades: The Conscript, the Sharpshooter, the Chevauxleger, and the Swashbuckler. Only France has access to all four of these; other civilizations generally only have access to two of these four Industrial Age units.
Special Note: All infantry and cavalry units available to Napoleonic Era civilizations in the Colonial and Fortress Ages are based on Colonial Age base statistics. This includes pre-existing units, such as Cuirassiers, Lancers, Oprichniks, and Halberdiers. This does not affect their veteran-level statistics, but it does make their upgrade levels somewhat weaker than you might be used to.
NEW CIVILIZATIONS
Napoleonic Era includes several new European or European-style civilizations: The Austrians, the Italians, the Polish, the Prussians, the Swedish, the Swiss, and the United States.
UNIVERSAL CHANGES
All Napoleonic Era civilizations have a few universal gameplay changes:
• Cheaper Trading Posts: Trading Posts cost 200 wood. The first upgrade for trade routes is somewhat more expensive, however, and XP gathered from trade routes is somewhat less.
• Cheaper Fishing Boats: Fishing Boats cost 80 wood.
• Modified Wall System: Walls cost more (10 wood), but they have more hit points, and they also have a build limit.
• Canoes, as available through native allies, are somewhat weaker early in the game.
• Some Outlaw units at the Saloon take up less population space and train faster.
• Veteran unit upgrades cost less wood.
• Advancing to the Fortress Age takes as much time as advancing to any other age.
• Those mercenary units that are available earlier than normal have reduced statistics until their proper age is reached.
MODIFIED CIVILIZATIONS
None of the existing civilizations have been modified in any way, but there are new NE versions of all European civilizations that can be unlocked. These civilizations are very similiar to the existing ones, with modifications coming in the form of a few units, politicians, technologies, or cards being replaced or added.
