2.7.7 Patch Notes: Eight Specialists, Better Audio & Visual Repairs

Hi everyone,

Version 2.7.7 is now available for the full game and Steam Playtest. Update your game before joining a multiplayer lobby.

Version 2.7.7 brings a larger specialist allowance and a broad pass over battle audio, model fitting, village roofs and performance. A lot of this work comes directly from the screenshots and multiplayer feedback you've sent me. Thank you for helping me catch the things that need another pass.

Eight specialists per kingdom

In 2.7.7, you can have up to 8 specialists per player or kingdom, counting units that are alive and those still in the training queue together. This gives you more room to build an army around cavalry, elephants, war dogs or mobile artillery.

Specialists still unlock at tier two. Their prices, training times and combat stats are unchanged, and they still count toward your overall army limit.

A better-sounding battlefield

• Corrected missing footsteps from other multiplayer commanders and made footfalls follow actual movement.
• Improved surface selection so courtyard stone, wooden walkways, village streets, fields and other ground use the appropriate sounds.
• Staggered troop footsteps and added movement details for hooves, wheels, heavy units, cloth, mail and plate armor. Existing pitch and clip variation is retained.
• Separated cannon firing and impact audio so a nearby shot is less likely to cut off the sound of another explosion.
• Corrected music selection during multiplayer battles and match results.

Armor, feet and roofs

• Reworked several trouser, boot-wrap and armored shoe fits to reduce visible clipping.
• Improved hood, mail coif, neck armor and upper-arm armor fitting.
• Adjusted human and insect foot contact to address hovering feet.
• Seated roof details against their roof surfaces, closed unfinished undersides and filled several roof-end and support gaps.
• Improved distant house models while retaining their main roof shapes, doors, windows and other structural features.

Performance and multiplayer controls

Heavy casualty processing and village preparation now run in smaller steps, and unnecessary animation work away from the camera has been reduced. These changes target the hitches that can interrupt a busy battle or village upgrade.

Management buttons now clearly become unavailable while the connection is recovering, explain why, and return to normal when control is restored.

A new introduction and clearer guidance

This build opens with the Polygon Interactive Studios "Built by Hand" animation. It is skippable and respects your saved audio settings.

Return-to-command-hall guidance now follows the active battlefield layout. Recruitment prices and repair notices have improved translation coverage, and the new Skip prompt is translated across all 15 supported languages.

Multiplayer reminder: Everyone in a lobby needs to be running the same game version. The Steam Playtest continues to unlock all collections and weapons for testing.

If you still encounter a hitch, an outfit clipping problem or a sound that seems wrong, please tell me which mode you were playing, whether Villages & Farms was enabled, and whether you were hosting or joining. Screenshots and short clips are especially helpful.

Thanks again for playing and helping me improve March Out!

Mason
Solo developer, Polygon Interactive Studios