1.9.5.3 Beta Update available for testing

[Gerry Edwards]

Hello Everyone,

Distant Worlds 1.9.5.3 Beta Update is now available for testing. You may download it from Here.




This build has the following changes from 1.9.5.2:


CRASH FIXES
- fixed crash when drawing long range scanners in galaxy view
- fixed crash when drawing planet in hover panel
- fixed crash when auto-saving game
- fixed crash when loading game with custom theme from main menu
- fixed crash when drawing Empire Navigation Tool
- fixed crash with advisor message when invading independent colonies
- fixed crash when investigating ruins
- fixed crash when calculating troop strength
- fixed crash when editing ship design
- fixed crash when edit very large stars in game editor
- fixed crash when AI assigns new mining mission

BUG FIXES
- altered Windows API used for checking mouse location to fix screen scrolling to top-left (thus avoiding bug in Windows Vista 64-bit)
- fixed bases detaching from their parent planet/moon/asteroid when initiate retrofit before they are finished their previous retrofit
- sound volume now properly remembered when load games
- Unload Troops missions are now cancelled when target colony changes ownership (thus avoid unloading troops at enemy colony)
- fixed misleading message when your special forces troops destroy hidden pirate base facility at one of your own colonies
- main view now properly regains focus for mouse scroll-wheel when close Build Order screen
- fixed rare bug with pirate colonies over-ordering construction resources
- fixed display problems with main menu screen in Windows XP

USER INTERFACE
- enabled scaling of Empire Navigation Tool at screen left - use new size button next to close button in each panel to cycle 3 sizes: normal, large, extra large

OTHER
- improved how Action buttons (under Selection Panel) determine which mining station design to show (gas vs mineral) when building mining stations at planets/moons/asteroids (better support for custom themes with unusual resource distributions)

[Retreat1970]

Thank you [:)]

[Sithuk]

Did the bug for the number of reactors to place on a design to achieve full hyperspeed get fixed?

[Erik Rutins]

There's no bug related to that as far as I know, but there is a need for additional design/AI optimization. That's still on our list.

I believe it did get a tweak in the 1.9.5.3 beta, but we'll have to see if it was enough.

[deathnoise]

What about the mining stations and their problems with retrofitting, since the freighters are not delivering the resources that are needed (instead - they are idling at the space ports with "no mission")?

[Kilravock]

Thanks, I will test this to see if it solves both the station and scrolling bugs.

[gerishnakov]

Fingers crossed this does fix the XP main menu problem! Man, that's been bugging the hell out of me the past week.

[AstroCat]

Does this fix the engine exhaust, planets and overlays (and others?) image size scaling problems?

[pycco]

those are mod problems not the base game.

looking good, glad to hear that designs are being optimized more.

[hewwo]

I know this has been around forever, but for the love of god, please make it so that screens remember the type of filter you used last time. For instance, in the ships and bases screen, I usually only want to see my military ships, so it's really annoying to have to select that filter again and again, every time I close the screen! Or if you think not everyone would be happy with that behaviour, just make it optional!

[dwaine]

A lot of bug fixes is nice, but would you consider adding some features, such as increasing the max number of facilies and governments ? Or is it to much work for you ?

I mean the 30 limit for governments is OK (but could be increased), but the 50 limit to facilities is really REALLY LOW.

While I'm at it, why do you limit so much facilities possibilities ?
Right now, I find the way facilies are handled to be very ... rigid, look at the "type" line, a facility can be either a SpyAcademy OR a MilitaryAcademy OR a RegionalCapital OR ... but not BOTH. Instead, it would be so much simple to have values for colony income, empire income, growth rate, empire growth rate, so facilies can have multiple bonuses, not just one.

I would love to see a new type : planetary facilities, but not the rigid actual way. Let's imagine a amusement facility, that every empire can build on every colony, it would give development +1, happiness +3, income -1, construction speed -1. I can't do that right now. Or a mining facility that would try to discover a new ressource type on a planet AND increase the ressources available +2 mining, +1 construction speed, -5 happiness.
Also, national wonders would be good, you can somehow emulate that by putting a wonder on a reserved tech tree, but that also mean other empires CAN'T build them, this should not take too much work, it would just need to take the regional capital code (can be built by each empire, but only once) but add the possibility to add bonuses : colony income, empire income, colony happiness, empire happiness, etc ....
Finally, wonders why can't I put multiple bonuses ? Why limit a wonder to a happinness bonus ONLY ?

Well, here are my toughts, at least consider increasing the max number of facilities, I would be happy with 50 more slots, but if you can increase to 200 or 500, without too much work, please consider it !

[moonraker65]

Still no news on the design screen thing. Not really that much of a big deal but unless you know which automation options to turn off at game start it can be a bit of a headache as far as user designed ships and bases go.

[Osito]

I love the change to the empire navigation tool.

Now just adjust the contrast in the races list on the left hand of the diplomacy screen - and add an undo hot key in the editor - and I'll be very happy

(Always want more, don't we?)

Osito

[warzer]

The only issue I have with this new version is when invading planets after I win my troops vanish or move somewhere magically.
Recient example I captured a pirate planet but all my troop ships where destroyed in deploying those troops. After I won the planet lost all of its troops.
Previous when my troop ships survived they were magically on those transports.

If they magically teleported any idea where they might have gone without the transports?