Fractal Softworks Forum

Starsector => Announcements => Topic started by: Alex on June 27, 2011, 11:58:29 AM

Title: Starfarer 0.35a (Preview Released) - Patch Notes
Post by: Alex on June 27, 2011, 11:58:29 AM
Update - the preview version of the 0.35a release is out, and you can get it here (http://fractalsoftworks.com/preorder).

The preview version, in a nutshell:

The full patch notes are below.


Latest Changes (updated on 8/19/2011)


Full list of changes, broken out by category, below:

Content

Gameplay & Balance Changes

Modding-related

Misc Features & Improvements

Bug Fixes
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: theShadow on June 27, 2011, 12:41:25 PM
whoooo

I am so psyched for this!
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: mendonca on June 27, 2011, 01:14:47 PM
Wicked cool, man.

I only speak for myself, but I don't think you should be overly concerned with breaking mods (unless of course its trivial to *not* break mods). I'm happy to update mine as and when necessary, and I'm firmly aware anything I have done is definitely going to need to be updated several times if I want it to work with the final thingy.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Avan on June 27, 2011, 01:45:52 PM
Nice! Can't wait to start trying out some of these things.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Alex on June 27, 2011, 02:10:45 PM
I only speak for myself, but I don't think you should be overly concerned with breaking mods (unless of course its trivial to *not* break mods). I'm happy to update mine as and when necessary, and I'm firmly aware anything I have done is definitely going to need to be updated several times if I want it to work with the final thingy.

Thanks for that - yeah, I just don't want to break things if it'd take me five minutes not to ;)

The "surge" just magically changed to "burst". Err, rather, it's been that way allll along, nothing to see here.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Ivaylo on June 27, 2011, 02:22:07 PM
These aren't the surge weapons we are looking for. Move along.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: frostphoenyx on June 28, 2011, 01:44:41 AM
These aren't the surge weapons we are looking for. Move along.

Haha nice :p
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Dibuk on June 28, 2011, 04:28:35 AM
Nice work! Lovely list, it gives me a warm an fuzzy feeling thinking about all the goodness next patch will bring, but that could be my fever.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Alex on June 28, 2011, 07:39:07 AM
Nice work! Lovely list, it gives me a warm an fuzzy feeling thinking about all the goodness next patch will bring, but that could be my fever.

Could be both :)
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Avan on June 28, 2011, 02:49:22 PM
Its really cool to see david's ships from the blog post come to life!
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Avan on June 28, 2011, 07:41:20 PM
Quick question for alex: will ordinance points be balanced in .35?
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Alex on June 28, 2011, 07:44:27 PM
Quick question for alex: will ordinance points be balanced in .35?

That's the plan.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Avan on June 28, 2011, 09:42:23 PM
Nice!

so... ummm... do we get a balance preview? >.> (ie, so modders can begin adjusting things, and people can comment?)
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Dibuk on June 29, 2011, 02:50:11 AM
Nice!

so... ummm... do we get a balance preview? >.> (ie, so modders can begin adjusting things, and people can comment?)

Oh oh! I want preview! gimmegimmegimme! ... But naw, only of Alex have time for it. We'll figure it out otherwise.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Trylobot on June 29, 2011, 08:06:16 AM
PD burst laser weapons will be perfect for the Earthling Cruiser and Autonomous Fighters. Thanks for this Alex!
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Alex on June 29, 2011, 09:06:07 AM
There might be a preview depending on how the war room revamp goes. I wouldn't hold out for a balance preview, though - that is scheduled about dead last in the plan, due to various dependencies - so by the time it's done, it'll be actual release time.

PD burst laser weapons will be perfect for the Earthling Cruiser and Autonomous Fighters.

Oh yeah, they do sound good for it. I'm biased (duh) but they're extremely fun to use. So much so that it's tempting to make them overpowered.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Flare on July 07, 2011, 02:56:27 AM
  • Interceptors are more wary of PD weapons

Does this mean they will stay away from PD ships in general?
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Avan on July 07, 2011, 06:58:40 AM
I think that it means that they will avoid ships with lots of PD weapons.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Trylobot on July 07, 2011, 07:50:07 AM
Wow, you've been busy on the AI. Huzzah!
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Blips on July 07, 2011, 08:05:01 AM
AI update sounds imposing  ;D Glad to see you guys focused on improving the AI when so many other developers are satisfied with mediocre AI in their games.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: mendonca on July 07, 2011, 09:06:29 AM
And this is just on the tactical level - you're setting yourself a high bar for the strategic level!

(I'm sure you can pull it off by the way)
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Alex on July 07, 2011, 04:04:59 PM
Does this mean they will stay away from PD ships in general?

Nothing quite so drastic, though that might not be a bad idea in general. For now they're just less likely to maintain close contact.


The whole time I was working on this (which was almost a solid week), I thought that I ought to be working on new features instead, but this felt like it just had to be done - so thanks for your support, guys, makes me feel better about it :) The AI is in a much better place now, both in how it behaves already, and in being prepared to handle new gameplay features, obey orders, etc.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Blips on July 07, 2011, 05:14:09 PM
Good features are without exception always good to have, but single player games are worthless without competent AI. Something that a lot of companies just don't seem to care about.

I realize you need to lay down the low-level infrastructure for the AI in order to continue on in development in such an AI dependent game, but there's also the risk of wasted efforts and time by investing in AI work that will need to end up being removed / re-written due to unforeseen issues later in development.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: tinsoldier on July 08, 2011, 01:14:19 PM
There may be lots of things that could be added to this game but as it is it is very fun to play.  If each step you take leaves you with a well-polished product you can ensure that it always makes a good impression on people.  Missing features seems less detrimental than having shoddy functionality.  (not that anything is shoddy about it now...  ;D)
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Flare on July 08, 2011, 05:45:17 PM
Does this mean they will stay away from PD ships in general?

Nothing quite so drastic, though that might not be a bad idea in general. For now they're just less likely to maintain close contact.

I was just worried about the prospect of chasing a single wing of interceptors around the map with what's left of my capitals and frigates, thanks for allaying my fears :P.

I can't wait to see how the ships react.



Nice update on the features page by the way.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Alex on July 08, 2011, 06:35:43 PM
Good features are without exception always good to have, but single player games are worthless without competent AI. Something that a lot of companies just don't seem to care about.

I realize you need to lay down the low-level infrastructure for the AI in order to continue on in development in such an AI dependent game, but there's also the risk of wasted efforts and time by investing in AI work that will need to end up being removed / re-written due to unforeseen issues later in development.

I don't think it's a risk. It's a certainty :) Still, I feel like this latest revision is going to hold up for a while. A lot of the combat gameplay is in place, and the AI design should be able to accommodate the things that are coming up quite nicely.

Overdesigning early and wasting effort is one thing, taking a look at your existing and near-future needs and writing something that fits is quite another.

And I completely agree about the AI being critically important, of course.

There may be lots of things that could be added to this game but as it is it is very fun to play.  If each step you take leaves you with a well-polished product you can ensure that it always makes a good impression on people.  Missing features seems less detrimental than having shoddy functionality.  (not that anything is shoddy about it now...  ;D)

Thanks for the compliment :) The tricky part is not spending too much time polishing things that subsequently get changed. That's part of the price of having early playable releases, and imo the tradeoff of getting the game out there and having real feedback is more than worth it.

Even trickier is being able to trash things you've spent a lot of time on when that's the right decision... but I digress.

I was just worried about the prospect of chasing a single wing of interceptors around the map with what's left of my capitals and frigates, thanks for allaying my fears :P.

I can't wait to see how the ships react.



Nice update on the features page by the way.

Ahh, yeah, shouldn't have to worry - they would retreat from combat anyway. Glad you like the new features page!


By the way, I wrote up a new blog post (http://fractalsoftworks.com/2011/07/08/thoughts-on-ai-collision-avoidance/) talking about the AI, and the collision avoidance algorithm in particular, if you guys are interested in checking it out. There's also a video with some in-game overlays that demonstrate how the AI sees things, featuring a Tempest avoiding a whole lot of LRM-delivered pain.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Dibuk on July 09, 2011, 02:43:37 AM
Good features are without exception always good to have, but single player games are worthless without competent AI. Something that a lot of companies just don't seem to care about.

You have never played cortex command, eh?

Although it's nice to see that Alex aspire to make a good AI, but saying it would be worthless is a bit to steep.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Blips on July 09, 2011, 02:53:22 AM
If you want no conflict or challenge, then sure, the lack of anything resembling AI would not be a problem for you I suppose.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Flare on July 09, 2011, 03:01:36 AM
There are certain factors that alleviate the problems caused by bad AI, one of them is simplicity as in the case of Cortex command. Other like a restraining environment, limit the actions the AI and the person can make making it seem like the AI is competent when it might just have three possible moves to consider. There are game play factors as well, the AI being incredibly stupid might have a quantitative or qualitative superiority over the player. On the flip side, good AI can be said to be compensating for some of those same factors as well.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Blips on July 09, 2011, 09:13:48 AM
I thought it was kind of obvious, but I wasn't talking about simplistic games but rather single player strategy and tactic related games where AI opponents must be competent in order to make the game enjoyable.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Blips on July 15, 2011, 09:15:17 AM
So, got anything new for us Alex?  :)
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Alex on July 15, 2011, 09:40:12 AM
So, got anything new for us Alex?  :)

Working feverishly! The curse of working on large features, I suppose - not an awful lot to report until they are done.

What I'm doing now is making changes to how the war room works - making real good progress, too. I think it'll only take a couple of days to wrap up the functionality - and then I'll ship it off to David so he can make it look good :)


The way the new war room works is you create tasks ("Assignments") for your fleet, and they organize themselves into groups to perform them. So in a typical start to a battle, you might order two objectives to be "captured" (sends a small, fast task force there) and one objective to be "assaulted" (sends a larger, beefier force there, of what's available). That's literally all you'd have to do, aside from picking which ships to deploy.

Later on, you might create a waypoint and order your fleet to "rally a carrier group" there. If it's getting a bit hot, you can order the carrier to be escorted. There's lots of these types of orders you can give.

You can also give direct orders (retreat, repair & refit, etc). In addition, you can use these to put a specific ship on a particular assignment, if you think it's important enough.

The number of assignments active at any one time is limited (currently 3, +1 per comm relay, +bonus from Command skill which is tbd). Very importantly, the number of direct orders you can give is also limited - to reflect that as fleet commander, you can do but so much micromanagement. Right now it's also at 3 per battle, and these don't regenerate, so you have to use them wisely. Again, comm relay bonus applies and skill bonuses will apply here.


Hmm. This just might merit being expanded and made into a blog post, once the feature is complete.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Blips on July 15, 2011, 09:44:44 AM
Sounds exciting. Can't wait to get some first hand experience.  ;D
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Trylobot on July 15, 2011, 05:09:21 PM
Hmm. This just might merit being expanded and made into a blog post, once the feature is complete.

+1
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: SeaBee on July 15, 2011, 11:29:41 PM
Thanks so much for the update, this is intensely exciting! I really cannot wait to see how it all turns out. The extra command and control features will be a big help.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Avan on July 16, 2011, 07:16:26 AM
Very interesting, I'm curious to see how these changes play out in practice.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: RooksBailey on July 16, 2011, 04:42:56 PM
Wow!  That sounds great!  It's the type of C3 I always love to see in a fleet game!
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Alex on July 17, 2011, 11:47:07 AM
Hah, "Command & Control" is an entirely cool name for the war room. Renaming it to that just might be worth the trouble of... well, actually re-naming it everywhere.

Didn't know it could be abbreviated to C2 (or C3, if you add communications), that also scores some cool points. It's amusing that adding an extra C (to get to C4) yields something altogether different :)
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: RooksBailey on July 18, 2011, 06:32:37 PM
Hah!  Yes, C4 does add some bang to the abbreviation.   :D  Maybe we could get some C4 in the game?  ;)
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: JWNoctis on July 19, 2011, 07:58:58 AM
Who needs C4 when we have antimatter for bulk demolition purposes? ;)

Technically the war room is already a C4I system as it currently is, being computerized on both side of the fourth wall, with intelligence concerning all things moving and shooting.

Speaking of intelligence...I'm sure something like this is already on the list, but maybe there should be some sort of component that denies your opponents of such information as weapon mounts and flux/armor level, and more advanced things that would break/lag sensor lock, spoof missiles, create false sensor images/echos for your opponents to wonder about and waste a good amount of long-range munition on, or just strip them of their intership communication altogether along with sensor sharing, C&C, as well as screams for reinforcements of any sort, and finally components that would make it more difficult for others to do the same on you...Basically another layer of strategy, and another battlefield to fight on.

Maybe EW does not really fit in the atmosphere of Starfarer, or maybe it's just a bit too advanced given the dystopian nature of the ingame universe...Still fun to think about nonetheless. But anyway...It would at least be nice to have missiles that actually rely on sensor lock for guidance, and lead their course for interception instead of simply chasing the tail of their target. Would at least make the Bis'mar mission more challenging. :)
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Alex on July 19, 2011, 08:26:14 AM
Just what I was thinking. C4? Much too weak!

About EW - there are definitely plans to get some of it in the game, both in the combat and the campaign layers.

By the way, the missiles do lead their targets - they'd be much worse if they just tracked the current position - but if you're trying to chase down something that's faster and/or more maneuverable, there's only so much you can do.

I have been toying with the idea of implementing the actual Sidewinder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIM-9_Sidewinder) target tracking algorithm, though. What's in the game now basically does the same thing, but the way the real algorithm does it is just so elegant.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: theShadow on July 19, 2011, 09:11:27 AM
Something else that could be interesting is AoE type missiles, that can do damage to a large area. Like a flac missile that explodes into a moving field of destructive particles, or a swarm missile that explodes into several smaler missiles that track any nearby targets.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Blips on July 19, 2011, 09:49:05 AM
I have been toying with the idea of implementing the actual Sidewinder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIM-9_Sidewinder) target tracking algorithm, though. What's in the game now basically does the same thing, but the way the real algorithm does it is just so elegant.

It could be interesting to offer a wide variety of missile types in the game. Dumb fire missiles, simple guided ones, ones that actively dodge obstacles, etc. Also, cluster missiles could be exciting and could pose a problem for point defense systems.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Alex on July 19, 2011, 10:03:55 AM
There already is a MIRV launcher - the Apogee has it in Hornet's Nest, for one, and I think the Astral does too. And it indeed causes problems for PD :)

Dumbfire missiles are actually in the game too, just not in any of the missions in 0.34a - they are very likely to make an appearance in the next release.

But yeah, more variety in missiles is always good. I think there's already a good deal of it - the Sabot missile isn't something I've really seen in other games, for example - and there are plans for a few more unique types, whenever the schedule allows.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Avan on July 19, 2011, 01:00:59 PM
I have a bunch of missiles I've made (about 50% of my weapons seem to be missiles or torps), some merely launchers for existing ammo, and others new: the tsar MRM for example had AOE, as does the shard PDM (point defense missile): the former is a large and slow missile great for assaulting capships from afar, and the latter is like what you would get if you crossed a flak cannon and a swarmer SRM.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: JWNoctis on July 19, 2011, 05:57:57 PM
By the way, the missiles do lead their targets - they'd be much worse if they just tracked the current position - but if you're trying to chase down something that's faster and/or more maneuverable, there's only so much you can do.

Must have something to do with me spending too much time around HSS Bis'mar...And proportional guidance would indeed be nice! Though simple tail-chasers would still make up for something cheap that can be fired in great numbers.

The next thing down the line would probably be shielded missiles that drop their shields right before impact...That would probably be too much...Or is it already there?

Or there could be swarm missiles that would first bracket their target wolfpack-style from a safe range, then goes into attack mode from multiple direction at once to maximize their effectiveness against AoE PDs like flak cannon, and non-omnidirectional shields.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Flare on July 19, 2011, 06:38:10 PM
The next thing down the line would probably be shielded missiles that drop their shields right before impact...That would probably be too much...Or is it already there?

I think the more dangerous option would be the missile not dropping its shields upon impact. If there are enough then it can potentially push a ship out of alignment.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Blips on July 19, 2011, 07:08:30 PM
Shielded missiles sounds awesome, but such things should be really late in the tech tree.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: RooksBailey on July 19, 2011, 10:21:05 PM
I have been toying with the idea of implementing the actual Sidewinder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIM-9_Sidewinder) target tracking algorithm, though. What's in the game now basically does the same thing, but the way the real algorithm does it is just so elegant.

I had no idea that such things were in the public domain!
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: JWNoctis on July 20, 2011, 05:43:17 AM
I have been toying with the idea of implementing the actual Sidewinder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIM-9_Sidewinder) target tracking algorithm, though. What's in the game now basically does the same thing, but the way the real algorithm does it is just so elegant.

I had no idea that such things were in the public domain!
Those things are really no secret now...It's the mechanical implementation that actually matters. There are actually missile simulators that outright simulate older surface-to-air missile systems to individual switch and knob, with accurate flight profile produced by their once-top-secret physical parameter and targeting algorithm similar to this one out there, available to public...That thing's hardcore.

Speaking of shield-ramming missiles...Wouldn't it be better to mount engines on heavier things, like asteroids, and let them go full newtonian on bigger ships?  Would probably be fun!
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Avan on July 20, 2011, 06:16:06 AM
That could basically be another class of ship.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: JWNoctis on July 20, 2011, 09:40:09 AM
Probably, but not so much if we make it into a sort of CAPTOR mine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAPTOR_mine) in space that's otherwise indistinguishable(Depending on sensors) from other rocks floating around, and physically rams, or launch missiles, preferably torpedoes, against anything that aren't themselves or other asteroids at short to point-blank range...Not exactly realistic. Not before strategical level gameplay gets into place.

On the other hand, pre-Collapse minefields with these sorts of things, if any of them are still functional after all these y....er, cycles, could make up for some good place for adventure, and -probably- offer some good salvage...I'm sure something like this is already on the way.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Darkreaver1980 on July 20, 2011, 10:13:38 PM
I also would like to see shielded missiles / torpedos. That would be realy nasty high tech weapons
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Flare on July 21, 2011, 02:52:38 AM
They would also probably be huge.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Alex on July 26, 2011, 05:21:11 PM
The functional parts of the new fleet control interface are just about done! I have to say that I'm very happy with how it came out, hope you guys like it when you get your hands on it.

Now it needs some visual polish - and after that will be ready for prime-time. I think you'll be surprised by how much less stuff there is on the map screen.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Trylobot on July 26, 2011, 09:42:55 PM
I'm liking the changes to the controls/view you mentioned. R, Z, the like. Good changes, all around. Can't wait!
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Avan on July 27, 2011, 07:21:35 AM
I like the z and r changes as well, though about the pause/unpause behavior of the war-room, what happens if you have the game paused and then enter?
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Alex on July 27, 2011, 10:00:32 AM
Hopefully the intermediate release won't be too far in the future :)

I like the z and r changes as well, though about the pause/unpause behavior of the war-room, what happens if you have the game paused and then enter?

It stays paused. When you exit, it'll still stay paused unless you unpaused before exiting.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: TescoBag on July 27, 2011, 12:05:07 PM
Quick question.

Are you going to be adding weapon outfitting into this release? I.E. being able to customize our ships weapon loadouts etc?
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Alex on July 27, 2011, 12:19:24 PM
Not into this intermediate release, no. But it's not too far in the future - it's quite literally next up on the todo list.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Avan on July 27, 2011, 04:30:51 PM
I presume the intermediate release is specifically for warroom functionality testing (and for the new beam weapon types?)

(another question: How will the changes impact missions like the original impossible one (Dire Straits)
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: WarStalkeR on July 28, 2011, 12:35:40 AM
So, in v0.35 we will see fitting screen?

One question: will we able to do in next versions of Starfarer animated ship models?

P.S. Even for version 0.34 release are very stable and moddable, great job!
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Alex on July 28, 2011, 09:56:04 AM
I presume the intermediate release is specifically for warroom functionality testing (and for the new beam weapon types?)

Yeah, plus whatever other features I can sneak in :)

(another question: How will the changes impact missions like the original impossible one (Dire Straits)

I'll have to do a balancing pass and see. As-is, I think the mission would *actually* be impossible - though I haven't tried playing it with the new stuff yet. However, I don't think it's due to any limitations of the new system, but more to do with the new ship AI, which takes better advantage of the superior high-tech ships, and the improved admiral AI (which I recoded to use the new system, which, as it turns out, lends itself much better to coding an AI for, since you don't have to take care of so many little details).

One thing that'll make it easier is you're actually able to rally civilian ships where you want now, and they won't engage the enemy while en route.

So, in v0.35 we will see fitting screen?

Yeah, fitting screen in 0.35a. It really ought to be called 0.40a or something - then I wouldn't have to call the intermediate release 0.34.5.a - but meh, nomenclature.

One question: will we able to do in next versions of Starfarer animated ship models?

Can you elaborate on what you mean by animated ship models? The answer is no, though :) Adding doodads like spinning radar towers and blinking lights has been on the list for a while, but features and functional improvements take priority for now.

P.S. Even for version 0.34 release are very stable and moddable, great job!

Thanks!
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Blips on August 07, 2011, 11:48:13 AM
I'm eager to get my hands on the new version. Do you have an ETA for its release?
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Alex on August 07, 2011, 12:06:12 PM
Let me put it this way - I'm focusing my efforts on polishing things up and getting it out ASAP. If I had to guess, I'd say 1-2 weeks or so. I can't wait to release it, myself!

Edit: this is for the pre-0.35a release, with the new fleet control and some other stuff (new ships, weapons, etc).
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Captain Ironblood on August 13, 2011, 03:04:06 PM
Just got this game two days ago and I'm in love. It's like you took all the things I ever thought would make for a great space game straight from my head and poured it all out into Java. I already can't wait for the new release, I'm really excited to see where you take this game. Keep up the amazing work!
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Alex on August 13, 2011, 04:42:19 PM
Thank you, that's quite  compliment!
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: USMC Kato on August 14, 2011, 06:26:59 PM
Just got this game two days ago and I'm in love. It's like you took all the things I ever thought would make for a great space game straight from my head and poured it all out into Java. I already can't wait for the new release, I'm really excited to see where you take this game. Keep up the amazing work!

+1

Fantastic game! I hope and pray for this game's success because space games like this are so rare these days.  I'll be sure to do my part and tell my friends about your game.  Keep up the good work and thanks for making amazing game.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Avan on August 18, 2011, 09:40:16 PM
I'm looking forward to the impeding preview release ;)

My work this summer has been taking a good amount of my time recently, which is why I haven't been on much lately
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Ostsol on August 19, 2011, 08:41:28 PM
Well, I still suck, but I love the new fleet control interface. Less micromanagement is always better! :)
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Avan on August 19, 2011, 08:49:22 PM
For those who have not tried it, I recommend playing through the fleet control tutorial first, just to get a feel for the new controls.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Blips on August 19, 2011, 09:56:08 PM
I never checked out the last update but I'll be downloading this one tonight or tomorrow to pass the time till Deus Ex comes out...  :P
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Surveyor on August 20, 2011, 03:14:38 AM
New fleet controls are a blast! A huge improvement from the old ones. I love how you got rid of control groups  :D
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Alex on August 20, 2011, 08:27:06 AM
Thanks guys! I hope you like it, but looking forward to your feedback in either case :)
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Ixiohm on August 20, 2011, 08:44:53 AM
Hello everyone,

this is my first post here, but I have lurked for quite some time.

Congratulation on the new 0.35a release it great ;D

One idea for the Codex I would love to see, is links for the weapons on the ship pages that takes you to the corresponding weapon page, this along with 'previous' and 'next' navigation between visited pages I think would improve navigation in the Codex.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Avan on August 20, 2011, 09:04:13 AM
Control groups... were exploitable... in some missions, as I found.

I've noticed that some ships, if not given orders, will go and do things on their own, but do they ever capture objectives on their own?
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Alex on August 20, 2011, 01:01:28 PM
Hello everyone,

this is my first post here, but I have lurked for quite some time.

Congratulation on the new 0.35a release it great ;D

One idea for the Codex I would love to see, is links for the weapons on the ship pages that takes you to the corresponding weapon page, this along with 'previous' and 'next' navigation between visited pages I think would improve navigation in the Codex.

Hi, and welcome to the forum! Hi, and welcome to posting on the forum ;) Thanks for the suggestion - believe it or not, this is actually on my todo list - just couldn't quite squeeze it in, and really wanted to get the release out on Friday. It'll add a lot to the usability of the Codex to have linking, especially as it grows.


I've noticed that some ships, if not given orders, will go and do things on their own, but do they ever capture objectives on their own?

If a ship doesn't find a suitable assignment for itself, it'll go in "search & destroy" mode, hunting down enemy ships - so no, it won't purposefully capture objectives.
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Trylobot on August 20, 2011, 04:04:13 PM
Yippeeee! Good job Alex on getting this release out the door. Time for some well-deserved rest!
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Alex on August 21, 2011, 09:17:52 AM
Yippeeee! Good job Alex on getting this release out the door. Time for some well-deserved rest!

:D If by rest you mean posting on this forum non-stop while updating the manual, then yes indeed!
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: Avan on August 21, 2011, 09:37:42 AM
Minor error in the patch notes btw: friendlies are indicated by a green square on the map, but nothing in-game [the notes say they are always indicated by nothing]
Title: Re: Starfarer 0.35a Preview - Live Patch Notes
Post by: BeanusMaximus on January 19, 2012, 10:56:51 AM
Yippeeee! Good job Alex on getting this release out the door. Time for some well-deserved rest!

:D If by rest you mean posting on this forum non-stop while updating the manual, then yes indeed!
But you love the forum say you cannot say anything ;D