Update: a hotfix is now up. It also includes some balance changes; for detailed notes clickhere.
You can use the download links below to get the hotfix.
Starsector version 0.65.2a is now out! You can get it here:
The full patch notes are here. In addition to the bug fixes, a new feature did manage to sneak its way in: you can now deploy allied ships from your fleet into simulator battles in the campaign.
What I’d like to do is take some time to focus on gameplay tweaks and improvements and then make a 0.65.2a release in the near future, before moving on to work on the next feature release.
As usual with OS X: if you’ve got Gatekeeper enabled, right-click on Starsector and click “Open” when running it for the first time. Otherwise, you won’t get the option to “run it anyway” when it complains that the app is from an “unidentified developer”.
Also, with this release, the new preorder price is $15. Starsector has come a long way since its initial release – I’d been hesitant to change the price until the set of features had expanded significantly, and we’re finally here.
Thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoy this release!
As with other point releases, this is a followup to 0.6a. The main features in this one are:
Adjustments to combat readiness (more ship longevity and more choices, details below)
Four new ships!
Campaign help – dialogs that explain various game mechanics – how to split cargo stacks, how CR works, etc
Choice of starting difficulty – Easy and Normal. “Easy” gives you a choice of better starting ships and a Mule combat freighter, does not affect the rest of the campaign
Updated to use Java 7 and the latest version of LWJGL (2.9.2). Improved performance, OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) is no longer supported
Reduced memory usage (mostly affects larger mods)
Lots and lots of assorted bugfixes/improvements etc
A note about OS X: if you’re using 10.6, you should be able to upgrade to OS X Mavericks (for free) and run Starsector from there. Not all machines running 10.6 are able to run Mavericks, but the great majority should be able to. I’d have liked to keep supporting 10.6, but Java 7 doesn’t run there, and the machines that can’t be updated to Mavericks likely have a rough time with Starsector to begin with. All in all, it seemed like a worthwhile trade-off for improved performance and access to additional Java features for development.
As usual with OS X, if you’ve got Gatekeeper enabled, right-click on Starsector and click “Open” when running it for the first time. Otherwise, you won’t get the option to run it anyway when it complains that the app is from an “unidentified developer” (that’d be yours truly).
A bit more about the changes to CR: the deployment cost has been cut in half, but so has the recovery rate. This means that the time to recover from a single deployment and the supply cost per deployment both remain the same, but ships can be deployed more times before exhausting their CR.
In addition, low combat readiness no longer prevents a ship from being deployed. Instead, ships will suffer progressively more damaging and debilitating malfunctions – allowing for a desperate last stand rather than a helpless retreat, if it comes to that.