Sunday, October 31, 2010

1.1.05 Release

An important update, so be sure to get it.  This fixes some huge memory management problems that have cropped up, causing very high RAM usage and even crashes because of it.  It also introduces Multithreading as an option, but this is very experimental so far, so don't expect it to do much good yet (and do expect it to crash).  It's really only for my own development.

Full changelog since 1.1.02:
  • Waypoints are now useable by either holding Shift or by holding down an order hotkey.  This functions perfectly in both Host and Client, but the Client does not yet show the waypoint sequence lines
  • Multithreading has been added as an option.  It currently only applies to network games and is not stable, but may be expanded upon in the future
  • Flags now draw only if a building is finished
  • Buildings can now only be produced at a distance from finished buildings (i.e. you cannot lay walls out to infinity now before they are built)
  • Combat Victory conditions now ignore the presence of all 1-cell sized buildings
  • Building rangefinding now measures from the center of each building correctly
  • Windtraps no longer provide power when they are "unpowered" (read: Mindgassed)
  • Fixed combination of issues causing massive memory leaks to reduce requirements down to 20% of previous versions (a normal large game should take less than 200mb of RAM)
  • Fixed bug causing Rocket Launchers and Saboteurs to fail to do extra damage vs Defended buildings
  • Fixed bug with units remaining selected after being converted by a Deviator
  • Fixed bug preventing Death Hand from being purchased
  • Fixed bug with buildings losing power and still being half-selected
  • Many other changes/fixes behind the scenes

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Statement of (re-)direction

So what the heck has been going on here?  First I say I'm abandoning this project in favor of a new one, and then I start updating this one even more frequently than I ever did before.  First I say I don't want the project community to expand too much due to concerns over intellectual property, and then I turn around and start casting games and talking to nearly every member who contacts me on Steam or in the forums.  What gives?

Well, things definitely have shifted around a bit.  Not long after I started on the new project, I began speaking with the developer of the network library I use.  He and I have since decided to collaborate directly on a new project, upon which I will most likely base my new project.  In addition, I continue to learn good programming practices and what is possible, and I've been doing all that at a fast rate lately.  When I get some good ideas I need to start working with them right away, and since I'm not working on my other project at the moment, I have lots of leftover creative energy.  So, I've been taking a lot of those ideas and, even though it is sometimes a waste of time or sometimes a bit crazy, bringing them into to D2TGP.

As far as the community goes, I've decided it's worth the risk to start building it up, and I'm finally proud enough of the project that I want to introduce everyone to it.  I've made a lot of good friends (and a couple great ones) from Europe and Asia and I'm starting to feel more like a member of the "world community", which feels great.

On a similar note, I am in enormous need of money, to keep all my resources going.  So, if you know any millionaires, or even just have a few bucks lying around that want to go on a plane ride, please donate to this project.  I will be most thankful.

So, thanks for your time and keep your eyes open.  You never do know what will happen with me I guess. :)

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

1.1.02 Release

Let me start off by saying: this is definitely one of my more ambitious releases, so while it fixes several bugs, I'm sure it will add a few new ones in there somewhere.  When I get a burst of creative energy I have to let it go for a while, and at this point I had to force myself to make another release before going deeper into changes.  There's some stuff in here I've wanted to do a long time, and others I've only thought of recently.  As I get better and better at programming, more and more things feel much easier to achieve, which only means good things for everyone. :)

Changelog since 1.1.00:

  • Updated online database and PHP code to track game statistics for possible future ladder system, or at least to view statistics
  • Detonations
    • Now hit buildings once, instead of once for each cell covered
  • Buildings
    • All buildings will now only continue to produce while they are not under attack
  • Ordos
    • Now have Trikes
    • Raider
      • Now a distinctive unit (you'll see)
      • Enhanced to be even faster and lighter
    • Deviator
      • Now has a multitude of possible effects versus ground units, including (get ready) the ability to permanently convert enemy units to other factions (at a very low percentage of course).  Buildings can still only suffer the power-down effect
      • No units are immune to any of these effects now (previously Alliance units were immune)
  • Harkonnen
    • Devastator destruct now does 250 damage down from 300
  • Starport
    • Premium for purchases is now set at static 25%
    • Harkonnen cannot purchase Trikes
    • Ordos can purchase Trikes
    • All factions can purchase Infantry
    • Harkonnen and Ordos can purchase Troopers
  • Alliances
    • Death Hand damage reduced to 350 from 400
    • Spacing Guild now reduces Starport premium to static 5%
    • Fremen Warriors now gain +25 damage vs Foot units, instead of +15
  • Carryalls
    • Carryall speed is now directly affected by the weight of the unit being transported
    • General top speed has been slightly increased about 7%
  • Upgrades
    • Most upgrades have had their costs increased to reflect the new higher map Spice totals
    • Armed Harvesters is now an Upgrade that changes all future produced Harvesters
  • Interface
    • Clicking on a single unit previously selected will now cause all units of that type within a short range to be selected
    • Edge-scrolling is disabled while the dragbox is active
  • Other minor graphical improvements
  • Fixed bug with Death Hand damage application
  • Fixed bug with dragbox being able to select units off-screen
  • Fixed bug with Formation and Retreat level buttons when units are selected, preventing their use
  • Fixed bug preventing Observers from seeing Foot units in Crags

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

1.1.00 Release

Whee!  Mainly a bugfix release (noticed some things weren't working during recent testing) but some new things also.  Most importantly, there are many changes to visibility control that you should pay a lot of attention to.

Changelog since 1.0.99:

  • Some units are now "Stealthy".  This include Saboteurs, Trading Posts, and any Foot Soldier inside Crags while not in combat.  This was already coded in the past but due to a bug was not working properly until now.  Stealthy units cannot be seen or targeted normally unless an enemy unit moves within one cell of them, or they fire at an enemy or take damage.  Stealthy units show a dark circle around them when they are normally hidden.
  • Saboteurs have obviously been fixed as a result, and are now as I intended them to be, which is a very stealthy infiltrator that can loiter inside enemy bases and also do serious damage to buildings at just the right time.  Be sure to keep it out of weapon range against enemies or it will open fire out of self-preservation.
  • Trading Posts behave similarly in that they cannot be seen unless a unit moves right by them.  They also no longer have a weapon, so they are difficult to find.  They can still be seen while in construction however.
  • Foot Soldiers get important benefits from this patch and will now have a far easier time making surprise attacks from Crags.
  • vAutoOrder now cannot be enabled when vShiftAdd is disabled (too hard to deselect units)
  • Guard Turrets have damage reduced to 5, but now have a small Area of Effect that helps damage Foot Soldiers, and are FAR more effective against groups of them.
  • Improved area-of-effect operations
  • Observers should see all units now
  • Walls are now defensive structures that provide no range bonus (doesn't really concern the player)
  • Fixed bug with Mentat providing info on units illegally
  • Fixed bug with selecting buildings of size 1
  • Fixed bug causing crash after losing a game (stopped automatic switch to Observer for now)

Sunday, October 10, 2010

1.0.99 Release

More back-porting of routines I'll be using in my next project.  This time I've rewritten the interface to consolidate "Expert" and "Classic" modes, so there is only one major interface now.  It operates very much like other RTS games now (especially Starcraft 2, which I'm pretty sure everyone will be playing for a long time).  I've still retained some of the things that I personally prefer.  Apologies to all veterans in advance for making you re-learn the system again. :)

Changelog since 1.0.97:

  • Replaced "Expert Mode" option with "Shift-Add" and "Auto-Order" separate options, and consolidated all other interface methods into left-click-focused system
  • Pre-Spice Masses now appear only after 2 minutes of game time
  • Devastators bumped back up to slower rate of fire to accentuate strengths/weaknesses
  • Combat Tank damage increased to 35 from 33
  • In-game chats now have better visibility
  • Reinstated viewport rectangle in Zoom mode
  • Clicking on the Tip Box now causes it to cycle
  • Fixed bug preventing custom maps from loading
  • Added some code underneath for future improvements

Sunday, October 03, 2010

1.0.97 Release

Ok, now you may be surprised at how I am releasing new versions lately.  But, I've decided D2TGP will be my new testing ground for trying out routines and techniques before deciding to use them in my next project.  So, from time to time I'll be back-porting new features or making larger changes.  For instance, I'm currently researching new network libraries, so you might see a version of D2TGP in the future with improved network functionality.
I had the chance to observe a couple games recently, so the following changes are based on what I've discovered.

Changes since 1.0.96:

  • Doubled all Spice on the map in terms of field density (map running out far too quickly)
  • Nearly doubled chances for Pre-Spice Masses to form
  • Added edge-scrolling
  • Observers in net games can now Chat
  • Reduced Devastator fire delay and Damage slightly (too slow)
  • Reduced fire delay for Trike/Raider/Quads by 10% to up their damage potential
  • Increased fire delay for Flak Trikes by 33% to nerf them slightly
  • Fixed some graphic glitches
  • Fixed a large issue causing network games to crash when map was generated