Evochron Legacy
Evochron Legacy Update 1.0308...
- 'High + Smoothing' option added to Texture Detail setting in main Options menu (see notes).
- Added ability to change single player simulation options and faction affiliation of profiles (added to 'Rename Pilot' option).
- Bypass added to Steam cloud save system to prevent a folder error message if security settings/software block the game from being allowed to access the folder.
- Experimental VR rendering system converted to OpenVR to support the HTC Vive and other compatible VR devices.
- Many HUD, menu, UI, and indicator graphics have been updated for improved appearance in experimental VR system.
- Contract link in multiplayer no longer overrides jump point if player's jump drive is already activated.
- Top tier civilian frames reduced in assembly caps to accommodate absolute equipment limit.
Notes:
When the Texture Detail option is set to 'High + Smoothing', the game will generate additional surface smoothing details for certain objects in the game including ship frames, ship components, station/city modules, and cockpits. The generation process will add additional loading time during the initial startup phase of the game. The benefit is that various surfaces of these objects will appear smoother and rounded for a more detailed look, rather than flatter with sharper angles. The 'High + Smoothing' setting is also more of an optional mode. If you prefer objects to have sharper edges and angles, you can use the 'High' mode as the maximum setting and full resolution texture details will still be applied. If you prefer a smoother and more rounded appearance to various surfaces of objects, then the 'High + Smoothing' mode is available as an option.
This update also adds the ability to change the single player simulation options and faction affiliation of any profile. This way, you can change the game simulation conditions for commodity prices, Econ/Tech, and territory control for existing profiles. You can also change the single player faction affiliation of any profile. Keep in mind that if you change the faction affiliation, you will instantly become hostile to the original faction, resulting in being bumped out of a station you may be docked at and immediately attacked. So before changing a faction, you may want to save your profile out in neutral space or current enemy territory first.
For anyone interested in testing the experimental VR mode, be sure to remove any vrsetup.txt file you may have in place for the old system. The new system uses a different format and list of options for that file (available here: http://www.starwraith.com/evochronlegacy/customkit/vrsetup.txt ).
Edit: July 10th, 2016 - A quick update for this build has been provided to fix the following:
- Fix for a possible error message displayed when trying to use a Saitek X65 control device on Windows 10.
- Fix for Horizontal/Vertical Velocity Marker not displaying on HUD when enabled in HUD Configuration menu.
Evochron Legacy Update 1.0298...
- Terrain Walker values doubled.
- Option to customize region territory control value indicators on nav map added.
- Fleet ships are now much more likely to stay with player if/when they explore deep space.
- High energy nebula clouds can now cause the nav subsystem to sustain damage during close lightning strikes.
- AI combat systems updated to allow enemy ships to better avoid being baited into attacks from ships flying backwards.
- New long range radar equipment item added, supporting detection of generic ship signals out to 20K and 40K (see notes).
- Minimum econ/tech level for several advanced equipment items reduced to increase potential availability in Federation space.
- The game's device control configuration system is now additionally linked to string descriptions rather than just ID values.
- Short range sensor masking capabilities for certain objects now properly active to provide correct benefits of crew and equipment.
- 'Technology' nav console button and related text lines renamed to 'Econ/Tech' to match news category title and simulation setting option.
- Added ability to right click on any nav map long range sensor blip to set the nav point in the area of a detected signal.
- Joystick/gamepad axis controls can now be enabled simultaneously with mouse flight control modes.
- Compass displays (both tape and digital) now correctly respond to nav subsystem damage state.
- Animal life indicator added to planet details section of system information screen.
- Hostile drones reduced to three in last combat training sequence.
Notes:
The game's control input systems are now additionally linked to each device's string description as displayed in Windows, rather than being bound to only a static device ID value. This should allow the game to adapt to changing controller list conditions if the player plugs in new devices and/or unplugs old ones. Any device USB port changes need to be made before the game is launched (always be sure to keep the devices you have mapped controls to plugged in before launching the game). Once the game is launched, it will compare the current device list (as managed by Windows) with the list when the game was last launched. If it detects differences in the total device count or order of the device string names, it will then analyze the current control bindings for any links between the original device name(s) they were assigned to and any new device names/order. If the game finds that the device name is in a different list position than it was last time the game was played, the game will automatically apply control map changes so that the original device(s) can continue to be used when it is assigned a different ID value/rank position in the device list. The game will back up current key/button and axis control bindings before making any changes and will place the keymap8.sw and stickt.sw files in a folder named \ControlSettingsBackup within the save data folder (default is c:\sw3dg\EvochronLegacy). If you would like to bypass this system and retain locked ID values, simply create a text file in the game's save data folder (default is c:\sw3dg\EvochronLegacy) named stickidmode.txt and in the first line include the word 'enable'.
The new long range radar equipment item adds two new range modes to the 3D and 2D radar system. The LR Radar system supports detecting ship signals out to 20K and 40K. Details on a ship signal are limited to direction/distance only on the radar and will not provide full telemetry, status, or threat level information. Ships at long range (beyond full sensor/scanning detail 10K distance) will be displayed as yellow dots on the radar and no target detail information will be available for them. Ships will still be required to be within 10K range in open space for short range sensors/scanners to retrieve threat, ID, frame class, shield status, hull status, subsystem status, orientation, and velocity information. When the equipment item is installed, two new 'LR2' (20K) and 'LR4' (40K) modes will be available on the radar, indicating when one of the long range radar modes is active. The long range radar/sensor system also passively extends the detection range of lost items (which do not broadcast signal data and are well masked from short range sensors) and escape pods by about 50%. Detection range of hidden/masked cargo containers is also doubled.
The new right click option for long range sensors on the nav map will now let you place the nav/jump point marker in the area of a detected signal when using either a deployed sensor station or a sensor probe. For objects that transmit telemetry data, such as ships and deployed structures, the marker will be placed very close to the object's location. For objects that do not transmit telemetry data, such as cargo containers and shipwrecks, the marker will be placed in the area of the signal, but not precisely to it. You'll generally arrive within short range sensor detection of the object, but close range scanning and visual detection will still be useful. This way, you'll no longer have to try and guess pixel-by-pixel where to plot the nav point to a detected object, the game will now help you plot a nav point close by when using this new right click option.
Region territory control indicators on the nav map can now be customized. Images for green, yellow, red, and purple indicators can be specified for both normal map size and the zoomed map size. Image sizes are 24X32 for normal and 48X64 for zoomed. See the customizing kit for more information.
To accommodate requests for an increase in challenge from hostile AI ships when the player flies backwards, enemy ships are now allowed to break off an attack and engage other ships when in such situations under certain conditions. They are also now allowed to engage in at closer range when attacking a player flying backwards to counter attack.
Work has begun on transitioning the experimental VR system over to OpenVR/SteamVR in an effort to support a wider array of devices. I'm not sure when/if this system will become available, but we're in the early stages of the development process and converting things over.
The included instructions have also been updated for new options and recent improvements.
Evochron Legacy Update 1.0288...
- Double button input support added to pre-defined control profile script system.
- XBox 360 Gamepad profile added to list of available pre-defined control profiles.
- Display system for the hudtext.dat modification option and savedata export option updated to display correct in-sector location.
- Horizon surface added to 3D radar sphere and target detail orientation indicator.
- Autopilot updated for improved rotational search pattern for navigation marker.
- Signal indicators/blips on radar in 2D mode increased in size for legibility.
- Game controller support for menu and console selection added (see notes).
- Invalid limb error occurring when linking gun turret fixed.
- Hangar transaction fees now apply as indicated.
Notes:
Game controllers can now be used to select options in the game's menus as well as the navigation, build, inventory, and trade consoles. The default game control device will be used by default (optionally changeable, see below). For joysticks, axis 1 will be assigned to vertical mouse pointer movement and axis 2 will be assigned to horizontal mouse pointer movement. For XBox controllers, axis 1 will be assigned to horizontal mouse pointer movement and axis 2 will be assigned to vertical mouse pointer movement and inversed. For both device types, button 1 will be assigned to left mouse button control and button 2 will be assigned to right mouse button control. This should support most joystick and gamepad devices. However, the system can also be customized or disabled entirely if you'd prefer to return to the original mouse only menu selection system. A new 'Menu/Console Control' option has been added to the main Options menu to enable this system with default settings. Settings for the system are stored in a file named menucontrols.txt in the save data folder (default c:\sw3dg\EvochronLegacy). The following values can be modified in that file for custom options (default joystick values are displayed below):
2 ` control mode, = 0 off, 1 = menus only, 2 = menus and consoles
1 ` pointer movement mode, 1 = pan, 2 = from center
0 ` device ID for first device (change for different device ID as listed in Windows)
1 ` horizontal axis
0 ` vertical axis
0 ` left click button
1 ` right click button
100 ` horizontal deadzone offset (out of an input range of 1000)
100 ` vertical deadzone offset (out of an input range of 1000)
0 ` invert horizontal axis (1 for enable)
0 ` invert vertical axis (1 for enable)
0.01 ` rate (the speed the mouse pointer will respond)
If the game detects a joystick, the horizontal axis will be set to 1 and vertical axis set to 0. If it detects an XBox controller, those will be reversed and the invert vertical axis value will be set to 1.
Evochron Legacy 1.0278 Update...
- Overall loading time from main menu to startup sequence reduced slightly.
- Option to limit yaw and pitch rotation added for mouselook, key, and axis view controls.
- Market value of terrain walkers increased significantly for new market availability option.
- Consolidating commodities in hangar now automatically removes any 0 quantity material listing.
- Sensor station and probe nav map indicators updated to reduce clutter and include square shape.
- Sensor stations and probes now render signals within a 50K cube shaped section of space rather than circular.
- There is now a rare chance of terrain walkers being available for sale in high technology class inventories.
- Equipment list in inventory console now adjusts with capacity limit rather than installed items (matching cargo list behavior).
- Nav map indicators for cities, ping location, and contract waypoints rendered with higher performance and can now be customized.
- Region territory link to war zones removed, all human ships are now linked as 'Navy' while in war zones.
- Weapon turrets will not attack 'Navy' faction human/AI piloted ships in war zones unless attacked first.
- Quests 2 and 3 updated to indicate decameters/in-sector coordinates for certain module placements.
- Proximity check that would sometimes incorrectly allow plants to disappear when approached fixed.
- Added option to import separate dedicated texture images for each individual custom ship design.
- The last module in a sector would often return on respawn/reload after being destroyed, fixed.
- Cargo list in build console more clearly defined to match frame design in inventory console.
- Rare chance of a training vocal stage playing when entering a station or city fixed.
- Global custom cockpit option enabled (ccpit.x and ccpitshader.txt file options).
- Ability to set a custom size of nav map signal blips added (dotsize.txt).
- Race course and cargo delivery HUD indicator texture detail improved.
- Cave entrance auto-guidance system updated for smoother adjustment.
- Pitch level (integer) added to savedata text file export options.
- Pitch level readout option added to hudtext.dat file options.
- Message log controls disabled when mouselook is active.
- Ship nav lights given a slight lens flare effect.
- Ability to import a custom jump gate mesh added.
Notes:
For the option to increase the size of the dots rendered on the nav map when a sensor station or probe is deployed, use a file named dotsize.txt inside the \hud folder and include the size you want for the blips in the first line. The default size is 4. It is generally not recommended to increase the size too much as the dots will eventually overlap each other if they are close together and are too big. So it's only recommended if you are using a low resolution display (below 1920X1080) and/or prefer the oversized blips on the nav map.
For the custom jump gate mesh option, use the \environment folder and filename gate.x for the custom mesh you want to use. To keep game rules consistent in multiplayer, the collision setup will remain the same, so you'll want to use a design that is pretty close to the same shape and size of the default mesh if you want the collision to match the appearance of the custom gate mesh you use.
By request, the new sensor station and probe systems now scan a square shaped section of space to cover the full 50K section of a sector out to its edge. The sensor signal strength is increased out to the corners to provide a more complete field of coverage across a square section of space to better match the square shape of sectors.
For the option to limit yaw and pitch rotation for mouselook, key, and axis view control, create a file in the game's install folder named 'panlimits.txt' and include the angle limit for yaw in the first line along with the angle limit for pitch in the second line. Default values are 178 and 88 respectively.
To address player requests/reports of different factions being present in war zones causing increased difficulty for escort objectives and mixed faction fighting, the regional territory link has been removed from war zones to lock all human ships in under one 'NAVY' faction. This way, any ALC or FDN ships in the region will behave as allied with any other ALC or FDN ship in a war zone with a common interest in fighting the Vonari. This change won't impact certain station conditions, so ships from opposing factions still won't be able to dock and the station modules themselves can be destroyed/built to still retain that level of control/behavior for a faction. But ships will no longer attack opposing faction ships in war zones, regardless of the regional territory control level.
Evochron Legacy 1.0248 Update...
- Shield array deployables now require minimum distance (3000) from station modules.
- Radar total hostile counter now only counts enemy capital ships when they are in radar range.
- In some barren uncharted systems, respawning could result in mismatched faction ID affiliations for AI ships, fixed.
- Certain building operations in the engineering lab could result in 0 quantity items remaining in cargo or hangar bays, fixed.
- New 'Scuttle Module' option added during build process to allow player to destroy a module being constructed before it is finished.
- Regional news reporting system updated to properly align for increases/decreases in FDN controlled territory.
- Navigation lights added to ships, red for left, green for right, visible when viewed from front of ships.
- Evasion of carriers by AI ships updated for smoother behavior and improved movement.
- Animals would generally not animate when shadows were turned off, fixed.
Notes:
The new nav light system renders two forward facing light effects color coded to a ship's orientation using the standard format of red for the left and green for the right. The lights are fairly soft and dim, so not overly bright, just bright enough to visually discern a ship's orientation at a distance. The new light effects are also customizable using the \ships folder and the filenames navgreen.png and navred.png. The flash pattern can also be customized by creating a text file in the game's install folder named 'navlight.txt' and entering a value in the first line from 0 to 4. 0 will render the nav lights with a double pulse flashing effect. 1 will render the nav lights with a single pulse flashing effect. 2 is the default mode and will render the nav lights with a slow fade flashing effect. 3 will render the nav lights always on at full strength. 4 will hide the nav lights.
For the new scuttle module option, simply close the build console after starting the build process. The scuttle module button will appear in the middle right of the screen and includes a timer to indicate how much time is left before the build process is finished beyond a point where the module can be scuttled. The scuttle option will be linked to the first module you start building (only one scuttle link can be active at a time), so if you want to have the scuttle option for a module you build, make sure to build one at a time unless you are certain you want to keep multiple modules in selected locations that you build simultaneously. If you scuttle a module, you won't get the metal ore back as the module will be destroyed, but it will allow you cancel the module entirely in case it is worth it to you to remove it and/or rebuild it in a different location.
Evochron Legacy 1.0228 Update...
- S281 system name restored to accommodate beacon clue description.
- Server programs updated to enable additional minimum client version enforcement for online public servers.
- Disruptor sequence updated to show a more electric style pulse explosion and sound effect.
- Trade links could be denied between human players when asteroids were nearby, fixed.
- Displayed fuel costs that could vary depending on rounding differences fixed.
- Refuel menu centered in lower left frame of inventory console.
- Several minor UI improvements.
Notes:
Public multiplayer server listings will require the new server builds next time a list attempt is made. As with any server update, always be sure to back up your text8.dat, factionmap.txt, and universemulti.txt files if you want to keep custom settings and gamestate conditions since the installer will restore the default files.
Now that it seems most technical and functional issues have been sorted and feedback has been transitioning more toward larger scale elements, I'll plan to begin the process of evaluating and prototyping more significant changes and additions that will likely require more development time and testing. This will probably result in a slower update schedule with more gameplay related improvements, with the rate and scope being based on feedback/requests.
I'd also like to work toward making the Oculus Rift mode the best it can be with the goal to transition it to an official mode rather than something more experimental. If you have been using the OR mode and can provide feedback on settings you've been using in conjunction with the specifications of your system to get good performance (at 75 FPS most of the time to avoid judder), that will help me formulate possible changes for improved potential default support in the future.
Evochron Legacy 1.0218 Update...
- Mining probe could be deployed with a build constructor, fixed.
- Axis configuration menu saving system updated to avoid defaulting to earlier configurations under certain conditions.
- Fuel tanks could be mismatched for military frames in shipyard, limiting fuel capacity to 1000 when 1500 should be available, fixed.
- Option to use the default documents folder in the user folder tree for the savedir.txt option added (using the %docfolder% tag).
- Creating a new profile after playing a previous profile could result in carrying over a faction affiliation, fixed.
- In zoomed mode, the nav map could appear larger than it should when rendering zoom animation, fixed.
- Update notification and download menu updated to align better with menu frame and shadow enlarged.
- Auto-leveling and stabilizing while in 3rd person chase view improved.
Notes:
The game now supports a dynamic %docfolder% tag in the savedir.txt file for anyone interested in using a mod that needs to specify the Users\UserName\My Documents folder in a global way that is independent of a specific user name that may be on the system. This also allows players to direct the game to keep save data in the documents folder using one standard (global) line rather than requiring specific folder names. So for example, if you want to have the game keep save data in the 'My Games' folder that is generally located in the documents folder tree, you can specify this line in the savedir.txt file:
%docfolder%\My Games
The game will then poll Windows for the current system drive, user folder, user name folder, and documents folder and apply them all automatically in the target save data folder. It will then take the characters after the %docfolder% tag and include them in the target save data folder string along with the \sw3dg\EvochronLegacy text, so the end result will be something like this to the game:
c:\Users\[UserName]\My Documents\My Games\sw3dg\EvochronLegacy
And the save data files will then be saved and loaded to/from that folder location. If you want to apply this change to the game, make sure to copy all of the original save data files from the default location of c:\sw3dg\EvochronLegacy to the new folder location you specify before launching the game the next time.
Edit: Quick fix applied to correct an issue that could incorrectly cap fuel on certain Federation frames.
Evochron Legacy 1.0208 Update...
- Planet G452 placed in original location for improved quest 3 and 4 support.
- Black hole objects increased in size for improved visibility and relative scaling.
- Double click verification check implemented for exit option in pause/exit menu and respawn menu.
- Transaction fee displayed in hangar menu now reflects half price reduction when station license applies.
- AI ship engagements with capital ships reduced to extend life of capital ships during combat and escort objectives.
- AI ships allowed to go much farther inside gas giants and properly arrive for contracts with waypoints inside gas giants.
- Fixed issue with certain contracts that could be incorrectly completed when a friendly capital ship is destroyed before a required hostile capital ship is destroyed.
- Joining/respawn messages changed to show player name and version number so sector locations are displayed exclusively in player list, nav map (allied), and message log (when enabled server-side).
- When sector masking is set to mode 2 on a server, completed contract details will not be displayed in the message log.
- Dual button input system updated to bypass a single button input when the first of a two button combination is pressed.
- POV/HAT input is now displayed in the configure key/button menu along with regular button inputs.
- Ability to map button + POV/HAT input for individual control functions added.
- X52 Control Profile updated for new control system.
- Minor visual UI changes/fixes.
Notes:
To accommodate requests for separating single button input control functions from double button input control functions, the all-response system is bypassed when a button is mapped to two functions with one of them also mapped to a second button. All-response is still available if you reverse the mapping order. So for example, if you map button 1 with control function 10 and also buttons 2+1 with control function 11, function 10 will be ignored when you press buttons 2+1. This allows for a full bypass and alternate function for a double button input. If you want to activate both function 10 and function 11 when 2+1 is pressed, simply reverse the mapping order to 1+2 in the configuration menu. This way, the original all-response system is still available for those who want to activate multiple control functions simultaneously and a bypass option is available for those who want two different functions for one button with an alternate second button input option. In short, any primary button will activate a control option (1 and 1+2) and a primary button will submit to a secondary button before activation when the primary is also used in the second slot of a double button combination (1 and 2+1).
The ability to map a button plus a POV/HAT input has also been added. This way, you can use a button as a kind of Alt key for a POV/HAT inputs the same way double button mapping works. You can also reverse the input and use a POV/HAT input as the alternate control function for buttons.
Evochron Legacy 1.0198 Update...
- Station attack alert notice now displays faction of attacked module.
- Ability to control horizontal and vertical pilot view with axis inputs added.
- Station names and certain planet types now display properly when 'all' text mode is active.
- In some deep space regions, ship type sorting could produce Talon only class ships or visual anomalies, fixed.
- More time added to server status system to help compensate for low connection quality when checking for players.
- When attempting to retrieve system information, a '< No system information available >' message is now added to the message log when no system information is available.
- Experimental Oculus Rift system updated to incorporate automatically detected field of view to improve support for changing parameters (different potential devices).
- Added ability to hot swap equipment and weapons to/from the cargo bay while docked at a deployable station hangar.
- Default deadzone precision increased to 1:1 signal input to provide less auto-centering behavior.
- Anti-exploit system for cargo duplication reduced to allow certain profile switching actions.
- Uncharted systems have been updated to eliminate unwanted name and location duplications.
- Server program updated to resolve an issue with commodity values locking at 0% or 100%.
Notes:
I received a few requests to implement support for a device called the Tobii Eyex. One way to do this is apparently through supporting view control via axis inputs as the Eyex system can provide variable input signals via a virtual joystick device. So I've added the ability to control the pilot's view with axis inputs using the same limits as the mouselook option. This also means that if you have a spare control device that provides axis inputs (or just spare axis inputs on an existing device you're already using), you can now use it as a way to control the pilot's view as well.
Duplicate planet names and positions were found in several regions in uncharted space. This was likely due to some kind of pattern that formed in the system generator. So uncharted space has been given an update to remove such duplications and update planet locations. You'll still find the uncharted systems in the same locations, but the planets around the stars will now be unique in terms of locations and names. An orbit pass has been applied to many of the planets, giving them new locations around their home stars. And names have also been updated to remove duplications. So you will likely encounter changes in system structures. This may have an unfortunate side effect of displacing/removing cities and stations that you may have built in uncharted space, but this was a necessary change to remove the reported duplication issue. If you do run into problems with a profile saved in uncharted space, you can send it to me (starwraith.com > contact) for possible adjustment. However, the game is designed to handle such orbital/position changes and the effects they have on constructed structures for most situations (at least to allow a proper respawn).
The default deadzone condition has been removed to provide added central precision. This should help those who've asked for such a change and wanting to provide the option for exact 1:1 response for ultra-precise control devices and tracking mechanisms using axis inputs. This can mean that some users may need to increase the global deadzone setting after this update to compensate for any unwanted drift that may occur.
As with any server update, make sure to back up your current universemulti.txt station data and text8.dat configuration files before installing a new server build. Then after running the installer, you can restore the files and/or values as desired after the installer puts the default files in place.
Evochron Legacy 1.0178 Update...
- Build system could allow placing module on edge of atmosphere near planet, fixed.
- Quadrant map regional territory and technology level indicators given better defined color divisions.
- Rendering performance for regional territory and technology level details on quadrant map significantly improved.
- New dual-button input system added to button mapping options to support using up to two buttons for individual control functions.
- Password entry option via text file (multipassword.txt) added to allow players to specify a password for connecting to servers via direct IP.
- Consolidate option added to main storage hangar menu to allow players to combine materials in their ship's cargo bays and hangar bays.
- By request, build module dependencies introduced to limit scope of larger scale station designs for improved PvP conditions.
- New control system implemented to add new control options, improve support for the X55 on Windows 10, and improve precision.
- Engaging afterburner with full range throttle active and set speed negative will now fire afterburner in reverse.
- Deploy modules other than sensor stations now properly require scuttling before re-deploying in same sector.
- Deployable hangar now allows for saving in/near high gravity environments that would otherwise not allow it.
- Global alert broadcasted to all players in multiplayer when a station/city is under attack.
- Proximity minimum for building modules increased vertically around command modules.
- Control profile script system updated to support new multi-button binding system.
- Ability to individually map POV/HAT inputs to button control functions added.
- Support for up to 40 button inputs per device added via new control system.
- Training vocal sequences now apply selected volume level in Options menu.
- Sensor blips on nav map render with higher performance.
- Command module armor level increased by 200%.
Notes:
The new POV/HAT control mapping system will let you bind the angular signal returns to button controls. The original dedicated HAT mapping system is still in place and you can use both systems in conjunction with each other. But it will generally be best to use one or the other. The POV/HAT system uses individual precise signal returns for mapping functions while the new dual button input system will allow up to two buttons to be assigned to a control function. So to map the POV/HAT to a control, simply click on the control option you want to bind to, then push the POV/HAT in the direction you want to map it to, then release. Single button mapping works the same way. Then for the new dual button option, select the control option, then press and hold the first button, then press the second button. That control will then require both buttons to be pressed at the same time to activate the control function. This way, you can use a button as a kind of 'alt' key for mapping additional control options to devices with limited button options.
The new consolidate option in the storage hangar menu will allow players to combine the materials in their cargo bays and hangar bays (each on their own) for easier engineering lab setup. Previously, it could be difficult for a player who only had a military ship or a civilian ship with one cargo bay to manually consolidate their materials for the engineering lab, which requires sufficient material counts in individual bays to build items with. They would have to swap to a civilian frame with at least two cargo bays to manually consolidate materials into individual bays. With the new consolidate option, they can take care of combining materials in one click for both their ship's cargo bays and the local storage hangar bays.
For the new build module dependencies, the format is quite simple. The dependencies affect building only and only for certain modules above a certain number. For every 2 shield modules above 2, there must be an additional power module in range to support them in order for the additional shield modules to be built. For every 5 weapon turrets above 5, there must be an additional storage module in range. For every 2 power modules above 2, there must be an additional crew/living module in range.
Features of the new control system:
- Support for the X55 on Windows 10 regardless of whether the devices are sorted properly in Windows joy.cpl.
- Support for 10 fully independent axis channels per device (no longer limited to 7 primary and 3 secondary).
- Full device names listed at top of the axis and button configuration menus.
- Support for multiple POV/HAT inputs for devices that have them.
- Added support for POV/HAT inputs for button functions.
- Overall tighter and more accurate response.
What will likely change when updating to the new control system:
- Axis channels will be mapped to different ID's. This may vary by device type. So you will likely need to remap your axis controls in the axis configuration menu.
- New axis input options may now be available to you that weren't before.
What shouldn't change when updating to the new control system:
- Buttons should remain mapped the same way they were before under the old system. However, this may not be true for all devices across all operating systems. So just be aware that you may also need to remap button controls after updating.
If you do not want to use the new control system and would prefer to keep the original system, that option is still available as both systems have been left in place for players to select which one they prefer. To keep the old control system in place, simply place a text file named 'deviceinputold.txt' in the game's install folder. It can contain nothing or the word 'enable' in the first line. It will be best to migrate to the new system as it will be the default/standard going forward, but the original control system will remain for those who wish to continue using it.
The server programs have also had an update to allow the operator to hide location details for players from each other (the server operator will still be able to view location details for players). The default option is the current system that displays the sector location of each player. Option one disables the sector locations from being displayed in the player list. Option two disables the locations in the list as well as allied ship indicators on the nav map. The new line for the option is 840.
As with any server update, make sure to back up your current universemulti.txt station data and text8.dat configuration files before installing a new server build. Then after running the installer, you can restore the files and/or values as desired after the installer puts the default files in place.
**** Update: Quick fix patch is now available. It fixes the consolidate button appearing inside the multiplayer chat window in the hangar menu and also fixes the error 502 error when viewing the quadrant map territory or technology overlay after entering and exiting the shipyard or labs.
The latest fix also corrects a very rare issue that could cause a player trying to start from a particular planet to enter a persistent 'waiting for clearance' loop.