From The Depths News

Really excited to release 2.4.5. It's been a really busy week since 2.4.4 and we've achieved a lot. The HUD/UI in normal mode and build mode has been updated, there is a great new feature where pressing middle mouse brings up loads of extra HUD visuals and gives you a mouse with which to interact with them (build mode and normal mode).
We've also added a way to save down user interfaces for later use (so you don't need to navigate back through menus to find them, or find blocks deep inside the vehicle). A lot of bugs have been fixed and a lot of other changes have been made which you can read more about below.

As for 2.4.3 and 2.4.4 I've made a video explaining the changes- you can find it here https://youtu.be/dVKxSJfGTp8

The main place to talk about this patch should be on the official forums here:



v2.4.5 [Add] : Strafe and hover commands added
v2.4.5 [Add] : Added %, , >=, == and != operators to the maths evaluator
v2.4.5 [Add] : Added input to get the last propulsion request to any drive
v2.4.5 [Add] : Added input with various time related values to breadboard
v2.4.5 [Add] : Added select manoeuvre component to AI breadboard
v2.4.5 [Add] : Added target bearing input to primary target info of AI breadboard
v2.4.5 [Add] : Breadboards maths evaluator can now use the same functions as other maths evaluators. Also added many extra functions to all maths evaluators
v2.4.5 [Add] : Electric engines can now use complex controls
v2.4.5 [Add] : You can now create a Build Guide in game by pressing Shift+Insert (re-mappable) when in build mode to capture the current vehicle as a state in the build guide. Holding the key for 3 seconds will wipe what you have captured. In the modding interface you can dump your capture into a build guide definition. Expect to see higher quality build guides in game shortly.
v2.4.5 [Add] : [REQ-113] A bunch of modal confirmation windows added to avoid exiting to the main menu by error
v2.4.5 [Add] : You can now 'collapse' a UI instead of closing it, it will be added to the HUD so that you can open it at any point in the future- very useful for keeping track of useful blocks and PIDs!
v2.4.5 [Change] : Ai tutorial and manual updated.
v2.4.5 [Change] : Inventory names reorganized and new descriptions given.
v2.4.5 [Change] : You can rename blocks in build mode using SHIFT + N. All blocks can now be renamed.
v2.4.5 [Change] : Perma-build and Perma-remove are now remappable, but bound to CTRL+H instead of middle mouse (you can rebind it where-ever you like, but I have plans for middile mouse...)
v2.4.5 [Change] : The basic controls tutorial has been updated and expanded to be a lot more useful.
v2.4.5 [Change] : A display of what the mouse buttons do is now displayed whenever an avatar item is selected
v2.4.5 [Change] : ACB UI tidied up a bit, to make it all display on screen at once (no scrolling needed)
v2.4.5 [Change] : Added block thumbnails to the inventory so you can search visually by appearance
v2.4.5 [Change] : Controlled weapon status glitches fixed- now displays correctly the number of missiles
v2.4.5 [Change] : HUD and inventory UI no longer use the one size fits all scaled UI system- now they fit on the screen and use your selected fontsize and button dimensions
v2.4.5 [Change] : Painted and renamed blocks will display their paint index and custom name in the tooltip now
v2.4.5 [Change] : Path View is no longer an avatar item, but an option which is toggleable from the HUD after pressing middle mouse button
v2.4.5 [Change] : Resource bar view remapped from R to CTRL+R but is now toggleable from the extended HUD mode after pressing middle mouse button
v2.4.5 [Change] : Ships wheel no longer displays the 'turn sail left/right commands', these are simply 'roll left and roll right' buttons (you can hook them up to control sails / roll / whatever you want).
v2.4.5 [Change] : Tidied up the main HUD and the building HUD
v2.4.5 [Change] : Using icons for most character weapons / items on the toolbar now
v2.4.5 [Fix] : [BUGS-685] Fixed all the command inputs in the ACB
v2.4.5 [Fix] : [BUGS-717] Electric engine power not considered by ACB
v2.4.5 [Fix] : [BUGS-719] ACB aerial AI related crash
v2.4.5 [Fix] : [BUGS-704] Possible crash when removing a pipe when using steam engines with really a lot of pistons (or a dozen huge ones)
v2.4.5 [Remove] : Melee attack has been removed
v2.4.5 [Remove] : The old tactical UI, opened traditionally with 'N', has been removed from the game

2.4.4 deals mainly with multiplayer fixed, but also adds a cool new system called "annotations" (accessible from the vehicle V menu and visible when the game is paused, or in build mode)
It also makes a really nice quality of life change to the UI where holding middle mouse or holding E (both rebindable) allows the "mouse look" in all interfaces. Keyboard moving of the camera is already active in UIs so now you can really explore things whilst you have a UI open.
A number of other bugs have also been fixed, but are small and as such I did not put them into the change log.


v2.4.4 [Add] : Added 'annotation' options for vehicles (accessible from V menu). These are visible when the game is paused (F11) or you are building on the design. See DWG 'Duster' for first examples.
v2.4.4 [Add] : Holding middle mouse or pressing E allows you to 'mouse look' from inside an open user interface. Available in almost all UIs. Rebindable in the options menu.
v2.4.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-763] Bug with 'above' type adjuster for naval behaviour fixed (caused issue with broadside)
v2.4.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-753] Auto-orientation of custom jet engine extension parts fixed
v2.4.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-767] Bug with ACB setting GP-PID type triggering the pre-2.4.0 vehicle migration code for assigning hover thrusters now fixed
v2.4.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-758] Propulsion and drive breadboard modules no longer act when vehicle is being tractor beamed by friendly docking station
v2.4.4 [Fix] : Fortress manoeuvre and behaviour routines now have a default setup migration for the 'adjuster'- this will keep them at sensible altitudes
v2.4.4 [Fix] : Fortresses can now turn under AI control
v2.4.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-740] large gantries only connect when they are exactly lined up with the launch pad (odd configurations used to be possible)
v2.4.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-759] Missiles fired / reloaded during a warp jump are now the correct size
v2.4.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-709] Breadboards will sync changes correctly in multiplayer now
v2.4.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-738] Copy Paste now synchronises in multiplayer
v2.4.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-738] Reset buttons on the UI (such as those for propulsion blocks) now correctly sync in multiplayer
v2.4.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-739] 'Repair Other' repair beams now render on the client as well as the host in multiplayer
v2.4.4 [Fix] : Fixed various issues retrofitting a vehicle with stacked subconstructs
v2.4.4 [Fix] : Fixed various issues with new vehicles built in multiplayer not syncronising data
v2.4.4 [Fix] : Fixed various issues with sub vehicle spawners and syncronisation of the drone/mothership states
v2.4.4 [Fix] : Spawning a vehicle with drones no longer creates issues
v2.4.4 [Fix] : Fixed issues with PAC melee lens and made it a lot more damaging
v2.4.4 [Fix] : Drone and mothership links are maintained until the SVS block is permanently removed from the design (not just killed), or the UI is used to disconnect the drone.

Hello all,


The focus this last week has been to make the new AI more versatile and easier to use. There is now a module called the "adjuster" that sits between the behaviour and the manoeuvre routines and adjusts the waypoint to take acount of various things such as desired altitudes, avoiding other vehicles, pathfinding around sea or land. I'm quite pleased with the result of this. I've also expanded on the functionality of the breadboard (and made an AI version of the breadboard) that can be used to automate the switching of different behaviours. A lot of bugs have been fixed.Various usability improvements and simplifications have been made to the UI, and a few more AI behaviours (including a ramming AI) have been added.






v2.4.2 [Add] : Added altitude type selection to the altitude input module
v2.4.2 [Add] : GP PID now has a simple axis responder that controls the fake set point
v2.4.2 [Change] : The addition of an automatic manoeuvre routines has been disabled, as many mainframes are for weapon control only and don't want one.
v2.4.2 [Fix] : [BUGS-699] Projectile avoidance additional routine crash fixed
v2.4.2 [Fix] : [BUGS-712] Fire control computer and weapons go unresponsive after avatar death
v2.4.2 [Fix] : [BUGS-711] Tooltip for air rudder and air elevator added, and alerts user when parts placed upside down. Many tooltips updated.
v2.4.2 [Fix] : [BUGS-722] Fixed a crash in the equation editor
v2.4.2 [Fix] : [BUGS-721] Ensured the LUA .so files ship with the linux installers
v2.4.2 [Fix] : [BUGS-701] The 2x2 large missile hatch now mirrors correctly
v2.4.2 [Fix] : [BUGS-713] Most story mission events were pre-triggered and would not trigger again. Fixed now.
v2.4.2 [Fix] : [BUGS-700] Pressing the preset buttons in the game config tab of the options UI now triggers the reevaluation of the game's config after the options have been changed
v2.4.2 [Fix] : [BUGS-715] Fixed an issue with the display of fixed width tooltips
v2.4.2 [Fix] : Interaction with sub objects in build mode easier now
v2.4.3 [Add] : Added a universal waypoint adjustment module in between the behaviour and the manoeuvre
v2.4.3 [Add] : Added in some new AI behaviours, including a ramming one
v2.4.3 [Add] : Ramming AI has a new slider for disabling the adjuster when within a certain distance of the target
v2.4.3 [Add] : Six axis manoeuvre routine has a new 'look ahead distance' for configuring the way the vehicle points
v2.4.3 [Add] : The projectile avoidance additional routine can now target all vehicle movement axes (not just A/B/C/D/E)
v2.4.3 [Add] : Added orientation input to the breadboards- providing roll pitch and yaw of the vehicle
v2.4.3 [Add] : Added GetAIMovementMode and GetAIFiringMode functions to replace AIMode field. AIMode now returns only 'off' or 'on'
v2.4.3 [Add] : Added GetPowerFraction and GetElectricPowerFraction functions
v2.4.3 [Add] : Added PowerFraction and ElectricPowerFraction to FriendlyInfo
v2.4.3 [Add] : Construct modules can now save data packets in the same way as the blocks do by overriding the UniqueSetId field and declaring the packets in the class
v2.4.3 [Add] : Added set point adjust (number added to the set point) and a set point multiply terms to the PIDs. This will make it easier to tweak the pitch of your vehicle so that it maintains altitude.
v2.4.3 [Add] : Added some refinements to the Responding module UI
v2.4.3 [Add] : Added to UI sliders so they don't change length as you are dragging them
v2.4.3 [Add] : Added tooltips to help show that it is possible to resize and move the UI windows
v2.4.3 [Add] : Provided toggles to hide a) misc axes, b) custom axes, c) secondary/tertiary drives d) strafe hover. This helps to declutter the UI
v2.4.3 [Add] : The AI UI now shows the details of one of the routines, alongside the main window
v2.4.3 [Add] : The LAMs UI has been updated- option to copy to all LAMS and copy just the color to all LAMs has been added
v2.4.3 [Add] : You can now right click the preset button to add the preset without removing other settings
v2.4.3 [Fix] : When you issue patrol orders the rotation is now used (important for six axis manoeuvre routine)
v2.4.3 [Fix] : [BUGS-726] Sub vehicle spawner no longer resets to default when put into play
v2.4.3 [Fix] : [BUGS-80] Pulsed LAM beams now color correctly
v2.4.3 [Fix] : [BUGS-731] Issues with the removal of turrets and spinners fixed (removing the block under them caused de-sync issue)
v2.4.3 [Fix] : [BUGS-733] Missile component changes now syncronise over the network correctly
v2.4.3 [Fix] : [BUGS-734] ACBs now run on the clients right up until the point of making the change- this ensures all the UI data is correct on clients
v2.4.3 [Fix] : [BUGS-736] setting restraints relative to parent construct now shows the correct visualization of the constraint setting arrows

I'm really excited to be releasing the 2.4.0 series of patches to the main branch today. These patches expand on the AI framework of the game, allowing more modular AI. They also expand on the control aspect of the game, allowing more control over your vehicle systems. The way data is saved and synchronised in multiplayer has also been reworked and this should lead to a smoother multiplayer experience. There are a load of other changes as well, so have a look at the full list below.


v2.3.2 [Add] : Mimic Lead added, same stats as lead with 4 cost.
v2.3.2 [Add] : Added wedge front and back to glass, wood, and heavy armor.
v2.3.2 [Add] : Lead, Stone, and Rubber received full block variation.
v2.3.2 [Add] : Mimic Alloy added, same stats as alloy with 7 cost.
v2.3.2 [Add] : Mimic Metal added, same stats as metal with 7 cost.
v2.3.2 [Add] : New Cargo Material containers. Now you can make the perfect cargo ships! Or just have a nice large container to hold your mats.
v2.3.2 [Change] : Mimics now cost 2.
v2.3.2 [Change] : Updated Stone, lead, and rubber material.
v2.4 [Add] : Added 'Wander distance' to aerial AI so you can chose the size of the holding pattern they fly if they reach their final waypoint
v2.4 [Add] : AI naval and land AI now has the ability to hover at a specific height and control pitch
v2.4 [Add] : Some new AI modes added such as a ramming behaviour mode and a six axis stabilisation manoeuvre mode
v2.4 [Add] : You can now disable the AI PID/other control over roll, pitch, yaw, strafe, hover or propulsion
v2.4 [Add] : You can now configure how far apart the barrels of a multiple barrel APS gun (i.e. chaingun) are placed
v2.4 [Add] : Complete sets of rubber, stone and lead blocks added
v2.4 [Add] : Added in the initial prototype of the BreadBoard control unit- more to come
v2.4 [Add] : Balloon deployer now has much more fine control over the size (and lift) of the balloon.
v2.4 [Add] : Added radar/sonar equivalent of sticky flare(same as sonar/radar buoys but no GPP requirement, no detections and twice as powerful).
v2.4 [Add] : Heat decoy got a power slider, between 100-5000
v2.4 [Add] : New block: chaff emitter. Uses materials/sec, reduces radar signature by a flat value. Reduction scales with the third root of total materials used by all chaff emitters on the vehicle(better on small things).
v2.4 [Add] : New block: radar decoy. 100-5000 power, radar missiles have a chance to lock onto it based on power(see tooltip).
v2.4 [Add] : New block: sonar decoy. 100-5000 power, sonar torpedos have a chance to lock onto it based on power(see tooltip).
v2.4 [Add] : Signal strength scales with size and decoy count on the missile. See tooltips for more info.
v2.4 [Add] : You can now change the maximum number of projectiles the game supports at any time, for all four types of projectile. Options in the Misc tab of the options menu.
v2.4 [Add] : Text can now be added to holograms
v2.4 [Add] : New block: output regulator. Attaches to the multipurpose laser, if it's present cavity drain is a % of max energy, not current.
v2.4 [Add] : New missile component replacing IR camera: signal processor.
v2.4 [Add] : S/M/L signal processors reduce enemy decoy missile strength to 20/15/10% of the original.
v2.4 [Add] : Takes a full component on all missile sizes.
v2.4 [Add] : New block: 2x2 L hatch.
v2.4 [Add] : New block: single rail S launcher. 1/5 the cost of a quad rail, 1/4 weight, 1/2 health.
v2.4 [Add] : You can edit the velocity of piston movement from the piston UI now (you no longer need an ACB to change it)
v2.4 [Change] : AI cards now provide one 'routine slot' for a 'behaviour' or 'additional' routine that is configured and saved in the AI mainframe. This change is backwards compatible with all old designs.
v2.4 [Change] : AI control has been separated into three types of routine: 'behaviour', 'manoeuvre' and 'additionals'. This allows more customisation of the AI.
v2.4 [Change] : AI PIDs reworked a little bit for simplicity
v2.4 [Change] : AI now directly controls the drives, rather than sending single frame commands
v2.4 [Change] : Each functional block can now 'respond' to inputs (such as pitch up, roll left, A,B,C,etc) in various ways/magnitudes
v2.4 [Change] : GP PIDs set to 'propulsion hover' will automatically migrate all upwards facing thrusters so that they can still control them in this new update
v2.4 [Change] : It is now possible to request hover up / hover down / strafe left / strafe right as well as five extra commands (A,B,C,D,E) and custom named commands
v2.4 [Change] : Spin blocks can now be directly mapped to respond to controls in a much more sensible way
v2.4 [Change] : The Adv Controller input keys and three drives remain unchanged
v2.4 [Change] : The GP PID controller has it's settings separated into inputs and outputs and multiple outputs are now selectable.
v2.4 [Change] : There are now two sets of player editable vehicle key mappings, one for a typical plane and one for a typical boat.
v2.4 [Change] : Water drive and air drive have been simplified into 'primary drive' and a 'secondary drive' and 'tertiary' drive have been added.
v2.4 [Change] : AI mainframe cost down from 400 to 300
v2.4 [Change] : General purpose processing card cost down from 200 to 100
v2.4 [Change] : Missile controller cost down from 100 to 50
v2.4 [Change] : Missile stagger addon cost down from 100 to 50
v2.4 [Change] : Cavities now spawn full
v2.4 [Change] : New tooltips breaking down relevant info on cavity lines, couplers and multipurpose/combiner/optics/LAMS nodes
v2.4 [Change] : Flak damage down to 80% (now 120% of the pre-rework value)
v2.4 [Change] : HE/flak push force halved against missiles
v2.4 [Change] : Missile HE warheads don't damage missiles, only push them
v2.4 [Change] : Interceptor damage is now 100/200/400 for S, 500/1000/2000 for M
v2.4 [Change] : Interceptor damage is now constant within the radius
v2.4 [Change] : Interceptor radius down to 15m/30m for S/M, from 35/35
v2.4 [Change] : Old one treated all visible things as equal if they had 100% detection chance, with angle being the biggest factor to choose one(this meant decoys are exactly the same as any huge thing within 1000m).
New one uses signal strength(=detection range for constructs) as a base for everything (IR/radar/sonar).
Adjusts signal strength based on distance(50% at 1000m, 33.33% at 2000, ...)
Adjusts signal strength based on angle(50% at 15°, 33.33% at 30°, ...)
Checks whether or not the the signal strength is below a minimum threshold innate to IR/radar/sonar guidance components.
Chooses the best score from the signals above the threshold
v2.4 [Change] : Ejection angles can be changed in 1° steps
v2.4 [Change] : Harpoon cable strength increased by 50%
v2.4 [Change] : Missile magnet force down to 50%
v2.4 [Change] : Remote guidance GPP cost changed from 4/4/16 to 2/3/18
v2.4 [Change] : Shortrange/variable thruster start delay can be set in 0.1s steps
v2.4 [Change] : Stagger addons go up to 5s, has a slider with 0.025s increments
v2.4 [Change] : TPG lookahead is now capped at 5 seconds, down from 10
v2.4 [Change] : It is now easy to mod in a new AI behaviour, routine or manoeuvre.
v2.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-647] Only non empty (or growing) resource zones are approached by the resource gathering AI behaviour now
v2.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-648] Added the 'cease movement below' slider back onto the land behaviour AI routine UI
v2.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-649] APS customisation UI tidied up a bit to stop ammo cost going offscreen
v2.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-654] bulkheaddoors and hatches now allow the avatar to pass correctly
v2.4 [Fix] : The mirroring of Rubber, Stone, and Lead that resulted in metal has been fixed.
v2.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-569] dead player forces still see through fog of war- now fixed
v2.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-595] Some illegal turbo->cyclinder and turbo->exhaust connections were previously accepted, these have been fixed.
v2.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-36] working on the fix of 1m sloped faces rendering black on AMD graphics card-hopefully fixed now.
v2.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-501] Propellers and jets now scale particle count with the Particle Factor slider in the Performance tab of the options menu. Option added to disable particles from jets and propellers etc on a block by block basis.
v2.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-617] Fixed duplicate reflection on the water surface after LOD switch
v2.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-630] on Linux some steam engine part meshes did not load due to case sensitivity issues in the filenames
v2.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-655] Crosshair no longer drawn when HUD disabled (F9) when using wireless camera
v2.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-608] Now catching issues trying to load non existant missile parts- defaulting to body sections.
v2.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-659] Missile hatches no longer stop failsafed missiles from firing
v2.4 [Fix] : Missile don't spawn trails from the launch point when a delayed thruster activates
v2.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-632] vehicles spawned from blueprint spawner now calculate their drag correctly as they repair themselves
v2.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-644] Water start balloon control fixed
v2.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-646] PAC charge time reset to 1 second after load- this is now fixed.
v2.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-650] Fixed an issue with steam engine propulsion crashing vehicles/warping them into space
v2.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-663] Piston now loads in the correct visual position again
v2.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-665] PID 'type' value not being synced or saved
v2.4 [Fix] : Fixed the migration of roll and roll reverse thrusters from 2.3.1 to 2.4.0
v2.4 [Fix] : In the old version insta spin speeds were incorrectly calculated when power scale was not 1. Spinners configured like this are now faster than they used to be.
v2.4 [Fix] : Propeller emission displayed when the propeller is stopped
v2.4 [Fix] : Slowdown when removing the boiler controller in a steam-propeller setup
v2.4 [Fix] : The propeller rotate when there's no boilers and the command is in reverse
v2.4 [Fix] : [BUGS-645] Console text input bar in AI UI disabled as not used
v2.4 [Fix] : The 'Mock Wheel' now does what it was supposed to do
v2.4 [Remove] : Due to change in data format wheels will forget their settings - sorry about this.
v2.4.1 [Add] : Mobula Airbourne Cruiser added to fill out SS Godly aircraft arsenal.
v2.4.1 [Add] : Albatross joins the airfleet.
v2.4.1 [Change] : Most SS aircrafts recieved some make over. The new SS fleet is now much sleeker.
v2.4.1 [Fix] : Drag for wedge front and back adjusted.
v2.4.1 [Fix] : Serveral crafts fixed for the new ai transfer.

More of a hotfix but the issue of MacOS users not able to start the game has been fixed. Update your FTD and it should be solved. Sorry for the inconvience.

v2.3.1 Revision 15
v2.3.1 [Fix] : Crafts resaved with proper speeds and altitudes.
v2.3.1 [Fix] : Sea Kruzer enters the fray!
v2.3.1 [Change] Renamed Item Duplicate and Modify to ItemDup to reduce path length.