Twilight of the Arnor Beta 4C

Published on February 1, 2008 By CariElf In GalCiv Journals

I'd like to apologize once more for the delay. I kept running into snags with getting the map editor ready for the update. I also caught a few more minor things with TA in the process that won't be visible to you as users. This is also the first build of TA built on my new work PC. Yay!

If any of you are playing GC2 on Windows 98, ME, or 2000, if you could try out the map editor even if you don't plan to use it and see if it works for you, I'd appreciate it. I'm sure that some of you on Vista will want to use it so I'm sure that I'll hear from you.

Some of you have been reporting AI fleets with ships that have negative hitpoints. I had a debug message put in that would pop up a windows message box if the game detected it, but it was popping up behind fullscreen windows and made the game appear to be frozen, so I removed it. So, if you notice a fleet with negative HP (appears to happen after a battle), please note down the name of the fleet, save the game, and then try to find a recent save game from before the battle to send in so that we can try to reproduce it here.

As a reminder, please make sure to zip your save games before sending them in, and unless you actually can't start the game, e-mail bug reports and crash logs to gc2bugs@stardock.com so that you save the support people the trouble of forwarding them to me.

Also, I forgot to enable custom maps so you won't be able to load them into Twilight. If you really want to try it out before next week, you might be able to get around it by making your own tournament and putting it in the tournament directory.

+ NEW: Map Editor
+ NEW: Added option to enable/disable tech stealing
+ NEW: Added buttons to Lease/Maintenace screen to toggle between listing ships and improvements on the maintenance part
+ NEW: Hyperion Starbase modules now in

+ FIXED: Added code so that if an AI space miner can't find a new destination, it will go home instead of parking on an asteroid
+ FIXED: Crash in AutoPilot line graphic
+ FIXED: Gaia Vortex so that it will now update the planet surfaces for the affected planets
+ FIXED: Crash in InvasionWnd
+ FIXED: Bug where ships could get stuck on asteroid fields
+ FIXED: Stuck turn bug caused by a space minor on auto improve that was targeting an asteroid where another minor was parked

+ TWEAK: Added code to try to prevent bug where CTRL+N results in a game with all civs set to Fool level of intelligence.
+ TWEAK: Drengin AI now uses some new code for choosing planetary improvements. Beta testers: please let us know if you notice anything.
+ TWEAK: Minor Races made significantly more intelligent

Comments (Page 2)

DivineWrath

on Feb 01, 2008

I had a debug message put in that would pop up a windows message box if the game detected it, but it was popping up behind fullscreen windows and made the game appear to be frozen, so I removed it.

I would sometimes get error messages that freeze my screen, but they would not be visiable, and would freeze the game. I never knew what what they were about (I didn't read them after I got the computer back from hibernation mode). I however, figured out that I could still press, what I suspect to be, the ok button to close it despite not being visable.

+ TWEAK: Drengin AI now uses some new code for choosing planetary improvements. Beta testers: please let us know if you notice anything.

I'll look into it. They will be one of my opponents for the next few games.

Uranium - 235

on Feb 01, 2008

Why still no research speed adjustment?

The current 'very slow' is about 200% faster than 'very slow' should be.

In fact, I recall that 'starting' techs at 'very slow' used to take 32 weeks right off the bat. Now they seem to take 16 weeks.

Uranium - 235

on Feb 01, 2008

OK you did it map editor is finally here. Thank you!
However I have to point 2 things
there is no shortcut to map editor only through TALaunch.exe where I use on my shortcut instead GC2TwilightOfTheArnor.exe
for me its ok but most users dont know that..
And what about custom maps in game? Is it deactivated? On first betas it was active but not anymore so I cant load a map I will create in map editor.
I hope I will find the right xml to edit and load a custom map.. cant wait..

Wrong.

"E:\Stardock\GalCiv2\Twilight\Tools\GC2MapEditor\GC2MapEditor.exe"

smartie0

on Feb 01, 2008

its not wrong..
I didnt say I use TALaunch.exe for map editor just prefer to use the startup gadget to start the game. And because I had it already this shortcut I saw the tools addition on startup menu. 6 Editors.. yum yum..

Morberis

on Feb 02, 2008

Did he not say to keep it off torrents? People people come on.

Tod Jones

on Feb 02, 2008

Brad didn't give me specifics about what the minor races would be able to do, except they still can't colonize.

I've had minors colonize on me before in TA on rare occasions. With that said, it's usually on settings with a plethora of planets and never seems to be more than one extra planet. I honestly didn't even consider it a bug when it happened since I didn't realize it was suppose to be impossible for the minors to colonize at all.

Phaedyme

on Feb 02, 2008

I started two games - both Terran, neither with any spent points, TA on Immense/Abundant/Abundant/Abundant and DA on Gigantic/Abundant/Abundant/Abundant, with "Very Slow" research.

The easiest techs to research in TA were 15 weeks each. The easiest techs to research in DA were 13 weeks each. I started another in DL, and they were 10 and 13 weeks.

This was with the sliders in their default position. Perhaps you should play past those early techs, and you'll find that the later techs tend to take a long time to research - at least, that's been my experience.

Yandeer

on Feb 02, 2008

Minor races put up a fight now if i declare war, and give them sufficient time to prepare. But they still have a problem filling their worlds with constructors(though they start adding weapons to them later on, much to my surprise! Their pretty effective at taking out my early ships when i can't spare the space for hitpoint modules..). They really should launch all non-combat ships(that means constructors, even with weapons) from their planets, and start manufacturing fighters or other combat capable ships nonstop, with a rally point next to the planet to form fleets.

I give you that their good at defending with the assets they have, but a few more improvements really would give them the punch they need to resist me, or other majors. The fact their starport remains full when i or any other declare war on them prevents them from making up for their losses in a time that would allow them to defend from a invader right next to their worlds.

Heck, i put minors war with each other, and it was a joy to watch. They now consistently have warships out by the time i have them, and their almost as good as mine!

They also really need to put priority on intercepting transports that come more than 5 parsecs closer to their worlds if their at war with the owner..i can just park tens of them around their worlds and they won't bother to launch ships, and intercept.

Snarkotamus

on Feb 02, 2008

I just got the Beta today, and I am very impressed! One question, though. Is the

Code: xml
<SPEED>10</SPEED>

intentional? It seems to me that this gives all races a 10x speed bonus.

Edit: It says speed 10 speed

The Watcher

on Feb 02, 2008

Brad didn't give me specifics about what the minor races would be able to do, except they still can't colonize.

Hopefully he will reconsider this before the final release?? Pretty please... with a cherry on it!

e-stab

on Feb 02, 2008

10 speed

Usually "+10(%)" speed ingame means +1 speed. It's a very old presentation issue, confusing at times.

bmporter

on Feb 02, 2008

one problem noticed fast with the editor you cant put space miners as a ship type on the map... this can be problematic when creating specific start points for maps for the races and none starts with a space miner as normal

shinchan0s

on Feb 02, 2008

Brad didn't give me specifics about what the minor races would be able to do, except they still can't colonize.

Why not give them limited colonization? Like they can only colonize planets within their star system? Otherwise, I agree. Minor races shouldn't be allowed to have far-reaching galactic empires.

Nequa

on Feb 02, 2008

Looks grea. Can't wait for the full version comes out in stores

Noctros

on Feb 02, 2008

I'm glad to see that the Thalans now have their starbase modules, but I'm still concerned that they can't put any weapons onto their starbases. All the weapon components require the battle stations component, which they still do not have access to without tech trading or tech stealing. Will they soon have a way to add this effectively essential component to their bases soon?

One further question regarding starbases. I opened up the XML for starbase modules, and it shows that they should be adding both attack and defense to the starbase, but it doesn't seem to do so in actual gameplay. Having these components add both attack and defense would help make starbases much more capable of defending themselves against enemy ships in the later game stages.

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