New Return of the Shakturi 1.5.0.6 Public Beta Available!

[Erik Rutins]

Hello all,

We have a new update for you to look over. It includes bug fixes and balance changes as well as some improvements to how the AI handles fleets, invasions and space port construction. I'd like to also apologize for the delay in getting this out to you. We've been working on various plans to expand the market for Distant Worlds and one of these required us to build in support for localization (i.e. different languages). We had hoped 1.5.0.4 would be ready to go official while Elliot worked on the localization support, but unfortunately it didn't work out that way. The good news is that adding in the localization support also makes it easier for us to externalize more of the game in the future, which is potentially good news for modders. We also think that expanding the audience for Distant Worlds will end up being a good thing for everyone in the long run, but apologies again for the delay this caused.

We plan on making 1.5.0.6 official next week if there are no serious issues, but we want to give our Members a look. It can be found in the Members Club, under Registered downloads. You will need to have registered your game to download it. Remember this is a beta, and any feedback is appreciated.


v1.5.0.6 Beta – March 8, 2011

• Fleets Automation AI
  • AI more careful about when and which ships are added to fleets so that fleets are more cohesive
  • Automated damaged ships are now automatically removed from fleets when they go for repairs
  • More careful calculation of fuel requirements when assigning fleet missions
  • More careful determination of enemy forces at attack targets leading to better target selection
  • Fleets are now more aggressive in refuelling when idle
  • Automated troop transports now leave fleet before loading troops to avoid fleet fragmentation
  • Nearby automated idle fleets reinforce colonies under invasion (i.e. entire fleet will drop troops)
• Empires and Diplomacy
  • War weariness is now a larger factor in encouraging an end to wars, dependent on the aggression of the empire's dominant race
  • War weariness increases at a slightly slower rate
  • Less suggestions of raids against other empires, especially when you are friendly with them
• Bug Fixes
  • Fixed bug in diplomacy screen when offer to trade galaxy maps, territory maps or tech (was previously showing invalid option 'Would you accept this trade?')
  • Fixed bug where ruins were sometimes still appearing on home colonies
• Others
  • No new space port construction at colonies when they are under attack or invasion
  • Medical centers and recreation centers are now always present on all AI space port designs
  • Increased AI focus on building gas mining stations for fuel sources
  • Increased number of starting construction ships

v1.5.0.5 Beta – March 5, 2011

• Fleets and Invasions
  • Unoccupied automated fleets are now more responsive to intercepting enemy attacks
  • Automated troop transports will now automatically reinforce nearby colonies under invasion (drop their troops at the colony)
  • AI empires more likely to build Troop Cloning Facilities, especially when their native troops are strong
• Colonization
  • Starting colonies no longer ever have ruins
  • AI colonization now gives higher priority to independent colonies
  • Colony ships now take 3 times longer to build, slowing colonization slightly
• Bug Fixes
  • Fixed crash when rebelling militia are defeated at a colony
  • Fixed crash when receive tech bonus from ruins after researching all tech
  • Fixed occasional crash when eliminate an empire
  • Fixed bug where assigning some mission types to fleets (Load Troops, Refuel, Repair) would cause any ships in the fleet that were still under construction to prematurely leave their construction yard
  • Fixed bug where game sometimes no longer shows income or cashflow and other game tasks stop
  • Fixed crash when you have explored the entire galaxy
  • Fixed occasional crash when you recruit new troops at a colony
  • Fixed various GxBO crashes
  • Fixed rare crash in scrolling message list
  • Added extra fixes for ships jumping to galaxy corners
  • Fixed issue on Turkish Windows where could not save new designs
  • Fixed rare crashes in Empire Navigation Tool
• Others
  • Improved performance in late game when there are many civilian ships
  • Improved amount of space ports AI builds
  • Slightly increased colony income and lowered ship maintenance costs
  • Special racial techs now always show in 'Latest Components' list in Designs screen

v1.5.0.4 Beta – January 28, 2011

• Balance and Gameplay
  • Further refined number of colonizable planets and moons in galaxies based on Colony Prevalence setting in game startup. By default, there are now less colonies available in galaxies, slowing expansion a bit
  • Ancient Guardians no longer take ownership of lost colonies
  • limit resources (cargo) at new colonies to small amount of Caslon and Hydrogen fuel
  • fixed problem where AI empires sometimes not researching construction tech enough to build larger ships
  • fixed exploit where you could right-click on an unexplored system and get “Colonize” command in right-click pop-up menu
• Bug fixes
  • fixed bug where fleets sometimes move to top-left corner of galaxy when assign queued missions
  • fixed rare crash when colonize planet
  • fixed crash when edit planet with ruins for super weapons tech bonus
  • fixed bug where can obtain multiple bonuses from destroying pirate bases
  • fixed issue with incomplete message when offering info on story location
  • fixed rare crash in Empire Navigation Tool when viewing enemy targets
• Others
  • Allow scrapping of privately-owned bases in the Ships and Bases screen
  • Altered colony rebellions so that do not begin during invasions. Also ensure that colony will join empire of invaders if present instead of becoming independent or joining another empire

v1.5.0.3 Beta – January 17, 2011

• Colonization and Balance
  • balance of colonizable planets - now more colonizable high-quality ice and volcanic planets (with appropriate tech)
  • more independent colonies than previously
  • greatly increased capacity of passenger transport components
  • increased number of passenger ships and freighters
  • improved how passenger ships respond to migration needs
• Bug fixes
  • fixed rare crash at colonies when population drops due to invasion
  • removed duplicated components in 'Latest Components' list in Design screen
  • fixed crash when remove planets in game editor
  • fixed crash when switch themes (to a theme with less ship-sets than the previous one)
  • fixed bug in Start New Game screen when start game after switching back from theme with races not in current theme (if missing races set in Other Empires grid)
  • fixed bug where AI fleet formation would often disband and reform fleets
• Other
  • in nebula clouds movement speed is now 75% of normal (from 50%)
  • automated fleets now do not auto-respond to attacks if more than a sector away and another fleet is closer
  • space creatures are now shown in mini-map as dark red diagonal crosses
  • can now have more starting empires (Start New Game screen) when have more than 20 races for galaxies with 700 stars or more
  • now always reset research slider to "Starting" in Edit Empire screen of game editor
  • special super-weapon techs set for a race in races.txt file now apply for the race at game start

[Igard]

All sounds good. Thank you guys for being so prompt as usual. [8D]

[tjhkkr]

Thank you very much for all the work that was done. THANK YOU! [8D]

[tornnight]

Nice list.

[J HG T]

Looks nice. Gotta finish my current 1.5.0.5 game before getting this though.

[MaxyGamer]

Very nice update. Great list of fixes and refinements.

[Data]

Great news and many features that we can easily test and verify. What first catches my eye is "Automated damaged ships are now automatically removed from fleets when they go for repairs " - in case they don't rejoin the fleet after the repairs are done we'd need a way to keep track of fleet composition or we might forget and end up with weaker fleets.

This one patch will get me back in the game pronto [&o]

[Caesar_Augustus]

Seems to be a very nice patch, indeed... Many thanks!
This game has a lot going for it... [;)]

[barbrady]

Nice patch!

Please solve the problem with AI research stations. AI is not using correctly the research potential of starting empires. If I retrofit my starting space port to research 400k it feels like I am cheating, because I can easily investigate much better than AI empires, is like playing versus a weaker opponent.

[Data]

Fired up a test game and I can confirm that (in my case at least) no ruins appear on AI home planets (all 19 of them).

[Data]

We also get two construction ships at startup.

[Caesar_Augustus]

Good news! Say, Data, have you been able to test AI research stations?

[Data]

Did not check extensivly but it does indeed seem that now we get medical centers and recreation centers on AI space port designs
for the fleet /refueling / troop transports beavior will take some time to set up but I'm looking forward to it....great patch so far, no real surprise there [:)]

[Data]

my good emperor, I don't see anything about that in 1.5.0.6...please remind me about the issue and I'll see what I can do

[Caesar_Augustus]

Very well! This game is really something, eh? Even at the smallest galaxy setting, it is still a big universe.
I truly love the aesthetics of the galaxy: star systems, planets, moons, asteroids, gas clouds, nebulae... and of course ships and facilities.

Not to mention the magnificent mods!!!

The galaxy also really does seem to be very much alive, with many, many things going about, and not everything under the player's direct control, not even the would-be galactic emperor [:D].

Epic... and awesome... [&o] [sigh] What a game!

[Data]

that is indeed what attracts me to this game as well, very immersive. It can be behind in some feature or another (things that can be fixed) but the feeling itself is like no other.....and if you don't have that it can't be fixed as easily.

[Litjan]

ORIGINAL: barbrady

Nice patch!

Please solve the problem with AI research stations. AI is not using correctly the research potential of starting empires. If I retrofit my starting space port to research 400k it feels like I am cheating, because I can easily investigate much better than AI empires, is like playing versus a weaker opponent.

I would also like to know if this has been fixed?

Jan

[Caesar_Augustus]

It may well be fixed, even though the changelog does not state it explicitly.
We shall have to see.

In any case, we could always tweak the starting tech levels for the AI empires,
giving them more advanced techs than our very own... [8D]

Either that, and/or place research stations diligently where we wish with the game editor,
since I believe this can also be done to mitigate somewhat this problem.

The more savvy players among us will of course enlighten us further;
as for myself, I'm just a humble galactic emperor... [;)]

[J HG T]

Nah. I'm not usually into editing games to make them harder or easier. Kills the immersion.
Honestly, this isn't big thing to fix. Just make AI build some some research stations on their homeworlds and bigger planets. If I remember correctly, the AI did this in pre-RotS DW.

BTW: I'm playing 1.5.0.5 and AI seems to have gotten some boosting. The three big names currently in the galaxy are my Kiadians, the Humans, and the "ladies in blue". Heck, the humans are really turning it on; They have ships and fleets that would be match for my ships almost any day. And they are also almost equal with techs with me.
Also, the Securans grabbed the "Death Star" before I even knew there was one somewhere. I was pretty much like "What the sh**?!" when Securans military power jumped to douple of what I have in a single day.
And to make the things even more interesting, the Quanemo on the other side of the galaxy are giving the 'umies run for their money.
Many things seem to have been fixed indeed. Exciting to see what 1.5.0.6 and next updates will do.

[Data]

I wonder if making 1.5.0.6 official next week will also mean other fixes and features or just a label change. Not to complain, mind you, having two pathces so fast is incredible....Elliot runs on hydrogen.