Cradlecrown v2.7: A steadier interface and abilities you can see
Fixed production queues and resource gauges, a correction to stacked movement bonuses, simpler civilization summaries and visible signature abilities on the battlefield.
A button moving just as you need it is a small problem that becomes tiring in a strategy game. In Cradlecrown v2.7 I started with that: training troops, changing taxes or gaining an idle villager should leave the interface in place. I then worked on civilization summaries, movement speed and the way signature abilities appear in battle.
Production without a growing panel
The selected building’s queue now keeps five fixed slots. Adding a unit does not resize the panel. Resource gauges have fixed widths, while morale and the idle-villager button keep their places in the top bar.
I removed the yellow line that stretched below the top bar during landmark construction. The long general hint strip at the bottom is also gone; connection, save and elimination notices use the alert card. The aim is to make information easier to find while attention stays on the map.
Keeping movement consistent across the ages
Age choices previously left movement bonuses that could combine with several other marching rules. After a few transitions, armies could move much faster than they did at the start of the match.
Choosing a new civilization no longer leaves a permanent percentage bonus. Call to arms no longer adds movement speed, forced march adds 20%, and the combined movement multiplier from civilization and reform marching rules is capped at ×1.3. Troop types still have different speeds; this addresses the extra speed that accumulated across ages.
Fewer lines to compare
Civilization summaries now focus on one strength and one trade-off. Each reform brings one rule. A choice should be readable without comparing a long list of overlapping bonuses.
This was also the groundwork for giving every civilization its own trait in the next release. I cover those changes in the v2.8 post.
Giving abilities a visible form
Planted stakes, pavise shields, the Roman shield roof and breastworks now have their own battlefield visuals. Javelins, axes, fire arrows and crossbow bolts appear as their respective projectiles. Greek fire sprays, while the Assyrian siege tower strikes walls in melee.
The work connects the ability described on a unit’s card with something recognizable in the fight.
Buildings that look like their jobs
Mines now sit on their ore outcrops. I also redrew roughly 45 production buildings that reused house-like bodies or resembled small landmarks too closely. A barracks, stable or archery range should show its function while still belonging to its civilization.
The interface image was captured from a running v2.7 game. The town is a promotional scene staged with that release’s renderer, rather than a recording of an online match. Images show the full game window without detail crops.
Cradlecrown is free in the browser. The current release is v2.8, playable against the AI or online in rooms for 2–8 players, with bots available.