Posted June 13, 2013
high rated
As was pointed out in another thread, it can be hard to tell what all the benefits and downsides of the Insecticide patch are. This list is as much for me as for everyone else; it's based on the notes that came with the latest update (v1.40n, as of June 2012).
The letters in parentheses represent the version in which each change was added or most recently updated. This is not quite a comprehensive list, but I think I got all the major ones. (Reversions and bugfixes caused by previous patches are specifically excluded.) If anyone spots a mistake, or an important fix or feature which I've overlooked, please let me know and I'll update this post to reflect it.
Features:
(n) Access the Cities screen with the T key; cycle through your other cities with the X key.
(n) Now you can directly open to a city's Change screen by right-clicking on it.
(l) Previously hidden To-Hit and To-Defend bonuses are displayed at the top right of a unit's detailed info box.
(l) New world size: Huge (a single continent on each plane; basically, Pangaea).
(l) New interim difficulty level: Extreme (Impossible, but with -25% to certain AI bonuses).
(l) Node strength can now range from 0.5 to 2.5 times normal, with monster difficulty and rewards to scale.
(l) Armageddon creates +2 rebels per city, rather than destroying all city pacifying effects.
(k) Strategic Combat has been renamed Automatic Combat, to minimize confusion.
(j) Reloading a game should no longer change the timing or outcome of random events.
(i) Torin and Alorra will no longer get Arcane Power, as they can never use it.
(i) Monster lair generation has been tweaked, to better differentiate small lairs from big ones.
(h) Wind Mastery doubles the caster's boat speeds, rather than halving everyone else's.
(f) Neutral cities on the same continent are racially more diverse.
(c) The Alt-RVL cheat (auto-Nature's Awareness for all wizards) will enable Detect Magic for everyone as well.
(b) Esc key now exits the Item Creation menu.
(b) Q key quits the game from the start-up screen.
(b) On individual units, hitting the L key enables Patrol.
(b) Up and down arrows enabled on the Armies and Cities screens; left and right for Spellbook.
(b) Spacebar has more context-sensitive functions, including Wait, Go Back, OK and Done.
(b) City growth notices automatically turn off when that city's population reaches 10K.
(a) During world creation, wizard fortresses and towers are much better spaced apart.
(a) When you scope out a lair containing 4+ of a monster, you'll be told that there are "many" inside.
(a) Units with merging have been made immune to Cracks Call, to match the AI's expectations.
(a) Two new, potentially unstable game options: Revolting Raiders (neutral cities) and Monsters Gone Wild (from lairs).
Drawbacks:
(l) You can no longer randomize hero picks by reloading before a summoning spell completes.
(l) Similarly, you can no longer change a lair's magic items by redoing the battle.
(a) Along with Intro having been eliminated, all difficulty levels are subjectively harder than in their unmodded versions.
(a) World creation can take somewhat longer, to the point where the game appears to hang.
AI Tweaks:
(m) AI attacks more aggressively, and is better at using summoning spells and managing AI-AI combat.
(m) AI is more likely to send out Magic and Guardian Spirits to take over nodes.
(m) AI now waits until later in the game, when it has more mana available, to start crafting items.
(l) Enemy wizards are better at defending their fortress cities.
(l) AI can create more powerful artifacts, buy from merchants, and is smarter about hiring mercenaries.
(i) Enemy heroes won't try to dispel their own side's positive enchantments (including other heroes).
(i) Enemy priests can and will cast Healing.
(i) AI no longer tries to dispel Haste from items.
(h) AI is more effective at city building and making use of boats.
(h) AI's production and gold bonuses have been scaled back slightly.
(f) Enemy wizards on Arcanus can start with any non-Myrran race; at Hard and up, they'd been limited to specific ones.
(f) AI is slightly better at picking settlement sites.
(e) AI is more aggressive in combat, may occasionally summon Nagas, and can find more powerful items in lairs.
(d) AI uses more robust combat stacks, and is better at singling out and attacking your fortress.
(b) Enemy wizards are smarter at spell research strategies, and better at conquering neutral cities.
(b) AI won't declare war on you anymore without first breaking an existing treaty.
(a) AI can create items, summon the Chosen, collect Fame, and is smarter at combat spells and strategies.
(a) Neutral cities may sometimes add new buildings, albeit very slowly.
(a) Enemy wizards will no longer bother trying to cast Possession on your heroes.
(a) Enemy heroes won't disenchant spells belonging to their own wizard.
Bugfixes:
(n) A glitch with the Lucky and Prayer bonus has been fixed, as has the Runemaster dispel bonus.
(n) Early research options are no longer heavy on Arcane spells.
(n) Mercenaries for hire are now able to show up closer to the beginning of the game.
(n) Roads inside (on the same square as) Myrran cities are properly enchanted.
(l) Items created with Itemmake.exe will include the correct spellbook requirements.
(i) "250 production" exploit was removed.
(i) Great Wasting now destroys city building pacifying effects.
(i) Invulnerability and Possession can now be dispelled; Dispel Evil has been fixed.
(i) Conjurer trait rounds up the 25% mana maintenance bonus.
(i) Animate Dead works better, but still not perfectly (7+ dead units crashes the game).
(i) Spell of Mastery bug fixed. (Wizards with 11 books in one color could research it at 5% of cost, rather than 60%.)
(h) Wraithform spell and ability now has the correct MPs over water.
(e) Archmage spell skill bonus shows up correctly on the Magic screen.
(e) Wind Walking and Confusion spell glitches have been fixed, as has Life Drain on units with death immunity.
(e) To-save penalties and enemy units' immunity to illusions/invisibility now work properly.
(d) Word of Recall works on units with Regeneration.
(b) Settlers and other enemy units can no longer flee before your first turn.
(b) Tauron's spellbooks have been fixed.
(a) All spellcasting heroes (including Morgana, Ravashack and Torin) have access to their combat spells.
(a) Suppress Magic no longer affects the Spell of Return.
(a) Diplomacy works as intended, including bonuses and penalties from spells and traits.
(a) Lairs, keeps and dungeons have a 50-50 chance of containing either Nature or Chaos creatures.
(a) A number of issues re: magic immunity and missile immunity not working properly have been resolved.
(a) Chaos Channeled units can gain combat experience, along with several other related fixes.
(a) Charismatic ability will still allow you to get merchant offers when low on money.
(a) Item invisibility and fear attacks now work properly, as do the city wall defensive bonus and the to-hit bonus on axes.
(a) In combat, Spell Lock can no longer be dispelled, and Demon Skin gives its proper defensive bonus.
(a) Attackers on both sides should no longer lose movement points.
The letters in parentheses represent the version in which each change was added or most recently updated. This is not quite a comprehensive list, but I think I got all the major ones. (Reversions and bugfixes caused by previous patches are specifically excluded.) If anyone spots a mistake, or an important fix or feature which I've overlooked, please let me know and I'll update this post to reflect it.
Features:
(n) Access the Cities screen with the T key; cycle through your other cities with the X key.
(n) Now you can directly open to a city's Change screen by right-clicking on it.
(l) Previously hidden To-Hit and To-Defend bonuses are displayed at the top right of a unit's detailed info box.
(l) New world size: Huge (a single continent on each plane; basically, Pangaea).
(l) New interim difficulty level: Extreme (Impossible, but with -25% to certain AI bonuses).
(l) Node strength can now range from 0.5 to 2.5 times normal, with monster difficulty and rewards to scale.
(l) Armageddon creates +2 rebels per city, rather than destroying all city pacifying effects.
(k) Strategic Combat has been renamed Automatic Combat, to minimize confusion.
(j) Reloading a game should no longer change the timing or outcome of random events.
(i) Torin and Alorra will no longer get Arcane Power, as they can never use it.
(i) Monster lair generation has been tweaked, to better differentiate small lairs from big ones.
(h) Wind Mastery doubles the caster's boat speeds, rather than halving everyone else's.
(f) Neutral cities on the same continent are racially more diverse.
(c) The Alt-RVL cheat (auto-Nature's Awareness for all wizards) will enable Detect Magic for everyone as well.
(b) Esc key now exits the Item Creation menu.
(b) Q key quits the game from the start-up screen.
(b) On individual units, hitting the L key enables Patrol.
(b) Up and down arrows enabled on the Armies and Cities screens; left and right for Spellbook.
(b) Spacebar has more context-sensitive functions, including Wait, Go Back, OK and Done.
(b) City growth notices automatically turn off when that city's population reaches 10K.
(a) During world creation, wizard fortresses and towers are much better spaced apart.
(a) When you scope out a lair containing 4+ of a monster, you'll be told that there are "many" inside.
(a) Units with merging have been made immune to Cracks Call, to match the AI's expectations.
(a) Two new, potentially unstable game options: Revolting Raiders (neutral cities) and Monsters Gone Wild (from lairs).
Drawbacks:
(l) You can no longer randomize hero picks by reloading before a summoning spell completes.
(l) Similarly, you can no longer change a lair's magic items by redoing the battle.
(a) Along with Intro having been eliminated, all difficulty levels are subjectively harder than in their unmodded versions.
(a) World creation can take somewhat longer, to the point where the game appears to hang.
AI Tweaks:
(m) AI attacks more aggressively, and is better at using summoning spells and managing AI-AI combat.
(m) AI is more likely to send out Magic and Guardian Spirits to take over nodes.
(m) AI now waits until later in the game, when it has more mana available, to start crafting items.
(l) Enemy wizards are better at defending their fortress cities.
(l) AI can create more powerful artifacts, buy from merchants, and is smarter about hiring mercenaries.
(i) Enemy heroes won't try to dispel their own side's positive enchantments (including other heroes).
(i) Enemy priests can and will cast Healing.
(i) AI no longer tries to dispel Haste from items.
(h) AI is more effective at city building and making use of boats.
(h) AI's production and gold bonuses have been scaled back slightly.
(f) Enemy wizards on Arcanus can start with any non-Myrran race; at Hard and up, they'd been limited to specific ones.
(f) AI is slightly better at picking settlement sites.
(e) AI is more aggressive in combat, may occasionally summon Nagas, and can find more powerful items in lairs.
(d) AI uses more robust combat stacks, and is better at singling out and attacking your fortress.
(b) Enemy wizards are smarter at spell research strategies, and better at conquering neutral cities.
(b) AI won't declare war on you anymore without first breaking an existing treaty.
(a) AI can create items, summon the Chosen, collect Fame, and is smarter at combat spells and strategies.
(a) Neutral cities may sometimes add new buildings, albeit very slowly.
(a) Enemy wizards will no longer bother trying to cast Possession on your heroes.
(a) Enemy heroes won't disenchant spells belonging to their own wizard.
Bugfixes:
(n) A glitch with the Lucky and Prayer bonus has been fixed, as has the Runemaster dispel bonus.
(n) Early research options are no longer heavy on Arcane spells.
(n) Mercenaries for hire are now able to show up closer to the beginning of the game.
(n) Roads inside (on the same square as) Myrran cities are properly enchanted.
(l) Items created with Itemmake.exe will include the correct spellbook requirements.
(i) "250 production" exploit was removed.
(i) Great Wasting now destroys city building pacifying effects.
(i) Invulnerability and Possession can now be dispelled; Dispel Evil has been fixed.
(i) Conjurer trait rounds up the 25% mana maintenance bonus.
(i) Animate Dead works better, but still not perfectly (7+ dead units crashes the game).
(i) Spell of Mastery bug fixed. (Wizards with 11 books in one color could research it at 5% of cost, rather than 60%.)
(h) Wraithform spell and ability now has the correct MPs over water.
(e) Archmage spell skill bonus shows up correctly on the Magic screen.
(e) Wind Walking and Confusion spell glitches have been fixed, as has Life Drain on units with death immunity.
(e) To-save penalties and enemy units' immunity to illusions/invisibility now work properly.
(d) Word of Recall works on units with Regeneration.
(b) Settlers and other enemy units can no longer flee before your first turn.
(b) Tauron's spellbooks have been fixed.
(a) All spellcasting heroes (including Morgana, Ravashack and Torin) have access to their combat spells.
(a) Suppress Magic no longer affects the Spell of Return.
(a) Diplomacy works as intended, including bonuses and penalties from spells and traits.
(a) Lairs, keeps and dungeons have a 50-50 chance of containing either Nature or Chaos creatures.
(a) A number of issues re: magic immunity and missile immunity not working properly have been resolved.
(a) Chaos Channeled units can gain combat experience, along with several other related fixes.
(a) Charismatic ability will still allow you to get merchant offers when low on money.
(a) Item invisibility and fear attacks now work properly, as do the city wall defensive bonus and the to-hit bonus on axes.
(a) In combat, Spell Lock can no longer be dispelled, and Demon Skin gives its proper defensive bonus.
(a) Attackers on both sides should no longer lose movement points.
Post edited June 24, 2013 by TwoHandedSword
