0.6: The "Juicy" Update

Juice: All those little extra details that together make a big difference.

Amid the ongoing work on multiplayer, I've (finally!) juiced up the game a bit, adding shadows, projectile glow, ship engine jets, shipyard construction arms, and better explosions. I've also improved the appearance of units under construction, as well as the appearance of mechbots as they are doing the constructing. Update 0.6 also features GUI improvements, a new background music track (featured in the update video), bug fixes and efficiency improvements, and a new unit, the resource converter:

The resource converter, available upon reaching tech level 3, continually turns two resource types into the third resource type at a 2,2:1 ratio, until its storage is full. The converted resource can be chosen manually, or the converter can be set to run automatically, in which case it reevaluates which resource to produce whenever it finishes converting a "batch" of resources.

Full patch notes

single player

.5.62

-Mechbots now run build script if not constructing, rather than if they have no construction target.

-Cleaned up AI building construction code to be in line with previous code refactoring.

-Improved the appearance of the Energy Reversal Cannon.

-Rebalanced VO audio volume.

.5.63

-Shipyards still under construction now display their build menus when selected in all cases, allowing units to be added to their build queues.

-Simplified code for checking if more than one building type was selected.

-Moved unit deselection to the beginning of the unit selection script.

.5.67

-Added the Resource Converter, which can be built after reaching tech level 3 and currently just works automatically.

-Added debug info for tracking cargo barge resource handling, to make sure it is working correctly in all cases.

.5.68

-Increased mech shipyard resource export threshold from 100 to 200 to enable mechbot creation when ore starved.

-Cargo barges now check if they've picked up any of a resource before attempting to deliver it to the destination.

-In situations where resources are scarce, cargo barges now only change to the next resource delivery destination after they've successfully delivered resources to the previous one, ensuring even distribution of construction materials.

-Cargo barges can now only collect resources from a building if it has been built and hasn't been destroyed.

-Fewer particles are now drawn on lower graphics settings.

.6.0

-Added GUI buttons to the resource converter for specifying which resource to convert, or for setting to automatic.

-Added more localization strings for the resource converter.

-Added missing Italian localization strings.

-Changed some German localization strings to be consistent and to fit the GUI better.

-Added animated construction arms to shipyards.

-Shipyard construction arms draw construction particles like mechbots do, but neither now draw them at the lowest graphics setting.

-Added shadows, disabled at lower graphics settings.

-Buildings under construction now use the same shader as ships under construction, for better consistency.

-The construction shader has been improved.

.6.1

-Buildings no longer draw shadows at maximum (icon) zoom level.

-Battlestation turrets now have shadows.

-Added two more construction arms to battleship shipyards.

-Added more missing German and Italian localization strings.

-Added lighting effects to projectiles.

-Added cannon flashes to capital ship guns.

-Created more scripts to handle drawing single and groups of projectiles.

-Removed unneeded checks for whether projectiles were being drawn offscreen, since they are culled automatically.

-Removed a duplicate check for zoom level and unit built status in many cases when drawing projectiles.

-Fixed a number of issues with alarms potentially failing to activate due to being set randomly with "0" as a possibility.

.6.2

-Muzzle flash distance now stored in an instance rather than local variable for capital ships and battlestations.

-Battlestation guns and anti-ship turrets now also have cannon flashes.

-Made battlestation projectile drawing code slightly more efficient.

-Unit shadows are now drawn according to unit depth and are now drawn regardless of construction or destruction status, but at half the object's current transparency.

-Doubled the maximum defense turret limit.

-Added thruster jet effects to frigates.

.6.3

-Added thruster jet effects to missile ships.

.6.4

-Added thruster jet effects to destroyers, mechbots, and cargo barges.

-Added a fluctuating glow effect to thruster jets.

.6.5

-Added thruster jet effects to scouts, assimilation vessels, fighters, cruisers, and battleships.

-Added fluctuating glow effect to mechbot thruster jets.

-Improved shipyard construction arm shadow locations.

-Mechbot construction particles come from their constructing arms, with a glow at the tips.

-Battlestations' central spire is now separate from the rest of the structure, does not rotate, and has a shadow and particle effect.

-Re-enabled vsync.

.6.6

-Made ingame click sound slightly louder.

.6.7

-Battlestation construction is no longer blocked by existing structures.

-AI mechbots now relocate after having their construction attempts blocked by existing structures too many times in a row.

-Paused ERF animation while under construction so it doesn't look weird.

.6.8

-Fixed code that prevented AI from building battlestations unless they were already winning.

-Adjusted AI mechbot construction priorities to cause fewer problems if resources are scarce.

-Fixed code that prevented AI from building resource converters unless all resource deposits were occupied.

.6.9

-Clickable area now properly matches the button size of tall buttons in the end of match stats graph.

.6.10

-Simplified unit targeting code, making it more efficient and making units more likely to focus fire on a single target.

-Battlestations now prioritize targeting missile ships over turreted ships.

-Anti-ship turrets now give much higher targeting priority to missile ships (but still prioritize turreted ships first).

-Shortened "allied unit" and "enemy unit" to "ally" and "enemy" in some languages, so it fits on the GUI.

-Made a smaller version of the unit info GUI background for units that have no buttons for upgrades; GUI elements are now only displayed when needed.

-Reduced volume of missile ship VO.

-Header titles for resource collectors are no longer too long for the GUI in some languages.

.6.11

-Fixed issue allowing player to place construction projects over others unless they were battlestations (the opposite of the intended change in .6.7).

.6.12

-Increased the size of the GUI mouseover tooltip hitbox for units' stored resource amounts to include the resource icon.

-Changed some instances of checking if a unit's target equaled noone, to whether the target instance exists.

-Battlestations now only target assimilation vessels at close range, unless they are the only targetable unit, and give scout ships the lowest targeting priority.

.6.13

-Unit wreckage now disappears more slowly.

-Made further improvements to the efficiency of unit targeting code.

-Fighters now only pick a new target in lieu of their squadron leader if their squadron leader is not nearby.

-Eliminated or shortened fighters' delay before finding new targets in most cases.

-In-game GUI elements no longer display while the game is paused.

-Tooltip GUI background is now visible in all cases when info text is displayed.

-Newly created fighters are now guaranteed to be assigned their squadron leader's target if it exists.

-Fixed issue that could potentially prevent certain unit types from finding a new target due to a faulty target existence check.

.6.14

-Fixed memory leaks caused by not destroying some particle types at match end.

-Added more particle effects to explosions at highest graphics quality.

-Fixed bug introduced in .6.13 preventing RMB targeting from working for fighters.

.6.15

-Destroyed units now fade out more quickly closer to the end of their existence.

-Added music track, "Empire's Fate".

.6.16

-Fighters no longer perform movement logic after being destroyed.

-Made the shape of medium explosions more random.

-Added secondary explosions to destroyed units.

multiplayer

.5.58

-Removed redundant flagging of resource deposits as occupied when upgrading their collectors.

-Clients no longer create duplicate upgraded defense turrets and resource collectors in some cases.

-Upgraded client defense turrets and resource collectors now always get their status and stored resources set correctly when created.

-Client ship and station turrets no longer set some unneeded shipping parameters when upgrading to class D.

.5.59

-Displayed client mechbots now send their build queues to the host upon releasing SHIFT.

-Added debug info for mechbot build queues.

-Deleting units with CRTL+X now works properly for clients.

-Clients should now be able to select units using hotkeys.

.5.60

-Added a check to client construction initiation in scr_build_building to prevent a host crash caused by an invalid construction id.

-Changed mechbot debug info to determine why client mechbots initially continue toward their former construction location instead of toward the next in queue after finishing construction.

-Duplicate upgraded resource collectors and defense turrets no longer appear on client side. However, now nothing appears, instead!

-Added missing buffer read to client unit display when selecting using hotkeys.

-Added some debug audio to diagnose issues with client hotkey selection.

-Attempted but failed to make client shipyards properly display number of units in queue.

.5.61

-Removed check preventing client shipyards from properly displaying the number of units in queue.

-Added some debug audio to diagnose missing upgraded client buildings.

.5.62

-Client mechbot build queue is fully populated when construction status is updated by host, to prevent build script crash caused by missing values.

-Removed debug audio when upgrading client buildings and hotkey selecting client units.

-Added debug audio when adding units to client shipyard production queues, which still isn't showing correctly for clients.

-Added a check to prevent clients from being able to simultaneously choose the same player slot in the multiplayer lobby.

-Fixed issue causing client mechbots to go to the previous location to build when more than one structure is in the build queue.

-Addressed client mechbots not clearing entries from their build queues after finishing construction.

.5.63

-Fixed client crash when finishing mechbot building construction with a build queue, introduced in 5.62.

-Fixed issue causing client's selected units to not display on GUI in some cases.

-Added debug audio for client reception of selected unit array.

-Client units now display their research progress bars and no longer explode when upgrading.

.5.64

.5.65

-Fixed newly introduced client out of scope variable crash.

.5.66

-Client defense turrets no longer duplicate their bases when upgrading.

-Added and removed debug indicators for client shipyard build queue issue.

.5.67

-Reworked code to make client shipyard build queues work and display correctly, barring any mistakes.

.5.68

-Fixed host crash caused by out of scope variable when queuing units at client shipyards.

-Host now only updates resource counts if any are actually transferred between cargo barge and destination.

.5.69

-Removed old debug audio.

-Added debug audio to find out why client shipyard queues are STILL not displaying correctly.

.5.70

-Fixed issue preventing client shipyard queues from displaying correctly and removed debug audio used for diagnosing the issue.

-Fixed some issues potentially preventing client mechbots' build queues from updating properly after finishing construction.

.6.0

-Fixed a host crash caused by an uninitialized array when clients initiated battlestation construction.

-The resource converter is now multiplayer compatible.

.6.1

-Fixed immediate host crash caused by passing an object type into a function that takes an instance id as its argument.

.6.5

-Client resource converter GUI buttons now stay pressed.

-Client mechbots now make construction sounds and visual effects.

.6.6

-Fixed issue preventing client mechbots from making construction sounds and visual effects.

-Client units now play selection sounds.

.6.7

-AI mechbot construction status should now update more properly on client side.

-Reworked unit netID arrays to ensure netIDs cannot exceed a value of 65535, so they will always fit in a u16 buffer (a significant change, which might introduce bugs).

.6.8

-Fixed host crash and many other obvious issues caused by resource deposits not being assigned netIDs.

.6.9

-Addressed a client crash probably caused by a selected unit's netID and the fail state value for not finding a client unit with that netID both being 0.

.6.10

-The host only sends unit target update to the client if a new target is actually found.

-Joining players are now automatically put in the first empty slot in the multiplayer lobby, if there is one.

.6.12

-Fixed multiple multiplayer crashes and errors caused by mishandling multiplayer unit array indices in cases where no unit exists.

-Amended the multiplayer target update change in .6.10 which erroneously excluded cases of switching from having a target to having no target.

-Removed some redundant calls of the host target update function by simply checking once at the end of the event whether the target has changed since the beginning of the event.

-Fixed multiplayer host and client unit target update functions to work properly when the unit is being assigned no target.

-Client shipyards now properly assign their rally targets to created units.

-Client unit target update function now properly sets ERC target distance.

.6.13

-Client AI mechbots are now properly updated when no longer constructing.

-Fixed issue preventing client fighters' targets from updating if not the squadron leader.

-Added missing packets and removed redundant packets for updating client fighter states.

-Client unit targeting state is now updated when a resource collector being targeted by that unit is upgraded.

.6.14

-Added a check to prevent host crash when updating a client unit's target, along with debug output to try to find the cause.

.6.15

-Added more debug info to diagnose .6.14 multiplayer issue.

.6.16

-Added checks for fighters being destroyed before running the fighter targeting update script involved in the .6.14 multiplayer issue.

-Removed debug code for the .6.14 multiplayer issue.