One Week Until Launch, and the Demo Keeps Getting Better

Greetings, mercenaries. In one week, Free Company leaves the workbench and takes to the road. A.D. 997 is waiting, and the company is nearly ready to ride. The free demo gets these changes too, so you can try them before launch day. The November demo update is already live, and this week's work goes live in the demo today. Thank you for every report; much of this started with your notes.

Already in the November Demo

• Buildings and tall grass between the camera and your men turn see-through, so you can always find your bands.
• A facing compass shows which way each band is turned, and stays visible over grass.
• Line of sight is easier to read, and you can see when a target is simply too far to spot.
• Enemy cavalry closes in and fights instead of waiting at the edge of the field.
• Your formations and placement are remembered between battles.
• Strength shows as a number of men, not percentages or band counts.
• Battles load faster, and the demo keeps its saves apart from the full game.

New This Week, in the Game and the Demo

• Sieges no longer stall: after you lay siege, you can storm, hold or abandon every day.
• Clearer forests: trees between the camera and your men fade to see-through instead of vanishing, and forest nights are a notch lighter.
• Smoother docks and castle battles: I fixed a slowdown that could slow down the busiest maps.
• Smoother Steam co-op: accept a friend's invite straight from Steam and you'll drop right into their campaign, names and all, with both of you watching the same battle unfold.
• Better on a gamepad and Steam Deck: the roster works with the d-pad and right stick, and siege buttons now fit the Deck's screen.
• Smarter enemies: enemy bands choose to rush, advance or hold, and they close with a braced line instead of parking beside it.

One Week to Go

This is a one-person company, and the last week is for polish, fixes and listening. If something in the demo felt wrong, confusing or great, tell me in the discussions. I read every post. Wishlist Free Company so you don't miss launch day.