Hey folks! We just pushed an update to the demo that includes a whole bunch of stability and bug fixes, as well as our latest pass on the AI opponent!
Updating the demo will reset your game limits, so even if you had previously maxed out the available matches you can try out the new build with another round of games. A fresh start for everyone!
UPDATED AI OPPONENT
We've been working hard on the AI and it is now much more dynamic and puts up a proper challenge. We fixed a bunch of issues that could sometimes cause it to hang, added some new features (it should now be able to handle most actions in the game), and tuned it's responses to be more varied so it shouldn't be as easy to bait or get stuck in loops.
But the most exciting thing is that the AI now runs on it's own background thread - this means that it calculates it's turn at the same time as you, instead of waiting for your orders to be submitted. The turns are MUCH faster now, with the AI often putting in it's orders before you even finish yours!
RANDOM PLAYER COLORS
We've added a palette system that allows us to have random player colors, adding variety to each match. No more being stuck with just red and blue!
MAP TWEAKS
We've done a bit of an overhaul on how the map generator works under the hood (ask Ben about 'Poisson Disc sampling' over on our discord if you want the deep dive details), which has improved the look of the coastlines a lot. We've also changed how region control is indicated, it's now a colored border instead of flat shading, which allows the maps to shine through a little more. There's a few other cosmetic tweaks such as roads etc., with more still to come...
BUGS & STABILITY
We've significantly overhauled the Windows build, which should be MUCH more stable and less system-hungry than before. We've also stomped a lot of bugs, huge shout out to our Discord community for all their help reporting them.
MAP VERSIONS & GAME RESET
Due to the changes to the map generation system, we've had to version the games. This means you won't be able to load into any old matches - sorry! You can clear them one at a time, but if you'd like to remove all your old games (handy if you've had some broken games), you can hit F7 to reset the game and delete all local games.
LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!
If you take the new build for a spin, come by the Discord to let us know what you think of the new AI! Is it challenging? To easy? We'd love to hear your feedback.
See you on the server!