Rival Kingdoms Awaken: Introducing Bot Rulers -

Over the past few weeks, I have been hard at work on the latest update for Imperial Kingdoms, focusing on bringing rival realms to life with the first implementation of bot rulers.

Feudal Bot Logic: The First Step

For this update, I built the foundational decision-making and economic systems needed for rival lords to actively manage their realms, build up their lands, and challenge you on the map.

What the bot rulers can currently do:

Map Construction: Build structures across their territory
Logistics and Labor: Manage workers and supply chains
Town Upgrades: Develop and expand their settlements
Research: Choose and initiate technological advances
Basic Recruitment: Train scouts and militia

What I am working on next for the bots:

Realm Scouting: Actively exploring regions and resources
Warfare: Training specialized troops, including soldiers, knights, and archers

Full Changelog

Below is the complete list of changes, fixes, and additions included in this update:

General changes

Reworked player data to avoid sync and timing issues
Removed region size options from lobbies

UI changes

Switched positions of town and transport buttons
Added a temporary endscreen to properly reset game data when leaving a match, fixing issues when starting a new game
Added abyss to all tiles
Added color indicator for missing paper on research view

Economy changes

Implemented starvation
Added construction costs for different stages
Changed costs for estates training
Changed tech-tree
Changed amount of required paper for research
Added serf production for leather and raw meat
Farm productions (animals, wool, and horses) now require grain

CPU enemy changes

Implemented construction, economy, and research for CPU enemies

Military changes

Troops can now be moved across towns
Added new production system for provisions
Attacks, scouting, and moving now take time and food depending on distance
WIP: Implemented prepare dialog for sieges
WIP: Implemented dialog for active siege with attack or fallback actions
Own armies are now visible on the map
New training progression:
Serf → Militia → Soldier → Knight
Serf → Militia → Archer
Implemented production of military equipment (smith and workshop)
WIP: Implemented military templates

Fixes

Fixed construction progress occurring without assigned workers
Fixed issue where construction of mines was always possible
Fixed missing conditions for serf tailor slider
Fixed fabric sliders remaining visible without a tailor built
Fixed issues with starting a new game due to undestroyed player objects
Fixed map preview rendering too large after starting a new game
Fixed capital connections failing for clients
Fixed town dialogs not opening on first click
Several translation fixes

New languages

Traditional Chinese (繁體中文)
Italian (Italiano)
Polish (Polski)
Turkish (Türkçe)

What’s Next? Work continues on expanding the military and expansion capabilities of the CPU factions, alongside ongoing balance passes.

Join the Upcoming Playtest!

I am running a new playtest from August 27 to August 31 2026, and sign-ups are open right now!

If you want to test the new bot logic firsthand, put the new military mechanics through their paces, and help shape the balance of the game, I would love to have you on board.

How to join: Simply head to the store page and click „Request Access“ under the Playtest section.

Your feedback during this test will be vital for fine-tuning the bots and combat systems. Thank you for your support!