TACTICS UPDATE IS NOW AVAILABLE

[sofia12]

We're excited to announce that the Tactics Update, is releasing today (download the update here: https://ftp.matrixgames.com/pub/Distant ... .3.0.3.zip). This update brings significant improvements to fleet management, making your tactical decisions easier and more effective than ever. See the full article here: https://www.slitherine.com/news/tactics ... -available
Don’t miss the chance to check out the Legacy Bundle, now 20% off: hwww.slitherine.com/product/distant-worlds-legacy

[MaximKI]

Full changelog below:

v1.3.0.3 – “Tactics” - 17th April 2025
This major update is focused on improvements to the management of your fleets, to make fleet tactics settings easier to understand, improved default fleet tactics, add the ability to upgrade fleet templates and make fleet topup more efficient and intelligent. There are a number of other fixes and improvements as well, based on feedback after the release of the Control update and its manual play improvements.

CRASH FIXES
- fixed rare crash when determining fastest construction yard for retrofit
- fixed rare crash when resolving message images
- fixed rare crash when setting image for new random character
- fixed rare crash when resolving message images
- fixed crash when determining construction resources
- fixed some modding-related crashes

FLEET IMPROVEMENTS
This update includes some major changes to Fleets, Fleet Tactics, Fleet Policies and Fleet Templates, in an attempt to make it easier for new and experienced players to manage their fleets, both in manual and automatic play. Please read through the changes below carefully to understand what has changed.
FLEET DOCUMENTATION
- updated all tooltips and Galactopedia topics relating to fleet engagement range to reflect recent changes
FLEET TACTICS
- simplified Fleet Tactics dialog to only show the most commonly used and essential settings, with other settings hidden by default as advanced settings
- improved default Fleet Tactics to better match most player preferences
- updated Fleet Posture description to more accurately describe engagement settings for Manual and Invasion fleets (Nearby)
- improved Fleet formation layout
- generally made fleet formations tighter and set default Fleet formation to Very Tight
- Manual and Invasion fleets will now only auto-respond to Nearby threats (within 5000 units) instead of any threats within the same System (regardless of Fleet Engagement Range), but there is a new policy setting to adjust this (see below)
FLEET TEMPLATES
- fleet templates will now be automatically upgraded to use the most relevant template for the role, i.e. when new ship roles become available then a better fleet template containing that new role may be selected for the fleet. Can enable/disable using new Automation setting in Empire Policy screen (Fleet Template Upgrading)
- added new default templates for early Escort-based fleets
- default Fleet Templates now disable Role Up/Downgrade, thus improving behavior of fleet topup
- automated fleet creation now strictly follows Fleet Template setting for Role Up/DownGrade, i.e. will not select ships of different role if turned off for template
- added Default Formation setting to Fleet Template screen
- changed fleet engagement ranges: 50% of Fuel Range is now 40% of Fuel Range and 33% of Fuel Range is now 30% of Fuel Range.
- auto-generated fleets now select better fleet template based on highest available military ship role and total number of ship roles covered
- added unit range details to description of Nearby engagement range setting (5000 units)
- added new option Fleet Templates List screen to allow/disallow Auto-Upgrading for each fleet template. Click on column to toggle. All templates are set to upgrade by default.
- increased number of Fuel Tankers in default Attack Fleet Template
- added Fuel Tankers to default Invasion Fleet Template
FLEET POLICIES
- added new empire policy settings to control maximum auto-response range for Manual and Invasion fleets. By default these are set to 'Nearby' threats, but can be increased to Location- or System-level. See Fleets section of Empire Policy screen for details
- Fleet Posture automation settings: now have separate settings for Attack Fleets (Attack, Raid, Invade) and Defense Fleets
FLEET TOPUP
- fleet topup now considers existing fleet ships as matching the template, even when using specific designs in the template, as long as the ship will retrofit to the specified design (Retrofit Path). Thus it is usually best to first Retrofit a fleet, then Topup
- fleet topup now better at building new fleet ships at construction yards near the fleet
- Top Up Fleet button is now properly disabled when will not change fleet composition (no ships added or removed)
- Topup fleet button tooltip now shows breakdown of existing ships and newly built ships that will be added to the fleet, including total cost for new ships
- Top Up Fleet button tooltip now also shows ships that will be removed (by role) when Trim Excess is enabled for fleet template
- Top Up Fleet button tooltip now also shows unaffordable ships that will not be built, along with cost
- fixed Fleet Top Up process sometimes mistakenly removing too many ships when Trim Excess is enabled for fleet template
- manually-initiated fleet topup now forces removal of any excess ships (as defined by the fleet template)
- improved automated fleet topup logic when fleet template items use 'Latest Design for Largest Hull for Role'
FUEL TANKERS
- Fuel Tankers in a fleet will now respond to 'Refuel from Tankers' right-click manual fleet mission even when the tankers themselves are set to manual control
- increased willingness of automated Fuel Tankers to refuel ships (higher fuel threshold)
- Fuel Tankers in a fleet are now excluded from following fleet override tactics, thus allowing them to behave differently and avoid engaging in battle
FLEET AND SHIP BEHAVIOR
- Defense fleets now more careful about auto-responding to incoming enemy fleets at other locations when target location already has enough defending strength
- automated fleets are now more careful about investigating dangerous locations with higher enemy ship strength than the fleet
- automated fleets are now more careful about attacking strong enemy ships, bases and fleets, and are now more willing to coordinate multi-fleet attacks against these strong targets
- ensure automated fleets always honor engagement range when selecting attack targets
- fleet ships now exit hyperjump in formation, even when jumping to non-specific target (e.g. galaxy coordinates)
- now exclude fleet ships that cannot jump (e.g. damaged hyperdrive) when synchronizing fleet jumps while waiting for fleet fighters to board their carriers. This ensures that fleet jumps do not get held up by damaged carriers. This can especially be a problem when Fleet Ship Management is manually-controlled and the player chooses not to remove damaged ships from the fleet
- automated fleets are now more careful about avoiding attacking a threat to a fleet ship when the fleet ship is not at the fleet location or within the fleet's engagement zone. This can especially happen with Fuel Tankers as they obtain fuel at distant locations
- automated ships will now escape/retreat (when tactics specify) even when loading cargo (e.g. Fuel Tankers) as long as not docked inside base
FLEET UI IMPROVEMENTS
- when Fleet is selected in Selection Panel, now show icons for Military Attack Automation status and Fleet Role, along with explanatory tooltips, to help player notice when automation policies may influence fleet behavior
- added Switch Fleet Role button to Fleets List to allow directly changing the role of each fleet in the list

UI IMPROVEMENTS
- when your empire has reserved funds (saving up for Colony Ships, etc) then indicate by changing color of cash amount to yellow in header bar (hover for details)
- fixed filters in Mining Locations list so that properly consider Fuel/Construction/Luxury Resources filter options
- fixed display of Scenery bonuses in Resort Locations and New Resort Locations Lists so that now also includes bonuses from Ruins definition, not just Ruins directly
- added note to Known Locations tooltip in Resources List to explain that some of these may be in foreign territory

RESEARCH
- added Extremely Slow Research speed option in Start New Game screen. This new setting is half the speed of Very Slow research speed

GOVERNMENTS
- ensure Refugee Fleet factions (e.g. initial Shakturi arrival) can always establish outposts, even when suitability at target planet is extremely low
- feudalism average time between change of leaders set to 25 years instead of 20

BOMBARDMENT
- plagues and other colony events no longer block bombardment from completely eliminating the population at a colony or outpost

DIPLOMACY
- fixed diplomatic trades and gifts from advisor suggestions not reaching recipient
- fixed sometimes getting duplicate acknowledgement messages after giving diplomatic gifts or trades

TOURISM
- ensure independent colonies properly display scenery bonuses in the New Resort Locations list

CONSTRUCTION
- fixed manually-assigned Construction Ships continually building Defensive Bases at colonies

NOTIFICATIONS
- prevent message popups for several delayed story events when Supress All Popups enabled in game settings

ZENOX FACTION REFRESH
- fixed Zenox Preserve the Ruins event sometimes not changing the ruins

RACES
- mortalen received a minor buff to their race bonuses

ATUUK AND WEKKARUS DLC
- prevent message popup for Atuuk Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly when Supress All Popups enabled in game settings
- ensure Wekkarus Deep Labyrinth event properly sends notification message to empire who loses spy
- fixed Atuuk Great One event sometimes incorrectly sending notification message to player empire
- turning off Race Victory conditions in game setup now also properly turn off Atuuk Great Direction victory objectives. The Great Directions will still occur, but there will be no related victory objective for each direction

QUAMENO AND GIZUREAN DLC
- fixed Gizurean Rivalries event not occurring
- quameno received a buff to their research bonus and a decrease to integration unhappiness
- increased frequency of Gizurean Tribal Conflicts event

IKKURO AND DHAYUT DLC
- ikkuro received a minor buff to their race bonuses