Total War Battles: Kingdom Hits v0.3, Gives Out Free Stuff

Despite aiming to be "the perfect slice of Total War gaming on the go," Total War Battles: Kingdom certainly isn't the MMORTS version of Total War that we were hoping for, instead opting for long wait times with the option to pay for them to go away like many other MMORTSes. But the hex-based game is a unique entry in the MMORTS genre, nonetheless. The game has been in open beta for a while and today it hit version 0.3, an update that the developers call "game-changing."

There are two major features added in this new update. The entire water management system was overhauled in order to "make it much more reactive and easier to deal with flooding. The example that is given is that of a river turning to wetlands immediately when you close it off from its water source. Water running from a dam that you open up will disperse more quickly than previously, as well. The idea is to give players more control over the way they terraform their land, a feature that is generally sorely lacking in similar games.

Also added is the "Neighbor Bonus System," in which town buildings get bonuses from neighboring town buildings, making the metagame that is town construction that more complex. A new section has been added to the UI to aid in constructing your town around bonuses.

What caught my eye, though, was the fact that they have "dramatically" reduced timers in-game, supposedly to promote longer play sessions. The question is how much "dramatically" implies. Are they dropping eight hour waits to four hours or are they still closer to eight hours?

You can find the full list of changes here.  If you're already playing the game, you can also use the code "TCWG497B6J" to get 250 Gold and an "exclusive Dragon Crest Banner to adorn your soldiers and castles." This code will be valid until the 12th.