Star Explorers News

[h3]Fixed Issues[/h3]

• Pausing the game was still causing some issues
  
• Save game still did not work properly, this should be fine now, really
  
• NPCs on board the mothership (seated, not standing or reclined) seemed to be inching forward on each visit, I believe this should no longer happen, but it still requires testing
  
• NPCs who were already wrongly positioned will not move back to their correct positions unfortunately
  

[h3]Main Menu[/h3]

• When I first made this game, I did not make it possible to visit the main menu after starting a game
  
• I attempted to add this functionality about a year ago, but too many errors made me remove that function
  
• This time I feel prepared, and it seems to be working
  
• I do expect to discover some more errors, so you may want to sit this one out, and just restart the game when accessing the main menu
  
• Currently, the main menu will appear, and it seems to function
  
• There are same know issues, like the transparency of the menu does not look good
  
• Initial attempts to start a new game and load a saved game have been successful
  
• Accessing the main menu, failing to start a new game (by using an existing name or something like that) then returning to you current game also seems to work. This is something that got really messy on the last attempt, but I was ready for it this time!
  
• Again, I expect some latent errors that might not show up right away, this will require some in depth testing
  

[h3]UPDATE:[/h3]
I somehow missed a new image file upload, so the game would not start. Should be good now...

[h3]Fixed[/h3]

• Introducing Pause had some unforeseen effects
  
• Save game did not work properly anymore, this should be fine now
  
• Not sure when it happened, but a certain particle effect in Standard Stars caused a major FPS drop. That effect has been removed
  
• Approaching the mothership caused an error after the Star Chart updates, this should work fine now
  
• The engine freezes right when you start a new game. It only lasts a few seconds, but would be strange for new players. I changed the loading panel so it stays up until after this freeze, and it also alerts players to wait until it resumes
  
• I have not uncovered the actual cause of the freeze just yet, but this should help until when/if I am able to resolve it
  

[h3]Interactive Guide[/h3]

• The guide had some major issues, especially after updating the star chart
  
• Pressing escape will now close the guide, it used to remain visible over the game menu
  
• Star chart will no longer be accessible until the guide directs players to open it
  
• Mothership docking is disabled until guide directs players to warp to a different star system
  
• "Next" button has been removed from the guide panel when it calls on players to perform some action to avoid confusion
  

[h3]The Star Chart has some new functionality:[/h3]

• Fixed issue where planet color was not updated correctly, visited planets should appear blue on the chart once again (if you have the star chart upgrade)
  
• Scanning a star in the sector currently selected should no longer require exiting the star menu
  
• The overlay sector cube should now stay on the correct sector, previously it would revert to sector 43 when reloading the game.
  

[h3]Also[/h3]

• Pressing ESC will now pause the game
  
• Pause will prevent the game from running any functions while in the menu
  
• User inputs like movement, firing, and accessing inventory will not work while the game is paused
• Pausing also prevents planets from rotating and orbiting their star
  
• Additionally, it prevents enemies from attacking the player, or even moving
  
• Do not be frightened or alarmed, they will resume their normal behavior patterns once you exit the menu
  

A bug in the last update caused a DirectX error when using the star chart. I think it should be resolved now. I have not been able to reproduce it since the update, so hopefully it will no longer bother anyone.

There are still some tweaks to make with the star chart, but I plan on having it resolved by the end of the week.

Okay, I have delved into some 2+ year old code and improved the Star Chart quite a bit.

[h3]The Star Chart should now:[/h3]

• Retain it's focus even when switching between the mission panel and star chart
  
• Also retain its focus when leaving the ship and returning
  
• Also when leaving the game and returning
  
• Stars and planets with notes will appear yellow (instead of green, red or blue)
  
• Added option to delete notes
  

See the pretty yellow color of noted stars and planets...


I had to rewrite and redesign the code quite a bit in order to get this to work, and it took much longer than I anticipated. It also caused me to completely break the star chart at one point in order to rebuild it as needed. There were moments where I questioned my abilities as a programmer, and frankly my sanity.

I am sure it will still have some errors, but it does do all those things mentioned above if you are nice to it. If you encounter any errors, please report them to me after the weekend :)