Prerelease 1.999A (Sniper/FF fix, shot art+, other minor fixes and tweaks)

[x4000]

The latest prerelease is available at http://www.arcengames.com/share/AIWar1999A.zip

That version is an upgrade from version 1.301, so you have to already have 1.201 (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 1.301:
(Cumulative release notes since 1.301 are attached at the bottom)

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-Previously, the text on allied planets was showing up as red for players, instead of white.  This made it harder to see hostile wormholes at a glance.  Fixed.

-In the last release, snipers, infiltrators, and other ships that are supposed to be able to fire through force fields (lightning missiles aside) were instead damaging the force fields like normal.  Fixed.

-Scrolling the game window is now disabled when the in-game menu is visible.

-The starting rotation of black holes in the galaxy map is now randomized (as it always was in the lobby), so that they don't all look synchronized if there are multiple.

-Tachyon Drones now have much greater speed, cloaking, and a 50% larger tachyon beam coverage area.

NEW ART - Philippe Chabot
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All remaining shot effects.

[RCIX]

That was fast...

[quickstix]

-Tachyon Drones now have much greater speed, cloaking, and a 50% larger tachyon beam coverage area.

If there's one thing that always goes first at my wormholes, it's the tachyon drones.

[darke]

Might want to bump up the scout starship's detection range to 1000, or give it extra speed to match the tachyon drone or something. Since whilst adding the cloaking to the drone actually gives it a reason to be used now, it really eliminates the only major benefit of the scout starship (the only one left I would consider a good benefit is mine immunity, the others are just nice to have but not necessary), and it costs $(serious) cash in comparison.

[tals]

Is that versioning suggesting this could be V2 - or is V2 next major release

[x4000]

darke -- Scout starships are immune to counterspies, which are one major advantage.  But adding a different advantage, like mine-immunity boosting, is a cool idea.

tals -- yep, this will turn into version 2.0 in 2-4 weeks!

[darke]

darke -- Scout starships are immune to counterspies, which are one major advantage.  But adding a different advantage, like mine-immunity boosting, is a cool idea.

I'm finding their Ion Cannon immunity to be rather convenient at the moment as well. Playing a AI10/10-planet/8-planet-start game again and they've got MkII Ion Cannons on their homeworlds. Makes life interesting when you've only barely got enough research to upgrade your base fighter/bomber/cruiser to MkIII, so I can't get any MkIII scouts that are immune to Ion Cannon II's.

[x4000]

New version:  http://arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,1462.msg9268.html#msg9268

darke, a lot of your suggestions are not yet in this version, but hopefully will be in C.  I have not forgotten them!

[darke]

No problem. That was the first "real" game of AI War I've had a chance to play in a month, so it's not as if it's too much of an issue with the speed of fixes.

[x4000]

Haha, okay then.  Should be in there today, all the same.