V20 Stable Candidate 1 available!

[Aaron]

Firstly, if you do not know how to access the experimental branch on Steam, please read the instructions (and warnings!) in this thread. All saved games from earlier versions (including experimental versions) are incompatible, attempting to load them will cause problems.

This build is our candidate for promotion to the main Steam branch tomorrow, unless we find anything show stopping. This is shorter than our usual testing time for a candidate, but this build has been up since last Friday with only relatively minor changes and so is looking good.

Really the main feature is the new loading screen, as introducing other major changes might risk introducing instability.

Fixes:

- The blast from an explosion should now continue to expand past a wall if it destroys that wall (i.e. a fence won't save you from C4 anymore)

- Aircraft now correctly grant the player their sell value on decommissioning

- Fix to prevent grenades (and jetpack soldiers) from flying over the walls in Xenonaut/Alien bases

Additions:

- New Loading Screen! It looks nice and has tips! There are a couple of presentation bugs with it we are fixing (it sometimes displays the old "TURN X" screen)

- Sentinel armour now has animated sprites for when using the jetpack

- All remaining wall tiles for the Xenonaut base have been painted over, have damage states etc...

Balance:

- Reduced the quantity of Alien Alloys granted from crashed UFOs by about 50%

- Reduced the initial number of UFOs per wave from 4 to 3, and the maximum number from 8 to 6

Please post your comments on the build here. If you encounter any bugs please post them in the experimental build sub-forum of the bugs forum. I will post new threads in the beta forum shortly for in-depth discussion of the current Geoscape and Ground Combat balance, but feel free to post brief opinions here too.

[Eldgrim]

Getting closer to release glee!

[Chris]

I will be adding new loading tips overnight. Also, let us know how the 25% reduction in UFOs plays out in the next 12-24 hours if you get a chance. Providing there are no major bugs this version will likely become V20 Stable unless the balance has been screwed over.

Still a few things to do in January before release, but we are indeed getting closer!

EDIT: OK, so there are three major issues I can reproduce and confirm on my machine so far. The most important is that save games are misbehaving:

1) If you create / load a game, then go back to the main menu screen and create another game, the new game is screwed up. Your starting base is set up as if it was a newly-built secondary base and crash sites etc do not appear correctly on the map.

2) ALL save games loaded in the system will crash if you try to load a ground combat, and will also contain invisible UFOs and various other issues.

3) If you hire new soldiers at the start of the game, while they are en-route to the base you are unable to click the Unassigned category on the Soldier Equip screen.

If you are getting crashes in games where you have not loaded the game and have just booted the game up, then those are further issues. However I imagine the save game problems explain most of the CTDs reported in this thread.

[Eldgrim]

I can not offer much input because i only play like 15 mins and skip a few beta releases because i want to keep my virginity for release but i can say this. Can you lower the volume of the "denied" sound? It made me jump from my chair haha.

Edit: Lowered sound effects volume.

Edited December 19, 2013 by Eldgrim

[Skitso]

Can't wait!

[Moonie]

New build has just installed. I have been playing v20 for a couple of days and have had no issues, in fact I am finding the game f****** brilliant. Thank you for this latest update, you have made my Christmas warm and fluffy.

I like the new loading screen, very pro. I bet if you put V20 in for re-review it would receive a very nice score.

Edited December 19, 2013 by Moonie

[Calmingstorm]

I noticed at 1920x1080 the ufo's and crash sites never appear, and if ufo shot down by a country the helicopter goes there but hovers as there is no site to land on

[Solver]

This is evil, I have a very interesting ongoing playthrough and it's a shame to lose save compatibility now.

[a333]

You can always forbid updates to finish playthrough, and/or mess with the game copies.

[Moonie]

I noticed at 1920x1080 the ufo's and crash sites never appear, and if ufo shot down by a country the helicopter goes there but hovers as there is no site to land on

Strange, I have the same rez and don't have this problem.

[pzkfw]

Had a problem while managing soldiers right off a new game, the "unassigned" category goes to negative numbers and then won't let you access the soldiers under that category. I had first removed all soldiers from the dropship and then started adding them in. I noticed that the soldiers when removed from the dropship did not add to the "unassigned" category numerically, but were placed there for management. Then when I started adding them from the unassigned category back to the dropship, the numbers dropped into the negatives. Looked like this: "unassigned (-2)"

[Moonie]

I had like -3 unassigned, thought it was strange but then figured it was part of the game I didn't yet understand. Later it changed to 3, maybe it's troops hired that have not yet arrived.

[tscho]

I found a bug which i could reproduce:

Start a game. And place HQ.

Quit the game to the menu.

Begin a new one. Placing the HQ again.

Big problem now is that the base now will be build up like a secondary base. Restart to be able to create a new game.

[Commissar Pancakes]

I just reported that one!

[Helky]

Hello,

I have played (and enjoyed very much) V20 Experimental Build 8 Hotfix 2, but this afternoon i´ve installed V20 Stable Candidate 1, and i cannot play anymore.

Saved games load, but it runs unstable and game crashes (loading a mission for example), and there are less ufos to intercept....

I tried a new game, the same problems (crashing while loading a mission, very few ufos to intercept....)

Help!!!, how i can manage to came back to V20 Experimental Build 8 Hotfix 2????, or when a V20 truly Stable?, im desperate...

[jeon]

I can't play the game now. My old save locks up when the next alien wave comes and my new game I started in this version gets a CTD anytime it saves or I save after I complete a Sebillian autopsy and the light scout report. Apparently there are also other people who can't even get into ground combat without it crashing.

[FGART]

New game. CTD right after new loading screen (ground combat).

Win7 64 try it on 1920x1200 res.

[Chris]

Yeah. New versions almost always break existing save games, unfortunately, as there's usually changes made to the save / load code whenever a new feature goes into the game. You'll need to start a new game, not really much we can do about that I'm afraid.

[Moonie]

I was playing V20 Experimental Build 8 Hotfix 2 and am now playing the new build with my old save game without any problems so far. Have you vitrified your cache?

Edit: seems like I'm the lucky one.

Edited December 19, 2013 by Moonie

[Redwallzyl]

it keeps crashing on game start or base placement.

[FGART]

Verifying integrity of game cache does not solve the problem. Still CTD on a new loading screen.

[Helky]

Hello,

"How i can verify integrity of game cache?, i wish to try it"....forget this, i just discovered how to;)

Thanks

Edit: I tried it, but it doesnt work...

Edited December 19, 2013 by Helky

[Chilly]

are the 700+ damage rockets fixed yet?

[Chris]

OK, so there are three major issues I can reproduce and confirm on my machine so far. The most important is that save games are misbehaving:

1) If you create / load a game, then go back to the main menu screen and create another game, the new game is screwed up. Your starting base is set up as if it was a newly-built secondary base and crash sites etc do not appear correctly on the map.

2) ALL save games loaded in the system will crash if you try to load a ground combat, and will also contain invisible UFOs and various other issues.

3) If you hire new soldiers at the start of the game, while they are en-route to the base you are unable to click the Unassigned category on the Soldier Equip screen.

If you are getting crashes in games where you have not loaded the game and have just booted the game up, then those are further issues. However I imagine the save game problems explain most of the CTDs reported in this thread.

[Solver]

Made it through the first combat mission with no problems.