Distant Worlds Updated Again!

[SeanD]

The highly acclaimed 4X “Living Galaxy” Sci-Fi strategy game gets a significant post-release update focusing on bug fixes and AI and automation improvements

Matrix Games and CodeForce (www.codeforce.co.nz) are pleased to announce a significant new post-release update for Distant Worlds! This new v1.0.4.9 update includes over a dozen important bug fixes as well as major improvements to friendly and enemy AI and automation. Additional economic balancing is also included to fine-tune the 1.0.4 economy and fix an issue with uncapped corruption. Especially improved are troop and agent automation as well as the way the private sector handles its own economic assets if it starts to run in the red.

For the best play experience, Matrix Games strongly recommends that all owners of Distant Worlds upgrade to v1.0.4.9. While 1.0.4.9 will work fine with older saved games, we also strongly recommend starting new games with 1.0.4.9 as some of the bug fixes will not work with saved games from older versions.

With Distant Worlds, gamers can experience a “living galaxy” with endless options and replayability, command vast empires that span many star system and engage in research, diplomacy, ship design, espionage, trade, combat and more! Be sure to check out the long list of promo videos available for Distant Worlds in addition to the three new screenshots of a few of the beautifully detailed alien races found in the game!

David Heath, Director of Operations at Matrix Games, said “Distant Worlds continues to improve in response to feedback from our customers and this significant update is another step along the way. We’re delighted with how Distant Worlds has been received by gamers and reviewers alike and the best is yet to come! It’s great to see that every day more gamers get their hands on Distant Worlds and start creating their own epic tales of galactic conquest!”

Distant Worlds is a vast, pausable real-time, 4X space strategy game. You can run the game as slow or as fast as you like, with intelligent advisors and many different settings for warnings and auto-pause triggers to help you manage your empire at your own pace. Experience the full depth and detail of large turn-based strategy games, but with the simplicity and ease of real-time, and on the scale of a massively-multiplayer online game.

Vast galaxies are made to order: up to 1400 star systems, with up to 50,000 planets, moons and asteroids. Galaxies are so deep, fun and immersive that you won’t want to finish the game... Build, expand and improve your empire endlessly. The galaxy is packed with life and activity. Encounter other empires, independent alien colonies, traders, pirates and space monsters. Explore star systems, asteroid fields, gas clouds, supernovae, galactic storms and black holes. Discover evidence of civilizations long since past, uncovering secrets about the galaxy's troubled history...

Best of all, you can play the game your way: enjoy a quick, intense game in a crowded galaxy or take your time in an epic game spread across a vast galaxy!

Get the update here.

[Erik Rutins]

Hi everyone,

Here is the full final change list from 1.0.4 to 1.0.4.9. There were a few more bug fixes after the last public beta.

v1.0.4.9 – May 20, 2010

Fifth Official Update


Please Note – This update does create a new save folder, although it will work with previous saves. You need to navigate to the previous version save folder to open your older saves. We recommend starting a new game in order to get the full effect of the changes and improvements, as some will not apply to older save files.
Also, this update may reset the automation settings in your Options screen. Please open the Options screen again to adjust them to your preference. Apologies for any inconvenience.

Bug Fixes:

1. Fixed additional reported crashes and freezes
2. Fixed a bug that sometimes occurred in retrofitting (was not completing)
3. Fixed a bug where ships sometimes could not be destroyed
4. Fixed resupply ships not mining fuel
5. Fixed a bug where crash research would sometimes not produce a breakthrough
6. Fixed a bug where armed civilian ships were attacking space creatures
7. Fixed a bug where planets, moons or asteroids were sometimes not being explored
8. Fixed a bug where stars and planets in a system were sometimes not displaying, even when the system had been explored
9. Fixed display of long range scanners in galaxy/sector view so that they always appear in the correct location
10. Fixed a crash when attempt to retrofit ships from the Ships and Bases screen that do not have a non-obsolete design for their sub-role
11. Fixed a crash that occurred when an empire is wiped out and has a mutual defense pact with another empire
12. Fixed a bug when crash research continues after discovering all tech in an area
13. Fixed a bug that could cause fleets with a retrofit order to get stuck in the retrofit process
14. Added additional checks to ensure retrofitting of ships and bases always completes
15. Fixed a problem where defeated empires were sometimes still briefly appearing in the Diplomacy screen
16. Fixed RepairBots so that they properly fix damage

Game Balance Changes:

1. Capped maximum total corruption at a colony to 75%, including a 50% cap on Empire-level corruption (the rest comes from local and distance factors).
2. Slightly lowered the benefits of advanced medical and recreation tech so that less dramatic bonuses at colonies, and thus slightly lower tax rates

Automation and AI Improvements:

1. Improved AI ship and base purchasing and suggestions – as a result empire cashflow should now be more stable and less likely to go into the red when using automation or suggestions for build decisions.
2. Troop purchasing AI improved - will not purchase single troops at colonies when no pressing need for them
3. Better checking for troop maintenance costs, further lessening chance of economy going into the red
4. Intelligence agent recruitment AI improved - will only recruit agents when have met other empires, also recruit less agents
5. Intelligence agent utilization improved. Agents now always have missions, either counterintelligence or espionage/sabotage
6. Improved AI decisions around scrapping ships and bases in both the private and state economies - when economy under pressure then AI may scrap some private items
7. The AI no longer auto-retires ships for the player, even when ship construction is fully automated

Other Improvements:

1. Added extra filters in Ships and Bases screen (research stations, defensive bases, monitoring stations)
2. Made screen resolution check a warning (instead of enforced) - can still proceed to play at a lower resolution if you wish, which should allow Distant Worlds to work on most Netbooks

[taltamir]

sweet... And very quick.

Now, if I am not mistaken, the differences between 1.0.4.8 and 1.0.4.9 is:
15. Fixed a problem where defeated empires were sometimes still briefly appearing in the Diplomacy screen
16. Fixed RepairBots so that they properly fix damage

[Erik Rutins]

Bug fix #14 is new as well, though that really builds on #13 and just makes it more solid.

[Kruos]

Very impressive support, thank you.

[mbar]

Wow and wow. Looking forward to tomorrow's patch. [:D] You guys are fast!!

[Shark7]

Erik, one new thing I have noticed is that sometimes construction ships will get stuck in the middle of building a base due to lack of resources. And while this will eventually fix itself with the delivery of resources, it might make more sense for the construction ship to go top off on cargo, then come back to finish the base. As it is, some bases can take extremely long times to complete.

[Mowen]

Thank you for this new update ! [&o]

[Bartje]

Thank you for your dedication guys; I hope that you can (re)start the creative design proces as well now! (besides creativly fixing bugs [:)])


It would be very helpfull if you could elaborate on some of the suggestions and ideas you liked from the community as well as one's you've had yourselves. We could get a brainstorming sessions going [8D]


Kudos !!

[taltamir]

ORIGINAL: Shark7

Erik, one new thing I have noticed is that sometimes construction ships will get stuck in the middle of building a base due to lack of resources. And while this will eventually fix itself with the delivery of resources, it might make more sense for the construction ship to go top off on cargo, then come back to finish the base. As it is, some bases can take extremely long times to complete.

I agree with that.. construction ships sit there and wait for freighter to deliver the needed resources... if they went and "topped off" and then came back it might work out better. not sure though, theoretically with enough fast freighter and resources that are not found all on one world it could be faster to do it by freighter.

[tkobo]

I dont see any mention of the save load error....still to come in 1.0.5 ?

[Erik Rutins]

Yes, 1.0.5 is massively redoing how saves/loads are done to finally fix that for large games.

[Astax]

I have more trouble with saves in small games. I so far failed 3 smallest games because at about 3rd autosave the game would never finish saving.

[scotten_usa]

Love the 5 star support and continued progress with this game.  After seeing the credits and realizing one man is doing all the work makes Distant Worlds a great achievement.

[tkobo]

Got agree, the support effort does speak well.

[shanicus]

Great job!

Thanks for all your hard work!

[JosEPhII]

Erik,

Quick question:  can 1.0.4.9 be installed without installing .6, .7, or 1.0.4.8?

Waiting for a reply.

Thanks

JosEPh

[taltamir]

ORIGINAL: JosEPh_II

Erik,

Quick question:  can 1.0.4.9 be installed without installing .6, .7, or 1.0.4.8?

Waiting for a reply.

Thanks

JosEPh

yes, just install the latest version

[madjoseph]

Awsome!!!

[:)]

[the1sean]

Thanks for the frequent patches, and for listening to player feedback and bug reports! Just makes a great game better. Any word on when there will be more mod support in an upcoming patch? I understand bugs, AI, and gameplay are more important, just curious when I can look for that...