Lets focus on the changes, and not stray off topic, shall we?
This forum software still does not react well to multi quoting on a larger scale.
[ Graphics ]
New high-res planet textures for Terran, Ice, Volcanic, Desert and Dwarf planet types.[/quote]
Shiny!
[ Gameplay ]
Corvettes are now affected by Unstable Gas Pockets around Gas Giants.
The base relationship value for Pacts has been changed to 0.0 (fixes a possible crash bug).
All planet exploration costs have been reduced from 450/150/75 to 300/75/35 at level 1 and from 550/175/125 to 400/100/85 at level 2.
Changed Helium Atmosphere and Ionic Storms planet bonuses to no longer require planet exploration to detect. (Ship sensors can detect this from orbit.)
Increased change to find something via planet exploration from 40% to 60%, except on Competitive map types.
Titan research now grants certain bonuses on a per faction basis. See below for details.
Cool stuff!
I am in big love with your Titan resarch bonuses! That should make the factions more diverse.
Artifacts Overhaul: Most Artifacts have been buffed to be of greater strategic value (i.e., game changing). The following are in addition/changed to/from current values:
Jump Drive Relic - Now makes all ships immune to phase jump inhibitors.
Data Archive - +15% Research Rate
Resilient Metaloids - +150% Passive HP Regen; +3.0 Base Armor; -10% Planet Bombing Damage Taken
Relativistic Factories - +4 Civilian Slots
Phase Accelerator - +33% Phase Jump Charge Rate; +25% Phase Gate Speed
Manifest Dominion - +4.00 Relationship Bonus; +0.10 Quest Reward Relationship Bonus; -0.05 Quest Failure Penalty to Relationship
Jump Field Generator - -75% Antimatter Lost from Phase Travel; -3% Phase Jump Exit Distance
Planetary Organic AI - +60% Population Growth Rate; +25% Maximum Planet Population
Matter Compressor - +25% Refinery Ship Capacity; +50% Cargo Ship Capacity
Power Core Relic - +20% Maximum Antimatter; +0.10 Passive Antimatter Regeneration in Culture
Ion Field Generator - +45% Planet Bombing Range
Excellent! Now with the competive map versions available, you can make Artifacts more game changing without affecting the competive multiplayer community in a negative way.
TEC
Ion Blast (Akkan Capitalship) will no longer affect enemy Flagships.
Garda Flak Frigate range increased from 3900 to 4400.
Long-Range Jumps research moved from Tier 3 to Tier 4; cost adjusted.
Advanced Arctic Colonies research moved from Tier 4 to Tier 3; cost adjusted.
Advanced Civic Design research moved from Tier 3 to Tier 2; cost adjusted.
Excellent. Maybe now more people will play flagship games.
Should help against mass bombers..... imho they still need a nerf, especially the Vasari ones.
Why not.
Why not.
Why not.
TEC Loyalists
Tier 1 Titan research now grants a +5% global bonus to maximum Shields.
Tier 2 Titan research now grants a +5% global bonus to maximum Starbase HP.
Tier 3 Titan research now grants a +5% global bonus to Rate of Fire for all Lasers.
Disruption Matrix (Ankylon Titan) now disables enemy passive regeneration.
Group Shield (Ankylon Titan) duration increased from 30/35/40/45 to 40/50/60/70.
Inspire and Impair (Ankylon Titan) duration increased from 30/45 to 60/75; now affects Titans.
Battlefield Promotions research moved from Tier 5 to Tier 1; bonus increased from 5% to 10%; number of research levels decreased from 2 to 1; cost adjusted.
Updated map 'The Void' with correction for TEC Loyalists in Quick Start mode.
Nice idea and fits their theme.
Nice idea and helps make their starbases more durable
Wonderful.... that should slightly ease the Ankylon lack of teeth trouble.
AWESOME! Now it might make more of a difference.
FANTASTIC! Finally the TEC Loyalist fleet does have a considerable durability advantage over TEC Rebel fleets.
YAY! At last the Ankylon might stand a change in a high level Titan duel. Furios defense in combination with Inspire and Impair should give the Ankylon enough teeth to pursuit and destroy a fleeing Titan. It also means that the TEC Loyalist are now a very powerful support ally..... wonderful.... just wonderful!
Excellent.... an earlier battlefield promotion means that TEC Loyalist have it a bit easier in early game to defend their territory.
Fixing maps is always appreciated.
TEC Rebels
Tier 1 Titan research now grants a +5% global bonus to Rate of Fire for all Autocannons.
Tier 2 Titan research now grants a +5% global bonus to Population killed from planetary bombardment.
Tier 3 Titan research now grants a -5% penalty to enemy empire's Culture build rate.
Very nice... unique bonuses that dont hurt the TEC Loyalists in comparsion. Good job.
Advent
Defense Vessel range increased from 3900 to 4400.
Meteor Swarm (Starbase) will now deal AoE damage to Corvettes.
Deliverance Engine will no longer target Friendly planets.
Distant Visualization research moved from Tier 3 to Tier 4; cost adjusted.
Generally speaking..... a range increase for the flak units does help matters. However, the central issue does still remain:
CAPS for formatting.... please do not take them as rude!
THERE
IS
NO
AMMOUNT
OF
FLAK FRIGATES
THAT
WILL
STOP
A
LATE
GAME
VASARI PHASE MISSILE BOMBER FLEET
FROM
EFFORTLESSLY
PULVERISING
YOUR
LEVEL 10 TITAN , CAPITALSHIPS... ECT.
Flak remains ineffective against large scale bomber assaults.... as does building similar numbers of fighters. Now.... normally at least the shields and the shield mitigation provides some sort of survivability. But not against Vasari Phase Missiles Bombers. Those do destroy about anything in 2 or 3 passes.
PLEASE
NERF
PHASE
MISSILES
HARD!
Without a hard phase missile nerf, Advent
NEVER
will stand a change against a Vasari in late game.
But now back to the changes:
[quote who="SpardaSon21" reply="7" id="3352394"]Advent
Defense Vessel range increased from 3900 to 4400.
Meteor Swarm (Starbase) will now deal AoE damage to Corvettes.
Deliverance Engine will no longer target Friendly planets.
Distant Visualization research moved from Tier 3 to Tier 4; cost adjusted.
See above.
Cool.... that will teach them a lesson about keeping their distance.
IDK... was that really necessary? White not longer harmless, the Deliverance engine was still a superweapon that had mostly long term effects compared to the other ones.
Why not.
Advent Loyalists
Tier 1 Titan research now grants a +5% global bonus to Beam weapon damage.
Tier 2 Titan research now grants a +0.50 global bonus to Base Armor.
Tier 3 Titan research now grants a +10% global bonus to Culture Resistance.
Repossession (Coronata Titan) planet upgrade cost bonus increased from 0%/-33% to -33%/-66%.
Planet for a Planet research moved from Tier 4 to Tier 3; cost adjusted.
HA HA HA..... behold the MIGHT of my all deadly illuminators.....
Very nice..... still not enough to make a notable difference against phase missiles.
Sweet idea and quite fitting for the faction. Good job.
A slight bonus..... but nothing that will help Repossession to become more than a gloryfied colonize. I am not saying it is bad, I just think that by the time you have a level 6 Coronata, money is no longer an issue.
Nice idea and quite fitting for the faction. Good job.
Advent Rebels
Tier 1 Titan research now grants a +5% global bonus to Plasma weapon damage.
Tier 2 Titan research now grants a +5% global bonus to maximum Antimatter.
Tier 3 Titan research now grants +1 strikecraft from Hangar Bays (tactical structure).
Wail of the Sacrificed will no longer function if enough labs aren't maintained.
Wail of the Sacrificed damage decreased from 20.0 per population point to 4.5/5.5; research levels increased from 1 to 2.
Increased damage particle duration on Wail of the Sacrificed from 10 seconds to 60.
Unyielding Will (Eradica Titan) duration reduced from 240 to 120.
Mass Communion research reduced from Tier 4 to Tier 3; cost adjusted.
Fixed null pointer crash with Wail of the Sacrificed.
Cool. The Destras could use a slight buff.
More AM is always good.
Nice idea.
Hmpf.... if you have too...
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! How could you? My BELOVED WAIL!
Seriously though..... isnt that a bit hard of a nerf? Considering it at 7 harmony temples the possible theoretical damage is quite low for the cost of researching and the cost of losing a planet
@ 4.5 Damage
Terran: 1260 (1449) -Corvettes and fragile ships die... the rest is more or less unharmed
Dessert: 855 (1111.5) - Corvettes and very fragile ships die... the rest is more or less unharmed
Ice: 720 - Corvettes die.. if no durability research has been done. If it has been done.. they most likely will survive. All other ships unaffected.
Volcanic: 315 - Shrugged of by everything.
Dwarf: 225 - Pathetic
Asteroid: 90 - Without words
@ 5.5 Damage
Terran: 1540 (1771) -A few support cruisers might die..... might...
Dessert: 1045 (1358,5) - The population upgrade brings Dessert to the level of Terrans without population upgrade.
Ice: 880 - Corvettes might die with durability research.... all other ships shrug the damage off.
Volcanic: 385 - Shrugged of by everything.
Dwarf: 275 - Pathetic
Asteroid: 110 - Without words
I dont see how Wail is worth researching anymore. Damage to anything but corvettes will be superficial and rarely worth the sacrifice of a planet. The second level merely insures that you can take out corvettes with armor and shield research, too.
@ All the people who screamed about Wail demanding a nerf.
Congratulations.... you not only made it nearly useless, you also further reward people for building carrier cruisers. Said carrier cruiser will easily shrug off even a Terran wail... just what we needed... more bomber spam.
The increased damage particle duration of Wail is a great idea, less astonished new players about where there ships corvettes did go.
Unyielding Will duration nerf.....good call.... most things that cannot run are dead after 2 minutes, no reason to delay the Titan rebuilding by another 2 minutes while the Eradica uselessly sits arround invulnerable.
Mass Communion.... not bad, but with the Wail changes the Advent Rebels now need far fewer temples of communion.
Thank you for fixing the crash!
Vasari
Gravity Warhead (Jarrasul Evacuator) will no longer target Titans or affect enemy Flagships.
Phase Out Hull (Antorak Marauder) will no longer affect Flagships.
Sentinel range increased from 3900 to 4400.
Long Range Jumps research moved from Tier 2 to Tier 3; cost adjusted.
Increased Vasari Starbase weapon upgrade time from 25 to 45 seconds.
About time.....
Good call
See all other flak issues above.
Why not?
Excellent call..... although that is still just 20 seconds more.
Vasari Loyalists
Tier 1 Titan research now grants a +5% global bonus to planetary bombardment damage.
Tier 2 Titan research now grants a +5% global bonus to Wave Cannon weapon damage.
Tier 3 Titan research now grants a +5% global bonus to capital ship acceleration.
Desperation (Vorastra Titan) no longer affects Corvettes; duration decreased from 45 to 15.
The Maw (Vorastra Titan) no longer affects Corvettes; max target count reduced from unlimited to 15/30.
Sweet and fitting. Good job.
Executing....
Nice idea.
Good call.
Excellent idea.... the Maw is still deadly but it wont destroy everything anymore.
Vasari Rebels
Tier 1 Titan research now grants a +5% global bonus to Pulse Beam weapon damage.
Tier 2 Titan research now grants a +10% bonus to mission deadline times.
Tier 3 Titan research now grants a +0.10 bonus to your faction's relationship with other empires.
Dissever (Kultorask Titan) no longer damages Corvettes.
Starbase Mobilization now only allows Starbases to phase jump between active phase nodes.
Nice idea.
Nice idea.
Nice idea.
Good call.
Excellent.... that should solve the mobile starbase issue.
[ AI ]
The AI has been significantly modified to allow it to put aside resources towards expensive projects (i.e., Titans and superweapons). This should prevent the AI from 'starving' from lack of resources when attempting to build expensive projects, appearing to do nothing.
Normal AI difficulty no longer gets any bonus resource income.
Cool!
[ Misc ]
Fixed bug that prevented players with Cloud saves from joining a local save hosted game in multiplayer.
Fixed incorrect planet picture placement for one of the Asteroid planet meshes.
Optimized particle system file pathing.
Fixed crash bug in Flagship Victory system.
Fixed null pointer crash with Wail of the Sacrificed.
Converted some TGA texture files to DDS where it didn't adversely impact visuals, freeing up more memory.
Removed unused textures to free up memory.
Various string updates / changes.
Removed data files for the old Metal Pact - was causing some crashes.
Moved around various research techs (no Tier changes).
Removed unused DLL files.
Removed reference to MagneticCloudFair in GalaxyScenarioDef - entity never existed.
Fixed bug with some planet bonus Infocards not displaying values.
More fixes.... excellent!
Thank you for supporting the game this long and to this extent.