If the news of Civilization 7 has your 4X muscles twitching, a new update for fellow historical strategy game Old World might be just what we need. Created by Civ 4 lead designer Soren Johnson, built by his team at Mohawk Games, and published by indie strategy experts Hooded Horse, Old World is rippling with pedigree. Its blend of classic 4X design and more intimate character-driven storytelling in the style of games like Crusader Kings 3 ensures it’s well worth a look, and a free update has just made it bigger and better than ever before.
There’s lots to dig through in this hefty Old World update. First on the list is a pair of “carefully crafted duel maps designed for focused and intense single-player and multiplayer engagements.” If you’re eager to see how you’d fare in two of the most memorable conflicts in history, you can now try your hand at the Punic Duel between Carthage and Rome, or the Median Duel pitting Greece against Persia, in focused new campaigns for the 4X game.
Beyond that, you can look forward to over 20 new events to tackle – 19 for the base game and five specific to the recently released Old World DLC Behind the Throne. There are 11 additional items that enable unique leader and character abilities, most of which Mohawk says you’ll discover through character exploration in events. The team has also been hard at work further tuning certain mechanics to present more compelling decisions and address some pacing issues.
The law system has been rebalanced “to create more meaningful choices and outcomes,” while adjustments to the tech tree “create a more logical progression path, ensuring smoother advancement through the eras while preserving strategic depth.” Specific fine-tuning has been applied to the Rise of Carthage and Heroes of the Aegean campaigns that “ensure each campaign remains challenging and rewarding, especially as players become more familiar with the game’s mechanics.”
Enemy AI has been improved as well. Tribal units should now move in more sophisticated ways, computer-controlled players will no longer declare war on random tribes while already fighting other players, and some building priorities have been improved. Mohawk has also “significantly increased the effect of ruthless AI on player opinion and the war declaration modifier,” so expect to have a tougher time there.
This Old World free content update is out now. You can read the full patch notes, including in-depth details on all the specific tech tree and law changes, courtesy of Mohawk Games on Steam.
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