Summary
Manor Lordsdeveloper Slavic Magic has released a major new update, addressing several technical issues that have been affecting the early access city-building game. The newManor Lordsupdate also adds a slew of new items and features, and the developers recommend players begin a new save to see all the changes.
Similar to theCivilizationfranchise,Manor Lordsoffers compelling strategy and city-building elements. The game launched in early access this past April on PC, quickly becoming one of the most highly rated games on Steam with a Very Positive rating after more than 39,000 user reviews. Despite some of the game’s technical issues in early access, the game’s sales continue to flourish as the developers maintain an open line of communication with its player base.
Slavic Magic releasedManor Lordsupdate 0.7.972 and revealed a lengthy list of changes in the patch notes. Firstly, the developers note that players should begin a new save and remove theirfavoriteManor Lordsmodsto ensure all the changes and additions in update 0.7.972 are applied to their playthrough. Update 0.7.972’s new features include inter-region trading via Trading Posts, a mourning period for deceased residents, and a King’s Tax mechanic. What’s more, the update adds new armor variations, a Large Granary building rework, a new St. Maurice patron saint, an “allow market stall setup” toggle, and a construction reserve.
Manor Lordsupdate 0.7.972 also applies numerous changes involving gameplay and balance, including adjustments to resources and agriculture, the in-game economy and trading/market systems, and infrastructure. A number of quality-of-life improvements were implemented as well, such as a 75% reduction in ale consumption, an increased carrying capacity for on-foot trading post workers, and a doubled fertility regeneration rate for crops. All of these changes mean that players should have a much easier timeexporting and trading the best items inManor Lords.
On PC, the latestManor Lordsupdate applies various fixes and tweaks to anti-aliasing and upscaling selection upon the game’s first-time launch with specific GPUs, including Nvidia’s RTX 40 series graphics cards. Alongside minor adjustments to the in-game market, the update implements fixes and changes to the user interface to aid in visibility and accessibility for all users.
Since the game is going to be in early access for the next year, Slavic Magic has plenty of time to gauge player feedback and introducenew features that could enhance theManor Lordsexperience. The Manor Lords developers encourage Steam users to submit a review since the team often checks the Steam page to read up on players' thoughts.
Major Changes
The King’s Tax (or Annual Royal Tax, name undecided):
The tax is collected annually from all players (main player and AI) and goes to the liege. It is calculated per population, serving as a counterbalance for players hoarding huge wealth despite non-optimized economies.
Currently, players can incur debt without consequence. In the future, failure to pay will result in losing the king’s favor and eventually facing the king’s army as enemies.
Global/Local Trade Switch for Trading Posts:
Players can now switch trade to “local only” in the trading post for each type of good, allowing them to exchange goods between their own regions while ignoring free merchants. Two trading posts (one in each region) are still required to make this function work. Employed traders will prioritize traveling to the location with the best prices to commence trade, potentially including regions owned by other Lords. The transport distance factor is reduced to make it more predictable for players where traders will go (to the place with the best price). Regional wealth is still required to exchange goods between regions with a trading post to maintain regions as independent economic units, simulating a more realistic economy.
Trade and Market Adjustments
Optimization and Performance
User Interface and Accessibility
Visual and Interface Fixes
Economic and Resource Management
New Additions and Visual Upgrades
Animation and Model Adjustments
Fixes and Adjustments
Manor Lords
WHERE TO PLAY
Manor Lords is a strategy game that allows you to experience the life of a medieval lord. Grow your starting village into a bustling city, manage resources and production chains, and expand your lands through conquest.Inspired by the art and architecture of late 14th century Franconia, Manor Lords prioritizes historical accuracy wherever possible, using it to inform gameplay mechanics and visuals alike. Common medieval tropes are avoided in favor of historical accuracy in order to make the world feel more authentic, colorful, and believable.Manor Lords provides a gridless city-building experience with full freedom of placement and rotation. Building mechanics are inspired by the growth of real medieval towns and villages, where major trade routes and the landscape influenced how settlements formed and developed.From boots to barley and hides to honey, Manor Lords features a great variety of goods fitting of the era. Materials need to be transported and processed into finished products through production chains, and you must balance the basic needs of your people against the desire to produce luxury items to ensure happiness, manufacture trade goods for export, or forge arms and armor to aid in your conquests.
