Prerelease 1.014K (econ/tur build times, planet sumry, perf, 8 new ships)

[x4000]

Maybe it was the number for whatever was below it.  I think the counts and the icons could use a bit of padding.  It seems a bit cluttered right now.

Could be.  The main problem is simply space -- on smaller monitors, especially in bigger games, the space there is really at a premium.

Some of the changes made to 1.014B did help some GPU-related slowdowns recently added for all the nebulas and whatnot.  However, we haven't been able to go any higher than that for our long game, which we only get the chance to play on Mondays, because we have no fewer than 40 zinth and 40 spire starships on ever world, plus 240+ raids and 1000+ cross-planet attacks.  Given the recent changes to starships and raids, we're very hesitant to try the new version for that game.  The prospect of 960-ship raids and the super-powerful starships has us quaking in our boots given the survival rate of our fleets in the current game. 

Well, the larger raids are also in conjunction with an even bigger increase in resource rates for you, plus lowered tech costs all around (if you still have any knowledge, since that's not retroactive), so the idea is that this should make it easier.  And with the new Dreadnoughts, you should be better able to deal with Starships.  AND I've added some logic, if I recall, that actually crops out the extra AI starships on planets if there are too many of them there.  Starships need to be more formidable, but less plentiful.  In my sleep-deprived state at the moment, I'm suddenly wondering if I just intended to add that in, or if I really did.  I guess check the release notes -- if that is in there, it's in the game.

Technically, and not to be pedantic, a warhead is "the forward section of a self-propelled missile, bomb, torpedo, or the like, containing the explosive, chemical, or atomic charge." (source: Random House Dictionary Unabridged).  Unfortunately, I don't have any other recommended names at this time.  Rockets just don't seem as powerful as missiles (and actually, according to the aforementioned dictionary, rockets are merely the propelling engine of a missile or similar body).  ... This is what happens when I use thesaurus.com looking for an alternative for you. 

I see.  Well, I don't consider that pedantic, it's factual.  They still have the wrong connotation for me, but that's one of the cool things about making a game -- things take on new connotations.  The fact that we have Multiple Launcher Rocket Systems (MLRS) may further complicate this.  Oh, well.  I guess warheads it is, then.  And Missile Silo... I guess Warhead Silo.  That sounds a little stupid to me right now, but I imagine it will grow on me.

Clearly I'm outnumbered on the Rocket thing, anyway, and you guys make good points.

[Echo35]

Just started playing a game with 1.014K. I only have one planet so far so I'm not sure if its a localized thing, but when I have something selected and am zoomed in (So you can see the selection circle that rotates around), if the map is positioned so that the selection circle is over the planet in the background or near the edge, I get a bunch of white pixel artifacts in the circle. I have an nVidia GPU and I know for a fact that similar things happen on the boundary between to objects with highly differing contrasts (Some anti-aliasing issue) but just thought you should know.

[x4000]

Just started playing a game with 1.014K. I only have one planet so far so I'm not sure if its a localized thing, but when I have something selected and am zoomed in (So you can see the selection circle that rotates around), if the map is positioned so that the selection circle is over the planet in the background or near the edge, I get a bunch of white pixel artifacts in the circle. I have an nVidia GPU and I know for a fact that similar things happen on the boundary between to objects with highly differing contrasts (Some anti-aliasing issue) but just thought you should know.

Well, that stinks.  Is it really noticeable?  I have an nVidia 8800GTS, and it does not do that.  I wonder if it has to do with different driver versions or the specific chipsets.

[Kalzarius]

Just started playing a game with 1.014K. I only have one planet so far so I'm not sure if its a localized thing, but when I have something selected and am zoomed in (So you can see the selection circle that rotates around), if the map is positioned so that the selection circle is over the planet in the background or near the edge, I get a bunch of white pixel artifacts in the circle. I have an nVidia GPU and I know for a fact that similar things happen on the boundary between to objects with highly differing contrasts (Some anti-aliasing issue) but just thought you should know.

Can you post a screenshot?  My best guess would be either a glitch in the graphics (or corruption of them; unlikely in either case) or an issue with blending or aliasing as you said, whether that is related to your graphics card or your driver (as x4000 noted).

[Warnstaff]

Registered mostly to post this post since everything I usually ahve to say is already said here

Its an issue with older drivers. I have a nvidia 7900GS and due to some experimenting with an older game I had downgraded the drivers to 93.71, which is when the pink pixel edge problem appeared for me. I re updated to 185.85 (last one I downloaded) which fixed the issue. In short, update your drivers.

[Kalzarius]

Could be.  The main problem is simply space -- on smaller monitors, especially in bigger games, the space there is really at a premium.

Too true.  I hadn't thought of that.  I'll have to play with a bit more over the next couple of days to tell one way or the other.  If I do get the possible bug to be reproduced, I will make note of it and see if I can post a save that can reproduce it.

Well, the larger raids are also in conjunction with an even bigger increase in resource rates for you, plus lowered tech costs all around (if you still have any knowledge, since that's not retroactive), so the idea is that this should make it easier.  And with the new Dreadnoughts, you should be better able to deal with Starships.  AND I've added some logic, if I recall, that actually crops out the extra AI starships on planets if there are too many of them there.  Starships need to be more formidable, but less plentiful.  In my sleep-deprived state at the moment, I'm suddenly wondering if I just intended to add that in, or if I really did.  I guess check the release notes -- if that is in there, it's in the game.

Sadly, we've already acquired all of the turrets (for the huge and constant raids and cross-planet attacks, they're all necessary; we have also built them all) and most of the starships, so no joy there (no knowledge, either).  I don't recall seeing that cap in the release notes (though I will double-check again when I get the chance).  I know you previously mentioned intending to cap the AI starships.  If there are going to be fewer starships (how many, by the way?), that should make it more playable, but the raids still concern me.  It's rather difficult to get our entire fleet across 12-14 hops to handle the increasing frequency of raids.

I see.  Well, I don't consider that pedantic, it's factual.  They still have the wrong connotation for me, but that's one of the cool things about making a game -- things take on new connotations.  The fact that we have Multiple Launcher Rocket Systems (MLRS) may further complicate this.  Oh, well.  I guess warheads it is, then.  And Missile Silo... I guess Warhead Silo.  That sounds a little stupid to me right now, but I imagine it will grow on me.

Clearly I'm outnumbered on the Rocket thing, anyway, and you guys make good points.

Technically, they're still missiles, so it could still be a missile silo.  It's just focusing on the fact that these particular guided missiles have more powerful warheads, so are called that instead.  

[x4000]

Registered mostly to post this post since everything I usually ahve to say is already said here

Its an issue with older drivers. I have a nvidia 7900GS and due to some experimenting with an older game I had downgraded the drivers to 93.71, which is when the pink pixel edge problem appeared for me. I re updated to 185.85 (last one I downloaded) which fixed the issue. In short, update your drivers.

Excellent, thanks for that info!

I just checked, and my driver version is supposedly 6.14.11.6921, with a date of 12/5/2007.  I think I had downgraded for some reason, too, and so it is really out of date.  I have a 7600GS on my other machine, which most likely has something in the 160s, and it is also fine there.  So it would appear that there were just a few problematic driver versions somewhere in the middle.

Great first post!

[Echo35]

Registered mostly to post this post since everything I usually ahve to say is already said here

Its an issue with older drivers. I have a nvidia 7900GS and due to some experimenting with an older game I had downgraded the drivers to 93.71, which is when the pink pixel edge problem appeared for me. I re updated to 185.85 (last one I downloaded) which fixed the issue. In short, update your drivers.

Don't worry, they're updated (On my laptop anyway, Desktop uses older beta 181 drivers because Empire Total War fails at having a decent programming department). Happens on both my Desktop and Laptop (Both nVidia chips, a 280 and 9600 respectively). Happens in almost any game with sharp contrast changes (Sins of a Solar Empire is particularly bad in this respect) so It's probably a chipset/aliasing thing (As has been stated all over the internet), but just thought I'd share since it wasn't happening before. Must have to do with all the blending changes you've made recently.

EDIT: And of course it hardly shows up in the screen shot, but it looks like sparkles when they move. Annoying, but only visible zoomed in.

[Revenantus]

I agree with Kalzarius that it should remain a Missile Silo, I don't see an issue with a Missile Silo being used to construct Warhead type units.

[x4000]

Too true.  I hadn't thought of that.  I'll have to play with a bit more over the next couple of days to tell one way or the other.  If I do get the possible bug to be reproduced, I will make note of it and see if I can post a save that can reproduce it.

Awesome, thanks.

Sadly, we've already acquired all of the turrets (for the huge and constant raids and cross-planet attacks, they're all necessary; we have also built them all) and most of the starships, so no joy there (no knowledge, either).  I don't recall seeing that cap in the release notes (though I will double-check again when I get the chance).

That's what I mean, though, is that there is a raft of new turrets for relatively cheap knowledge.  But if you have already used all the knowledge, I guess that doesn't help.

I know you previously mentioned intending to cap the AI starships.  If there are going to be fewer starships (how many, by the way?), that should make it more playable, but the raids still concern me.  It's rather difficult to get our entire fleet across 12-14 hops to handle the increasing frequency of raids.

I seem to recall patching this.  I think the limit is something like 15 starships per planet, but I think there was some sort of sliding scale in there.  At one point I was thinking 5 starships or something, but I don't know.  I may have missed getting it in the release notes, I'm not sure -- I know I've missed some credits where credit is due (and I apologize for that -- if anyone sees that, just tell me and I'll update it, it's not intentional).  I've been very exhausted the last few days (long story), and my attention has been very fragmented.

Technically, they're still missiles, so it could still be a missile silo.  It's just focusing on the fact that these particular guided missiles have more powerful warheads, so are called that instead.  

Yeah, the techwriter in me always goes for consistency, though.  So Warhead Silo if the stuff it is producing is warheads.

[x4000]

I agree with Kalzarius that it should remain a Missile Silo, I don't see an issue with a Missile Silo being used to construct Warhead type units.

I thought you'd be with me on that, given your general style.  Hmm.  I do prefer missile silo as a name...

[x4000]

Registered mostly to post this post since everything I usually ahve to say is already said here

Its an issue with older drivers. I have a nvidia 7900GS and due to some experimenting with an older game I had downgraded the drivers to 93.71, which is when the pink pixel edge problem appeared for me. I re updated to 185.85 (last one I downloaded) which fixed the issue. In short, update your drivers.

Don't worry, they're updated (On my laptop anyway, Desktop uses older beta 181 drivers because Empire Total War fails at having a decent programming department). Happens on both my Desktop and Laptop (Both nVidia chips, a 280 and 9600 respectively). Happens in almost any game with sharp contrast changes (Sins of a Solar Empire is particularly bad in this respect) so It's probably a chipset/aliasing thing (As has been stated all over the internet), but just thought I'd share since it wasn't happening before. Must have to do with all the blending changes you've made recently.

EDIT: And of course it hardly shows up in the screen shot, but it looks like sparkles when they move. Annoying, but only visible zoomed in.

Oh!  I know what you are talking about, I think. It's a fairly subtle effect, but only when moving.  That's an artifact of the shifting rotation of the sprites, actually.  That's just part of DirectX, not something I can do anything about, unfortunately.  It's extraordinarily subtle for me, though -- it makes them look a bit like they are shimmering with light on them as they rotate if it is too fast, but it's not like distortion speckles.  I have pretty high brightness/contrast settings on my monitor, too, so I don't think it would be that.  I don't know if it is actually more severe on yours, or if you are just more sensitive to it than most people, or if there's some other setting causing it.

[Revenantus]

I agree with Kalzarius that it should remain a Missile Silo, I don't see an issue with a Missile Silo being used to construct Warhead type units.

I thought you'd be with me on that, given your general style.  Hmm.  I do prefer missile silo as a name...

I would be with you on this sort of area in general, but as you yourself suggested earlier, Warhead Silo just doesn't sound right. However, Rocket Silo, sounds even worse, and given the unit's function, Lightning Rocket isn't really an appropriate description, it just has the wrong connotations in comparison to actual military weaponry.

Missile is by far the most appropriate term, which is why I'm still largely in favour of giving cruisers a different type of ammo, even if it isn't rockets. I don't know, smart bombs?

[x4000]

Missile Silo it is, then, and Warheads as the stuff inside.  I'm way too tired to argue semantics about the missile ammo type right now, but I'm still not in favor of changing that.

[Echo35]

Oh!  I know what you are talking about, I think. It's a fairly subtle effect, but only when moving.  That's an artifact of the shifting rotation of the sprites, actually.  That's just part of DirectX, not something I can do anything about, unfortunately.  It's extraordinarily subtle for me, though -- it makes them look a bit like they are shimmering with light on them as they rotate if it is too fast, but it's not like distortion speckles.  I have pretty high brightness/contrast settings on my monitor, too, so I don't think it would be that.  I don't know if it is actually more severe on yours, or if you are just more sensitive to it than most people, or if there's some other setting causing it.

Oh yeah, it is DirectX specific. I forgot, I just remember I researched it heavily when I first started noticing it years ago, lol. It happens a lot, but then again, I tweak the shit out of my stuff, so since its generally pretty heavy for me, probably has to do with something I set. Speaking of, I think I'm going to try mucking around with my Antialiasing sampling settings and see what happens.