Patch Notes Update Beta update 3 - incoming

Zac Antonaci

Head of Communications
Frontier
Hey guys,

We've got an update going live to the beta servers at approximately 11am BST. The servers will be down for up to a few hours but hopefully be back before then. :)

This will also start the Mayhem phase.

The change logs are below. This will not affect the normal game servers.

Stability Fixes

- Fix a crash when a proxy POI is killed before it gets to variables initialised
- Fix bad fog shape type
- Fix a crash if the Steam overlay is bound to a key that is named differently than in game
- Speculative fixes to a crash caused by cargo canisters in POIs not having an item set
- Speculative fix for non-Horizon's players being matchmade into inappropriate islands
- Crash fix in for when a weapon with the MalfunctionHit special effect hits a module that can't malfunction
- When a RingCell received a FOR shift, only transfer asteroids between physics worlds if they have already been added to a physics world
- When a POI is deactivated, make sure it kills all the levels it created
- Extra checks added a possible fix for a crash that occurs later in scaleform due to a null texture
- Safe-guard against the render system returning a null texture, if one couldn't be allocated

General Fixes & Tweaks

- Fix a case of moon-ring intersection, this time it was due to a binary moon
- Fixed missing audio on Packhound missiles
- Added support for non-latin characters in Air Traffic Controller callsign generation
- Fixed planet port voice announcements not waiting for their current message to stop playing before counting down the next message
- Fixed missing description for Maia system
- Add game client support for 'tradelist' Community Goals
- Fix for missing audio when scrolling in shipyards
- - Updated Archon Delaine’s commodity production and consumption control system effect to use the same set of commodities as his price reduction control system effect
- No value up or down sounds for sliders in the graphics, controls and audio options fixed
- Various text fixes
- Spanish translations updated

Galaxy Map

- Fixed galaxy map camera initialisation and use default system position to avoid the camera to focus on last searched system
- Fixed scrollable areas on the galaxy map from jumping around seemingly at random when rolling over interactive elements with the mouse
- Reset bookmark route icon when clearing a nav route

Engineers

- Renamed advanced armour to be consistent with the hull reinforcement upgrades with the same effect
- Top level module selections listed as 'Other' for both module options at Qwent Research Base fixed
- Fixed modified jitter stat off-by-one problem
- Implemented blueprint sorting
- Removed special effect warning from 'view cost & generate' pop-up and fixed the non-localised string
- Refresh engineer data after discarding
- Add generic "You've learned some information about a new engineer, $#name;. Check your log for more details." message when unlocking a new engineer to notify players of a change
- Adjust timers for mass lock munitions and both Choke Canister (Ion disruption) and Shift-lock canister for making more sense of their buffs and a longer immunity period
- Fix misnamed parameter which was causing locked recipes to appear unlocked
- Change default class of module assumed for pinned recipes in commander log to take into account that we don't have class 1 engines
- Overhaul Feedback Cascade: Now rather than breaking the shields, will inhibit the shield cell to only heal 10% of what it otherwise would do, and will deal direct damage to the shield cell bank equal to half the weapon damage
- Fixes to the donation popup button
- Known Engineers 'Sort Results' options are not sorting 'By Access Level' correctly fixed
- When the recipe pinned for an engineer changes, the commander log does not update fixed
- Fixed incorrect string for long range recipe
- Double amount of micro resource inventory capacity from 300 to 600 on physical and 100 to 200 on data

Temporary changes to help support testing modified modules balance

- Greatly accelerated the speed of progress through Engineer reputation when crafting recipes
- Changed recipes ingredients to fish
- All Engineers have been taught all recipes
- All Engineers have set up temporary commodity markets to help them sell fish

Missions

- Fix missing timeout element on BLOPs missions
- When spawning a mission USS with a cargo override, only override the amount of cargo needed for the mission instead of all the cargo
- Added some more links in the deserter.chatter so that it will say a few more things when it is interdicted
- Make the planetary race wrinkles work in the same way as the space equivalents
- Fixed an issue where the timeout was set to a different timer compared to what the transaction panels were saying
- Fix some confusing naming on planetary disable missions
- Planetary Rescue Dynamic Scan missions should now be more explicit in its telling the player to go scan the nav beacon after receiving the mission
- Fixed discovery scanner use not updating the assassination missions correctly
- Fixed where the penalties link to in the assassination legal templates - reputations should now decrease properly
- Make sure that timeouts function for the in space assassination mission variants
- Mission no longer uses Tiny Settlement for initial POI
- Planetary Scan missions now send an inbox message after scanning NavBeacon
- Fix altruisms to use demanded cargo, not supplied
- Fixed truncated text on community goals page
- Pirate Lord should use the auto bounty system, not a fixed value across all ranks
- Fix sending the incorrect inbox message after scanning a mission tipoff location

NPCs


- Fix for Pirates being stuck in IdleFlight/PirateThreaten at RESs
- Added missing transitions between Pirate Hunter Hostile Mission Cargo Attack and Idle

USSs/POIs


- Rebalance on data point drops: quality and quantity
- Balance pass on low level scenarios that can be found as USS in shipping lanes. More Threat 1 opportunities for low ranking combat ships
- Fixing under staffed skimmer zone
- Added signal descriptors to ship wrecks

Outfitting

- Added separate outfitting category for mining lasers
- Speculative fix for abrupt stop in audio transition when entering outfitting
- Added stats for vehicle bays
- The outfitting Values Min / Current / Max for jump distance seem to be inconsistent fixed
- Vehicle slots have 'fixed/gimbal/turret' options fixed
- Added a indication that a installed module on a ship is "modified" in outfitting
- Vehicle bay sub slots now check the stock properly, rather than defaulting to "no stock"

Avatars

- Adjusted avatar constraints for dictatorship and prison colony mission givers of Alliance and Independent mission givers
- Alliance/Independent Dictatorship and Prison Colony now use all of their accessories
- Male geometry and skinning refined to help prevent neck intersection
- Alliance/Independent Communism, Confederacy, Cooperative, Corporate and Democracy governments now have a chance to have a pair of glasses at Allied
- Added longer hairstyle onto the male portrait avatars
- Fixed hair intersecting with certain face shapes
- Adjusted some of the female hair styles
- Added hat for female engineers
- Alliance/Independent Dictatorship government now have a more varied set of accessories to choose from
- Empire Patronage now has a more varied accessory progression
- Corrected a typo so the indie theocracy uses the right kind of jacket
- Fixed inconsistent mission giver backgrounds
- Ensure we don't get odd FOVs for banner textures
- Fix to prevent Lei Cheung's eye deformation when posed
- Added a failure state that will abort a portrait request after a large period of time waiting for a texture to be provided, so the system won't be stalled indefinitely

Ships

- Adjusted Imperial Cutter UI elements
- Fixed missing texture in Federal Gunship cockpit
- Micro resources will now trigger the cargo scoop acquired audio
- Make sure that only valid paintjobs can be applied to a ship
- Fix missing LOD geometry on Sidewinder
- Type 9 Squadron LOD paint job issue fixed
- Decals displaying wrong colour scheme when on a Tactical Paint Job fixed
- Decal fixing on Anaconda pirate paintjobs
- Decal colours rectified on Squadron paintjobs
- Decal colours balanced on Asp & Asp Scout Stripe paintjobs
- Decal pass to balance colours for 3 colour setup on various paintjob schemes
- Added new low poly external Imperial chair model and diffuse texture
- Swapped internal and external chair models from DeLacy to Imperial versions on all relevant ships
- Fixed chair blue emissive hue to match cockpits
- Loud element in sidewinder landing gear fixed
- Fixed odd sound effect when placing a bobblehead character, not letters, numbers, or symbols
- Make sure we clear any "Under Attack" notifications sent to the ship voice system, so they don't trigger after combat has ended
- Friendly fire from wing mates no longer triggers "Under Attack" voice line
- Make sure shield break sounds always trigger the aggressive version when requested to be on, and the lighter version when turned off manually
- Module malfunction buffs now both trigger the "Malfunction Attack" ship voice event so it's not confused with the "Module Malfunction" ship voice event
- Engine reboot buff now only triggers either "Thrusters Offline" or "Warning, Engine Reboot" voice events, not both
- Make sure that if a traffic controller is speaking when the player begins their frameshift that we halt anymore notifications and clear the queue, to stop the ship voice from talking over itself

Weapons

- Overhaul of mines for a mix of balance and fixes:
- All mines now use Proximity versions rather than the slightly unreliable homing variants, and now have much bigger shiny explosions that better telegraph how dangerous they are
- Mines now have the same module-stripping blast damage as missiles
- Mines are now targetable by point defences, and have a little more health
- Increased ammo on medium mine launcher (doubled)
- Synthesis damage boost now adds a multiple of the base weapon damage rather than the damage after engineers have run their magic. To avoid some nasty multiplicative stacking issues we've seen

Hyperspace

- Hyperspace is now much bigger to accommodate large ships
- Passing lens flares now fade in rather than 'pop'
- Added more distant stars to create a sense of depth
- Reduced the frequency of nebula models
- Added an extra light

Orbital Cruise

- Fixed one aspect of the glide sequence sounding weird

Bases/Settlements

- Added Lights to the Bridge Lift Section and Bridge Lift Top meshes
- Added LODs to Breakers Yard
- Bridge section art resources updated
- Able to drive/fly through various giant drill parts in Pater's Memorial
- Structures not properly meeting the ground at Palin Research Centre
- Liz Ryder base - remove weapons range decals
- Dekker's Yard base building not flat with ground
- Flickering texture on side of building at MacCurdy Arsenal fixed
- Set up engineer garage reverb zone and prototype
- Fixed issue with Landing Pad 7 with clipping terrain
- Moved dock 6 slightly to stop the clipping between the interior of the hangar and the large tower
- Fix for settlement ambiences not being heard on Engineer Bases
- Fix missing textures and add LODs for Prospectors Rest
- Fix for settlement security voice events and problem with offset
- Navigation Panel indefinitely tries to scan Engineer Base for SubTargets
- Updated UVs on Pillars and Walls
- Fixed invisible ceiling
- Improve the depth blocking placement on the majority of hangers

Stations/Ports

- Added another indie flight controller variant
- Improvements to Alliance 02 flight controller
- Planet port voice factions now match their ATC counterparts
- ATC won't welcome you until you've taken off from terrain if landed on a planet and not docked
- ATC lines are suppressed whilst landed on a planet, apart from hostile messages, hostile hails and docking requests
- Docking request messages now stop welcome hails from playing after them
- Added detail pass and polish to medium neutral hangars
- Added detail pass to high tech medium hangars
- Polish of large rundown hangars
- Fix for flight controllers not being loaded on some rich stations
- If we don't let the player request boarding to a port from an srv because we're too close to our ship, make sure the ship voice tells them their request has been denied

SRV

- Prevent repeating handbrake line when stationary
- Fixed very loud Wavescanner inactive weapons sound when close
- Improved board ship icon sound, also mute sound when leaving ship
- SRV lights are not silent when switch-spammed fixed

Render

- Clear any pending terrain queries when we shut down or deactivate. Make sure we sample the terrain less often if we're on a ship
 

Ozric

Volunteer Moderator
That's a massive changelog, thanks so much for your continued hard work, I look forward to seeing more of the level 1 threat sources to see what they may bring. Also really looking forward to playing with all the module upgrades.
 
Thanks, you peeps truly are working hard, the change lists have been impressively huge :)

Now must dust off my X55 and give this a try again, hope it doesn't feel like more samey game mechanics.

Will we see much from Mr Braben any time soon, he seems to have faded away of late. What happened to the videos and his enthusiasm.
 
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No change to the retributor? I forsee a BBQ flavoured beta :p

Cascade rail change seems harsh but fair

Micro resource increase is necessary and awesome

Looking forward to mayhem already ;)
 
Thanks for the hard work FD. There's some interesting changes in there :)

So long, and thanks for all the fish ;)
 
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Hey Zac... Hopefully this'll fix my installation issues... though I saw nothing about it in the notes. However... I have a query. I have a laptop and a desktop and I'd like to install it on both. If I install it on one machine, then copy the folder over to the other folder to the other machine and run the installer can I avoid doing another large download?
 

Sir.Tj

The Moderator who shall not be Blamed....
Volunteer Moderator
Zac needs a "Drop Mic" at the end of that..

Great work guys. :)
 
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