New version .820 now out! (Logbook, Physics Improvements, Lots of Tweaks)

[x4000]

Release notes: http://arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=The_Last_Federation_Alpha_Release_Notes#Alpha_Version_.820

Restart steam to force a quicker update if you like.

Lots of good stuff here, I'll let you read the release notes, though.  Another release coming later today, but I wanted you to have these things sooner than later since it's clear a lot of you are testing at the moment.

Caveats (Same as last time):
1. All of the Operational abilities are still having their ships slaved to your attacks, and I don't intend for that to remain the case.

2. If you are running into specific mission types that are un-fun slow in the new combat model, then please send us saves.  I tested (for instance) dropping off spacefaring tech, and it was a tense 60-second excursion or so.

Enjoy!

[Cyborg]

Checking in. Had a good time today with The Last Federation. My favorite playstyle right now is using the block all shots abilities next to the platforms, really seems to clear the place out! I also like how fast-paced the combat is and yet turn-based, feels like there is some flow now without having to have pro-gaming reflexes.


It is a little bit odd that the shots are slower than your ship. 


I did find some game breaking stuff with a repeatable mission that allows for infinite influence. I don't imagine that is intended. It's still unclear what the limits and relief valves are for influence and individual levers like "leverage" and cesium.


However, it's really shaping up. I don't dread the combat anymore, and I enjoy flying around being a menace to everyone. I don't play the good guy, calling down the thunder.


Question for everybody else, which decision path leads to the planet cracker?


Edit: As a side note, I'm working all day and studying most nights, so my gaming freedom is going down, but I should still be able to check in.

[x4000]

Awesome, that's great news!  Glad you're enjoying it, because I know that combat in particular was something you really hated for a long while there.

Thanks for the report on the repeatable missions, I've fixed that for the next version.  What an oversight!

For the planetcracker, there's a couple of ways to have that happen:

1. After a certain amount of time has passed (I think it's 4 hours now in the next version), if the Acutians REALLY have a high animosity towards another race, but are not at war with them yet, then they will tend to start a planetcracker instead of a direct attack.  Also, they have to have a spare uncolonized moon.  The whole planetcracker thing was really super over-common recently, like the gas giant ignition is now, and we've been working to dial that back and thus make it more meaningful (for a while there it would literally happen about every 10 minutes, then get called off, then happen again, etc, heh).

2. Alternatively, you can spend a bunch of Credit with the Actutians as a political deal to get them to do it for you.  You have to be dealing with a CEO from one of these industries: Mining, Finance, Insurance, Entertainment, or Defense.  Defense is the cheapest option in terms of cost to you.  They still have to have a spare moon, and you have to have at least 90 influence with them as well.  You get to pick the target.   If a CEO of the sort you want is not available, then work on constructing buildings for the industry you want.  If the power of that industry is ascendant at the next industry quorum, then one of the CEOs from that industry will oust one of the CEOs that are not favorable to planetcracking.

[Kingpin23]

can we have an option to set our slowmow speed ourselfs instead of having it set on a default speed?

the normal combat speed is fine how it is but it would be great if we can set the slowmotion speed ourself.

[x4000]

can we have an option to set our slowmow speed ourselfs instead of having it set on a default speed?

the normal combat speed is fine how it is but it would be great if we can set the slowmotion speed ourself.

You mean as the default every time you enter a battle, versus having to push the button?  At any rate, I do plan to make those speed controls more robust for the combat, as right now they are a tad confusing as well as being a tad inadequate.  It's on my list for maybe next week or so.

[Kingpin23]

no I mean that sometimes the slowmotion is well, just too slow if that make sense.

would be great if we could set that in an option menu to our own liking

[x4000]

Oh, I gotcha.  Yeah, that's what I mean by more robust speed controls actually.  So we're on the same page!

[alocritani]

Absolutely not urgent not very important but has anyone found a way to slow down and turning?
I would like to brake moving on a S pattern, but if I try to add a waypoint while cursor shows back arrows then path will change in order to bring you there at full speed (or something similar).

[Coppermantis]

  You have to be dealing with a CEO from one of these industries: Mining, Finance, Insurance, Entertainment, or Defense. 

Uh, the entertainment industry? Those Acutians are into some sick and twisted spectator sports.

[Histidine]

  You have to be dealing with a CEO from one of these industries: Mining, Finance, Insurance, Entertainment, or Defense. 

Uh, the entertainment industry? Those Acutians are into some sick and twisted spectator sports.

"They're making a Galacular," Fom Berj said solemnly.

"A . . . Galacular?"

"Now you see the extent of their madness. An open violation of Regulation 69723468b!"

There was a sharp series of bumping sounds above. "Better hurry with that molecular disassociator," Fom Berj said.

"What's a Galacular?" Waverly was close to the door now. He froze as something made a slithery sound beyond it.

"A multi-D thriller," Fom Berj was explaining. "You know, one of those planetary debacle epics."

"What sort of debacle?" Waverly recoiled at a sound as of heavy breathing outside the door.

"Floods, quakes, typhoons—you know the sort of thing. Audiences love them, in spite of their illegality. The first scene they're shooting tonight will be a full-scale meteor strike in a place called Montana."

"You mean—a real meteor?"

"Of course. According to my informant, they've grappled onto a cubic mile or so of nickel-iron that was parked in a convenient orbit a few million miles out, and nudged it in this direction. I would have stopped it there, of course, but I blundered and they caught me," the detective sighed. "It should make quite an effective splash when it hits."

"They're going to wreck an entire state just for a—a spectacle?" Waverly choked.

"I see you're not familiar with the Galacular craze. To be accepted by discriminating multi-D fans, nothing less than a genuine disaster will serve."

-Keith Laumer, "The Planet Wreckers"

[PokerChen]

Acutians: okay with planetary destruction, not okay with individual slavery.

[doctorfrog]

Just curious about lore on the galaxy screen: am I teleporting from planet to planet now? Or is the metaphor that I'm contacting people via space internet? But then of course initiating a deed at a planet is instant as well.

Is the ship moving from planet to planet gone for good now, or is it on break? I hope it comes back in some form. Along with the sense of alienation that just clicking on planets gives me, you also lose some potential time-tension: will I get to planet X in time to prevent that war (or whatever). At the very least, I'd want some kind of metaphor for travel between these places, even if it's my ship going ZIP and teleporting there.

Did about an hour this weekend, and I'm experimenting with using Twitch to broadcast it --not with voice or video or anything, just rote silent gameplay, I might gussy it up with commentary in the future. It's more just to see how it works than anything else. Please let me know if that's not OK and I'll cease and desist.

And I'm sorry if the above are answered by release notes, I wanted to just jump in and play, and I'm glad I did. I have to say, the combat is pretty brutal now, in a mostly good way. Those document drop offs are no joke now. 1 hour of play + not reading the notes = the worst tester on the planet.

I'm running into texture loading issues. To a point, I'm used to this, as I see it in AI War and other games, but it can take a few seconds for backgrounds to load, but also things like buttons, ships, everything. It's not game-breaking, but it can be noticeable and perplexing for new players. I've seen at least one other person mention this, and I don't think it can be explained by a weak CPU, this is a pretty decent modern PC I put together in Sep 2014. Is it linked perhaps to disabling Aero on Windows 7?

A short recorded stream at 1024x768 (just experimenting with low resolutions): http://www.twitch.tv/captain_worthless/b/517612040

[Professor Paul1290]

Is the ship moving from planet to planet gone for good now, or is it on break? I hope it comes back in some form. Along with the sense of alienation that just clicking on planets gives me, you also lose some potential time-tension: will I get to planet X in time to prevent that war (or whatever). At the very least, I'd want some kind of metaphor for travel between these places, even if it's my ship going ZIP and teleporting there.

I have to admit, even though most of the functional misgivings I've had about it have been resolved, I also still feel skeptical about the removal of the solar map ship as silly as that might sound.

Some of the things we do on the various planets seem to require physical presence so the instantaneous travel ends up feeling a bit strange, especially given the speed at which the visible ships travel.

In a very macro game like TLFs solar map, opportunities to "attach" the player to the action are a rather few and far in between, so it seems a bit odd to give this one up so easily. Even not having direct control and just having it travel between planets to represent your movement visually, as cheesy as that might sound, would seem like something helpful there.

A lot of the ship graphics in games like Star Control were arguably rather pointless, but it was still kind of nice to have them.

[doctorfrog]

Yeah, I wasn't too thrilled with the ship cursor at first myself, and maybe as it was isn't quite it, but I feel like there should be some kind of visual metaphor for yourself on this screen.

Maybe instead of a "wander anywhere you want" type thing, there could be just a space lane visual metaphor like in Master of Orion II. You set your trip, and watch the ship travel the line, and you can only travel in between planets or little even happenings. While you are traveling, there are micro pauses while "events" happen during your travel (those icons to the right).

You could even split it out. Maybe there are certain kinds of negotiations you could do "over subspace," and some that demand the awe or reassurance of your physical presence.

[doctorfrog]

Also, is it just me, or are the red-ringed radar ships kind of difficult to understand? I stay outside their red circles, but it still looks like they are popping because I'm suddenly dealing with way too many ships. I assume they're popping, then, but I'm killing them without them 'seeing' me. Or does killing them just cause a pop?

I feel like I need a more clear indication of when they are reacting, other than simply disappearing and being replaced by other ships. Maybe a differently-colored explosion or wormhole-emergence overlay? Or a message?

Can we also have a configurable timeout on on-screen battle messages? I like having them there, but they can disappear after about 5-7 seconds.

Lastly, I'd like to be able to hover my cursor over something without the bendy-straw (what I call the movement trail cursor). It's a bit distracting, my mind feels "tied" to it somehow. Maybe if I hold SHIFT, it makes it disappear temporarily.