Distant Worlds 2 News

[h3]Distant Worlds 2 - Latest Update (1.0.2.0)[/h3]

This build will reset the game's settings. Unfortunately this is required while we continue troubleshooting issues that are preventing some players from being able to play Distant Worlds 2. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Latest Troubleshooting FAQ HERE

IMPORTANT NOTE: There is now a new startup log in the /data/logs sub-folder of the Distant Worlds 2 installation.

This is also where any crash logs are located. If you are experiencing an issue, please post these logs for us along with the issue report.

IMPORTANT NOTE: There is a new GameSettingsOverride.txt in the /data sub-folder of the Distant Worlds 2 installation.

The settings here may help some players experiencing a black screen on load issue.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are experiencing performance issues use the key combination Shift + tilde to enable an overlay on the top left which will confirm for us which GPU DW2 is using on your system as well as other performance parameters.

GENERAL NOTES: We hope that the content streaming memory fix and the improved rendering memory management could fix some of the reported crashes and help with performance dropping over time for some players.

Unfortunately we cannot duplicate the black screen, frequent crashing or unusually bad performance issues on our systems, but we are working to continue investigating them and addressing all possible causes through this and future updates.

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Changes in the 1.0.2.0 Build:

DISPLAY AND RENDERING
• Reduced asset streaming memory budget to allow more memory for other rendering
• Fixed bugs when auto-detecting display mode with highest refresh rate
• Reenabled fixed timestep updates
• Added more logging to data/SessionLog.txt file: display adapter selection (including primary monitor detected), display modes, galaxy settings
• Added new setting to GameSettingsOverride.txt: GraphicsStreamingMemoryBudget allows specifying video memory in Mb allocated for asset streaming
• Added new setting to GameSettingsOverride.txt: DisableFixedTimeStep: when set to true allows disabling fixed time step (higher FPS, but also higher GPU temperatures and power usage)

CRASH FIXES
• Fixed crash when determining attack targets
• Fixed rare crash when sorting some lists in Control Center
• Fixed rare crash when opening Research screen
• Fixed rare crash when determining locations for new monitoring stations
• Fixed rare crash when changing map overlays

INTELLIGENCE MISSIONS
• Increased difficulty of some intelligence missions, especially steal tech when targeting higher level research projects
• Altered how intelligence mission success chance is calculated so that always a chance of failure (even without counter-intelligence)
• Slightly increased effectiveness of counter intelligence missions (more likely to intercept enemy spy missions)

OTHER
• Fixed bug where default keyboard settings were sometimes not being generated at game startup
• Fixed bug where ships would avoid bombarding a colony that had imprisoned characters
• Fixed bug where invading characters that were killed at a colony were sometimes not removed from the colony
• Avoid executing advisor messages twice when automation is set to Suggest and Execute, e.g. building planetary facilities
• Data fixes to various events, facilities, research projects, ship hulls and artifacts (only available with a new game)


Changes in the 1.0.1.9 Build:

DISPLAY AND RENDERING
- fixed faulty display resolution detection at game start
- improved resolution of correct display adapter when specific adapter requested
- disabled fixed timestep updates (higher FPS)
- allow toggling on-screen FPS and other rendering data using shift-Tilde (top-left corner of most keyboards), which allows seeing which display adapter is being used

CRASH AND HANG FIXES
- fixed crash when empire has revolution and changes government
- fixed hang where fighters at colonies would lock up when their parent colony was wiped out
- fixed hang where exploration ship attempts to explore a location that has nebula sensor disablement that exceeds its scan power

EXPLORATION
- asteroids are now explored much quicker than planets, moons or stars (for both scan and survey)
- ensure all necessary resources in prewarp home system are discoverable at initial tech levels, even when already present

DIPLOMACY
- reduced envy factor in diplomacy when have positive diplomatic strategy for other faction ('We are envious of your huge strength and power')
- envy factor in diplomacy now grows more gradually

OTHER
- more careful about evaluating systems inside nebulae and related logic
- rebalanced loading of game processing for large games with many ships
- fixed ships sometimes getting stuck salvaging debris when has bonuses but came from one of own empire's ships
- construction ships now more careful to avoid building at distant locations (even in same system) when do not have hyperdrive
- no longer generate error sound and effect when move mouse off scrollbar while scrolling a panel or list

Changes in the 1.0.1.8 Update:

- improved handling when graphics device is reset
- improved auto-detection of default screen refresh rate
- ensure file save/load dialog is shown even when hide user interface
- added new GameSettingsOverride.txt file to allow manually setting graphics adapter, resolution, windowed mode. This should be a handy way for players to set stuff directly. Comments in file explain everything. Changes as below:
- extended new GameSetting Changes as below:
- extended new GameSettingsOverride.txt file to allow forcing game to run in exclusive fullscreen mode (GraphicsForceDedicatedFullScreen)
- added startup logging for game session (data/logs/SessionLog.txt)
- reenabled Windows registry settings for requesting high performance GPU mode
- improved calculation of content streaming memory budget on systems with multiple graphics adapters
- improved memory management for rendering in various situations

Changes in the 1.0.1.6 Update:

- Fixed crash that sometimes happens when have many game controllers and other devices
- Fixed User Interface Size showing options that are invalid for the current screen resolution
- Improved handling of High DPI settings in Windows
- Added settings to ensure NVidia video cards run in high performance mode - should fix a number of crashes and performance problems
- Fixed rare crash when moving characters via dropdown list in Character screen
- Fixed rare rendering crash
- Fixed rare crash when ship design could not be found when updating render data
- Improved performance at location level when many ships and lots of running lights
- Fixed bug in Start New Game screen where could select race-specific government types when select random race
- No longer prevent construction ships from carrying out base-building when waiting for response on advisor suggestions for repairing abandoned ships or bases
- Hooked up instability and unhappiness after a government change, leader loss, etc ('Have Revolution' button)
- Construction ships no longer feel tempted to repair fighters
- Fixed bug in some game events that was causing loss of a colony
- Fixed wrong tooltip text on buttons in Character Detail screen for captured prisoners
- Further fixes to crashes after lengthy play sessions
- Further improvements to performance by making sure GPU runs at maximum performance instead of sometimes using power-saving mode

I still don't know where to start.

Distant Worlds 2 is enormous. Even when familiar with the original, even after our preview last month, there's way too much going on to review it comprehensively within a mere few days. But in the spirit of the ancient ones, I can share a review-in-progress of what I've seen so far.

Alright, alright. Partly it's because it's a long game. But it's also because I really want to keep playing.

Read more

[h3]The wait is over: Distant Worlds 2 has been officially released.[/h3]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Described as “a light in an age of shadow”, the critically acclaimed strategy series returns to redefine once again the standards of the genre.

A galaxy in constant evolution awaits you in Distant Worlds 2: 
Explore the vastness of space, find valuable resources, discover potential colonies for your empire and make contact with other empires, discussing treaties, making trade offers and forging alliances.
Defend the outlying areas of your empire and develop new technologies for building your own unique ships and starbases. 



Distant Worlds 2 is all about player choice and the freedom to explore the game world and play the way you want.
Automate the various tasks in your empire, so that you can focus on the areas that you enjoy most.
The possibilities are endless, play your own way and map out your own adventure across the galaxy.

To celebrate the release, we're running a 90% discount on Distant Worlds: Universe on the SlitherineStore until Monday, March 14th.

Moreover, it's possible to purchase a new Bundle containing all the games of the Distant Worlds franchise at an additional 10% discount.

[h3]Distant Worlds 2: The Universe is Yours![/h3]

[h2]Haakonish[/h2]



Haakonish are a bipedal reptilian race. They have broad, flat heads with prominent protrusions on each side. The protrusions are nasal cavities that provide the Haakonish with an unrivalled sense of smell. Haakonish have very poor eyesight, but compensate for this with their excellent sense of smell and taste.

They are intelligent and quite aggressive. Haakonish are highly pretentious. They also have a strong sense of their own racial superiority. Thus they do not enjoy the company of other races and have a tendency to be xenophobic.

Haakonish are naturally drawn towards intricate technology. They take great pride in designing and building equipment with many advanced features, even if some of these features are unnecessary or superfluous.

The natural miserliness of the Haakonish has led them to develop the High Density Fuel Cell, a high-capacity fuel tank. This gives Haakonish star ships longer range and endurance.

Haakonish typically live in fully-enclosed biospheres in coastal areas of Marshy Swamp and Mangrove Forest planets.




[h2]Boskarans[/h2]



Boskara are a ferocious insectoid race with a tough brown exoskeleton skin.

They are the most violent and aggressive race in the known galaxy. They excel in combat, using trickery and deceit to gain the upper-hand. Boskara are untrustworthy allies.

Boskarans instinctive lust for conquest and expansion is without equal. Most other races consider them to be completely without scruples, and thus steer well clear of them. However Boskara have a natural ally in the Sluken, their slightly more reasonable close relatives.

Their technology includes the deadly Shaktur FireStorm, an immensely destructive torpedo weapon. This weapon gives Boskaran star ships very powerful planetary assault capabilities, allowing them to quickly take down defending spaceports at enemy colonies. The Shaktur Firestorm also has a planetary bombardment capability, allowing the Boskara to wipe out the populations of enemy colonies.

Boskara typically inhabit the forbidding terrain of Volcanic planets. Communities may sometimes also be found in the rocky mountains of Carbonaceous planets.

DISTANT WORLDS 2 - Pre-Release Stream and AMA



There are only a few days left until the release of Distant Worlds 2 and, for the occasion, we have planned two special events open to the whole community:

- Tuesday, March 8th:
AMA with Erik Rutins and Elliot Gibbs, the main developers of DW2.
On this Reddit channel, at 7pm GMT / 2pm EST.
They will answer all your questions about the game, its design, and its development.

- Wednesday, March 9th:
Pre-Release stream with Erik Rutins. A live stream on the Slitherine Twitch channel at 6pm GMT / 1pm EST, where, for a few hours, he'll play DW2, giving advice to players and answering their questions.

Distant Worlds 2, the journey begins now.