September 2024 Quality of Life+ Update

Version 28.16 Changelog

Release Status: *** RELEASED ***

Settings

• Added max frame rate setting.

• Added dynamic light quality setting.

• Added wide move scalar, toggle paused VO, right-click move tolerance settings.

• Added "pause/unpause" game voice-over setting.

• Added right-click move tolerance settings.

• Added mute on alt-tab setting.

• Added reset all settings buttons.

• Added show intro movie setting.

• Added snap_to_unit_zoom_target_distance_to_cursor setting. Controls the distance to cursor at which the camera zooms into a nearby unit. Set to 0 to fully disable this feature.

• Improved settings window drop box style.

• Renamed resolution setting to display mode.

• Added language setting.

• Added dark skybox only setting.

• Applied setting changes upon closing the settings window. Normally, all text entry changes need to hit enter, but users were confused why settings weren't applied. Now, enter will automatically be sent to all changed text boxes when the window is closed.

• Fixed settings not notifying UI of changes on load.

• Fixed sync error due to dark skybox setting.

Keyboard and Keybindings

• Added support for numpad key binding.

• Added support for some missing key bindings (e.g., add, multiply).

• Added distinction between left and right Shift, CTRL, and ALT modifier keys. Left modifier keys are still not bindable themselves, as they are used as modifiers for other inputs. However, right modifier keys are now separated and explicitly bindable.

• Added localized keyboard keys for non-English keyboards.

• Added support for ALT+GR on German keyboards. is_ctrl_down() now returns false if RIGHT-ALT is also down because Windows considers both keys pressed when ALT+GR is pressed.

• Fixed having to hold down key to create new input mapping bindings.

• Fixed assigning control group to enemy ships to get vision of them through fog of war.

Gameplay and Balance

• Fixed some units not correctly holding position.

• Fixed abilities that spawn units not checking global/gravity well unit limits before use. This prevented loss of Deploy Starbase items if a starbase already existed in the gravity well.

• Stopped non-attack capable ships from preserving old orders when mixed with attack-capable ships. Previously, they would keep their old order, which felt incorrect when issuing a new command to the entire selection.

• Fixed phase jump in formation being permanently stalled by negative abilities (e.g., Domina suppression). Debuffed ships will no longer stall large fleets from phase jumping.

• Fixed only a single artifact being dropped when ships were killed.

• Fixed units attacking using the wrong engagement range (e.g., Ragnarov, Marza).

• Fixed wormholes not working consistently.

• Prevented auto-cast during phase jump charging, which soft-locked Guardians from phase jumping away while healing each other.

• Improved capital ship capture loot/wreckage vs. attack logic.

• Changed Unity Ability levels to require enough max Focus to cast the ability at the new level.

• Changed Unyielding Will to allow weapons to be used while crippled.

• Changed Unyielding Will to no longer destroy the Titan when invulnerability ends. Instead, passive bonuses and the capability to become invulnerable go offline for a passive cooldown period.

• Fixed Unyielding Will's Ability Cooldown modifier being calculated incorrectly.

• Offset ship charge times by formation rank, causing later ranked ships to arrive after smaller (front) ranks.

• Fixed Radiation Bomb damage stacking and adjusted several buffs' stacking behavior to prevent unnecessary buff restarts.

• Fixed reductions in max crippled hull points causing incorrect repair of regular hull points.

• Prevented colonization abilities from targeting planets already being colonized.

• Changed Recall to exclude your home planet as a valid target, solving the exploit of recalling just for the restorative effects.

• Added persistent weapon target tracking. Improves weapon tracking performance and solves light frigates winning against corvettes by always having at least one corvette to damage. Now, corvettes will win as intended.

• Rebalanced point defense corvettes and strike craft:

  • Point defense is now less effective against missiles but more effective against strike craft and corvettes.

  • Corvette HP and strike craft HP reduced; build times increased.

  • Bomber reload times slowed and attack patterns made riskier.

• Rebalanced structure durability oversight.

• Capital Ship and Titan damage and rate of fire bonuses gained from leveling have been reduced in magnitude, reducing the degree to which high level capital blob lethality accumulates

• Rebalanced culture spread and resistance.

• Pirate Mercenary Base changed to more expensive planet item cost bracket. Activation cost increased from 2500 to 3000 Credits.

• Gang of Freebooters now costs 1 Andvar.

• Fixed attack commands stopping incoming reinforcing units.

• Fixed weapons not firing on almost dead units due to incoming damage.

AI

• Numerous AI improvements, including better player AI usage of NPC raids.

• Fixed AI fleet retreat logic

User Interface

• Added Shift modifier for control group creation: Ctrl+1 creates a new control group, Ctrl+Shift+1 appends the selection to an existing control group.

• Improved wormhole and star selection UI:

  • Render phase lanes when star or wormhole is selected.

  • Render wormhole spatial space when selected or under the cursor.

• Added starbase build limits as pips on build menu buttons.

• Fixed Escape key not closing drop boxes in the settings window. Previously, it closed the entire settings window instead.

• Fixed extra mouse buttons not working when research or other windows are open.

• Fixed post-game categories not being collapsible.

• Added new exotic_income rendering type to display exotic production from items.

• Updated various research and unity icons

• Added hide completed research buttons setting.

• Updated Colliding Empires scenario image.

Multiplayer

• Added game server filter to show only unstarted games.

• Added game server list sorting.

• Fixed lobby team buttons not showing for drop-in scenarios.

• Blocked surrendering for players who rejoined games in progress to prevent griefing by instantly surrendering.

Art

Models

• Added destroyed asteroid planet.

• Updated crystal resource asteroid texture.

• Updated destroyed planet.

• Updated TEC anti-armor frigate.

• Updated TEC Cobalt light frigate.

• Updated Advent constructor ship.

• Updated Advent Temple of Renewal structure.

• Updated Advent Bomber and Interceptor strikecraft.

Visual Effects

• Updated Novalith orbital cannon charge-up.

• Updated Novalith orbital cannon muzzle effect.

• Added Armor Patch Kit effects.

• Added destroyed planet effect.

• Added planet explosion effect.

• Added stripped asteroid effect.

• Added TEC Sova capital mobile factory effect.

• Updated destroyed planet effect.

• Updated nuke effects to fix sizing bug.

• Removed old destroyed planet particle effect.

• Fixed destroyed planet particle effect not respawning when zooming in.

• Added is_visible_constraint to Subspace Rupture for Gravity Warhead modifications.

• Added child mesh rendering for ships under construction.

Tooltips

• Improved Unyielding Will's buff tooltips.

• Changed Gas Crystallizer tooltip to exotic_income.

• Fixed typo in Gemini map description.

• Fixed incorrect names of stars and planets in scenario descriptions.

• Fixed item tooltips showing "waiting for exotics" when only waiting for research. Previously, it was misleading if the player had enough exotics but research wasn't completed.

• Fixed loot collector tooltip icons, ensuring consistent sizing.

• Hid dummy weapons from tooltips when building ships (fix for Revelation Battlecruiser).

• Updated various HUD and tooltip unit icons.

• Added arbitrary research line to research tooltips for greater clarity.

• Improved tooltips with arbitrary tooltip line.

• Added Focus cost changes in upgrade tooltips.

• Added new strings for Advent Res/Dom Deliverance research tooltips.

• Added planet types buildable line to unit item section of research tooltips.

• Added tooltip icons to planet uniforms.

• Added a section above ability unlocks in research tooltips.

• Expanded research tooltips for clearer descriptions.

• Added value constraints to wide_move_spacing_scalar.

• Fixed missing lobby option tooltips.

Modding

• Removed deprecated action_group from ability_passive_action_definition (use persistent_buff instead).

• Fixed peon package mod not forming filenames properly.

• Fixed Mod.io API being disabled for some users.

• Fixed Mod.io login failures caused by certain non-ASCII usernames.

• Added passive cooldown option for abilities.

• Added are_player_slots_randomized to scenarios, allowing fixed starting positions instead of randomized ones.

• Added bake button in preview scenario view, along with validation for skybox and extended skybox settings after bake.

• Added does_not_have_unit_item flair effect constraint.

• Added validation to map saving, ensuring maps with duplicate save IDs or missing player_home_planet node filling aren't allowed.

• Fixed generated galaxy charts not supporting solar systems with zero home planets.

• Fixed music not resetting when mod changes are applied.

• Removed the hard cap of 7 for unmet_research_prerequisite_vector; now supports infinite research prerequisites (memory permitting).

• Removed the hard limit of 10 on exotic types.

• Split subscribed and enabled mods, allowing users to subscribe to mods (download files) and toggle them on and off without redownloading.

Tutorials

• Updated tutorial_manager with the ability to check for scenarios when a user can drop below and then rise above a condition threshold within a stage.

• Added separate stage_start_state to keep the current state and stage start state discrete.

Localization

• Updated all translations - special thanks to the users helping us do these!

• Updated fonts to include missing glyphs.

• Localized the "toggle paused" input name.

• Fixed some typos.

Crashes, Asserts, and Sync Bugs

• Fixed camera free rotation occasionally causing float3 normalization crashes.

• Fixed sync error in recorded games.

• Fixed duplicate phase lanes assertion.

Misc

• Fixed unit orders being preserved through player ownership changes.

• Fixed UI rendering for Ankylon's Disruption Matrix not displaying improved range in friendly gravity wells.

• Fixed auto cast for caster-based area of effect abilities.

• Renamed Military Grade Specs to Military Grade Rounds.