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 3.177:(Cumulative release notes since 3.120 are here
http://arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=AI_War_-_Current_Beta)
-------------------
* Added Neinzul Cluster (I-V versions) AI defensive structure; also added Neinzul Cluster-Bomber AI type (moderate) that starts with a cluster on every one of its planets that isn't right next to a human homeworld.
* Fixed bug in auto-knowledge-gather that could cause a crash.
* Fixed a crash that could happen with Neinzul ships looking for a regeneration chamber.
* Previous versions had changed the long-standing behavior that fortresses were not selected with other mobile military; the military selection logic has now been changed to exclude anything that cannot travel through wormholes.
* Added Neinzul Viral (only one mark) Swarmer and Neinzul Viral Cluster I-V (which is a cluster that only has the swarmers), and Neinzul Viral Enthusiast (which has viral clusters on every wormhole).
* Added Neinzul Bomber (only one mark) and Neinzul Bomber Cluster I-V (which is a cluster that only has the bombers), and extended the Neinzul Cluster-Bomber to pick Bomber Clusters half the time and normal Clusters half the time during initial map generation.
* Added the Neinzul Privacy Cluster, a rare form of Cluster that emits tachyon beams and is antagonized by scouts as well as normal military (no other cluster is antagonized by a mere scout). This type of cluster is seeded on roughly 1 out of every 20 planets of a Neinzul Cluster Bomber AI.
* Neinzul Regeneration Chambers are now seeded on AI planets as part of map generation (including loading old saves) in any game with the CoN expansion turned on. The seeding ensures that no AI planet (with the possible exception of those directly bordering a human homeworld) is more than 1 hop away from an AI-controlled regen chamber.
* Hybrid Hives will now no longer take Neinzul Youngling ships as drones, since they are so short-lived.
* Neinzul Youngling ships that are below 30% health have had logic to automatically look for a regen chamber on their planet, but now will also check directly adjacent planets.
* Fixed a bug from the last couple of prereleases that could cause odd AI behavior such as its ships shooting off into the ether. It was a funny and unintended occasional side-effect of one of the recent performance improvements.
* Previously, there were only mark I and II ion cannons. Now, mark III, IV, and V ion cannons have also been added. These new ion cannons cannot be purchased by humans from the trader, and cannot be captured from the AI on planet ownership change. Like their lower-level cousins, they insta-kill all non-insta-kill-immune ships with a mark level equal to or lower than their own mark level. In the case of the mark V ion cannons, this basically means that the best way to take them out is starships.
o These will be seeded into existing savegames, but the seed rules in general are as follows:
+ Mark III ion cannons are only ever seeded for AI players of difficulty 6 or higher, and at most with 1 per planet.
+ Mark IV ion cannons are only ever seeded for AI players of difficulty 7 or higher, and at most with 1 per planet.
+ Mark V ion cannons are only ever seeded for AI players of difficulty 8 or higher, and at most with 1 per planet.
+ Even though there can only be one ion cannon of each mark level per planet, you could indeed see situations where you have a mark III and a mark IV ion cannon both on the same planet. The likelihood of each mark level of ion cannon appearing is diminishing as the mark level increases. However, the likelihood of each is increased as the difficulty of the AI player is increased.
* The ships that the Zenith Trader will build for the AI has been updated to give better weighting to the ships based on their level of power, and to include the new, more-powerful ion cannons at a fairly low likelihood.
* The AI, on difficulty 5 and up, now will occasionally build a "nest" of spider turrets on some planets. These are pretty rare, and basically consist of a big clump of spider turrets all clustered together and ready to paralyze the engines of incoming player ships. Normally the AI doesn't use spider turrets at all, since if they were too prevalent they would be really annoying. These pretty-rare nests provide interesting unusual challenges, though. On higher difficulties, the nests have more spider turrets in them, and there is more of a chance of them appearing.
o These will be seeded into existing savegames.
* The AI, on difficulty 7 and up, will now use Mobile Repair Stations and space tugs on some of its planets. These are pretty rare, but add to the challenge of those particular planets like the addition of a mark I or mark II fortress does. The chance for these goes up with higher difficulties.
o These will be seeded into existing savegames.
* The speed of the energy bombs fired by dreadnoughts, resistance fighter/bombers, neinzul bombers, and zenith bombards have all been doubled.
* The health of the mark i, ii, and iii dreadnoughts have been increased as follows: from 200k to 300k, from 300k to 600k, and from 400k to 900k. This makes the dreadnoughts vastly more fearsome and gives them much more survivability.
* The health of light starships, flagships, zenith starships, and spire starships have all now been doubled.
* Added Neinzul Nest (I-V) structures, which are like clusters except that they are also angered by the humans controlling their planet or an adjacent planet, or killing AI units on their planet or an adjacent planet. They also have a greater capacity than normal clusters. They also differ from clusters in that they have no attack of their own but can take vastly more damage and cost 10 AIP if destroyed instead of 2.
* Added Neinzul Nester (harder) AI type, which starts the game with Neinzul Nests on most of its planets (half of them on Diff 10, scaling down for lower difficulties).
* Previously, there was only a mark I scout starship. Now new unlockable mark II, III, and IV scout starships have been added. Each has progressively better tachyon beams, health, and movement speed, as well as higher costs and progressively lower ship caps. The mark IV scout starships also are perma-cloaked like the regular mark IV scouts. The difference is that these scout starships can be unlocked at any time, unlike the regular scouts. But on the other hand, to unlock all the way through tech IV with regular scouts only requires 3,000 knowledge (and you get a single mark IV scout). In the case of the scout starships it requires 9,000 (and you get two mark IV scout starships).
o These are in no way intended to replace the main scout line, but they do provide a new similar-but-different-in-the-specifics alternative for some circumstances (for one example among many: if there are no advanced factories remaining on the map, and you REALLY need a perma-cloaked scout). Unlike regular scouts, these are also useful for combat support because of their counter-sniper flares, tachyon beams, etc.
