Patch 1.4

The **Multiplayer Patch 1.4** addresses numerous multiplayer/skirmish optimizations and balance issues. It was released on 2 May 2005 and it updates the retail version of Armies of Exigo (1.0b – 1.3) to 1.4.

Most of the balance changes and fixes included with this patch only affect the multiplayer and skirmish modes in AoX. The Single Player campaign has been left relatively unchanged in order to preserve the progression and balance of that particular mode.

**WARNING:** Previous Armies of Exigo save files are not compatible with this patch. If you would like to use your current save files then please do not install this update.

## Links

* Internet Archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20071023215632/http://www.ea.com/official/armiesofexigo/armiesofexigo/us/downloads.jsp
* Mod DB: https://www.moddb.com/games/armies-of-exigo/downloads/patch-14
* PCGamingWiki: https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/1081-armies-of-exigo-patch/

## New features

* Maps added with observer slots ( <InstallPath>\Scenario\Custom\ ).
* Resource transfer loss:
	+ Target player receives X amount of Gold/Gem/Wood where X is: sent resource - sent resource \* (target player's actual supply / 400) (10% loss minimum)

* Supergroup hotkeys can now be viewed and new hotkeys can be assigned to them in Option Window -> Controls Panel -> Selection.
* Players who do not have a mainbase and do not start building one within 2 minutes will be revealed to enemy players on the minimap/worldview.
* New trigger: "NumOnProducedEntityType" in group "Basic Commands\Entity Commands\NumOnProducedEntityType". With this trigger the user can query the number of units being trained in a given location.

## Feature changes

* Options Window -> Game Panel: "Left Click Clears Previous Selection" can now only be modified if the "Allow Empty Selection" option is turned ON.
* When executing a text output trigger that refers to empty text, nothing appears in the game. This change applies to the following triggers: "Basic Commands\System commands\Actions" group:
	+ WriteLanguageText
	+ WriteLanguageTextDelayed
	+ WriteLanguageMessageDelayed
	+ WriteLanguageCounter
* Improved hotkey management and hotkey-conflict monitoring.
* GameSpy: The map *Spider Realm* is no longer available in 1v1 ladder.
* In multiplayer games, during the "Waiting for Players" message, players can no longer save the game.
* GameSpy: Advanced and more intelligent matchmaking.
* GameSpy: When switched to desktop or to another program AoX is automatically put in the foreground on GameSpy game starting.
* The **Stalker**'s **Defile** spell no longer has an effect on spellcasting abilities of ground units.
* Flying units are now unable to enter a **Dimension Portal**, if the other end of the **Dimension Portal** is on a terrain type which is impassable by air units. This also is the case with terrains marked as "impassable" in the game's Scenario Editor.
* Enemy players who selected to play with *Random race* are now indicated with a unique Random icon in the Diplomacy Window.
* Removed unnecessary items from the HUD of referees and observers.
* GameSpy: Custom games without open player slots are no longer indicated in the Custom Game List.
* Optimized harvesting. Harvesting units (**Harvester**, **Peon**(sic), **Peasant**) are now more intelligent. Assigning more harvester units to gold fields yields more income due to more intelligent pathfinding and behavior.
* Attack order has been slightly changed. For example: **Swordsmans** attack enemy units that are currently constructing a building BEFORE attacking buildings.
* Removed information about teammates from the ingame statistics window in Team Melee multiplayer games.
* **Stalker**'s **Defile** spell now prevents active **Guardian Rune** from attacking.
* Multiplayer: Units and buldings of players who have left a game now become neutral.

## Balance changes

### Empire

* **Catapult**
	+ Area damage reduced to 25 (from 35).
	+ Healing effectiveness reduced to 50% on Catapults (from 100%).

* **Valkyrie**
	+ Lightning damage reduced to 9 (from 10). Total damage is 19.

* **Phoenix**
	+ *Nova* direct damage increased to 90 (from 85).
	+ *Nova* area damage increased to 40 (from 35).
	+ Phoenix resistance to cold increased to 100% (from 200%).

* **Priest**
	+ Mana regeneration rate is reduced to 0.66 mana/sec (from 1 mana/sec).

* **Dryad**
	+ Gold cost increased to 50 (from 25).
	+ Wood cost increased to 15 (from 10).

* **Advanced Barrack**(sic)
	+ Gem cost removed, added 50 wood cost.
	+ Upgrade time decreased to 50sec (from 60).

* **Scout Tower**
	+ Requires a *Barrack*(sic).

* **Watch Tower**
	+ Attack range reduced to 10 (from 11).
	+ Armor reduced to 1 (from 2).

* **Guard Tower**
	+ Cold resist increased to 25% (from 0%).

* **Steam Bird**
	+ Area damage increased to 15 (from 10).
	+ Sight range increased to 15 (from 13).

* **Miner Team**
	+ HP reduced to 250 (from 300).
	+ Wood cost reduced to 50 (from 100).
	+ Gem cost reduced to 50 (from 75).

### Beast

* **Boron**
	+ Gold cost reduced to 90 (from 100).
	+ Cold resistance decreased to 25% (from 45%).

* **Warrior**
	+ HP increased to 370 (from 360).
	+ Move speed increased to 380 (from 400).

* **Berserker**
	+ HP increased to 410 (from 400).
	+ Move speed increased to 360 (from 380).

* **Warlock**
	+ *Guardian Rune* mana cost decreased to 75 (from 100).
	+ *Earthquake* damage reduced to 150 on units and 600 on buildings.
	+ *Rain of Fire* now do 320 fire damage over 20 sec (instead of 480 damage over 20 sec).
	+ *Meteor* mana cost increased to 100 (from 75).
	+ *Spell Abduction* now dispels *Enchant*.

* **Troll**
	+ Minimum attack range increased to 3 (from 2).
	+ Sight range increased to 15 (from 13).
	+ *Stone Form* activation time decreased to 2.5 sec (from 4sec).
	+ *Trolls in stone form* regenerate HPs faster (4hp/sec).
	+ *Trolls in stone form* now regenerate mana.
	+ *Stone Form* armor increased to 3 (from 2).
	+ In *Stone Form*, damage taken from bash reduced to 100% (from 200%).

* **Demon**
	+ *Unsummon* damage area range increased to 3 (from 2).
	+ *Hellfire* damage increased to 200 (from 150).

* **Goblin Rider**
	+ Movespeed increased to 540 (from 550)
	+ Cold resistance decreased to 25% (from 45%).

* **Sharp Blade** research
	+ Wood cost removed.

* **Bone Armor** research
	+ Wood cost removed.

* **Harpy**
	+ Mana regeneration (1/5sec), max mana (50) and mana cost of *Confusion* (35 mana) changed but overall effectiveness remains the same.

* **Totem**
	+ Armor reduced to 1 (from 2).
	+ Default Range decreased to 8 (from 10).
	+ Damage Decreased to 14 (from 15).
	+ Range upgrade from *Restless Spirits* research increased to 3 (from 2).
	+ Damage upgrade from *Spirit Swarm* research increased to 3 (from 2).
	+ *Totem* now requires *Arena* instead of *Dark Altar*.

* **Wyvern**
	+ Gold cost decreased to 200 (from 220).

* **Manticore**(sic)
	+ Air damage increased to 12 (from 10).
	+ Number of targets affected by air damage increased to 6 (from 5).

* **Potion of Resistance**
	+ Research time decreased to 60 (from 80).
	+ Gem cost reduced to 50 (from 100).

* **Rune Blade** research
	+ Research Time increased to 120 (from 100).

### Fallen

* **Harvester**
	+ Health regeneration on deformed area reduced to 1 hp/sec (from 1.5 hp/sec).
	+ Build time decreased to 32 (from 36).
	+ Gold cost reduced to 90 (from 100).
	+ Damage taken from Pike reduced to 150% (from 200%).

* **Matriarch**
	+ *Curse Tree*(sic) can be killed by spells.
	+ Autocast removed from *Mana Depletion*.
	+ *Mana Depletion* effectiveness increased to 150 mana (from 125).

* **Stalker**
	+ *Strike Upgrades* now correctly gives damage bonus to *Stalker*.
	+ Towers can not shot when affected by *Defile*.

* **Beholder**
	+ HP bonus from levels reduced to 3% /level (from 5% /level).
	+ Health regeneration on deformed area reduced to 1.5 hp/sec (from 3.3 hp/sec).
	+ Attack range decreased to 8 (from 10).

* **Lightning Spire**
	+ Attack range reduced to 10 (from 11).
	+ Armor reduced to 1 (from 2).

* **Avanger**(sic)
	+ Healing effectiveness reduced to 50% on *Avangers*(sic) (from 100%).

* **Faster Reflexes** research
	+ Gold cost increased to 125 (from 100).

* **Hunter Reflexes** research
	+ Wood cost increased to 75 (from 50).
	+ Gold cost increased to 175 (from 150).
	+ Research Time increased to 120 (from 100).

* **Killer Reflexes** research
	+ Research Time increased to 140 (from 120).

* **Though**(sic) **Carapace** research
	+ Gold cost increased to 150 (from 125).

* **Coarse Carapace** research
	+ Gold cost increased to 175 (from 150).
	+ Wood cost increased to 100 (from 75).
	+ Research Time increased to 120 (from 100).

* **Spiked Carapace**
	+ Research Time increased to 140 (from 120).

* **Venom** research
	+ Research Time increased to 160 (from 90).
	+ Wood cost increased to 75 (from 0).

* **Void Walker**
	+ *Storm of Death* mana cost reduced to 100 (from 125).
	+ *Fog of Death* mana cost reduced to 100 (from 125).

* **Vile Cocoon**
	+ Build time increased to 90 (from 80).

* **Hive Stinger**
	+ Damage taken from pike reduced to 75% (from 100%).

## General fixes

* In Team Melee multiplayer games, after 2 minutes of gameplay all but team leader players were revealed to enemies on the minimap/worldview.
* Multiplayer: Observers could not see every player and their resources.
* If there were more than 128 detector units and/or buildings in the game, a crash occurred.
* In some cases harvester units got stuck near gem mines and trees.
* In some cases units not arrived to the assigned Rally Point properly. They went mad moving around, oscillating for a long period of time.
* Players could experience excessive slowdowns and lags, when assigning the Move command to Supergroups containing more than 50 units.
* Sometimes units pushed other units too far away.
* Sometimes units in several animation stages started to oscillate.
* Multiplayer: In teamplay members of the same team often started at incorrect start locations (For example: they were too far away from each other).
* In multiplayer games, players were able to see tree cutting operations (black dots) of their enemies on unexplored areas.
* During Internet logon(sic) players were given the incorrect error message ("Unspecified error"), if the supplied EA account had not been registered with the correct CD-key.
* In some cases players received a "Revealing players" message with no actual reason.
* Lizard Hero Sseeth's invisibility icon on the Effect Bar of the HUD was missing.
* Icons of multicast spells (**Eclipse** - **Demon** - **Litany**) now gray out, if any of the selected spellcasters does not have enough mana.
* Moving large number of units through Cave Entrances/Passages in some cases resulted in units being placed extremely far away from the Entrance (on another corridor/room etc.).
* "Set Rally Point" hotkey was not working with **Scout Tower**, **Watch Tower**, **Guard Tower**.
* In **Empire Campaign** **Mission 3** ("**Tightening the Noose**") an ingame movie ("Liberating the village") contained too many empty spaces.
* Players can now give multiple targets for **Nova** to a group of **Phoenixes** using the SHIFT (default) hotkey.
* In multiplayer games, players were able to see their enemies mining gem on unexplored areas.
* Selecting a group on a bridge could result in an invalid camera position.
* **Beast Worker** units now move closer to harvestable resources. Before this fix, **Beast Worker** units harvested resources from a slightly greater distance compared to Fallen/Empire harvesting units.
* In some cases players in the multiplayer lobby could notice incorrect names for custom games listed.
* During gameplay the attack cursor was lost when a unit died in the selected group.
* During gameplay the attack cursor was lost when a unit died in a group from the selected Supergroup.
* In some cases replay files became corrupted.
* Fallen **Summoner** units could become stuck on special occasions when placing a building.
* In case of a network failure, enemy players did not get Victory. This could have lead to abuse of the GameSpy Ladder system.
* On the map *Redwood Towers* units could teleport to areas that should have been inaccessible.
* Calculations for harvesting all gold at a location was inaccurate.
* In some cases positional combat sound was too extreme.
* Some **Beast** buildings did not animate while producing units or upgrades.
* Build preselect hotkey was functioning improperly.
* Game locked up when switching to another task in Windows (by pressing alt+tab) while loading a Chess custom game.
* Hungarian version only: In Options Window -> Controls Panel a few hotkeys were displayed with incorrect names.
* Custom Game Settings: If the Lock Teams option was set to ON, ingame settings in the Diplomacy Window were not working properly.
* Ground troops could not pass a hill on the map *Spitting Distance*.
* In some cases the King of the Hill custom maps were not working properly.
* In some cases the Patch Download progress bar was freezing at 98%.
* In some cases when a player assigned multiple commands to a group of spellcasters (for example: multiple Decree to a group of Mages) some of the commands were lost due to flawed pathfinding.
* When a player gains control over allied players, doubleclicking allied units will result in selecting nearby units of the same type (Now it is the same as doubleclicking on the player's own units).
* After loading a saved game a crash occurred when the player attempted to use Cave Entrance to travel between the two levels of the map.
* Detector buildings while being constructed were able to see enemy invisible units.
* Flying units could become stuck, when the player constructed a building beneath them.
* GameSpy: In certain cases some players crashed to desktop shortly after joining a custom game created by a particular player.
* GameSpy: In certain cases doubleclicking a game in the Custom Game List resulted in an immediate crash to desktop.
* Harvesting wood corrupted the harvest and move animations of the harvester unit.
* In **Beast Campaign** **Mission 4** ("**Wall of Noran**") the AI's flying enemy fallen units were not attacking the player's base.
* In **Empire Campaign** **Mission 5** ("**Noran in Flames**") ingame movie one of the rebelling peasants was not shot by Alric's escort.
* Exiting from a replay in multiplayer mode in some cases resulted in crash.
* When a remote player exited from a replay in multiplayer mode, remaining players received the wrong message ("xy has been defeated").
* Beast **Warlock**'s **Abduction** spell was not dealing damage to summoned units.
* Viewing a replay in multiplayer mode with at least one pause command issued in the original game often caused a multiplayer de-sync crash.
* **Scenairo**(sic) **Editor**: Users were able to remove triggers from the Trigger Editor's right side static tree structure.
* **Scenairo**(sic) **Editor**: The "Basic Commands\Entity Commands\Weapon" trigger was not working. This trigger was responsible for turning ON/OFF the weapons of units.
* **Scenairo**(sic) **Editor**: In "Player Properties" the "Enable Handicap Change" and the "Enable Team Change" settings were displayed incorretly.
* **Scenario** **Editor**: When the user changed the view to Full Screen, he could not use the ESC key to switch back to normal view.
* **Scenairo**(sic) **Editor**: Crash occurred when the user changed desktop resolution during loading.

## References

1. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20071023215632/http://www.ea.com/official/armiesofexigo/armiesofexigo/us/downloads.jsp