Prerelease 3.160 (Bugfixes, minor performance improvements)

[x4000]

The latest beta is available via the Updates window in version 3.060 or greater of the game.  Just open the game and you can quickly download the prerelease through the updates tab.  If you don't yet have 3.060 or greater, you can download 3.060 here.  This prerelease version is compatible with any vendor's version of the game -- Steam, Impulse, whatever.

Note:  If you have bug reports related to this release, please log them in the bug reports subforum with one bug per topic.  It makes things infinitely easier for us.  Thanks!

Looking for a Patch That Can Be Manually-Installed?
Because of the time involved in creating multiple versions of each patch, we only create manually-installable patches for official versions of the game, not each beta prerelease.  But you can easily create your own manually-installable beta patch!  Please note that current betas can only be successfully applied to version 3.060 of the game or later (if you later wish to revert to the official version for any reason, you can download the full raw files from the above link to do so).

To create your own manual beta patch, simply download these two files:
1. Current Beta Director Xml File.
2. Current Beta Zip File.

If you try to open that zip file, it will say it's corrupt -- that's okay, it's not really a zip file.  Finally, create a new zip file on your computer, and put both the director and the fake-zip-file inside it.  Call your outer zip file something that starts with Beta and ends with an extension of .zip.  Beta.zip will work just fine, or you can name it after the specific version number if you want to hang onto it.  And that's it!  Now you have your very own manually-installable package of the AI War beta version of your choice, which you can install by simply selecting via your Updates window in the game.  Please note that "Beta" in the filename is case-sensitive.

What's new since 3.159:
(Cumulative release notes since 3.120 are here http://arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=AI_War_-_Current_Beta)

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

    *  Fixed potential crash bug in previous versions if you loaded a game with a cloaker starship in a transport.

    * Some small performance improvements in overall main loop code and AI determination of "how much strength is protecting ship X".

    * Fixed problem in new movement optimizations that would make some really-low-speed units (like trains and superforts) move extremely slowly.

    * Added a separate throttle category for ships that have only overkill targets, so that those ships are more likely to update their target lists in a timely fashion when non-overkill targets show up.

    * A minor performance improvement to CheckForTargetListUpdate.

    * The code has now been set up so that internal development on the Children of Neinzul expansion can start at any time.

[rubikscube]

I was wondering where this was since i couldn't find it after i saw many "fixed in 3.160" bug threads

[x4000]

Those always predate the actual release, sometimes by days.  We note that when the fix has been made, not when it is pushed out.

[Volatar]

CHRIS! I just updated 5 minutes before you put this patch up, and now I have to do it again 

[x4000]

Sorry!   Them's the breaks with Arcen, sometimes.

[Volatar]

I'm not irritated I am just very amused 

[x4000]

I know, I was just joshing back.

[Buttons840]

Those always predate the actual release, sometimes by days.

I remember that update.

[x4000]

 

[Buttons840]

I see Expansion 2 listed in the settings.  Would there be problems if I checked that?  Or only the potential for confusion?

[x4000]

It won't take, as you don't have it installed.  Or at least it shouldn't take...

[rubikscube]

you said official version in these 2 weeks, is it 3.180 or 3.200? or what?

[x4000]

I haven't decided yet, it depends what things are looking like then.

[Signata]

Last night I was in a large battle over a pretty extensive planet (8 resources; a nice find!). Not too huge, maybe 3,500 ships in all including the human resistance forces that showed up about halfway through, and noted a few things:

A) Performance seemed good. The only times things slowed down were when I had the range overlays on (Z)
B) My mobile repair tugs seemed to be placing a much higher priority on the resistance ships. I don't mind healing resistance ships in the slightest, but it was kind of annoying seeing tugs flying by my primary fleet, heavily wounded ships, to rescue very distant and lightly damaged resistance bombers. Finally the weirdest...
C) There seemed to be a zone, or perhaps perimeter is a better word, where once ships passed outside of it, they moved *very* slowly. Part of what made my repair fleet useless to my own fleet is that much of the resistance fleet was out beyond that perimeter and once the tugs passed that point they would slow down to a crawl---perhaps as fast as a SuperFortress. It would take them about twenty minutes to enter the zone, fetch the ship and return. As soon as they crossed the slow-down perimeter back into the middle, main theatre of the planet, they moved at full speed. It was as if the enemy had a million gravity turrets all around the planet. I observed this slowdown in at least two directions. It wasn't like any tech that I know of. It wasn't a gravity drill---speeds were fine in the main theatre.

[Volatar]

Last night I was in a large battle over a pretty extensive planet (8 resources; a nice find!). Not too huge, maybe 3,500 ships in all including the human resistance forces that showed up about halfway through, and noted a few things:

A) Performance seemed good. The only times things slowed down were when I had the range overlays on (Z)
B) My mobile repair tugs seemed to be placing a much higher priority on the resistance ships. I don't mind healing resistance ships in the slightest, but it was kind of annoying seeing tugs flying by my primary fleet, heavily wounded ships, to rescue very distant and lightly damaged resistance bombers. Finally the weirdest...
C) There seemed to be a zone, or perhaps perimeter is a better word, where once ships passed outside of it, they moved *very* slowly. Part of what made my repair fleet useless to my own fleet is that much of the resistance fleet was out beyond that perimeter and once the tugs passed that point they would slow down to a crawl---perhaps as fast as a SuperFortress. It would take them about twenty minutes to enter the zone, fetch the ship and return. As soon as they crossed the slow-down perimeter back into the middle, main theatre of the planet, they moved at full speed. It was as if the enemy had a million gravity turrets all around the planet. I observed this slowdown in at least two directions. It wasn't like any tech that I know of. It wasn't a gravity drill---speeds were fine in the main theatre.

Not sure what prerelease its from, but that is intended behavior that was included in the big 3.120 release:

-When player ships (not AI or minor faction ships) go too far from the a planet's center, they now start slowing down.  This happens when the ships get beyond the range of their energy sources by too far, and prevents them leading AI ships on wild goose chases by too far, whcih was exploitative especially with transports.  Speed is down to 16 at 80k, 8 at 100k, 1 at 160k, rather than the prior 16 at 60k, 8 at 80k, and 1 at 160k.