Update 2025.1.8.4 - Numerous Bugfixes

Numerous gameplay tweaks from the second half of 2024:

• Bugfix: Aero-B control flightstick left thumbstick yaw should now work properly

• Bugfix: On starting a completely fresh game, the default flight controls should be "Aero"

• Improved enemy AI. Elite enemy fighters and Cybron Remotes now lead their targets, particularly in the higher levels (past Cybron Space).

• Deadlier enemy AI. Higher difficulty enemies now gimbal their guns within a certain firing arc to achieve greater accuracy.

• Deadlier enemy weapons. Firing rate and velocity have been increased on the Saurian Raptor Elite, Saurian Cerabomber Elite, Pirate Corsair, and Cybron Remote.

• Major bugfix: Bullets no longer penetrate the player's shield

• Major AI improvement

• Dependency on Meta and Oculus libraries removed in favor of OpenXR

• Unity Engine update to 6.000.0.32f1 (bleeding edge LTS version)

• Substantial reduction in shader count to reduce VRAM usage and load times by removing unnecessary render pipeline options

• Friendly fire now only inflicts 20% hull damage (sill inflicts 100% damage for shields)

• When the Requiem jumps out, it would fire a warp jump audio cue for every enemy bullet hitting it overloading the audio system and killing music.

• In "Destroy Arrow Station" the Requiem will now fire its forward heavy guns at the station if it reaches proper alignment.

• Art asset fixes in Neotica city

• Lightmaps for all terrestrial missions

• Powerups including class 4 powerups are present in the very last mission, making it slightly less difficult.

• Removed several buggy materials.

• Fixed explosion audio cues on space station and capitol ship destruction.

• Fixed warp in audio cues on a number of missions when ships jump in.

• Galactic Carriers can now fire their main weapons if a target is directly in front of them.

• Several particle effects like bullet sparks and shield destruction effects are now no longer transparent leading to major performance in FPS on ultra low end laptops. By removing transparency, these effects no longer depend on the depth buffer and can be GPU batched efficiently for rendering.

• The control scheme selection screen at the start of the game now has text indicating that the controls are rotation tracking to mitigate player confusion about how the control scheme works.

• The Tornado Bomber now is equipped with homing bombs which have been reduced in count from 20 to 8. These bombs are effected by gravity on planetary missions. The low angle firing option has also been reduced from an angle of 30 to an angle 25 degrees off center.

• Player homing missiles and superior homing missiles are much, much more effective.

• If the Capitol Station is somehow destroyed, it will properly break up into pieces rather than transforming into a destroyed Citadel station.

• The Cybron Remote is now much more likely to attempt to strike targets close by, particularly in the "Missing Scientists" mission.