Please help with feedback on version 1.61 (Beta)

Hi all.
I need some feedback on whether I’ve broken anything in the upcoming version 1.61 patch.
I’ve uploaded a replacement .exe file here:

positech.co.uk/gratuitousspa … review.exe

You can just drop it into the Gratuitous Space Battles folder and run it alongside the existing GSB.exe. This version expires after a few weeks, and you need the full install of the game to try it out. You will still need to do a proper 1.61 patch when it is released.
The changes are:

[code]version 1.61

  1. Bug Fix: Drag selecting now launches ship inspector for the first selected ship, not the first ship in the fleet…ooops.
  2. New feature: Support for the cruiser decoy projector module.
  3. Bug Fix: AI now works differently, and less stupidly when assessing which target to move towards.
  4. New feature: pulse-glow effect now supports two new variables ‘min alpha’ and ‘max alpha’
  5. Support for new two-stage missiles.
  6. Bug fix: Ensuring that regardless of framerate or missile speed, missiles that would hit, will actually hit.
  7. Support for new multi-point tractor beams.
  8. Improved design of load-ship dialog in the design screen so it scales to fill the available space and shows (and can sort by) hull name too.
  9. Support for modding plasma torpedoes to use style CUSTOM and plasma_texture = “texture.dds” for custom effects
  10. Support for weapons firing from cloaked ships using the “fire_while_cloaked=1” setting
  11. Reverted the Area-of-effect code so it only happens on hits, not misses, as requested.
  12. Added support for modded music.
  13. Fixed obscure timing issue where when at 4x speed and a low FPS, theoretically some very-rapid fire weapons may have been ‘dropping’ shots. Game now supports multiple shots per frame.
  14. Removed now redundant ‘internet news’ dialog.
  15. Stats summary screen now closes properly when exiting the stats screen without closing it.[/code]

Some of that stuff is for the outcasts, but there are AI and other changes that I want to be sure work ok, and modders can play with some of the new toys too. All feedback much appreciated.

Oh I will be interested to see how that turns out, especially for rockets.

The new AI seem to work fine now. No more silly lures.

I guess we need to start setting flak to target frigates and cruisers then, since it will almost always hit that way and the splash would hit the fighters. Parasite would probably be much more balanced this way.

Thanks. This was a problem mainly in large fights, and I admit 4x is the only speed I play this game on.

Under the new Load Ship Design box, the hull column header seems to be missing its gui string. It currently says “DESIGN_SORT_HULL.”

Can you add an attribute in the module’s text file which allows modders to control if AOE is or is not always hitting? Would that be possible?
(I use this feature in one of my modules ^^’ )

oops, didn’t realize people would need the newer text file. Is the new design loader better in general? What about the gameplay battle changes?

I really like the new loader changes. I’ll be looking into the gameplay a bit more today.

EDIT: I’m having trouble getting the two stage missiles to work.

[code][config]
unlockcost = 0
lockable = 0
armour_penetration = 40
category = “WEAPONS”
classname = “SIM_MissileModule”
cost = 145
crew_required = 13
damage = 8
decoy_release_range = 450
description = “Why fight a battle when you can just lob missiles at them from a distance?”
fire_interval = 4000
flareuvid = 2
fuel = 1800
guiname = “Pisces Cruise Missiles”
has_decoys = 1
has_flare = 1
hitpoints = 100
icon = turret
min_range = 550
max_range = 1500
missilelength = 6.0
missilespeed = 0.20
missilewidth = 2.5
name = “pisces cruise missile”
num_submunitions = 12
powerconsumed = 3
shield_penetration = 40
size = “CRUISER”
sound = data/sounds/missile_launch.ogg
soundvolume = 1.0
stage_separation_delay = 400
second_stage_speed = 1.3
second_stage_turnspeed = 3
submunitionslive = 1
tracking_speed = 0.5
trail_fade_time = 1000
turnspeed = 0.5
turret_sprite = “turret_miss_v1”
turretsize = 12.0
warhead = EXPLOSIVE
weight = 132
slot_type = TURRET
uisortpos = 1150

[dataitems]
0 = cost,DECIMAL
1 = weight,DECIMAL
2 = hitpoints,DECIMAL
3 = powerconsumed,DECIMAL
4 = max_range,DECIMAL
5 = damage,DECIMAL
6 = fire_interval,INTEGER
7 = tracking_speed,DECIMAL
8 = shield_penetration,DECIMAL
9 = armour_penetration,DECIMAL
10 = crew_required,INTEGER
11 = min_range,DECIMAL
12 = has_decoys,BOOL
13 = missilespeed,DECIMAL
[/code]

i just cannot install the patch o.o
It is giving me an “missing fmodex.dll” screen, and when DL’d that dll, it gives me that there is a missing code line or something like that inside the dll D:

The proper 1.61 patch is now available (as of today…)

Downloaded, installed and working! Thansk cliff, i will start testing the new additions now! ^^

EDIT:
Hey Cliff, are you going to give us (modders) code examples (or just the code lines) of…

Decoy projector
Pulse glow effect upgrade
Two stage missiles
Multi-point tractor beams

…as you did with fire while cloaked, custom plasma, etc?

Seconded, please. I never got two stage missiles working.

two stage missiles:

stage_separation_delay = 350 second_stage_speed = 1.21 twostage = 1 second_stage_turnspeed = 4.01

tractor beams:

projectors = 3

pulse glow new min and max variables:

0 = 128,128,512,650,OutcastStrontiumCruiser_glows.dds,0.25,1.0

The holo projector will actually require new shaders and other files from the outcasts expansion so will not work yet.

Thank you again cliff! =D

my game is crashing after the update pls have a look: viewtopic.php?f=21&t=7745

Well I modded a quick weapon to test firing under cloak; it’s just the basic Cruiser Beam Laser with the line “fire_while_cloaked = 1” added into it. I put together a test ship that has a Camouflage Shield and no weapons other than the new test weapon - which based directly upon Cliff’s earlier descriptions should only decloak when the Camouflage Shield runs out of juice.

… And it still decloaks before firing. Am I missing something or doing something wrong?

Multi tractor - works really well at immobilising fighter swarms :slight_smile:

Fire_while_cloaked - Like with AcePalarum, I also could not get it to work.

2 stage missile - Works as advertised with standard missiles. When using multi warheads it gets interesting.
(If the missile splits after the second stage has fired the new sub munitions take on the original launch speed then boost again.)

The problem is due to a typo in the race restriction for a weapon (prae_commercial_aliance_pulsar)

it should be

fire_while_camoflaged = 1

Muhahah - yup, that works.

Question, should it draw the beams as well while cloaked ?
(for example it will draw the bullets when firing while camouflaged )

Still not working as advertised in my case. I’ve modded some test modules, and I’ve found that the ship automatically starts the decloaking process as soon as it starts shooting (though the guns start shooting while the ship is still fully hidden).

I thought the entire point of this feature was that the ship would stay cloaked until the cloak ran out of power, as long as the majority of the guns could fire under cloak. (I made a test cloak with a ridiculously high recharge rate and ridiculously low consumption rate, and it still decloaked as soon as the guns started firing.) Am I misunderstanding how this should work?

One additional quirk: on beams, the beam is not visible until the ship has decloaked.

Hmmmm, sounds like there are various screwups there. It’s probably all my fault :smiley: I shall investigate post-outcasts.

More specifically, it seems as if using the decoys launches the missile again. That means the fuel is renewed for each sub-munition. This leads to strange circumstances where the decoys will launch using the initial fuel, speed, and turn values. If the munition hits, that means it can come around for another pass with sufficiently long range missiles. I don’t suppose its possible to code it so that the sub-munitions retain their parent missile latest stats?