Patch 0.7.3.0 Notes + Small Dev Update

This patch focuses on the first iteration over the star map revamp. A new deployment (aka. spawning) system has been implemented to make it more clear to the players where the deployable bases are and which kind of ships they can spawn.

A "quick deploy" button has been added to get back into the action quickly. This will help to cut down the amount of travelling necessary for attack battles, making it more fair to the attackers versus the defenders that could always respawn instantly at their own base.

The way quick deploy is implemented, if a base or a carrier are available in defense, you'll be spawning there as usual. If however those aren't available, you take over an A.I. ship of the same selected class. The algorithm gives priority to A.Is that are not engaged in combat and undamaged. If the ship you take over is somehow damaged, you'll get a refund proportional to the amount of damage. Note that since the bot had already been paid by the AI commander, the cost you pay for taking over is going back to the team's funds instead of being paid twice.

The patch also contains a second iteration over the new sensor screen tactical overlay (default: tilde key), which now shows arrows to highlight ships attacking each others. Finally, amongst other fixes, we improved Tobii Eye tracker and integrated TrackIR to the game. Feedback on how good/bad the implementation is, is appreciated.

The next patch, due later this week, will most likely be a hotfix with a number of left-over quality-of-life improvements.

• Implemented new deployment (spawn) system with quick deploy and deploy at buttons in the star map
  
• Cleaned up star map, added ship selector, automatic refresh of targets list, etc..
  
• Quick deploy allows to take over an AI ship in a battle
  
• Added high priority missions list quick spawn in the star map;
  
• Added deployable states and icons to targets list in star map
  
• Deploying over an AI bot will refund credits proportionally to how the bot is damaged
  
• Added selected target's info panel to starmap and sensor screen
  
• Added search filter to starmap's targets list
  

• New holographic visual style for the sensors overlay / tactical screen for planetary surfaces, stations or ships
  
• Arrows are now displayed to show who is attacking who. You can see who's attacking you / who you are attacking, same for your selected target or the ship you're hovering on with the mouse
  
• It is now possible to click on the sensor screen to select a target, or double-click to recenter the view around it
  
• Added more options to sensor overlay screen: show MTBs, show vertical lines, trailings length
  
• Sensor overlay tactical screen will no longer show arrows or vertical lines for far away / invisible targets
  

• Revamping UI visual style with custom buttons
  
• Added various new icons to the UI
  
• Mission screen's missions list now automatically refreshes every second
  
• Fixes for various UI elements not correctly displayed as grayed-out when inactive
  
• Fixed indicators being displayed behind the camera on the starmap
  
• Fixed layout issues in missions list
  
• Fixed "_deleted_" objective names appearing in missions list
  
• Selecting a mission in the mission menu will now also highlight it on the star map
  
• Mission menu's missions list is automatically refreshed as soon as a mission or battle gets created or destroyed
  

• Improvements to Tobii Eye tracking integration
  
• Added head / gaze tracking settings in controls options menu
  
• Added option for clear UI (gaze-based highlighting of MFD)
  
• Tobii eye tracking now supports head position offset/strafing
  
• TrackIR integration
  
• Added better error handling for Tobii and TrackIR (if the libraries can't be loaded, an error message will pop up)
  

• Temptative fix for server browser pings all being the same on some machines
  
• Fixed a rare server crash bug when an actor gets deleted at the exact same time a player disconnects
  
• Updated match victory conditions: carriers are no longer taken into account in team score calculation, preventing a match from ending
  

We have quite a bit of work left on the star map and the other in-game menu screens, so it is likely that the next major patch, probably until some time in July, is going to focus on those. The star map now has its new targets list and deployment system, but the viewport / rendering has to be improved, made more coherent ( like the sensors screen ), interactive ( being able to click on it ) and better represent the various points of interests and icons. For example, it is critically important that the star map clearly represents the active missions, or the bases under attack - and it fails at doing that at the moment - so we'll be working on that next.

The other screens are also going to get some updates, but this should go faster. The team tab's screen is probably going to be the most complex one. It'll get a proper leaderboard, showing scores / stats for the players, but also team related stats and information. The idea here is that it'll list all the bases, their status / HP, their recent income, damage take, etc..

Once the UI revamp is over, it'll be time to move on to the more gameplay and match-related items, as mentioned in the last update. What will be coming next is probably the rework of the passive credits redistribution system, the match progression / critical battles, and we'll be looking at starting the work on the AI / mission objectives soon in July, followed by the infamous ship upgrades.

The experimental atmospheric flight model is still coming, although the exact timing is unknown. The tricky part here is making the AIs take into account the atmosphere when flying ( rolling instead of yaw-ing, like in space ), but I think it'll be pretty fun once it's done.

-Flavien Brebion