5.0.8 Update
So ... this update introduces some interesting changes to the Star Chart as well as how planet temperature is handled.
[h3]Star Chart:[/h3]
The most significant changes here is that you can now manually move the star chart overlay temporarily when viewing the star chart. By default, you will use the arrow keys to do this. The effect is similar to the "target sector" function. It will temporarily move the overlay to a sector that is not actually present in the star chart - a sector your ship has never visited - and it will allow you to see that sector's stars highlighted at the helm of your ship.
This is a feature that has been on the to do list for a while and several players have requested something like this recently. The reason this feature is necessary, is because sometimes it is difficult to identify stars or sectors that have not been visited. Now by moving the overlay around in the star chart, you can have an immediate idea of where those unexplored sectors are. The TAB - help menu has been updated with instructions on using this feature.
Another minor issue caused a star overlay circle to appear at a random location when the overlay was active, with no star to justify its presence. This should no longer happen.
[h3]Planet Temperature:[/h3]
The recent temperature range update has caused an interesting gameplay issue. Players had to guess whether it was day or night on a planet, and often landed when temperature conditions were not ideal. Now you can see the current time of day of the planet you are orbiting from the ship's computer.
NOTE: Day and night are indicated by a number between -180 and +180. Negative numbers (between -180 and 0) indicate night-time (low temperature). Positive numbers (between 0 and +180) indicate day time (high temperature). The sun will set when that number reaches +180, and the "clock" will switch to -180, dropping to night time temperature. At time 0, the sun rises, and the temperature will go back up.
[h3]F11: [/h3]
The F11 key (by default) will temporarily toggle the HUD. I had to fix an issue where it was not operating correctly, so it should be fine now.
The Black Sphere of Death:
This was a problem when visiting the Mothership Altair. The mothership interior sometimes intersected the model for the outer space background, and it would appear as a great, black wall inside of the mothership. It did not actually cause any issues in the game, but it looked very weird. Hopefully after this update it will not frighten anyone any more.
[h3]Bugs:[/h3]
With any new changes, I try to be careful and make sure there are no adverse effects. However, sometimes things get past me and will cause problems for players. If you encounter any new issues, please don't hesitate to let me know.
[h3]Star Chart:[/h3]
The most significant changes here is that you can now manually move the star chart overlay temporarily when viewing the star chart. By default, you will use the arrow keys to do this. The effect is similar to the "target sector" function. It will temporarily move the overlay to a sector that is not actually present in the star chart - a sector your ship has never visited - and it will allow you to see that sector's stars highlighted at the helm of your ship.
This is a feature that has been on the to do list for a while and several players have requested something like this recently. The reason this feature is necessary, is because sometimes it is difficult to identify stars or sectors that have not been visited. Now by moving the overlay around in the star chart, you can have an immediate idea of where those unexplored sectors are. The TAB - help menu has been updated with instructions on using this feature.
Another minor issue caused a star overlay circle to appear at a random location when the overlay was active, with no star to justify its presence. This should no longer happen.
[h3]Planet Temperature:[/h3]
The recent temperature range update has caused an interesting gameplay issue. Players had to guess whether it was day or night on a planet, and often landed when temperature conditions were not ideal. Now you can see the current time of day of the planet you are orbiting from the ship's computer.
NOTE: Day and night are indicated by a number between -180 and +180. Negative numbers (between -180 and 0) indicate night-time (low temperature). Positive numbers (between 0 and +180) indicate day time (high temperature). The sun will set when that number reaches +180, and the "clock" will switch to -180, dropping to night time temperature. At time 0, the sun rises, and the temperature will go back up.
[h3]F11: [/h3]
The F11 key (by default) will temporarily toggle the HUD. I had to fix an issue where it was not operating correctly, so it should be fine now.
The Black Sphere of Death:
This was a problem when visiting the Mothership Altair. The mothership interior sometimes intersected the model for the outer space background, and it would appear as a great, black wall inside of the mothership. It did not actually cause any issues in the game, but it looked very weird. Hopefully after this update it will not frighten anyone any more.
[h3]Bugs:[/h3]
With any new changes, I try to be careful and make sure there are no adverse effects. However, sometimes things get past me and will cause problems for players. If you encounter any new issues, please don't hesitate to let me know.