Release Candidate 0.24.0 - Chainguns!

Cosmoteer release candidate 0.24.0 is now available for testing! (See this post for info on how to test release candidates.)

This release candidate adds the long-awaited "Chaingun", a powerful rotary cannon that increases its rate of fire the longer it shoots and hides behind a protective shell while not shooting. Additional ammunition magazines can be attached to increase its duration and rate of fire.

This release candidate also has a good number of other quality-of-life improvements, bug fixes, and new modding features.

Thanks for testing!

RC1:

• New weapon: The "Chaingun", a powerful rotary cannon that increases its rate of fire the longer it shoots and hides behind a protective shell while not shooting. Additional ammunition magazines can be attached to increase its duration and rate of fire.
• When booting Cosmoteer, a popup with a "Did You Know?" style tip will be displayed. These tips let you know about various lesser-known features in Cosmoteer. You can disable these tips if you don't like them from either the popup itself or the Misc settings. You can also view all the tips at any time in the Codex.
• Crew roles now each have an "Hiring Priority" between 1 and 10 that will determine which roles new crew will be assigned to. Crew will be assigned to roles with higher Hiring Priorities before roles with lower Hiring Priorities.
• Crew roles now have an "Auto-Fill From Lower Priority Roles" toggle that, if activated, will automatically fill any empty beds assigned to that role by transferring crew from roles with lower Hiring Priority.
• When transferring crew between ships, crew assigned to roles with the lowest Hiring Priority will now be transferred first.
• Station crew with the lowest role hiring priority will now be preferred when the game chooses which ones should be hireable. This should make it much less likely for the player to hire crew in critical roles from stations.
• New sound effects for picking up and delivering of most resource types.
• When using the "Load Ship (Replace Existing)" feature and checking "Also Load Resource Assignments", the resource limits will now also be loaded.
• Most turreted weapons should now be a bit quicker at automatically picking targets thanks to an improvement in the targeting algorithm.
• In Creative Mode, if crew find themselves carrying resources with nowhere to put them, the resources will now be deleted.
• Disabling crew construction in Career or Creative modes will now cancel all queued construction. This is done to prevent other issues such as being able to switch to free-build mode and then build parts next to not-yet-constructed parts.
• Trade ships that are about to jump away will now reject all incoming hails.
• The F11 feedback window now makes it clearer exactly how your email address will be used (if you choose to provide one).
• Small optimizations to Cosmoteer's multicore task scheduler which may result in small performance gains.
• Bugfix: Random freezes when playing on Linux or Steam Deck with multicore enabled. Multicore was previously disabled by default to prevent these freezes but has now been re-enabled. If playing on Linux or Steam Deck, you should now experience improved performance at the expense of higher CPU usage and lower battery life. Use the launch argument '--cores 1' to disable multicore if desired.
• Bugfix: Possible fix for "The game cannot currently be saved" messages. (Most common when using mods but theoretically possible in vanilla as well.)
• Bugfix: Resources that were pre-purchased from trade ships or stations but not yet picked up wouldn't be refunded if the ship or station made a hyper-jump or was destroyed/removed from the game.
• Bugfix: In creative mode, ships belonging to a different allegiance were erroneously appearing as possible destinations in the crew/resource transfer window.
• Bugfix: Loading a saved game while using mods that the save wasn't using would display "Host Not Using" even though they shouldn't ordinarily cause problems.
• Bugfix: A.I. trade ships weren't jumping away after being attacked as was intended. (They will now jump away after being attacked for 10-20 seconds.)
• Bugfix: The resource collection cursor had the wrong glow color applied to it. (Literally unplayable.)
• Modding: All buff provider components now support an optional 'BuffMultiplier' parameter that can be hooked to other value-provider components to multiply the buff value by the value provided by that other component.
• Modding: Added a 'Stopwatch' part component that provides a value which increases over time while the Stopwatch is operational.
• Modding: ProgressBar components now support an optional 'LerpRange' parameter that controls the range of input values that map to "empty" and "full" on the progress bar.
• Modding: Hit effect 'DamageType' parameters can now be arbitrary strings. If omitted, then "default" will be used by default, except for ExplosiveDamage which defaults to "explosive". The string "salvage" has special meaning and will be treated as salvage damage.
• Modding: Parts, shields, and bullets can now specify damage resistances versus those arbitrary strings using a new 'DamageResistances' parameter. (ExplosiveDamageResistance is now obsolete but still supported for backwards-compatibility.)
• Modding: Timer components now support an optional 'StartExpired' parameter.
• Modding: Timer components now support an optional 'InvertToggle' parameter.
• Modding: MultiResourceStorage components now support optional 'CycleStorageOnAdd' and 'CycleStorageOnRemove' parameters that, if true, will cause the list of storages to be automatically cycled when adding or removing resources.
• Modding: Added a 'TransformLerp' part component that takes an input value between 0 and 1 and uses that to linearly interpolate between a starting location/rotation and ending location/rotation.
• Modding: Added a 'ValueTween' part component that provides a value which "tweens" over time towards either an 'OffValue' or an 'OnValue' depending on the state of 'IsOnToggle'.
• Modding: TurretWeapon now supports an optional 'ResetRotationIfNotAllowed' parameter that, if true, will cause the turret's rotation to set to zero if it is not otherwise allowed to rotate.
• Modding: Almost all ID strings are now case-insensitive.
• Modding: All proxy components now support an optional 'ProxyToggle' parameter that can be connected to a toggle component which, if toggled off, will disconnect the proxy from its connected component.
• Modding: All resource storage components (except for flex grids) now support a 'GiveResourceMediaEffects' parameter.
• Modding: Setting a string to an empty string ("") will no longer result in it displaying the string key path instead.
• Modding: Bullet Sprite and AnimatedSprite components now support a 'CaptureBackBuffer' parameter that, if true, will capture the backbuffer into a texture that can then be used by the sprite's shader.
• Modding: Added a 'GetHitNormal' particle updater/initializer that will copy the hit direction normal of the bullet or beam into a particle variable.
• Modding: Added a 'ParticleRotationFromNormal' particle updater/initializer.
• Modding: Added a 'ParticleAlternatingConstVector2' particle updater/initializer' that sets a Vector2 variable to one of two possible Vector2 values in alternating sequence.
• Modding: BeamEmitter now supports an optional 'Spread' parameter.
• Modding: Renamed the ModifiesMultiplayer flag to 'ModifiesGameplay' for clarity. (ModifiesMultiplayer is still supported for backwards compatibility.)
• Modding: Mods that have ModifiesGameplay (or ModifiesMultiplayer) set to false will no longer suggest mods synchronization when loading a saved game with that mod. (Only works for newly-saved games.)
• Modding: Setting ExpandStartRadius to a value greater than or equal to Radius will now cause a crash with error when the explosive effect is triggered. (Previously it would silently get the game stuck in a non-saveable state.)
• Modding: Fixed crash on load that was being caused by certain kinds of modding errors but was hiding the actual underlying error.
• Developer Mode: Multiplayer rec files now contain the list of mods active while playing. Loading a rec file without those mods will now prompt to synchronize mods.

RC2:

• Increased Chaingun firing arc from 40 to 220 degrees. (It now pops out a bit further to allow it to swivel so far and has updated art to accomodate.)
• Increased Chaingun damage resistance when closed from 60% to 70%.
• Increased Chaingun penetration resistance when open from 1 to 2 and when closed from 7 to 13.
• Chainguns no longer get their "closed" damage reduction and penetration resistance when hit on the sides or rear.
• Increased Chaingun Magazine bullet capacity from 5 to 6.
• Increased Chaingun ammo storage on each side from 5 to 6.
• Chaingun magazines now allow doors on the sides of their lower tiles.
• Reduced the cost of the Chaingun from 18k to 12k and the cost of the Chaingun Magazine from 3k to 1k (and eliminated the Magazine's tristeel cost).
• Chainguns and Magazines now explode with collateral damage based on how many bullets they are storing.
• The "No Ammo" indicator for the Chaingun will now be displayed when it's not firing because it's not completely full of ammo.
• The Chaingun "Force Fire" button is now only shown when a Chaingun is actually selected.
• In multiplayer, auto-saving is now disabled for non-host players. (Non-hosts can still manually save or quick-save.)
• The Chaingun tutorial now mentions that it won't start firing until full but can be force-fired.
• Bugfix: "NotSupportedException" crashes in Career mode.
• RC Bugfix: Crash when crew attempt to build a chaingun.
• RC Bugfix: When using a translation, almost any text that was supposed to be identical to English was not being displayed.
• RC Bugfix: Chainguns could shoot through the walls of enemy ships by sticking their barrel's into them.
• RC Bugfix: Saving a ship design with Chainguns force-firing would cause those Chainguns to force-fire when the design was loaded.
• RC Bugfix: Chaingun Magazines could cause crew to occasionally throw ammo out airlocks.
• RC Bugfix: Hiring priority and autofill settings weren't being saved as part of the default roles.
• Modding: ResourceSprites components now support an 'AnimationSpeedFactor' parameter.
• Modding: CircleCollider and PolygonCollider can now be given 'InitialPenetrationResistance' and 'DamageResistances' that, if specified, will override the values in their part when that specific collider is hit by a weapon.
• Modding: CircleCollider and PolygonCollider now support OperationalToggle.
• Modding: ResourceConverter now supports a 'CheckAnticipatedCapacity' parameter that, if true, will check to see if any resources are being delivered to the destination storage and only convert if there is enough capacity anticipated even after those resources are delivered.
• Modding: BeamEmitter now supports a 'BeamMediaEffectsOffset' parameter which causes the beam effects to be offset by the specified [x,y] amount relative to the BeamEmitter's location and rotation.

RC3:

• RC Bugfix: Freeze/crash when salvaging or deconstructing certain parts such as wedge armor.
• RC Bugfix: Crash when construction Chainguns or Chaingun Magazines using crew construction. (again...)
• RC Bugfix: Chainguns were unable to target properly if the line-of-sight from the turret in "retracted" position was blocked but would not be blocked in the "extended" position.

RC4:

• Increased Chaingun cost to 18000. (Magazine cost is unchanged at 1000.)
• Increased the amount of time is takes for the Chaingun's turret to retract from 0.7 to 1.2 seconds. This fixes an issue where, if the turret is at an extreme angle when it starts to retract, it may not be able to rotate back to center fully before deactivating.
• Bugfix: Occasional crashes when flying or jumping away from trade stations.
• RC Bugfix: It wasn't possible to transfer crew to derelict ships.

RC5:

• Increased Chaingun cost from 18k to 24k.
• Increased Chaingun per-shot damage from 500 to 610.
• Reduced Chaingun turret rotation speed to 50.
• The Chaingun can now be given a fixed aim direction similar to Ion Beam Prisms. This will not force the Chaingun to always pop out but will restrict it to only firing at targets along that path and will improve detection of targets along it.
• Chaingun Magazines can now be placed upside down and they will still connect to Chainguns and other Magazines.
• The Chaingun will now much more reliably keep shooting after destroying or losing its current target and in between switching targets.
• The Chaingun will now only start firing once it is actually aiming at its target.
• When controlled using Direct Control Mode, the Chaingun will now pop out immediately instead of waiting for its ammo to be full. It will also stop firing immediately instead of waiting a couple seconds.
• RC Bugfix: The mass of the Chaingun would change depending on whether it was firing or not.
• RC Bugfix: The automatic supply toggle for Chaingun Magazines was being shown in the incorrect location.
• RC Bugfix: The Chaingun shot VFX were "overshooting" their target by 2 meters.
• Modding: Added a 'TransformMatch' part component that will match its own location and/or rotation to those of another component at a given speed. It also supports a toggle to reset it to the "zero" position, clamping based on circles, rects, and arcs, and acts as a toggle that is "on" when it is matching the desired location/rotation.
• Modding: Added a DirectControlToggle component that is "on" whenever its ship is in direct control mode. It can also be hooked to a specifc weapon and will only be "on" if that weapon is under direct control (bound to a fire input).
• Modding: All proxy components can now define multiple sets of PartCriteria/ComponentID pairs and will "match" the first such component found.
• Modding: TurretWeapon now supports an optional 'InstantSearchesAfterTargetLost' parameter that can be use to tell a weapon to quickly do some number of target searches instantly after losing its current target.
• Modding: FixedWeapon now targets using its own location and rotation instead of the emitter. In cases where the emitter is ChainedTo the FixedWeapon with no Location or Rotation offset (or always has the exact same Location and Rotation as the FixedWeapon), then there should be no practical consequence of this change. But in cases where the Location and/or Rotation of the emitter differ greatly from the FixedWeapon, you may see a change or break in targeting behavior depending on the difference.
• Modding: Split ToggleOnMode's 'WantsToFire' into 'WantsAndReadyToFire' (the old behavior and old/new default) and 'WantsToFire' (doesn't check permission or resources).
• Modding: ToggleOnMode now supports a HasTargetExceptShipRelative value.
• Modding: BeamEmitter now supports an optional BeamMediaEffectsLengthOffset parameter.

RC6:

• More than doubled the mass of the Chaingun.
• Doubled the mass of the Chaingun Magazine.
• Increased ramp-up time from 6 seconds to 18.
• Increased recoil per-shot from 1 to 20.
• Decreased damage per shot from 610 -> 600.
• Updates to all language translations.
• RC Bugfix: Various issues caused by giving Chainguns a fixed aim direction, including still being able to aim them in direct control mode, being able to override their aims when giving ship-wide explicit targets, and battle music being played.
• RC Bugfix: Force-firing a Chaingun while it is on Hold Fire would reload its ammo without actually firing. (It now fires.)
• RC Bugfix: It wasn't possible to force-fire Chainguns when set to auto-fire.
• RC Bugfix: Chainguns had an extra unintentional "cancel" button.

RC7:

• Reduced the Chaingun rate of fire ramp-up from 18 seconds to 10.
• Reduced the Chaingun Magazine capacity from 6 bullets to 4.
• Reverted the Chaingun Magazine mass increase from RC6. (Main Chaingun mass increase has been kept.)
• Reduced Chaingun recoil from 20 per shot to 10.
• Chaingun shots now exert 10 impulse on whatever they hit.
• RC Bugfix: Aim directions for Chainguns weren't being saved in ship designs.
• RC Bugfix: Chainguns would shoot when given an explicit target even if that target was out of range, out of arc, or line of sight was blocked.
• RC Bugfix: The Chaingun was firing when given an explicit target even if set to Hold Fire.
• RC Bugfix: The Controls settings page was missing a text string for "Aim Chaingun".
• RC Bugfix: Explosive damage (such as for Nukes, HE missiles, and part explosions) wasn't being calculated properly and was generally doing much less destruction than was intended.
• Modding: The new DirectControlToggle component now supports a 'RequireWeaponBindingPressed' parameter.

RC8:

• The Chaingun is now one tile taller to prevent its turret from overlapping other Chainguns and other parts. (This may break existing saved games and ships that had such overlapping parts.)
• RC Bugfix: Chainguns weren't targeting properly when given fixed aim locations close to the Chaingun.
• RC Bugfix: Chainguns could cause issues with the resource transfer AI when suppliers are assigned to Chainguns or Chaingun Magazines.
• Modding: Most types of resource storage components now support an optional 'AllowManualReceiveToggle' that, when toggled off, will prevent the player from manually transferring resources to that storage.
• Modding: TurretWeapon now supports an 'AimIncludesEmitterOffset' parameter that, if set to false, will prevent the turret from considering its emitter's location when calculating where it should aim.