NEBULOUS: Fleet Command News

Hello Spacers,

We have a very minor update to close out January, but one which I'm sure will be very welcome. The team and I have been fully focused on getting the OSP major update wrapped up, and there unfortunately hasn't been a lot of time to switch back to the main branch to get this done. But the update is going great and we're in the final balancing phase now, expect more news very soon!

As for what is in this update, we've improved the mod loader's safety by showing a list of all mods which you'll need to download in a prompt instead of just subscribing to them and downloading immediately after you click the Load Mods button. This will only be done for mods you're not already subscribed to, so as long as you're only playing with mods you're familiar with you should never actually run into it. All mods in the list will be shown with their name, creator, and star rating on the Steam Workshop. Clicking on the mod will take you to its Workshop page so you can see more details.

Patch notes follow:

Changes/Features:
- Re-enabled automatic syncing of mods in multiplayer lobbies.
- Mod loader will now prompt you with a list of mods that are in use which you are not subscribed to.
- Clicking a mod in the list will take you to its Steam Workshop page.

As promised in the minor update news post, here is our latest devlog showing off the full suite of weapons you can expect for the Outlying Systems Protectorate faction in our upcoming major update. It also discusses a number of important changes to existing game mechanics, in particular railguns and jamming. Enjoy!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The end of the year is upon us, and so is the November minor update!

Stay tuned for our upcoming devlog this weekend which will give more details on the development of the OSP as well as some changes to railgun and jamming mechanics that will be coming along with the update. In the meantime, here's what's in this patch:

[h2]Fleet Editing in Lobbies[/h2]
One of the most requested features over the last year has been the ability to edit your fleets while waiting in the lobby, either to kill time while waiting for other players or to make some critical last minute adjustments to fit better with your team.

You can now access the Fleet Editor directly from the Skirmish lobby by clicking the pencil icon next to your fleet's name. Your currently-selected fleet will be loaded into the editor and you can make any modifications you need. You can also create an entirely new fleet from scratch, but try not to keep everyone waiting. Whatever fleet you have open in the editor when returning to the lobby will be automatically selected for you.

Chat is also available while in the editor, accessible via the button in the bottom right, so you don't get too lost in your work while everyone else just wants to play.

[h2]Quick Testing Range[/h2]
Another commonly requested feature for the Fleet Editor is the ability to quickly test out your fleets. By opening the ESC menu, you can now access the Small Testing Range directly by clicking the "Testing Range" button. The fleet you currently have loaded will be your fleet, and you will be prompted with a fleet list to select a fleet to use as your target dummies. Note that the AI is disabled when using this feature, so whatever ships you use will be static targets. If you want an actual battle, you will still need to set up your own singleplayer skirmish.

[h2]Undo/Redo System[/h2]
Finally for the editor, we've added a history system to the fleet composition mode. This keeps track of adding modules, munitions, and more on an individual ship basis. If you've ever accidentally replaced or removed something, you'll probably be glad this is here. You can access the undo/redo functionality from the buttons on either side of the sub-mode select, or by the standard hotkeys Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y.

The history system is not available for the other sub-modes currently, but may come in the future.

[h2]Hybrid Missile Fixes[/h2]
Two persistent issues with hybrid missiles have been fixed in this patch. The first is related to jamming, where jamming a radar seeker on a hybrid missile would cause it to stage immediately. This is because the jamming presents a false target to the seeker that is 1 kilometer away that the missile will veer off towards. Missiles without validators will still have their staging triggered by this, but missiles with validators will now know to reject the false target and remain in the cruise stage.

Additionally, a bug with command seekers causing hybrids to stage immediately after leaving the cell when fired at an approaching target has been fixed.

[h2]Automatic Mod Syncing Disabled[/h2]
Unfortunately, to end on some bad news, we've temporarily disabled the automatic syncing of mods in multiplayer lobbies while we work to improve the feature's security. In the meantime, we recommend mod-friendly lobbies include acceptable mods in their names so players can pre-load the appropriate ones. For example "3K - ASMR Space Battles [SYS, PRISM, BBB, DAMN]". We're very sorry for the inconvenience, and hope to have the feature back and better than ever as soon as possible.

Full patch notes follow:

Changes/Features:
- The Fleet Editor can now be accessed from the Skirmish game lobby, in both singleplayer and multiplayer.
- Clicking the edit button on yourself (or a bot if you're the host) will take you to the fleet editor and load that fleet.
- Other fleets can be loaded at any time.
- The fleet you have active in the fleet editor when returning to the lobby will automatically be set as the selected fleet.
- Added a "Testing Range" button to the Fleet Editor escape menu to quickly test your fleet without having to return to the main menu.
- Added an undo/redo history to the Fleet Editor fleet composition mode.
- Components in the palette will now show a mod badge if they are from a mod, with a tooltip indicating the mod name.
- Added a cost breakdown to the Fleet Editor, seen by hovering over the "Breakdown" highlight next to the point cost for a ship.
- Note to modders: You will need to indicate a component's Cost Breakdown Class in its configuration, or it will always be grouped as "Other".
- Added flank speed and damage probability stats to propulsion stats block.
- Seekers set to reject unvalidated targets will no longer stage prematurely when being jammed.
- Adjusted spectator overlay ship list sizes.
- Temporarily disabled the automatic syncing of mods in multiplayer lobbies.

Bug Fixes:
- Fixed "Working" modal not appearing when loading a fleet in the Fleet Editor.
- Fixed null reference with chat host when loading a saved Skirmish game.
- Fixed Home-On-Jam seekers targeting ships when auto-fired by the PD Controller.

Hi everyone! The Steam Award nominations have started, and we'd absolutely love it if you'd consider nominating NEBULOUS for an award. Although any of the award nominations would be appreciated, we think a good fit might be: "Best Game You Suck At - This is the game that rewards persistence, and is not for the faint of heart. It's the toughest game we've ever loved. "

You can click the image above if you'd like to nominate the game. Thank you to everyone for all the support this year!

It's about time to show off some of the long-term development work we've been doing the past two months. Check out Devlog #26 below. It covers the current status of the implementation of the second faction, the Outlying Systems Protectorate, as well as a sneak peak at the even-longer-term work on Conquest at the end.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The OSP faction will be our second major update, coming out in a few more months. Conquest will be our third major update, with no release timeframe currently determined. If you'd like to know more about Conquest, you can join our Official Discord and find the concept document in the #1mc-announcements channel.