Universal Combat CE News

This is just a quick end of year status update.

I had planned to push the latest 3.00.20.xx PTB ver to the main branch by year end; but I simply couldn't make it. This was primarily due to the massive amount of legacy planetary scene content that still needs to be replaced or the scenarios simply won't work.

If you're already using the 3.00.20.01 PTB ver, then you already know that ALL the legacy planetary scenes have been removed, and awaiting replacement (each one is MANUALLY BUILT) with the newer ones as seen in the new scenes already released with that build.

The main issue is that any IA or ACM scenario that requires those scenes, currently has problems. e.g. a unit that needs to be a specific location, will likely be in a completely different location due to the size and scale of the new scenes. So EACH scenario has to be scanned for planetary locations, then those locations have to be updated in the script, which then needs to be tested. So year, it's a massive amount of work. But once completed, it won't need to be messed with again. If you've seen the new scenes in the game, they you will agree that this update is well worth it. In fact, this build is the biggest one that I will do for this project.

Good news is that it's really close, so I hope to release the final build at some point in Q1/2019.

MORE INFO:

changelog Trello Roadmap

22 years ago on Oct 1st, 1996, the one that started it all, BATTLECRUISER 3000AD (aka BC3K) was commercially released.

Eight years later, after the series evolved beyond a single capital ship, I added more advanced features such as allowing the player to control any and all of the game's assets, fps mode in space and on planets etc, the series spiritual successor, Universal Combat, was released.

A short story.

http://dereksmart.com/2018/10/bc3k-is-22/

This build has been released via the Public Test Branch.

Please refer to the complete changelog for more info.

The known issues log has also been updated.

Once updated, Steam client should show BuildID 3160131.

This is a MAJOR release! It requires a mandatory re-install of the game even if you don't own the DLC.

To avoid confusion, I am not putting any notes in this bulletin. Please refer to the complete changelog for more info.

Due to some missing content and random instability (not very frequent), this build is released via Steam's Beta test branch. It took a while to get it to work for a DLC, but I finally got it working. So there are now THREE builds to choose from depending on whether or not you have the DLC.

1. Base 2.00.05 game
   
2. The Lyrius Conflict DLC 3.00.19
   
3. The Lyrius Conflict DLC 3.00.20 (via Beta tab)
   

UPDATE 09-18-2018

Please follow this procedure to uninstall and re-install the game, even if you don't have the DLC installed.

1. Backup your saved games (.19 games are compatible with .20)
   
2. Uninstall the base game. This will also uninstall the DLC
   
3. Install the base game
   
4. Install the DLC
   
5. Run UCCE30_steam_shortcuts.exe* (installs shortcuts to docs)
   
6. Switch to the PUBLIC TEST BRANCH if you want
   
7. Run cleanup.bat*
   
8. Restore your saved games (located in .\SAVE folder)
   

* Located in Steam game install folder



For now, I am going to keep .19 and .20 as separate branches. Once .20 gets to a point where it's stable enough, it will become the new main DLC branch, and .21 will take its place as the bleeding edge public test branch.

Enjoy!

Hey guys,

Just a quick update to let you guys know that I am still working through some breaking issues which I have recently fixed.

The issue that I am faced with is that, from this point on, future builds can and will break certain functionality (99% of which are graphics related) as legacy things are removed, replaced etc. That major work has started with this upcoming .20 update which, as you can see from the changelog, is pretty massive.

So I have been looking into setting up a BETA tab so that .19 and .20 can be run independently. Going forward, this will allow me to have a stable and unstable build for people who want to switch while still checking out the new things. However, as TLC is actually DLC and not a full title, the Steam backend isn't being co-operative. But I am still trying to figure a workaround. If that fails, then I will have no choice but to roll out .20 and just work through critical breaking issues as you guys find and report them.

I will know more next week.

In the meantime, I made a 1hr video showing the differences between .19 and .20 visuals related to the new content. I think you're gonna like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UV8jd3FKbU