Drox beta patch 0.931

[Shadow]

Beta Patch 0.931 of Drox Operative is available over on the Drox Operative patch page. Changes can be read here. This patch fixes a bunch of small issues, adds more polish, and balances the game a bit better.

[Crisses]

At some point, a bunch of issues in multiplayer probably need to be addressed. I'm not the only one (on a mac at least) who is experiencing a lot of crashing and trouble getting into/out of the game. I started a multiplayer game (LAN, mac) and my son couldn't join in -- and his game kept crashing. He started a game, I was able to join. When he quit, my game crashed.

We need more folk online to test it over the net, too. I've had some successful games with PC's over the net -- but there are still issues & requests that are open from myself and others that would make multiplayer coop games much more enjoyable. Even if map-sharing would never happen, quest sharing (or lack thereof) and other stuff feels a little kludgy...

[Roswitha]

Fixed female versions of Talons not getting counted correctly in the shipyard

Is this why the Talon colonization was out of control?

[Shadow]

Originally Posted by Crisses

At some point, a bunch of issues in multiplayer probably need to be addressed.

I'll look at multiplayer stuff soon. Are there any crashes that you are getting that are reproducible?

Originally Posted by Roswitha

Is this why the Talon colonization was out of control?

No, female talons weren't getting counted in the shipyard counts.

[Crisses]

Originally Posted by Shadow

I'll look at multiplayer stuff soon. Are there any crashes that you are getting that are reproducible?

They don't seem to be. They're happening a lot during connections, usually on the slave not the host system. The game, once successfully joined, has been pretty stable.

I had a lot of lag yesterday, but I was also coping a 4GB file over the network at the same time -- will have to test again to see whether that persists.

Last several patches there are a LOT more models in most games, which may be affecting performance. A lot of storms, a lot of minefields. The game is more challenging, especially flying challenges with the tachyons giving you a random thrust boost, etc. I'm not sure whether the games were meant to be quite as "event-ful" as they've become (not complaining, just noting that it may challenge systems, especially in multiplayer games). I'm doing straight challenge levels for my current single-player character...all this makes me glad that I'm running a speedy dextrous build (0 command dryad ship, with stat bonus levels on everything but computers...) because I have a terrific turn radius & top speed. In the multiplayer game I had a painfully slow ship AND lag...ouch.

Oh, challenge level issue: I think this it was the level 36 challenge: There are 2 starlanes that are right on top of each other. On the map, you can see that several systems are in a straight line with each other. It's difficult to target one system vs. the other... I have a screenshot of the starlanes before I went through -- they're in the Geuse system.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/8998700/Dro...aneoverlap.jpg

[Crisses]

So I was doing the level 42 challenge, and had to quit and restart it. I started the game, and it remembered all my damage & energy levels (not sure that's normal), and it had a bunch of quests already selected in my queue....from a variety of races (don't know whether they're from the last game -- doesn't look like it....).

Even when you re-do the same Challenge, everything should be reset as if you've started any new game, right?

[Crisses]

When I get a speed boost from a storm, should the missiles other critters shoot at me also be sped up? Because that definitely looks like what's going on -- they don't fall behind at all -- so I'm zipping all over the place at max speed+ and the missiles are the same distance from my tail that they were before. When my speed boost runs out, the missiles also slow down with me. Makes no sense....I'd think I'd outrun them by far while boosted.

[Shadow]

Originally Posted by Crisses

When I get a speed boost from a storm, should the missiles other critters shoot at me also be sped up? Because that definitely looks like what's going on -- they don't fall behind at all -- so I'm zipping all over the place at max speed+ and the missiles are the same distance from my tail that they were before. When my speed boost runs out, the missiles also slow down with me. Makes no sense....I'd think I'd outrun them by far while boosted.

I believe most things that go through it will get a speed boost.

[Akopian]

In game objective help screen there is inconsistent capitalization after the colons.