1.70 Release

One last attempt to make people happy enough to make a donation for the holiday season. I'm leaving in a few days to spend three weeks overseas with my loved one, and every little bit will help.

Last update (definitely) for at least a month.

Changelog since 1.69:

• All players must first go to the Join room, even to create a new server. This is needed I think to encourage people to be aware of other games in progress
• Network game names now go by the host player's name
• Wiggle missiles! A forum member brought this up recently, and while I didn't go as far as the old game where some missiles could do a complete U-turn, missiles from tanks now follow a random arc. As a nice side effect this creates the damage probability distribution I was looking for (more direct hits but also more wild shots)
• Wormsign intervals are now statically determined by the following pattern: 1-2 minutes Wormsign, 3-5 minutes spice production
• AI have received many improvements in reactionary intelligence and base management
• Increased efficacy of Mindgas effect
• Homing bullets now correctly angle to follow the target
• Fixed bug with Merc and Starport orders causing bad queue creation or otherwise failing
• Fixed bug with Death Hand icon not highlighting in HVF menu
• Fixed bug with units remaining on Retreat permanently
• Fixed bug with Carryalls rarely freezing when trying to pick up a unit marked for death
• Fixed bug with Stop orders not syncing over network
• Fixed bug with Mercs accidentally going on Airlift orders causing strange behavior
• Fixed bug with Death Hands being able to move over non-combat tiles (such as Refinery dock)

1.69 Release

This isn't a typical bugfix release. Please read the list below carefully. Wormsign has been much changed after I concluded the randomness of their attacks was actually a worse idea than if they always attacked. Many other changes you'll care about also.

This may the last update you see until late January as my overseas trip is less than two weeks away. Anyone who feels like donating could really bring some holiday cheer my way by doing so.

Changed this version:

• Move and Retreat orders now provide a 10% bonus to speed
• Units on Retreat orders are no longer slowed down by being damaged, and will no longer default to Move orders within a certain distance of the player's Retreat Flag
• Wormsign has been drastically altered. It will last about a minute on average, and during this time, don't even think about breathing on the sand. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
• Wormsign also gives a warning ten seconds before it starts. That's how long you get to stop your groups and get off the dunes
• Pre-spice masses are only created and will only naturally blow (i.e. from aging, not from being disturbed) when the worms are quiet. Their frequency of both creation and eruption has been slightly increased to account for the difference
• Pressing the Tab key doesn't just show statistics; now it also shows a halo around all of your units representing their general health
• Added a "Default to Attack" option at the Outpost, which when enabled will cause any units produced to go on Attack orders toward the queue location
• Trading Posts are now invisible to enemy players, although they will still be attacked in range
• Sonic Tanks and Fremen have had their ranges reduced by 1. However, their shots will "follow-through" one extra whole cell beyond the target now. This has been shown to increase their overall damage against enemy armies and bases in most cases. Also, like Sonic Tanks, Fremen no longer hurt friendly units
• Increased speed of mousewheel selection oval growth
• PSMs are now drawn on the minimap if the IX upgrade has been researched
• Fixed bug with Harvesters and some other units defaulting to Stop orders inappropriately
• Fixed bugs with some menu selections
• Fixed bug with some information remaining when exiting and restarting a game
• Fixed bug with music overlapping when exiting from a game
• Fixed self-destruct explosions not being net-synced
• Fixed Death Hand launches not being net-synced
• Fixed rare bug with Frigate draws
• Made slight changes to performance which may or may not be noticeable