StarMade v0.304.4 - Misc. AI Improvements

This is a smaller, focused update that overhauls how you command your ships' AI and fleets, adds creative-mode server options, and fixes a number of outstanding bugs. It builds directly on the previous "Up to Speed" release.

AI & Targeting Overhaul

The ship/turret AI configuration menu has been reworked, and AI targeting is now far more configurable.

Aim-At Priority List

• The old single "Aim at" dropdown is now a prioritized, multi-select list. Available entries are Selected Target, Ships, Stations, Missiles, Astronauts, and Asteroids.

• The AI tries each enabled entry in order (highest priority first) and keeps the first target it acquires.

• Existing saved values are migrated automatically (the old "Any" option is expanded to Ships + Stations + Astronauts).

Target Priority

• A new Priority setting controls how the AI picks among valid targets: Random, Closest, Furthest, Weakest, Strongest, Lightest, Heaviest, Lowest Shields, and Highest Shields.

Engagement Range

• New Minimum Range and Maximum Range sliders let you define the band in which the AI will engage. Set either to Auto to fall back to the entity's weapon range.

Keep Target

• New Keep target until lost toggle — when enabled, the AI commits to its current target instead of re-evaluating every tick.

Focus Fire

• New Focus Fire system: the AI preferentially aims at specific enemy block groups, in a priority order you set.

• Selectable groups: Reactors, Stabilizers, Chambers, Turrets, Weapons, Thrusters, Shield Rechargers, and Shield Capacitors.

AI Command Module Commands

Command Modules can now issue AI commands directly, allowing logic-driven AI control:

• Toggle AI / Activate AI – turn the AI on or off.

• AI Type – set the AI type (Turret / Ship / Fleet).

• Target Type – set what the AI aims at.

• Target Priority – set how the AI chooses among valid targets.

• Keep Target – set whether the AI holds its target until lost.

• Minimum Range / Maximum Range – set the engagement range.

• Toggle Focus Group – enable/disable a focus-fire block group.

Additionally, multiple command modules can now control the same target block.

Fleets

Fleet Control From the Map

• Double-clicking an entry on the galaxy/system map now opens a radial options menu with several navigation and control options. Double clicking on an owned fleet will allow you to select that fleet and issue commands to it from the map.

• You can now point a selected fleet at a target and issue move/attack/defend/escort orders without leaving the map.

Fleet Performance & Menu

• Fleet member updates are now offloaded to a background thread queue, reducing their impact on the main server tick.

• Fleet members now track total cargo capacity, and several fleet menu panels were cleaned up and simplified.

Creative & Server Settings

Several new server settings were added, aimed at creative / build servers:

• Default Game Mode (SURVIVAL / CREATIVE) – the mode new players start in. In CREATIVE, players are granted creative mode automatically on join. (Single-player creative mode still takes precedence.)

• Free Blueprints – when enabled, spawning or buying blueprints costs no resources or credits. Useful for creative build servers, without needing to give all players Admin permissions.

• Delete Docked on Overheat – when enabled, all entities docked to an entity (recursively) are deleted along with it when its core fully overheats, instead of being undocked. Helps prevent entity clogging.

Factions

Territory Intrusion Alerts

• Factions now receive a Territory Intrusion news post when a hostile entity enters a system they own — including while members are offline. Posts are throttled per faction/system/intruder to avoid spam.

Faction News Log Fix

• Fixed a long-standing bug where the faction news log could drop or lose posts (and appear to "stop updating" once it grew large), caused by an integer-overflow in the post sorting logic.

Build Mode & UI

• The Ladder block now has a proper build-menu icon. The build-icon texture was also re-optimized and a number of unused image resources were removed from the game files. Please note that for now, the ladder has the collision model of a full block to prevent players from falling through it.

• Build mode context help now shows hints for the Shape Menu and Build Tools radial menus, plus the paste/template offset key controls when in paste mode.

• Fixed the paste/template offset axis so it is interpreted relative to the build camera and snaps to the correct grid axis regardless of how the build entity is oriented in the world.

Modding

• Robust mod packet processing: mod network packets now use a dedicated marker and contained read/write path, so a malformed mod packet can no longer desync the connection.

• Fixed mods not loading / enabling correctly in single-player.

• Various block-config loading fixes.

Bug Fixes

• FixedRail logicfixed rail-driven Activator / NOT signals flipping for a single tick (and latching to the wrong state) when crossing a rail block.

• Display-module rail rotation: the exact rotation angle is now synced to clients, so display-module-driven rail rotators no longer snap to coarse 45° steps or desync.

• FixedBlock orientation / symmetryfixed mirror-side blocks occasionally having their orientation reset (notably visible after astrotech repairs).

• NPC diplomacy: config values are now trimmed of whitespace before parsing, preventing diplomacy config parse failures.

• FixedMine layerfixed an error when drawing the reload indicator for a mine layer with no mine collections.

• Miscellaneous exception and stability fixes throughout the AI and UI systems.

If you find any issues, please report them in the issue tracker here. And, as always, thank you for playing StarMade!