Public Beta 2009.035 uploaded to Members Area

[Greg Wilcox]

Hi everyone,

We've got a Public Beta (v2009.036) Update available via our Members Club. While we do final testing we figured we'd offer you a change to get it early as well. This is still a beta, but it's stable and solid as far as we can tell.
You can download either the compressive or the incremental as a Registered Download as long as you have registered your Larry Bond's Harpoon Commander's Edition serial number in our Members Club (click on the MEMBERS link in the top nav bar).

2009.036 Changes:

New Features:
• Unit Window now uses the same zoom levels as the Group Window and can use the Textured Land and Water settings.
• Submarines can now shoot guns at ships.
• Non Intercept/Escort planes will no longer go off on ATA missions.
• Implemented a new Escort jamming model with greater variability in the protection a jammer can offer nearby groups against distant radars.
• Improved AI BOL shots so that the AI shoots itself less!
• Scenario Designers can now add a platform of a particular name to a scenario any number of times, allowing more units of a Class than the database recognizes. This is particularly useful for land-based air defense units.
• Added ‘o’ hotkey to show On Station Rectangles, if present, for victory conditions. Added ‘l’ hotkey to return to 1:1 time compression. The Alt-t hotkey will now alternate thru showing no paths, showing selected group’s path, and showing all friendly group’s paths in both GE and SE.
• When the player deletes a formation air patrol event, the game will no longer maintain that air patrol if the returning plane is shot down.
• The Aircraft RTB dialog will now highlight the original airfield by default if it is capable of landing the planes.
• Added the stopped clock time compression option (the ability to pause without the pause dialog preventing map traversal and menu traversal). Also effected with Ctrl-Alt-p hotkey.
• Sufficiently damaged subs will surface and stay surfaced. They will also split into a new group of their own.
• Scenario designers can now successfully use Staff Notes to send the player messages at specific times in the scenario.
• Expanded WestPac BattleSet as seen in the HCE Demo!
• New EMCON AI that tells the AI when to turn on sensors and prompts player to turn on sensors. It is now much more intelligent and at times sneaky.
• Many new command line switches for the Game Engine and Scenario Editor.
• Updated HCDB Database including but not limited to…
o Shi Lang (Varyag) CV – China
o DF-21C ASBM Bty – China
o JAS.39C Gripen - South Africa
o Manthatisi (T209/1400) SS - South Africa
o P-8I Poseidon - India

Bug Fixes/Workarounds:
• Multiple Crash bugs eliminated in both Game Engine and Scenario Editor.
• EC2000 BattleSets will now show the correct Strategic Map graphic.
• Got rid of the double prompting for game options (side, nuke release, etc.).
• ASMs/SSMs with the Snap Up/Down flag can now be shot at by point defense weapons (previously ASMs/SSMs outside the altitude capabilities of defensive mounts could not be engaged in point defense mode, now they can be if the ASMs/SSMs have the Snap Up/Down flag.
• When a surface or sub group is given a stop order, keep it stopped. Previously they would often start moving again in response for formation keeping events.
• ASW birds will now RTB when told to do so instead of choosing any action they wanted to take.
• Fixed the 10x too large BOL range rings and made it yellow like it should be.
• Fixed the inability to re-task air groups already on an attack mission.
• Logging will really work in Release builds now.
• Refueling tweaks to prevent refueling immediately upon takeoff.
• Fixed out of fuel problems caused by aircraft that fly faster at lower altitudes than higher altitudes. Endurance is now calculated from the slowest speed.
• Tweaked the shortening of the information in the installation/ship/plane/submarine list boxes in the Scenario Editor so that more relevant information is shown in the space available.
• The SE now properly stores the database information in scenario files.
• Repeating LR patrols can now be properly deleted from a scenario and will trigger properly in the game.
• The Scenario Editor was throwing away the % chance of inclusion for planes, now it isn’t.
• Many other minor fixes, tweaks, and improvements.

[TonyE]

Just a friendly note you'll find when running this patch, the version is really 2009.036 [;)] and must be applied to an existing 2008.044 or newer installation.

[Greg Wilcox]

Sorry about that I've fixed the typo in the text of the message.

-Greg

[RA5C]

...and we get to the Member's Club by?..

[TonyE]

ORIGINAL: RA5C

...and we get to the Member's Club by?..

http://www.matrixgames.com/community/login.asp

[RA5C]

Many thanks...

[VictorInThePacific]

Looks like an awful lot of good work.

As this applies to my "command cards":

Added ‘o’ hotkey to show On Station Rectangles, if present, for victory conditions.

already have it

Added ‘l’ hotkey to return to 1:1 time compression.

already have it

The Alt-t hotkey will now alternate thru showing no paths, showing selected group’s path, and showing all friendly group’s paths in both GE and SE.

already have it, although the explanation may have changed

Added the stopped clock time compression option (the ability to pause without the pause dialog preventing map traversal and menu traversal). Also effected with Ctrl-Alt-p hotkey.

don't have it yet. I probably won't recreate the cards immediately for one change, even though it can be quite an important one in some situations.

[TonyE]

So I take it the patch is working passably for everyone?

[Varangian]

Hi,

Thanks for the new beta patch.

Is it possible to add the USNI battleset to final patch as well? Thanks

[Renato]

It seems to work well up to now. Thanks.

[TonyE]

ORIGINAL: Varangian

Hi,

Thanks for the new beta patch.

Is it possible to add the USNI battleset to final patch as well? Thanks

The (new) USNI battleset will not be included in this patch but we will post an updated demo once the patch 'goes gold' so you'll have the same end result, just some wasted disk space.

[Varangian]

Thanks Tony

[keeferon01]

ORIGINAL: TonyE

ORIGINAL: Varangian

Hi,

Thanks for the new beta patch.

Is it possible to add the USNI battleset to final patch as well? Thanks

The (new) USNI battleset will not be included in this patch but we will post an updated demo once the patch 'goes gold' so you'll have the same end result, just some wasted disk space.

Are new scenarios included with the battleset,

[TonyE]

ORIGINAL: Ron James

Are new scenarios included with the battleset,

I'm not quite understanding your question but I'll try to answer anyway. The USNI battleset in the demo has 10 scenarios, remakes of the five original USNI scenarios from each of the red side and blue side. There is no increase in numbers of scenarios in that battleset since its release nor any change to the scenario content.

[keeferon01]

Forgive my stupid question, I always get way over excited when I see the words patch and battleset , Im heading back to my cave now [:)]

thought there was new scenarios for a minute

[TonyE]

ORIGINAL: Ron James
thought there was new scenarios for a minute

hehe, new scenarios at http://harpgamer.com/harpforum/index.ph ... &showcat=5 [:)]

[FOD123]

Took a quick look at the database included with this Beta and had a couple of questions. First could not find the F-35A in either the US or International (where it was located in the 044 update) sections. Also wondered about the reductions in the listed ranges for later versions of the AMRAAM. What sources did you use to make these changes?

Although new to this forum, am a longtime USNI member (35 years) and Harpoon experience goes back to the Classic and 97 versions of the 1990s. Have enjoyed HCE. Great job. Thanks.

[hermanhum]

I'm looking at the HCDB 090620 and the F-35s are there:

Name:
F-35A Lightning II
F-35B JSF (RN)
F-35B Lightning II
F-35C Lightning II

Be sure to use the EC2003 or WestPac battlesets.

Welcome (back) to the game. [8D]

[FOD123]

Thanks. I was looking at the HCDB 090427. Will have to update.

[TonyE]

ORIGINAL: FOD123

Thanks. I was looking at the HCDB 090427. Will have to update.

That is plenty new enough (the F-35s have been in there years now); as Herman wrote, make sure you are in the EC2003 or newer battlesets where HCDB applies. I believe the range reductions came as a result of similar range reductions in the Harpoon paper data annexes, Brad can verify or elaborate but I think I'm right about that sourceage in this instance [;)].