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Twilight Beta 6a

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Twilight Beta 6a

from GalCiv2 Forums

Well, we had some problems initially getting the right files up on the server but we seem to have worked those out so we're going to go ahead and publish the beta.  If you can't see the latest update, try restarting SDC to see if it updates.  Then go to tools->Internet settings and change to US-1.  Refresh XML Data and then Check for Application Updates.

Most of the AI changes were made to the Drengin AI, which is also used by the Korath and the Yor. 

I put in some code to try and fix the bug where save games from before beta 6 wouldn't load, but it doesn't work for all save games.

Also, the editors no longer require the microsoft DLLs.

+ NEW: Added a new menu item to the Map Editor called "Selected Object".  It has two sub-items: "Edit...", and "Delete".  The "Edit..." sub-item pops up the dialog to tweak the selected object's properties (name, size, etc..).  The "Delete" sub-item deletes the selected object.  If there is no selected object, these menu items are disabled.

+ NEW: Tech tree expanded to support starbase industrialization so that races without factory techs can still build up resources and have meaningful economic starbases.

+ NEW: Tournament, Altaria Resists

+ NEW: Tournament, Arcea’s Last Stand

+ NEW: Tournament, Drengin Gambit

+ FIXED: Bug where galaxy wasn't reading in modded tech trees from the correct folder

+ FIXED: Bug where save games created prior to Beta 6 would crash when loading.  Beta 6 save games should still load. 

+ FIXED: The text on the tech tree screen will now size itself so that the font will be the largest size possible while making the longest tech name fit into the box

+ FIXED: The Invasion screen now stretches and displays the map correctly at different resolutions

+ FIXED: In map editor, when loading a map, planets set to be owned by Altarians, Korath, or Krynn would have either the wrong race logo (old altarian), or no logo at all (Korath, Krynn).  The problem was that their .png's actually reside in the DarkAvatar/gfx/Race/ folder rather than the Dreadlords one, (like all the rest of the races).  A quick modification to the code fixes the issue.

+ FIXED: Crash in maps caused by error saving display name

+ FIXED: Found and fixed NULL-pointer crash within CGCMap::RemoveAsteroid(..)

+ FIXED: Crashes caused by cached graphic data that was not cleared after an ALT-TAB.

+ FIXED: Bug where the time to finish a social project was sometimes wrong

+ FIXED: I think that I have fixed the bug where the AI sometimes tries to trade a blank tech

+ FIXED: Bug where the AI wouldn't trade anything for Enhanced Miniaturiztation

+ FIXED:  Bug where Any starbase modules were being called ascension starbase modules

+ FIXED: Added code to detect loop back in path being calculated.  Still need to figure out what caused the loop back.

+ TWEAK: Added Cheat key for trying to get the AI to trade with you, CTRL+Shift+L

+ TWEAK: Drengin AI is substantially smarter about what they build on planets

+ TWEAK: Drengin AI better about getting larger hulled ships earlier

+ TWEAK: Drengin AI better at scouting for planets

+ TWEAK: Stellar Forge now a super project rather than galactic achievement.

+ TWEAK: Drengin AI and derivatives care more about influence before colonizing a planet.

+ TWEAK: Arceans now get Lite Constructor Modules which are much cheaper than the standard constructor module.

+ TWEAK: Research costs adjusted.

+ TWEAK: AI tweaks to planetary improvement files


 

115,329 views 71 replies
Reply #51 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
+ NEW: Tournament, Altaria Resists

+ NEW: Tournament, Arcea’s Last Stand

+ NEW: Tournament, Drengin Gambit


This is great.

Are you going to have somewhere where you list the scores for each Tournament Scenario? It seems like all of them are currently getting mixed on the High Scores section, and the scenarios are all not equal in the scores you can get out of them.

It would be nice to see a just "Rock and a Hard Place" and just a "Drengin Gambit" etc. score ranking... so you know how you did/are doing for each tournament.

Love the new stuff,
~ Wyndstar
Reply #52 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

just wondering, do you intend on improving the graphics of the other original improvements e.g. research centre, stock market etc. because they look sort of inferior compared to the new stuff

I believe Scott was planning on it.

So are we going to be able to create custom ships for our custom races with the ship editor that I see (but not implamented yet) in the Editors section of the game. And if so will thes ships only show up for that race.

The ship editor is to create ship components. You could create a ship component that requires a race specific tech and then add that to your ship.

 

Galactic Civilizations III
Reply #53 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Are you going to have somewhere where you list the scores for each Tournament Scenario? It seems like all of them are currently getting mixed on the High Scores section, and the scenarios are all not equal in the scores you can get out of them.

The way the code is set up is that it will try to pull records for just the selected tournament.  If it can't find any, then it just pulls the top scores so that there is still something in the list.

 

Reply #54 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The way the code is set up is that it will try to pull records for just the selected tournament. If it can't find any, then it just pulls the top scores so that there is still something in the list.


Well, there seem to be problems for me in both areas.

First, in game. From the beta there are now 4 different tournaments I can select. If I select Rock and a Hard Place for instance and choose to play, in the lower left section of the screen I do get 10 "scores". At the top of the list are my two metaverse characters, then the rest of the list is populated with people who scored between 7000 and 7500 (the bottom 8?). I know there are people who scored in the 20,000 and 30,000 range on that scenario, and they don't show up.

IF in game it is supposed to display a "top 10" for each tournament, sadly that is not working.

And a picture may help:



Second, the website. On the website under "Metaverse" and "High Scores" to the far right is now a list of top metaverse scores for the tournament. This list appears to add the top scores from the different tournament games together to set where someone is at in the list. This list IS searchable by Map, but does not seem to be updating the new tournaments when you search by them. i.e. I can get a list for Rock and a Hard Place, but while my SCORE for a game with Arcea's Last Stand is included in the total for "High Scores", the game itself doesn't appear at all when I filter for Arcea's Last Stand.

Just trying to help. If I can provide more information or am being unclear, just tell me what you need.

~ Wyndstar
Reply #55 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I just couldnt stand waiting longer and bought TA yesterday to see what its about. As far as i can conclude the expansion will be fully worth its money, there are a lot of great improvements to the game.

My own personal wishlist for the game contains only some minor improvements:

-the option to animate parts is a great idea, i would like to have blinking lights as well

-a thing i would like to have had in DA would be the automation of loading troop transports - in a gigantic (or now immense) galaxy it can be quite a lot of work to fill all Transports before sending them to a rally point. I could set up planets as recruitment centers, but i am lazy and sometimes you just need transporters fast. It would be great if transporters could automatically fly to planets and only go to the rally point when they are full.

- the new invasion screen looks fine, but the battle sounds are quite annoying, some cooler sounds would be nice. And - will there be more invasion videos? I would like to see a bit more action on the screen (the sounds should be a bit more snychronized with the video to get a better atmosphere i think).

-just a matter of taste maybe, but i think the term "jihad of krynn" is weird. Maybe you americans are using the term colloquially for any form of fanatism, but actually it is a definite term for a part of human muslim culture. Putting it into a futuristic game for a nonexistent alien species creates a similar sensation like giving the Yor the "Christian Crusade" technology...



And i do have some questions regarding gameplay -

what exactly happens to the unique technologies you trade - do you really get the bonuses associated or just another "trade good" that is useless to you as well as to those you trade it with ^^

Will there be tournaments based on the campaign? In other words, will i be able to play the normal campaign and compare my game with others in MV?



Reply #56 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
No need to get overly pedantic. Whatever the specific application to Islam, the literal meaning of the word is "holy war" or "holy struggle" and it's being used appropriately here. Just as "crusade" has common usage and need not refer specifically to historical events involving Christianity. If you want to nitpick about it, I suggest starting with Frank Herbert.
Reply #57 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
-what exactly happens to the unique technologies you trade - do you really get the bonuses associated or just another "trade good" that is useless to you as well as to those you trade it with ^^


Yes you do get the bonuses as well as the ability to build anything that tech itself unlocks. You don't however gain the ability to learn the tech further on in the original tree, those will need to be stolen/purchased like the one you just got.
Reply #58 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hello,Without doubt I'll be ordering TA. However, one of the features that interests me the most is "AI designed ships." I don't enjoy designing my own ships and this addition will increase my enjoyment of GC 2 greatly.Any beta feedback on "AI designed ships?"Thank you!



I tried it and it's ok but I don't use it. I like to design my own ships. Infact that is the best part of the game IMO.
Reply #59 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
To the good man with the Yor icon,

Jihad means a religious 'inner struggle' with one's beliefs that was only used to describe Holy War by Saladin to raise support for his reconquest of the Crusader states. If that's wrong, by all means correct me (I'm jewish myself \m/-_-\m/).

And it woulnd't be all that silly to give the yor a crusade tech. Abbadon the Dispoiler's had...what, thirteen Black Crusades now (Warhammer 40k)?

Regardless, I'm off topic. I've noticed that on 'challenging' difficulty, I seem to be the ONLY race not building exclusively missile weapons...anyone else noticed that?
Reply #60 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I've noticed recently that the AI seem more inclined to all build the same type of weapons.
Reply #61 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
To the good man with the Yor icon,Jihad means a religious 'inner struggle' with one's beliefs that was only used to describe Holy War by Saladin to raise support for his reconquest of the Crusader states. If that's wrong, by all means correct me (I'm jewish myself \m/-_-\m/). And it woulnd't be all that silly to give the yor a crusade tech. Abbadon the Dispoiler's had...what, thirteen Black Crusades now (Warhammer 40k)?Regardless, I'm off topic. I've noticed that on 'challenging' difficulty, I seem to be the ONLY race not building exclusively missile weapons...anyone else noticed that?


It may be a bit offtopic:
Wikipedia states:

"Jihad (Arabic: جهاد‎ IPA: [ ʤi'haːd]), an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, Jihad means "strive" or "struggle". Jihad appears frequently in the Qur'an and common usage as the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of Allah (al-jihad fi sabil Allah)".[1][2] A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid, the plural is mujahideen.

A minority among the Sunni scholars sometimes refer to this Islamic duty as the sixth pillar of Islam, though it occupies no such official status.[3] In Twelver Shi'a Islam, however, Jihad is one of the 10 Practices of the Religion.

According to scholar John Esposito, Jihad requires Muslims to "struggle in the way of God" or "to struggle to improve one's self and/or society."[3][4] Jihad is directed against the devil's inducements, aspects of one's own self, or against a visible enemy.[1][5] The four major categories of jihad that are recognized are Jihad against one's own self (Jihad al-Nafs), Jihad of the tongue (Jihad al-lisan), Jihad of the hand (Jihad al-yad), and Jihad of the sword (Jihad as-sayf).[5] Islamic jurisprudence focuses on regulating the conditions and practice of Jihad as-sayf, the only form of warfare permissible under Islamic law, and thus the term Jihad is usually used in fiqh manuals in reference to military combat.[6][5]The term "Jihad" used without any qualifiers is generally understood to be referring to war on behalf of Islam.[5] In broader usage and interpretation, the term has accrued both violent and non-violent meanings. It can imply striving to live a moral and virtuous life, spreading and defending Islam as well as fighting injustice and oppression, among other things.[7] The relative importance of these two forms of jihad is a matter of controversy."


As you see the term Jihad has a definite role in muslim religion and nowwhere else. In my humblest opinion you cannot just rape the religious vocabulary of one world religion and use it as a commonly slang word for "holy war", which may be the literal meaning in its native language, but does not keep track of the whole deepness of its meaning. By the way - i am christian and i would as well not appreciate everyone calling taking a sh*t by the word "genesis".

Imho this is just plain disrespectful towards muslims. As said, i am no muslim, but as a supporter for freedom of belief i think it is these small things that go unnoticed, that add together with more serious things in terms of cultural disrespect towards the tension between the nations. If you live as a peaceful muslim and get treated as an terrorist everywhere and this even crawls into the use of the language - would you not develop a sense of hostility as well - because your environment does seem to perceive you hostile as well? I do not know how deep you are actually into muslim history, actual politics and structure of the muslim culture, but its just way more complex than jihadist wanting to destroy christians...
Reply #62 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
To get back2topic:
There just came a feature in my mind i really would appreciate in the game:


The possibility to rename planets in colony list.


The building features and starport control are a really great improvement, it makes micromanagement much easier. I realized, that it took me most of the time to rename my planets, because i have to select them out of the list, exit the list, click on it on the map and rename it. A simple option to rename it in the colony list would be fine. I like to have an overview of my planets by just looking at their names.
Reply #63 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
In my humblest opinion you cannot just rape the religious vocabulary of one world religion and use it as a commonly slang word for "holy war", which may be the literal meaning in its native language, but does not keep track of the whole deepness of its meaning. By the way - i am christian and i would as well not appreciate everyone calling taking a sh*t by the word "genesis". [/quote]
The trouble is, no one else is required to care about any deepness of meaning you give to something. Words mean things and can be used according to those meanings by anyone, whether they give a crap about a word's historical connotations in other cultures or not. Like genesis. Just because a chapter in a particular book bears that title doesn't mean that religious sect owns that word, invented it, or has any claim on how anyone can use it.

Now if you'll excuse me, I feel a massive genesis coming on.


Reply #64 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The trouble is, no one else is required to care about any deepness of meaning you give to something. Words mean things and can be used according to those meanings by anyone, whether they give a crap about a word's historical connotations in other cultures or not.


Its the other way around. When using any word you need to care aboout all meanings someone might give to it. Just because it means something specific to you noone is forced to understand it the same way.
He is just the first to mention it.
Reply #65 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
He is just the first to mention it.


The second page of the Krynn back story was filled with philosophical talk (which is where this should have gone to IMHO)...none actually picked the jihad part of it though.

https://forums.galciv2.com/169514/page/2
Reply #66 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I've noticed recently that the AI seem more inclined to all build the same type of weapons.


Same here, and it tends to be either missiles or mass drivers. It was missiles in my last game, mass drivers in the current one. Do you have tech trading turned on? I do, so I thought it might just be a side-effect of trading.

P.S. on the "jihad" thing... that could be rationalized as a translation artifact. If you're not playing the Krynn yourself, then you're communicating with an alien race through some kind of translator device (yours or theirs). "Jihad" might just be the closest name the translator could come up with. You'll never have a perfect understanding of what their own word for it means, so it's just an approximation.
Reply #67 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
If you're not playing the Krynn yourself, then you're communicating with an alien race through some kind of translator device (yours or theirs).


The Kyrnn however aren't a race itself...but a collection of races bound by an idea. They are bound to have at least 1 ambassador for each major race which is from that race so no need for a UT.
Reply #68 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
If you're not playing the Krynn yourself, then you're communicating with an alien race through some kind of translator device (yours or theirs).


Sry, thats more of an excuse to not change it. It is still a game.


I've noticed recently that the AI seem more inclined to all build the same type of weapons.


Are you playing with tech trading on?
Reply #69 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The second page of the Krynn back story was filled with philosophical talk (which is where this should have gone to IMHO)...none actually picked the jihad part of it though.https://forums.galciv2.com/169514/page/2


THX, sry for the offtopic, i will continue vituperating there ;)



Reply #70 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I would like to see the diplomacy side improved before I buy TA. I like all the new features though.

Isn't hard to balance the AI's with the unique technology trees?
Reply #71 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
My main complaint with Twilight of the Arnor is how Terror Stars work.
They can't get any normal starbase modules so they have no attack and defence and will get beaten in a battle with a single basic defender.
Also, because they only move at a paltry 1 pc/week, even despite the fact that not only do you have to build them but after that it takes 10 turns to activate, it's still actually quicker to just build new terror stars next to the enemy stars. It just seems rather wrong. I really don't feel that these massive star-destroying monstrosities should be mass-produced.

Another problem I've noticed is that some races, including but not limited to the Iconians, can't seem to get all the mining starbase modules.

Also, when you're playing as certain races, in the foreign report screen, certain other races (Yor and humans if you play as Iconians for example) have a particularly long descriptive text which seems to replace the information about whether or not relations with them are improving and why.

I've also encountered the bug about constructors and colony ships turning invisible.

Although the new race-specific tech-trees are nice, interesting, and characterful, it seems to me that there seems to be less technology than before. I'm not sure if this is true, but even regardless of the speed I put the technology rate at I seem to be reaching the end of the tech-tree very fast. It seems that I manage to research EVERYTHING much earlier than was ever possible in Dark Avatar. Could this perhaps be a side-effect of having tech-trading on in an immense galaxy?
And on that subject, don't you think you should be able to further research a race-specific technology that you've bought/stolen?

Penultimately, what's with the new invasion screen? What does it mean? What does it add? What was wrong with the old one? I really don't understand why you needed to replace the old one or how the new one is any better.

And finally, what does war-profiteering do? How does it work? I noticed a little percentage thing on the stats screen but there's nothing explaining what it is or how it works.

It may seem like I'm just giving a huge list of criticisms, but if I haven't mentioned anything, you can probably take it for granted that I loved it.
There are still a few problems but most of it's fantastic!
Keep up the good work, Stardock!