Prerelease 1.008H (Control Group Icons).

[x4000]

Here's the latest prerelease:  http://www.arcengames.com/share/AIWar1008H.zip

That version is an upgrade from version 1.007, so you have to already have 1.007 (or greater) installed. Just unzip it into your game folder (usually C:\Program Files\Arcen Games\AI War\ unless you specified something else). Please make sure that your unzip process keeps the folder structure from the zip file, rather than just unpacking all of the files into the base target directory.

What's new since 1.008G:
(Cumulative release notes since 1.007 are attached at the bottom)

-------------------

-The metal/crystal cost of Mark II Science Labs has been drastically reduced.

-When initially loading a savegame, sometimes the AI tech levels would be slightly off until the player did something new to affect the overall AI progress.

-Engineers and Mine Layers would previously stop to perform other duties when given a wormhole command by players.  Fixed.

-When issuing an assist order to an engineer, or a "get in transport" command to any ships, if the free-roaming defender mode or attack-move mode buttons were held, the ships would not get into that mode.  Fixed.

-Previously, science labs would not display as exhausted until they were finished being constructed.  Fixed.

-The planetary summary now includes icons for the control groups the player has set.  The icon shows up as blue if any ships from that control group are at the current planet, or as white if not.  Hovering over the icon allows players to see exactly what and how many ships are in the control group, and how many of each are on the current planet vs elsewhere.  Left and right clicking this icon works just like the other buttons in the planetary summary, simply selecting or selecting and centering on all ships of the clicked control group (on the local planet only).

-Previously, if a selected mobile builder was killed, players could keep building turrets if they were already building them.  Fixed.

[darke]

Haven't had a chance to try this latest version yet, but I should note another quirk that I've seen (though this is probably intentional), when you start a new game, the game saves the AI's colours/resource bonuses, but doesn't save the player's colours/resource bonuses. Probably not relevant for multiplayer but singleplayer results in you having to fiddle with it every time.

[x4000]

Haven't had a chance to try this latest version yet, but I should note another quirk that I've seen (though this is probably intentional), when you start a new game, the game saves the AI's colours/resource bonuses, but doesn't save the player's colours/resource bonuses. Probably not relevant for multiplayer but singleplayer results in you having to fiddle with it every time.

Yep, this is by design.  The resource handicaps can't really be saved because of the multiplayer issue.  And the color is set in your player profile, so if you want to change that permanently just go to your profile and set it.  It's assumed that if you change your color through the lobby that you are wanting to have it just be a one-off change (perhaps due to you and another player preferring the same color), versus a permanent shift.  You can manage your profiles by clicking the "Current Profile" button in the main menu.

[Quitch]

AI attacks mines with vampires. Obviously not a great tactic

I'll comment on scouting once I've wrapped up this game, but the wormhole defence is certainly making things more interesting, I've had to punch through a few sectors with a huge fleet to take a rear sector to get more metal to get more ships to make up for my losses. Only one of my two mobile builders made it and just as I was about to plop down a colony ship he got destroyed by fighters. Arghhh!

Still, the sector is mine now, I've upgraded almost all my command centres to Mk II and I'm now using jammers to defend the really out-of-the-way sectors. Wish I'd thought of that back when I had a captive human colony. Next game, next game... should there be any

The new control group stuff down the side is excellent, but please add a total count to the tooltip.

Engineers should only clean mine remains if there's nothing else for them to do.

[x4000]

AI attacks mines with vampires. Obviously not a great tactic

I take it those were mines that were revealed by an astro train or some other tachyon source?  They apparently thought they could do a lot of damage that way.  When mines are visible, they will sometimes make an effort to clear the minefield, same as you would.  Oh, but wait -- vampires.  Right, now I can imagine what happened. I'll put in a fix for that. 

I'll comment on scouting once I've wrapped up this game, but the wormhole defence is certainly making things more interesting, I've had to punch through a few sectors with a huge fleet to take a rear sector to get more metal to get more ships to make up for my losses. Only one of my two mobile builders made it and just as I was about to plop down a colony ship he got destroyed by fighters. Arghhh!

Still, the sector is mine now, I've upgraded almost all my command centres to Mk II and I'm now using jammers to defend the really out-of-the-way sectors. Wish I'd thought of that back when I had a captive human colony. Next game, next game... should there be any

Glad you're enjoying the new changes!  I presume the "should there be any" refers to the captive human settlements?  Putting a warp jammer there would definitely be effective.

The new control group stuff down the side is excellent, but please add a total count to the tooltip.

Can do.  Added to list.

Engineers should only clean mine remains if there's nothing else for them to do.

You know, I thought I already had that logic in there, but evidently not.  That will be in the next release.

[Quitch]

Sorry, yes, captive human settlements, not game

[x4000]

Good to know.

[Quitch]

It would be nice to have intel icons for human planets too, so I can track down where I put those incredibly limited shields, etc. Give me an "at-a-glance" summary method for planets.

Another item I just realised I would find useful was an assessment of overall income of each planet in the intel window. I just found that, due to efficiency, my jammer planets were either cost neutral or reducing my income, thus there was no point to their existence in its current form.

EDIT: One of my two AIs has started routing astro trains since the fix, but for AI1 I'm still finding a lot of them stuck at stations.

[x4000]

It would be nice to have intel icons for human planets too, so I can track down where I put those incredibly limited shields, etc. Give me an "at-a-glance" summary method for planets.

Gotcha.  I like it, added to my list.

Another item I just realised I would find useful was an assessment of overall income of each planet in the intel window. I just found that, due to efficiency, my jammer planets were either cost neutral or reducing my income, thus there was no point to their existence in its current form.

Hmm, my first reaction was to point out that income efficiency is not calculated per-planet, so that would be misleading.  However, in thinking about it more, I can see the utility of it.  Despite the fact that the efficiency is globally-affected (and thus will completely shift if you take a new planet and put a big Mark II command station on it, or if you lose a bunch of harvesters on another existing planet), I could see where it would still be useful to be able to gauge the relative productivity of any given planet at the present time.  Added to my list.

[Quitch]

Why can't I place the sniper in the first picture but the second placement is okay??

[x4000]

Why can't I place the sniper in the first picture but the second placement is okay??

When something like that happens, that means there is probably something cloaked there.  Try bringing in a tachyon beam emitter and you'll find something.  Might be some leftover enemy mines, since you're playing against a mine layer.

[x4000]

New version:  http://arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,158.0.html