Age of Empires IV has received Update 8324, which brings major improvements to the mini-map and some features that the community has been asking for. Balancing changes have also been implemented.
Improved Mini-map
The game can get very busy with all of the elements that you can see on the battlefield. Because of this, it may be difficult for you to follow the mini-map at certain times. The devs know this, so they made several adjustments to improve its readability.
Some of the improvements are:
- Icon sizes are noticeably reduced.
- New Wonder icon matches the HUD objectives icon.
- Primary Town Center is now noticeably larger than Landmarks.
- Small gold deposit icons match large gold deposit icons but can be told apart from one another on the mini-map.
- Relic icons are now gold in color.
- Maps such as Ancient Spires, Danube River, Confluence, and Mongolian Heights have no Fish icons present on the mini-map with fish present in the river.
- Maps with larger bodies of water retain Fish icons in deepwater areas.
New Features
Some people want to know their player scores as the game progresses. This is to help them recognize what moves they need to take to win. Thus, developers implemented a way to enable in-game player scores in this update.
In addition, you can now view the entire map after the match. You can get a better view of all the combatants in the field so that you can pick apart their strategies and incorporate them into your own.
Update 8324 Highlights
- In-game player scores
- View the map post-match
- Improved Mini-map
- Moved the Chinese Dynasty button and user interface to a less prominent position on the screen
- Introduced new options to the Campaign mode that’ll allow you to easily jump back into the game and test a new strategy
- Core Units
- Crossbowman bonus damage vs Heavy class increased to 9
- Elite Crossbowman bonus damage vs Heavy class increased to 11
- Horseman (all ranks) ranged armor increased to 1
- Early Horseman health reduced to 100
- Horseman health reduced to 125
- Naval
- Fishing Boat wood cost increased to 75
- Arrow Ship bonus damage vs Incendiary class increased to 2x
- Core Buildings and Upgrades
- Elite Army Tactics tech’s health and damage bonuses increased to 20%
- All units’ Elite Rank technology research time reduced to 60 seconds
- Ancient Spires
- Player spawn locations have been moved closer to the center
- Sacred Sites spawns have been updated
- Archipelago
- Added in a step to our spawn algorithm that re-calculates island real-estate
- Bumped up the spawn priority on starting stone deposits
You can learn more about Update 8324 by heading to the game’s official website.
