Hello Spacers!
First off, let me apologize that it's been quite a while since our last minor update. The team and I have been hard at work on Conquest development, and that hasn't left us much time to return to the main branch. If you haven't checked out Devlog 33 to see where all that effort has gone, you can do so here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=371mP5886Mc
Because it's been a while and we've been tinkering in the background continuously with the help of our internal testers, as well as the broader community playing on the public test branch, this patch is pretty large.
Updated Skirmish Interface
If you watched Devlog 33 you've seen the updated Conquest UI, and now with this minor patch we're bringing the same look and feel to the Skirmish UI! This one is really exciting for me because it makes the game look much more professional without losing the efficient clarity of the old design.
A few minor things have been moved around, most notably the swapping of the Mount Status Display and the Posture Controls. This has been a long-requested change, in order to keep the actual buttons you interact with in a consistent location regardless of what ship is selected, and this overhaul was the perfect time to do it.
In the Action Menu we've also dropped the "PPR" button. The PPR button had originally been planned to be a customizable order macro system, but as the complexity of the game grew it just wasn't practical. We've replaced it with an EMCON button which will turn off all radars, comms, jammers, and fire control lock orders to help evade ARAD missiles, which is probably what most people would have used PPRs for anyway.
And finally, all of the Damage Control Boards have been updated with a completely new look! The new design makes it much easier to locate the specific component you're looking for without having to trace tiny lines everywhere.
Map Memory Optimization
This is another one of the Conquest features which I've decided to implement on the main branch and then merge down so you can get the benefits now. Because of the nature of Unity's asset bundles system, we've unfortunately had to keep all maps loaded in memory at all times. I've upgraded the map management system so that only the map which is currently being played is actually loaded, reducing the memory consumption on the main menu by over 500 MB for the vanilla game.
Modded maps will still work under the legacy system, but map creators can update their maps to the new system in order to take advantage of this optimization.
Lock Heading to Track
A minor change with a huge impact. When you right click on a track you'll now see that the HDG button turns yellow, like ORB and DCY, meaning you can issue this order relative to a specific track. Now the H key will no longer be the most pressed key on your keyboard.
Control Starting Score
We have a small but extremely active multiplayer community, and through the years our players have collected friends they like to play with regularly. Given their collective high skill and Neb's emphasis on teamwork and communication, these teams have become known as "Stacks".
Stacking has always created a rough environment for new players which isn't always offset by the willingness of these more experienced players to teach the newer ones, and auto team balance has been frequently requested because of this. Unfortunately, in such a small community, people want to play with their friends and if they can't then they just won't play. So instead of auto balance I have added a setting in the lobby for adding a starting score to either team in the Control game mode, allowing experienced players to give a leg up to their less experience opponents while giving themselves more of a challenge.
Container Liners and Missiles
As promised, we took a hard look at Container Liners for this patch and made a number of changes which have been extremely well received in public testing. We've reduced the hull cost substantially, boosted its base channels, and added a unique XL compartment which acts as a beefy programming bus. You now no longer have to dedicate an entire player to one ship. Because of the new compartment, we've locked the existing programming modules to the AN faction. The Ocello will still have access to them due to its unique properties, and because MLS doesn't require programming channels this shouldn't affect many existing builds aside from S1 spam meme liners.
We've also made a few other changes to missiles in this patch. S2 conventional missiles have been given a slight discount to their components to help improve their viability, and a few module costs have been adjusted. Temporary memory has also been added to the ARAD validator, allowing it know remember a valid target even if it stops radiating, so better hit that EMCON button early.
Exploit Fixes
There have been a few exploits fixed in this update, and I want to thank the maturity of our community for not taking advantage of them as they became more broadly known. These include being able to overflow a fleet's point cost, rename missile classes (e.g. labeling an SGM-H-3 as an SGM-2), and injecting color tags into text.
A Final Note on Mods
The version number for this update has been incremented in a way that will now show all mods as incompatible. You can still play with them, but because of all of the changes to UI structure and map loading there may be many mods which cause issues. It is highly recommended to disable any mods which modify the skirmish UI, and map modification mods like Rotated Maps and Large Maps until they have been updated.
As always, full patch notes follow:
See you in the battlespace,
- The NEBULOUS Team
Changes/Features:
- Updated Skirmish UI with new look and feel.
- NOTE: If you are using the expanded mount display mod, you MUST disable it until it is updated.
- Updated non-colorblind color palette with new colors.
- Updated all Alliance and OSP DC Boards with new appearance.
- Optimized memory consumption for skirmish maps, only the actively played map is now loaded in memory.
- NOTE: Modded maps will not be automatically optimized and will require the creator to update it.
- Added audio alert to multiplayer lobbies. Alert will play for:
- unready spectators if more than half of actual players are ready.
- unready players if they are the last one.
- players in the fleet editor if all other players are ready or in the fleet editor.
- Added starting score handicap setting to Control game mode.
- Added ability to lock heading to a track.
- Added keybinding options for Cease Fire, ORB Track, HDG Track, and EMCON commands.
- Replaced PPR button on action menu with EMCON button to turn off radar, comms, and cancel lock orders.
- Increased velocity of 450mm AP and HE shells to 800m/s (was 750) and decreased flight time to 14.05 seconds (was 15).
- Decreased 400mm Plasma Ampoule flight time to 12 seconds (was 14) for a new max range of 7,200m.
- 100mm Grapeshot can no longer cause catastrophic events.
- Decreased TE45 Mass Driver DR to 30 (was 40) and HP to 150 (was 450).
- Decreased 500mm Fracturing Block damage to 300 spread across 20 rays (was 400, 12 rays), added "ignore DR" flag, decreased random effect multiplier to 0.05 (was 0.1), and decreased crew damage multiplier to 0.05 (was 1.0).
- Increased fragment count for 600mm Bomb Shell to 12 per target (was 10).
- Increased damage of 600mm HE-SH Shell to 420 spread across 7 rays (was 300, 5 rays), increased armor penetration to 85 (was 75), and disabled overpenetration.
- Decreased C65 cost to 30 points (was 40).
- Increased C30 Cannon cost to 20 (was 15).
- Decreased Keystone destroyer continuousweapon-overheatdamageprob:beam intrinsic hull modifier to -50% (was -75%).
- Added visual effects for beams in the tactical view.
- Increased volume and falloff curve for beam weapon sound effects.
- Removed power requirement from Reinforced Magazine and Citadel Magazine.
- Added a 1x compounding cost multiplier to Auxiliary Steering
- Command components that don't provide full control (e.g. Aux Steering) will no longer suppress the "No CIC" warning in the fleet editor.
- Removed hull-linearmotor modifier from Prowler drive.
- Increased Sundrive HP to 200 (was 100), decreased cost to 20 points (was 30), and added -25% hull-angularmotor modifier.
- Reduced CHI-777 Yard Drive hull-maxspeed modifier to -7.5% (was -10%) and increased hull-linearmotor modifier to 15% (was 10%).
- Removed CHI-9100 Long Haul drive's hull-linearmotor modifier (was +20%), added -10% hull-angularmotor modifier, and reduced hull-flankdamageprob modifier to 25% (was 50%).
- Added +30% hull-linearmotor modifier to CHI-7700 Yard Drive.
- Decreased Monitor base speed to 18m/s (was 20) and increased linear motor force to 700 (was 500).
- Reduced hull linear motor force on Bulker and Container Line Ships to 3200 (was 4000).
- Increased Bulker and Container Line Ship braking thruster power to 100% (was 80%) and lateral thruster power to 40% (was 30%).
- Increased Jury-Rigged Reactor power output to 2,500kW (was 500) and added +25% discreteweapon-reload:energy debuff.
- Added +5% hull-component-max-repair and +10% powerplant-prodefficiency instrinsic hull modifiers to the Ocello.
- Decreased Sprinter hull cost to 75 (was 100) and increased base crew complement to 55 (was 40).
- Reduced storage volume of all mine types to 25m^3 (was 30).
- Reduced M-30 Mattock Mine cost to 5 (was 6).
- Reduced CM-4M Mine Container cost to 12 (was 15).
- Decreased EA12 chaff cloud signature size to 22,000m2.
- Added EA14 Chaff Decoy with 40,000m2 signature size, restricted to OSP.
- Added radar signature size to all radar decoy descriptions.
- R400 Bloodhound is now identified as "Long Range Tracking" by ELINT.
- Increased Mk20 Defender PDT cost to 25 points (was 20).
- Increased P11 Pavise PDT cost to 20 (was 15).
- Increased Rapid DC Locker HP to 100 (was 70).
- Increase Small DC Locker HP to 150 (was 100) and reduced cost to 20 (was 30).
- Increased Large DC Locker HP to 200 (was 150).
- Increased Reinforced DC Locker HP to 250 (was 200).
- Increased SGM-2 engine lower speed bound to 180m/s (was 150).
- Added 25% fixed component cost reduction to SGM-2 body.
- Decreased programming time for decoy containers to 2 seconds (was 20).
- Hovering over enemy decoy containers will now provide a false intel report.
- Decreased point cost of Weave terminal maneuvers in missiles to 1 point (was 2).
- Increased Fixed Semi-Active Radar Seeker cost to 0.5 (was 0).
- Increased HP for MLS-2, MLS-3, and ML-9 launchers to 200 (was 100).
- Increased VLS-3 and CLS-3 HP to 250 (was 175).
- Increased VLS-2 HP to 200 (was 100).
- Increased RL18 and RL36 launcher point cost to 30 (was 15) and decreased R-2 Rocket point cost to 2 (was 3). Works out to -3 point buff to RL18 and -21 point buff to RL36 when fully loaded.
- Missiles will now choose when to lock to their current target based on time to impact rather than a fixed distance.
- Increased Self-Screening Jammer range to 2.5km (was 1.5) and radiated power to 5 (was 2.5).
- Added memory to ARAD validators, allowing them to remember whether a target was valid for 30 seconds.
- Reduced Container Line Ship hull point cost to 600 (was 1000).
- Added Container Datalink Array extra-large compartment.
- Locked Missile Programming Bus and Array to Alliance faction. Ocello still has access due to its unique hull properties.
- Increased Container Line Ship base missile programming channels to 6 (was 4).
- Increased Bulwark Huntress radar cost to 30 (was 20).
- Removed discreteweapon-recycle:energy bonus from Rapid Cycle Cradle.
- Removed 'energy' recycle type tag from T81 and C81 cannons.
- Updated fluff blocks for some components and hulls.
- Renamed all civilian OSP hulls with new class names.
- Updated starter fleets.
- Added new OSP starter cap fleet, Tantalum Squadron.
Bug Fixes:
- Fixed hot-launched missiles fired from the same VLS following different paths depending on the orientation of the cell.
- Fixed missiles with cruise guidance and no seeker never igniting their engine when fired on a track.
- Fixed new player settings not defaulting to DCTRN for PDMSL salvo size.
- Fixed bot skirmish players not having PDMSL salvo size set to DCTRN.
- Fixed missiles which share a VLS with defensive decoys incrementing the battle report "Expended" counter for the last decoy type that was fired.
- Fixed fleet point costs being able to be overflowed.
- Fixed players being able to override missile designations by editing the fleet file.
- Fixed buffer overflow in Steam network transport causing some disconnects.
- Fixed exploit allowing injection of color tags into names.
- Fixed salvo items in the ship list getting pushed to the bottom when adjusting formations.
- Fixed being able to change MLS missile type after a reload completes with no new reload starting.
- Fixed withdraw line warning countdown messages blocking mouse clicks.
- Fixed dual-purpose PD weapons sometimes being prioritized over available dedicated PD weapons.
- Fixed bomb shells throwing fragments at lifeboats.
- Fixed firing a CMD/CRUISE missile on a track with no TRP resulting in the final waypoint being placed on top of the target.
- Fixed missiles missing narrow targets due to ideal track distance being too loose.
- Fixed ship glance bar icons blocking mouse clicks.
- Fixed orderable directional sensors tac-view cone remaining visible after the sensor was disabled/destroyed.
- Fixed mixed salvo planning buttons being locked in some valid cases.