Preview 3 is now up and ready for download. You will need to install OpenAL if you want sound, and if you want music, download the music files and unzip them into a folder called "music" wherever you place the executable file.
If you choose a faction, you'll have one random AI opponent automatically; if you play in Observer mode, you can enjoy watching three AI players duke it out.
Major recent changes:
- After a boatload of research and testing, I have successfully switched the audio library to OpenAL. Two major reasons: One, it's multi-platform, which is a must. Two, this allows streaming of music, which means no more needing 800mb of RAM free to decompress the files!!! I think you'll also find the sound is much cleaner in general. However, it does mean you will need to install OpenAL to have sound in the game.
- Computer opponents are now (nearly) fully implemented. They aren't the smartest on the planet and their performance is erratic, but they'll beat you up good if you let your guard down. They won't build special units, so consider that your advantage.
- Made some more minor graphical changes, including removing the "half-radar" screen you get without an Outpost and replacing it with your House Emblem. Haven't decided whether to keep this.
- Optimized a few parts of code, hopefully it's noticeable on slower systems (we'll see).
- Config.ini file now working properly, so you can play the game in FULL-SCREEN at glorious 640x480!
- Added an "Air Strikes" toggle at the HTF allowing you to recall/release all Ornithopters in one go.
- Move orders now default to Protect orders at destination. This was only logical.
- Death Hands still destroy themselves when launching, but will not detonate over a wide area. Malfunction rate is higher though.
- Power penalties for buildings now scale more drastically with distance. Knocking out an enemy's windtraps at a remote station will very likely bring the whole station down.
- Combat production buildings release units outside of the buildings now, instead of inside one of the building cells. They are still most likely to come out near the old "exit" zone. Refineries and Starports are unchanged, since they have cells that are intentionally traversable by friendly units.
- Homing bullets now function more effectively and should not fail to strike infantry at high speed.
