Evochron Legacy 1.0408-1.0488 Updates...

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Evochron Legacy 1.0408-1.0488 Updates...

Post by Vice »

Version 1.0488 details are provided in a post below (length of this post is now too large for the forum software).



Version 1.0428 includes the following improvements:

- HUD docking/landing tunnel behavior near planet cities improved.
- Glass effect on civilian cockpits made glossy to better align with military spacecraft.
- AI traffic patterns updated to increase frequency of routes to main cities on planet surfaces.
- AI traffic patterns updated to be more varied and responsive with movement/activities in sector.
- Ability to consolidate and transfer matching commodity cargo in open space added (hold Alt key and left/right click).
- Option to adjust throttle level with mouse wheel at 10X added for mouse flight control modes (hold Alt key, then adjust mouse wheel).
- Save data output option updated to include vertical velocity, horizontal velocity, control input, and thruster output values (see customizing kit for details).
- Residual shield benefit could still be applied to certain station modules after a shield module was destroyed, now fixed.
- Default basic axis configuration for mouse pointer control updated to better distinguish between joysticks and gamepads.
- Default basic axis configuration for flight control updated to better distinguish between joysticks and gamepads.
- Location data received from NPC/AI pilots in ship-to-ship trades now automatically stored in map log.
- Improved city docking tractor beam holding system to prevent slow reduction in altitude while docked.
- Player's ship no longer has to be absolutely still to quick save while inside a carrier hangar.
- Docking zone indicator in stations and at cities scaled 2X for improved legibility.
- Nav map database updated to correct misplaced icon listing for an uncharted planet.
- Sensor range for target scanner (2500) now displayed with item description.
- Verification step added for right click deleting map log entry.
- Verification step added for jettisoning cargo.
- New option to rename map log entries added.


Notes:

The game can now better detect certain control device conditions for a basic default axis configuration. Pitch and yaw are now configured uniquely for the first two axis channels depending on the class of device, whether joystick or gamepad. The new system also includes the addition of roll control to axis channel 3 while throttle remains unbound, leaving it controlled by keyboard/mouse options and open to mapping by the player as may be desired. This will help set basic default axis mappings for joystick users and gamepad users, particularly for the mouse pointer control mode (when the player wants to use their flight control device to control the mouse pointer). But it also works for a default setup the first time the game is launched. The player can still select a preferred alternate device control profile in the Axis Configuration menu, manually map controls as desired, or activate a non-controller flight mode as well. The changes in this update simply provide a default basic axis configuration that's better relevant for the preferred device being used (the top listed device in Windows). If you've already mapped controls, these changes won't effect any existing control configuration since they only apply if the configuration files don't exist and the game is creating them for the first time based on what it detects.

You can now consolidate and transfer commodity cargo while in open space, you no longer have to dock at a station to move things around. Simply hold the Alt key as you would when docked earlier, then left or right click on the matching commodity types you want to consolidate/transfer.

New verification steps have been added by player request to the map log entry deletion and cargo jettison option. These options now require two clicks to complete and a text prompt will be displayed after the first click to verify if you want to complete the action. The relevant button will also change color to red before the second click as an additional alert and in the case of map log entries, to verify which entry is ready to be deleted.

If you receive location information for discovered planets or cargo containers from NPC/AI pilots in ship-to-ship trades, the information is now automatically stored in the map log. If you want to delete this information, simply open the map log and right click on the entry you want to remove twice.

The new rename map log entry option lets you change the name of an entry while viewing the log. Simply click on the 'Rename Entry' button, then click on the entry you want to rename. The naming prompt with then be filled in with the original entry name and you can use backspace to remove characters and change the listing as desired. Press enter when finished.



Version 1.0418 includes the following improvements:

- Station attack alerts in multiplayer now include name of attacking player in message log.
- Dedicated contract objectives added for terrain walkers (survey, plant sample, and lost item recovery).
- 3D item description icon for terrain walker now constructed from modules in memory for optimal loading performance.
- Server programs updated to display station attack alerts in message log (including new addition of the name of attacking player).
- Smoothing now standard across all texture detail modes for softer light reflections and higher detail appearance.
- Particle cannon weapon range and damage level tapering updated to align better with indicated MDTS range value.
- Scenarios that could result in parts of a nebula cloud or planet ring being left behind during training fixed.
- Radar display mode 1 horizon plane separated from base texture image and is now a fully 3D rendered surface.
- Energy score displayed in shipyard now includes higher base capacitor level for military ships in value.
- Target MFD detail mode ship orientation tracking indicator also updated to render as a full 3D surface.
- HUD target direction indicators updated in VR to remain locked to a fixed orientation (player request).
- Issue that could cause faction ID mismatches in cooperative delivery contract in multiplayer fixed.
- Default VR depth scaling and head movement scaling adjusted based on player feedback (see notes).
- Collision system added to plant structures, including potential damage for higher speed impacts.
- Pitch ladder depth reduced to better align with gunsight depth and render ahead of lens flares.
- Compass cylinder 3D position updated to better align with menu frame in experimental VR mode.
- Waypoint placement updated to better account for potential planetary defense ring conditions.
- 25% pay bonus notification line moved to below contract pay line to avoid overlapping.
- 25% pay bonus notification added to relevant planet side missions in war zones.
- Radar range and mode controls enabled for terrain walkers.
- New mesh structure and texture for terrain walker cockpit.
- New mesh structure and texture for jump gate object.


Notes:

The server programs will now display attack alerts in the message log. The name of the attacking player will also be displayed (and recorded in the server message log). When an alert is logged, it will display the sector location of the attack, the faction of the attacking player in brackets, the name of the attacking player, and finally the faction of the module being attacked in parenthesis.

For radar display mode 1 and target orientation indicator, the new horizon plane 3D surface also has a new additional dedicated index for its texture. The filename is 'ccpitblue1c.png' and details are included in the customizing kit. The horizon plane has been made into a full 3D rendered surface to better align with the 3D sphere in the experimental VR mode.

The new default values for the experimental VR system are 3.4 for 'EyeDistanc', 3.4 for 'HeadMScale', and 0.4 for 'VRUIScale'. So if you want to adjust those further, simply make changes to any vrsetup.txt file you may have in place. And if you want to restore the original values for any reason, they are 1.0, 1.0, and 0.5 respectively.

Particle cannons now have an increase of at least about 80 meters to their range. This helps them better align with their indicated MDTS locking ranges. Some custom weapons may have over an 80 meter increase, depending on their previous MDTS locking range values. So overall, particle cannons can now shoot a little farther and should better line up with their locking ranges. They can also now shoot a little past their MDTS locking distance, but not by much and their damage effectiveness can deplete when over the MDTS limit.

Since smoothing is now standard across all texture detail modes, the 'High + Smoothing' option has been removed from the Options menu. More objects in the game now also have smoothing applied for a more unified appearance between various structures in the game. A new 'Surface Smoothing' option has been added to the texture detail menu that will still allow you to turn smoothing on or off as may be desired.



Version 1.0408 includes the following improvements:

- Ability to import a custom global asteroid mesh added (see customizing kit for details).
- Ability to import custom station/city module meshes added (single player only, see customizing kit for details).
- Military cockpit design updated to move upper canopy strut lower (below compass and console menu) and to add side struts.
- By player request, AI traffic and guidance systems updated to allow hostile ships to more frequently arrive near player in disputed and hostile systems.
- Rate of potential non-contract battle scenarios in disputed systems increased (including friendly and hostile ships jumping in for reinforcements).
- Low light visibility mode updated to additionally apply illumination to asteroids and metallic structures rather than terrain only.
- Fix for an issue where terrain walker step sounds could align with music volume rather than effects volume after switching views.
- Dedicated HAT control modes for game control devices now align with indicated device ID in configuration menu.
- New black hole effect (layered swirling accretion disk with dark center) and extended gravity field.
- Directive 88 in custom quests now clears any quest object left behind automatically.
- Altimeter updated to align with navigation distance scale factor.
- Dedicated sound option for disruptor effect added (s4c.wav).
- Heat alert indicator updated to be more visible.
- Aurora borealis effect added by player request.
- Lighting effects and visibility improved.
- Collision system added to jump gates.
- Improved MFD transition effect.


Notes:

The new aurora borealis system is designed to render with unique colors based on atmosphere type and provides an animated movement effect. If you would like to try your own custom textures for the effect, see the customizing kit for details.

For those interested in using over-sized DPI scaling values in Windows 10 (over 100% in display properties) rather than an aligned 1:1 pixel scaling (100%), one of the 'Locked (FS)' screen modes is recommended. When using the default 'Optimized' full screen window mode, the game will attempt to submit/adapt to an over-sized scaling level, which can look strange (blurry, low detail, etc) on some configurations. Using a locked screen mode will force the game to use a 1:1 scaling factor, even if the desktop scaling level is set to something else in Windows 10. As a result of the benefit of using locked screen modes with over-sized scaling conditions, the locked screen modes are no longer highlighted in red in this build.

To retain the original large value altitude readout scale level, simply create a text file name altitudemode.txt and place it in the \hud folder (you'll need to create one if you haven't already) within the game's install folder.

Update 10-11-2016: An update is available which should fix any instance of a 'runtime error 118' that may occur rarely on some systems when trying to launch the game from the main menu. I only had three reports of the issue after the original update rolled out, only one of which provided specific line number details and followed up with me. So it was a difficult issue to pin down and solve over the last 24 hours. But with the help of the one user who encountered the problem and provided details, I was able to locate the problem and sort it out in a quick update. Most users will likely never run into the problem, but for any that do, simply re-download the game if you are a direct customer (link in your registration e-mail) or if you are a Steam user, the update is live on their service as well.
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Re: Evochron Legacy 1.0408 Update...

Post by Twinley »

great work : )

thank you !
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Re: Evochron Legacy 1.0408 Update...

Post by deltasix »

Thank you Vice for creating such an amazing game, you have my respect and my support.
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Re: Evochron Legacy 1.0408 Update...

Post by Raven0 »

Thank you Vice! I somehow missed the last update. That jumpcaster is the best thing since the terrain walker! The new aurora and black hole effects are really nice too. I'll have to spend more flight time to check out the other new additions.
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Re: Evochron Legacy 1.0408 Update...

Post by Radikal »

Just a quick note:
It's been a couple months since I've had the chance to play and I have to say that I'm not really liking the way the cockpit view distorts during afterburner use.
With the view locked to where the pilot's head is there should be very little pulling back of the view because pilot's head would contact seat back and not allow the level of travel current in the game.
This is really distracting during heavy combat as you can't see the information on the MFDs very well during the boosting.
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Re: Evochron Legacy 1.0408 Update...

Post by DaveK »

On my ship, boosting the engines makes the frame and ship contents rattle. My helmet isn't clamped to the padded seat back so so I get pushed back into the seat and I rattle around a bit as well! ;) Worth it for the boost though

:)
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Re: Evochron Legacy 1.0408 Update...

Post by Vice »

Afterburner behavior has been pretty consistent for a long time, nothing new or different in the 1.4X line of builds. If you are interested in having a change applied though, you are welcome to start a thread in the game specific forum to gauge the interest level of other players. For me, I can still easily read the MFD's while on full A/B.
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Re: Evochron Legacy 1.0408-1.0428 Updates...

Post by Vice »

Version 1.0488 includes the following improvements:

- New font to provide better legibility, improved numeric/letter distinguishing, and dedicated lower case character set.
- Displayed button values in configuration menu now use numerical range (starting at 1) rather than index range (starting at 0).
- HUD gunsight, target indicators, and pitch ladder updated for finer details, reduced color saturation, and a cleaner/simpler appearance.
- Button images updated to reduce width of highlight bars at edges and vertical shading aligned for a thinner and more consistent appearance with scroll bars and indicator bars.
- Ship and object collision alert system added, providing a warning when the ship's vector may impact an asteroid, planet, moon, station/city, cargo container, shipwreck, or certain other structures.
- New item restoration system for multiplayer added to recover lost items stored in a destroyed command module, even if significant time has passed, if replacement command module is built.
- By player request, initial close proximity build module binding restrictions/dependencies added to cities to align with space station build module behavior.
- Quadrant Territory and Economy map labels moved to text lines for easier editing and 'Neutral' territory category added for 'IND' affiliation.
- Space station shield, power supply, and weapon turret modules now require retaining their dependent modules in range in order to function.
- Spacecraft landing gear could remain temporarily visible on another player after they engaged a terrain walker, now fixed.
- Potential cause for a very rare runtime error message when client terrain detail setting is mismatched from server fixed.
- Physics adjustments to player ship after cargo changes may not have correctly applied after build operation, now fixed.
- New cargo delivery point path indicator added to HUD (to help guide player to delivery point below receiving ship).
- Command module now counts as 2 power supply modules for dependency credit and has extended energy coverage (1000).
- Docking fee notice could display incorrectly in single player for a newly constructed command module, now fixed.
- 'IND' built weapon turrets will no longer automatically attack ALC or FDN ships without them attacking first.
- New cockpit strut structures added to military and civilian cockpits for a more detailed appearance.
- Instructions updated to include new images that align with recent graphics changes and improvements.
- HAT/POV control mode changed to provide drop down selection menu rather than left/right toggle.
- New 'Rev Y' reverse vertical mode added to Pan, Strafe, and Snap View HAT/POV control options.
- Weapon lab missile stats updated to better align with standard missile stats for comparison.
- In weapon lab, more missile casing armor now adds hull strength for higher speed rating.
- Server programs updated to enforce build dependency changes server side in multiplayer.
- New subtle animation effect added to landing/docking and cargo delivery indicators.
- By request, music tracks from previous titles in the series added for more variety.
- Base yield level for custom missiles in weapon lab increased by about 100 points.
- Player request for an option to auto-save entire message log to text file added.
- Station under attack alerts could sometimes display incorrect player, now fixed.
- Target scanners can now display material levels near planet terrain surfaces.
- Planets can now vary high and low levels of materials across their surfaces.
- Improved UI alignment and support for 5:4 resolution ratios (ie 1280X1024).
- City command module sector build limit changed to four.
- Several minor fixes and UI improvements.


Notes:

The new multiplayer lost item restoration system will now recover items stored in a station hangar for a command module that is destroyed by another player while the storing player is offline or in another sector, even if time has passed as long as a replacement command module is built in the same sector and the items continue to be displayed in the 'Hangar Details' list. This way, you can effectively recover lost items from a destroyed command module by simply rebuilding it at the same location, even if significant time has passed. The system will also allow recovery of items stored in an old command module built while playing on a different server by building a new command module in the same location while playing on a new server. You can also change the name of the station, which doesn't have to match the original. The sector location simply has to be the same. Single player and multiplayer self-destructing lost item conditions will still apply, so if you destroy your own command module, the items will continue to be lost. This exception for item restoration is specifically for multiplayer to accommodate a player request since that environment is more prone to lost/destroyed station command modules.

The new text font is now in place and is designed to primarily address three requests/issues. First, the new font moves away from the 'all caps' structure of the old font, providing a more distinguishable lower case character set. The new font also provides new numerical characters that are designed to be more distinguishable from similar letter characters (5 and S for example), making it is easier to tell the difference. The third objective is to provide a more legible character set overall, making finer text details easier to read on various displays and indicators that use them. The characters are more consistent in their structures (line width/height and overall horizontal/vertical size) and spacing in between characters/lines has also been increased to reduce the reported crammed/cluttered appearance of the old font.

Space station shield, power supply, and weapon turret modules now require retaining their dependent modules in range in order to function. If they lose a link to a required module, they will lose power (their lights will visibly turn off) and will become ineffective. This change may have some side effects, including any partially built stations possibly needing dependent modules to be built in order to expand/activate their functionality. City modules only have dependency requirements upon building. Once built, they can sustain themselves from the resources of the planet.

Materials that can be mined from planet surfaces now vary randomly, creating 'pockets' of higher, mixed, and lower value materials that can be recovered. Players that equip their spacecraft with a target scanner can see the percentages of each material when they fly at a low enough altitude (similar to how the contents of an asteroid can be viewed when targeted). The scan is done directly below the player's ship, so they can fly over the spot they are scanning to retrieve the materials in the indicated percentages. Scanning results are displayed on the lower right section of the HUD. Required altitude is currently around 500, so players will generally need to fly a 'nap of the earth' style low altitude pattern to perform faster scans.

The customizing kit has been updated with the new landing/docking indicator texture information.

An option to save the entire message log to a text file is now available. To enable the option, include a blank text file named 'messagelogsave.txt' in the game's install folder (Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Evochron Legacy for Steam or \sw3dg\EvochronLegacy for the direct download version). The game will then automatically save all lines in the message out to a text file in the save data folder (default location is c:\sw3dg\EvochronLegacy) every time you save or quick save your profile. Each saved message log will carry the format 'messagelog[timestamp].txt' (where [timestamp] is a unique timer integer). To disable the option, simply move or remove the 'messagelogsave.txt' file.

Edit: Update 1.0488, a quick hotfix has been uploaded to correct a potential issue for items stored in hangars in multiplayer. Anything in the 'hangar details' list should now be recoverable in multiplayer, rather than possibly intermittently depending on how a player travels.
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Re: Evochron Legacy 1.0408-1.0488 Updates...

Post by baden »

Hi Vice,

What is the file name in the \hud folder for the new collision alert message that pops up? I looked in customizing kit but didn't see it. Thanks!
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Re: Evochron Legacy 1.0408-1.0488 Updates...

Post by Vice »

The collision alert is a text render, not a graphic, so it uses the text.dat file in the install folder, line 2506:

2506=Collision Alert

You can change it or blank it out there.
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Re: Evochron Legacy 1.0408-1.0488 Updates...

Post by Marvin »

Vice wrote:The collision alert is a text render, not a graphic, so it uses the text.dat file in the install folder, line 2506:

2506=Collision Alert

You can change it or blank it out there.
If somebody wants to change it, what is the maximum number of characters allowed for the text?
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Re: Evochron Legacy 1.0408-1.0488 Updates...

Post by Vice »

They can probably add just a few more characters without it clipping into the gunsight rim. Or if they use a custom gunsight rim that is more open, then it may not matter as much and they can add a lot more.
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Re: Evochron Legacy 1.0408-1.0488 Updates...

Post by DaveK »

So I might be able to fit in ... ' Argggh Nooo! - we're all going to die!' :)
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Re: Evochron Legacy 1.0408-1.0488 Updates...

Post by YaroslavUSSR »

Hello, Vice

A question about music: I have heard music titles only from EM 2 and Arvoch Alliance. What about EM 1? Can it be included in further patches or I have to buy OST and manually include it? Music from Evochron Legends is also great. It consists of only 2 tracks (menu theme and the game theme) but it is very atmospheric. Please, add it if it is possible. Thank you!
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Re: Evochron Legacy 1.0408-1.0488 Updates...

Post by Vice »

Only Rich Douglas' music (ie 2011 on) will be included in the standard game.
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