TLF Version 1.502 Released (Obscura Relicui)

[x4000]

Original: http://arcengames.com/tlf-version-1-502-released-obscura-relicui/

Version 1.502 is out, and brings a ton of refinement to the new expansion based on player feedback.

Actually, there are some very good things for the base game, too.  Chief among those is that now the trade routes are vastly clearer in terms of why they can't happen at a given time, and the logic for when and why they can happen is actually simpler now, too.  Since trade routes are so central to good relations between races, this is a big increase in clarity overall.

In the expansion, your fights with the Obscura are now not just a madness of shots flying everywhere.  It keeps the fights to four-at-a-time even if there are more ships stacked up to appear as existing ships disappear.   This means the fights are still very hard, but they don't get insta-death impossible like they could previously.

Speaking of the Obscura, the Invasion Mode for the expansion has seen a tremendous number of updates and refinements based on early feedback.  The Obscura no longer use technologies like the other races do, and in general the balance and AI of the invasive race has been heavily altered.  Before it was possible for them to just tootle around being all mighty but not really going anywhere for 20 years.  Running the same simulation now (just observer mode without me interacting with anything), they wipe out 5 other races in 9 years.  Bit of a difference.

It may be that the invasion mode is impossibly hard now, I'm not really sure.  If so, the Obscura can certainly be tuned in terms of their stats.  But behaviorally I think they are now where they need to be, at any rate, so it's a numbers game beyond that point.  Probably. ;)

Betrayal Mode for the expansion has also seen some fixes and tweaks.  Your new armadas were coming out incorrectly weak, and your general stats were mirroring that of the race you first took over too much.  The focus was more on Invasion Mode in this release, but that was also the one that needed more at the moment.

Let us know how things are looking, if you have suggestions or bug reports, etc!

More to come soon. Enjoy!

This is a standard update that you can download through the in-game updater, or if you have Steam it will automatically update it for you. To force Steam to download it faster, just restart Steam and it will do so.

[Misery]

Ahh, you fixed the bit with the trade routes!

That had bugged me for awhile actually.

EDIT:  Also, I wanted to say, the new music is really great.   Already made up a CD of music from this game for my car.  Though, it's still hard to top the original Acutian theme.

[nas1m]

EDIT:  Also, I wanted to say, the new music is really great.

Seconded .

Not directly expansion related, but:
Would you be inclined to take a look at this one?
Issues like this trouble me deeply since they could imply that whole underlying RCI system is not working correctly - which would be fairly disastrous in my book since RCI poses a big part of what the player actually can influence about the simulation.

Not being able to manipulate the simulation in ways similar to what I described in the ticket is the biggest source of frustration to me as far as the solar map part of the game is concerned . This and dispatches having no clear effect .

And I guess I am not alone with this....

[Misery]

Possibly.... just possibly.... the Obscura might be indeed a TAD too strong with this update, maybe.

Started new game in this mode, wondering, hmmm, gotta start helping these guys out to get them somewhere, who to assist first?  As seems the usual, the Boarines had low population and crappy medical, so I figure, ok.  Let's do a dispatch, and then figure out what to do from there.   I go to start the dispatch.  I click fast-forward.  About 4 seconds of real-time passes.  The Boarines promptly blink out of existence, having been instantly obliterated by the Obscura.  Just.... what. 

[FortunaDraken]

Uh...yeah they're kind of. Too strong. Considering they're nearly impossible to beat without strategy on your part (and thus race ships instantly die because AI why)...I don't think having them rush to take over is really viable when you can do literally nothing against them without a few upgrades...

[Misery]

Yep, heh.

Currently I just have that mode on hold, and am still playing through my game in the main mode, and have started in Betrayal too.  That one though, hoboy.  It'll take me awhile to get an idea as to what tactics to get going with in that one.  My earlier attempt at that mostly consisted of indecisiveness. 


The only real issue I have run into today is the godforsaken Pirate Ravens, argh.  But I already did a mantis ticket about those (they're too fast, takes freaking forever to get rid of them.... AND they're really weak).


Other than that, no current issues.

[x4000]

Hey guys,

10-4 on the Obscura bit.   I am working on that, and some related long-requested stuff that should also help with that general area.

In terms of your mantis ticket, nas1m, I definitely did not miss it and I'll get to it when I can.  I have a feeling it's a display issue, but I'm not sure.  I'm trying to triage things in terms of most-critical first, but we'll be doing polish like that as well (which that might be visual polish or it might be a literal balance bug, but either way it needs looking at and thanks for reporting it).

[nas1m]

In terms of your mantis ticket, nas1m, I definitely did not miss it and I'll get to it when I can.  I have a feeling it's a display issue, but I'm not sure.  I'm trying to triage things in terms of most-critical first, but we'll be doing polish like that as well (which that might be visual polish or it might be a literal balance bug, but either way it needs looking at and thanks for reporting it).

No problem. My fear is that a whole mechanic might have gone awry under the hood unnoticed (-300 medical should be enough to make a population dwindle, right ? Yet nothing seems to happen...). Otherwise I would not have pressed the issue so much.

Thanks for looking into it .

[x4000]

You bet.