Age of Empires 3 (AOE3) Update 13.4412 Patch Notes – April 19, 2022

Stability & Performance

• Added Asset pre-loading improvements, allowing the game to use extra memory and loading times to increase stability.
• Added checks to help prevent crashes caused by UI mods.
• Fixed a rare desync.

UI

• Radial Flare menu can be disabled by unbinding the hotkey option “General Game Hotkeys -> Select Flare Type”
• Fixed issue where ping/flare placed outside of camera view would not display a visual effect in the world.
• Added a filter option to only show Co-Op Battles in the multiplayer lobby.
• Fixed issue where names of random maps, map sets, and Co-op scenarios would incorrectly show in in the host’s language (instead of the client’s language) in client lobbies. (Custom scenarios will still use the file name).
• Campaign loading screen – fixed occasional string displayed in multiple fonts.
• QoL – Game Rules are now displayed within Multiplayer Lobbies
  • The lobby’s Game Rules can now be viewed in a tooltip by hovering the cursor over the “i” icon, next to the Lobby Name & Game Mode.
  • For example: Treaty Time & Blockade status are now stated in this tooltip if the Game Rules are set to Treaty.
• QoL – Improved display of Game Rules in Multiplayer & Skirmish Loading Screen and within the Game Summary, within matches.
• QoL – Relocating the expanded mini map button so that it won’t clash with other UI.
• QoL – Improved expanded mini map UI behaviour so it won’t clash with other UI.
• Fixed height issue in the Player Summary menu where Players were getting cut off.
• British HC Card “Siege Archery” no longer incorrectly displays it affects Rangers.

Settings

• Hotkey bindings added for flare type menu.
  • Hotkey for ‘Select Flare Type’ is bound by default to Ctrl-Mouse2Down (Ctrl+RMB).
  • This resolves previous conflict with the Alt-RightClick Attack Move (Alt+RMB).

General

• Culverin: Adjusted as follows
  • Now inflicts 2x damage to Buildings
  • Now inflicts 2x to Gatling Camels (down from 4x)
• Akan Cocoa Beans: Now improves Cherry Orchard gather rates by 10% (down from 30%)

Spanish

UNITS AND BUILDINGS

• Missionary: Population cost removed (Build Limit of 10 remains)

CARDS

• Unction (II): Moved to Age 1; no longer ships a Missionary; Aura no longer improves Artillery or Ships; aura damage improvement reduced to 2.5% (from 4.5); aura range increased to 34 (from 24); ‘range ring’ adjusted accordingly (Note: Max improvement is now +28% attack, down from 55.3%)
• Spanish Gold (III): Reduce crate to 300 coin (from 350)
• Armada (III): Now also enables different War Ships to train certain Military Units
• INF 10 Rodeleros (IV): Increased to 14
• 13 Rodeleros (IV): Increased to 16
• [NEW] INF 7 Lancers (IV): Replaces the current “7 Lancers” and “6 Lancers” shipments
• [NEW] TEAM 1 Falconet (III, 200c): Simple shipment of a Falconet to the entire team.
• [NEW] TEAM 1 Heavy Cannon (IV, 500c): Simple shipment of a Heavy Cannon to the entire team.
• [NEW] Marvelous Year (III): “Settlers train and work significantly faster for 365 seconds. A marvelous year, Viva España!”
  • Current Training Time Improvement: -27.5%
  • Current Gathering Speed Improvement: +20%
• [NEW] House of Trastamára (II): “Arrives fast! Your next Age-up is cheaper and faster the more shipments you have received in your CURRENT AGE.”
  • For each card that arrived after the last completed Age-up
  • Next Age-up time improved by -8.5%
  • Next Age-up cost reduced by 100 resources
  • Effects apply once to the NEXT Age-up only
  • Progress is reset with each completed Age-up
• [NEW] Peninsular Guerrillas (IV): “Improves Ranged Infantry attack and enables them to see the location of enemies they’ve recently damaged.”
  • Damage improvement: 25%
  • Revealer: Has 24 LOS and lasts 3 seconds
• [NEW] Viceroyalty of New Spain (III): “Ships 2 Hacienda Wagons that can transform into Haciendas where Settlers may gather resources or produce Cows, more Settlers, or powerful Soldados.”
• [NEW] Reconquista (II): “Ships 1 Conquistador for each 5 Archaic Infantry you have lost (up to a maximum of 10).” All Hand Infantry & Foot Archers are Archaic Infantry
• [NEW] Liberation March (III): “All infantry and cavalry train and move faster.” This card replaces Fencing School and Riding School
• [NEW] Nuestras Señoras (IV, 2000c): “Ships 2 Mighty Battleships!”
• [NEW] INF 1 Battleship (IV, 1000c): “Ships a Mighty Battleship!”

The changes to Unction card intend to considerably reduce its significance in the late-game (paving the way for powerful new cards) and to make it less difficult to use.

Map Updates

• Horn:
  • Fixed an issue that prevented players from accessing the water in games with more than 2 teams.
• Lake Victoria:
  • Fixed an issue that could cause a native settlement not to spawn properly.
• Plymouth:
  • Fixed an issue where teammates would spawn too close together in games with 3 or 4 teams.
• Siwa Oasis:
  • Adjusted team player placement so that players begin farther from the edge of the map in supremacy games and adjusted how resources are distributed around the map.
• Unknown:
  • Added new starting wagons, bonus scouts, and overall increased randomness for you to discover.
  • Ensured players always start with 2 mines near their Town Center in treaty games.

General

• Home City files, tactics files and the UI tech tree data can now be additively modded. As an example the British Home City file can be additively modded with homecitybritish.mods.xml.

Scenario Editor

• Free camera mode now allows to zoom out as far as before (this was incorrectly affected by Photo Mode in the previous update).