Build V18.3 Released!

[Chris]

Build V18.3 has been released. The current status of the build is as follows:

• Standalones are awaiting authorisation on Desura. It appears to have been authorised for the Premium branch but not the Standard branch.
  
• Auto-updater versions will follow if it is confirmed to be free of major bugs
  

I have named this build V18.3 to avoid confusing people who ended up with Hotfix 2 from the forums or with V18.1 due to Desura's peculiar numbering system.

Because it takes so long to upload / authorise, we've made more changes since we started uploading it. There will be a hotfix patch today that will improve balance, and will likely be incorporated into the branch release.

Overall, I've not been able to sit down and play the game much

CHANGELOG:

• The "replace" function now works for research projects, automatically scanning all units for the item to be replaced and updating it with the new one. This has been used for the Advanced Medipack and the advanced aircraft missiles and explosives.
  
• Disappearing equipment bug associated with wounded soldiers should be fixed.
  
• Trying to use a loadout that contains an armour which cannot be equipped (e.g. you don't have any of them) will no longer crash the game.
  
• Weapon fire paths for shots now turn orange beyond the operational range of the weapon (where accuracy and damage drops off)
  
• Teleporters should be working again.
  
• Shift + click will now override TU reserve settings for soldier movement
  

• The interceptable C-17 transport plane has been removed from the game. It was a neat idea but it caused too many problems to be worthwhile; now item transfer simply occurs with a 24 hour time delay. This will fix several crashes.
  
• There's a bit of new art for the Foxtrot and Saracen, and for the vehicles too (though the latter will look much better with the new UI)
  
• Ferret should no longer occasionally disappear when destroyed
  
• Stunning an alien no longer produces two corpses
  
• Aircraft now fly from base to base when told to transfer (they are not interceptable).
  

• Dropships should now appear in the tech tree. Previously I'd forgotten to include a recoverable item.
  
• Aliens now have somewhat shorter sight ranges. It's still longer than human sight ranges, but less so. This means the Hunter also has a reduced sight range (but it is still longer than most aliens). (EDIT - actually, this isn't in the game. It'll be in the hotfix).
  
• Rate of alien alloy recovery increased a bit
  
• Marauders no longer incorrectly cost $7.5m each
  
• Vertical movement with jetpack now costs 2APs per square instead of 6APs
  
• A few sprite updates including fixing the giganto soldier with Buzzard and Precision Laser
  
• C4 is now incendiary damage
  

From Hotfix 1 & 2, included in this release:

• Aliens should no longer spawn inside solid objects.
  
• Scimitar is now correctly a 3x3 vehicle instead of 4x4.
  
• CTD when you walk through smoke is removed.
  
• Grenade throw mode no longer disappears when you mouseover an alien.
  
• Grenades should no longer occasionally just disappear when you try to throw them.
  
• The auto-generated crashsites now no longer make the radar ranges on the Geoscape disappear.
  
• UFOs are a bit less aggressive now. Only the air superiority missions will actively try to shoot down your aircraft.
  
• When you click "Go To Aircraft / Vehicle" after you've built a new one, it now takes you to the specific unit just built rather than just to the general screen.
  
• Ctrl key is no longer incorrectly "sticky" on screens with quantity arrows, so they'll only max the quantity if you actually have Ctrl held when you press the button rather than having pressed it at any point before the click.
  
• Hopefully the aliens shooting through solid walls issue should be fixed
  
• Hopefully the invisible civilian issue should be fixed
  
• UFO walls and floors should no longer disappear on loading a save game
  
• Landing ships should no longer sometimes be empty when shot down
  
• The two auto-generated crash sites in the first week should no longer be empty
  
• There should be less freezes in the Hidden Movement screen
  
• The Chinook range has been extended a bit, so hopefully it now should have global range
  
• You can no longer "scan" a UFO with the crosshair to reveal aliens inside it from outside
  
• Incendiary damage (most explosives except grenades deal incendiary damage) now do double damage against terrain, but normal damage against units...so rockets are better at clearing terrain now!
  

Also, will be moving all of the existing sticky beta Balance Discussion threads into the "Old Thread" section and creating new ones. Now I'm back from holiday and the game is (hopefully) much more stable than pre-hotfix V18 was, we should be able to act on the points of discussion more easily.

Please play the new version, report any major bugs, then post summaries of your opinions (whether new or previously posted) if they are still valid in the new build.

[Sathra]

For some odd reason it won't let me download the premium thing.

[Chris]

The first hotfix is available here: http://www.goldhawkinteractive.com/forums/showthread.php/4744-Build-V18-3-Hotfix-1-Released%21

[stokoss]

Are 18.2 Savegames compatible with 18.3? or we need to start from scratch???

Still at 68%...can't wait to find out!!!

[Elrim]

any ETA for non premium? =(

[Max_Caine]

Whenever Desura pulls their finger out.

[Giovanni]

Are 18.2 Savegames compatible with 18.3? or we need to start from scratch???

Savegames are not compatible. This is due to the bugfixes we have done, which as usually happens changed the internal data serialization, and for other design changes such as the C17 removal.

(Older savefiles which can't be loaded, even if still in the Xenonauts' directory, won't be listed on the load game tab to avoid confusion to users)

We'd love to keep savegames compatibility, but is a really complex thing to do and is not worth the effort, at current state of things. (Not to say it would be likely to introduce new bugs on loading process)

I'm sorry

[stokoss]

Savegames are not compatible. This is due to the bugfixes we have done, which as usually happens changed the internal data serialization, and for other design changes such as the C17 removal.

We'd love to keep savegames compatibility, but is a really complex thing to do and is not worth the effort, at current state of things.

Makes absolute sense!!

Thank you for the reply and a job well done!

[Notsosure]

Hi, I am a premium preorderer but I can't see the V18.3 standalone download on desura, is it some kind of desura bug?

[Moonie]

Donuts all round,..my treat. We have great cause for celebration, on this, our most memorable day.

Whaaaaaaaa!!!!

Not to worry, soon be on steam, and then we can put Desura out to pasture.

Edited April 24, 2013 by Moonie

[Chris]

I've asked Desura to authorise it. We'll see when they get round to it.

[mace6442]

Aliens now have somewhat shorter sight ranges. It's still longer than human sight ranges, but less so. This means the Hunter also has a reduced sight range (but it is still longer than most aliens). (EDIT - actually, this isn't in the game. It'll be in the hotfix).

Does this mean its in this patch or comming later?

Forgive me for being confused,,,

[Max_Caine]

Paragraph 3 of the OP

Because it takes so long to upload / authorise, we've made more changes since we started uploading it. There will be a hotfix patch today that will improve balance, and will likely be incorporated into the branch release.

So yes, there will be a hotfix for the new update.

[flashman]

Thanks for the changes

I have played with v18 more than any other version in the past year.

[Moonie]

I hate desura so much I want to poke it with a stick.

[Übermensch]

Hi,

When this will be available for Standard Preorder to download? (standalone)

Thank you!!

[Max_Caine]

Chris has said he has asked Desura to authroise the standard preorder, so whenever Desura authorise it.

Edited April 24, 2013 by Max_Caine
changed future to past

[Übermensch]

Thank you Max Caine, hopefully soon!

[Avid]

Much appreciated Chris!

[GizmoGomez]

I have a question:

With the C4 being incendiary damage, is there a chance that there'll be fire produced? Light smoke'd be okay, but not the heavy stuff that a smoke grenade produces or anything of that sort.

Basically, how will C4 work now that the damage type has been updated?

I haven't downloaded it yet, and it'll take me a while to do so, otherwise I'd just dive into the XMLs myself.

Thanks!

[Moonie]

Still no download. "£$^%^&^*ing b""$%^^ need shooting, or sacking, or both.

I want my 18.3 and I want it now. What do we want?

[stx]

Still no download on Desura.

Let's hope Xenonauts betas will be available in a few weeks on Steam.

Build V18.3 has been released. The current status of the build is as follows:

• The interceptable C-17 transport plane has been removed from the game. It was a neat idea but it caused too many problems to be worthwhile; now item transfer simply occurs with a 24 hour time delay. This will fix several crashes.
  
• Aircraft now fly from base to base when told to transfer (they are not interceptable).
  

Sometimes less is more....

[Donkeyfumbler]

[*]Shift + click will now override TU reserve settings for soldier movement

Chris, thank you SO much adding this in

[Moonie]

At least we can download the hotfix while we wait.

[Bugi]

What is Desura doing? Taking breakfast until lunch? My F5 button is going to burn down

Any news on this matter?