Progress update 2020-03-13:
Version 97 is up. No singular milestone to report, but this version contains dozens of important fixes reported in pages 4 through 6 of the
bug thread. One fix I'd like to highlight was adding "refresh-all" like behavior to about 150+ controls that still didn't have it. As mentioned awhile ago one of my goals it to make the Refresh All button obsolete, by making the sure the entire UI is updated whenever anything is changed. If it sounds like this will make the UI feel slow, remember that all the animations I've posted in the past have a full UI Refresh and save-to-disk done every frame.
Here are some new things in this build:
- added the transfer of JP, system, and survey data to the list of things that happens when a race's last population surrenders
- finished the remaining types of automatic commander assignments
- morale, crew grade, and task force logistics bonus inversely affects maintenance failure rate
- parasites can reload box launchers on motherships (only)
- flag ship module functional and thus task forces can be stationed on ships
- task forces affect their ships that are in the same system (only)
- task force fighter ops bonus improves box launcher reload rate (dodged the bug in A4X where it makes the rate worse, not better)
- task force survey bonus improves grav survey rates
- task force training bonus improves PDC training rates
- task force training bonus improves (and is required for) fleets in Task Force Training mode
- crew grade affects TF training rates
- TF training rate halved for ships whose commander equals the TF commander in rank, fifthed if ship commander outranks TF commander
(Other TF bonuses were already done. In general, task forces should be feature complete now.)
More UI elements are now implemented:
- F2 Mining Tab: Est. Annual Mineral Use for Maint Facilities
- F9: Delete System
- Task Force window: Move to Population, Move to Flagship, and the corresponding Save buttons. This finishes the Task Force window.
- Transfer System Knowledge window: Goto System button, Transfer button, JP Data checkbox, and System Body Survey Data checkbox. This finishes the window.
(Delete system and the Transfer Knowledge button are pretty hefty additions)
So whats next? Here's what my short list looks like:
- Duty-based skill ups for commanders
- Surface temperature drops caused by dust
- SM Update Atmos button and any other climate change mechanics I can uncover
- Fleet training moves (the bonus increase from TF Training should already be working now)
- Diplomacy things
- Espionage things
- Escorts (groundwork in place but buggy/broken)
- Foreign aid
- Negative wealth impact
- Fleet threat protection axes
- POWs
- Fast Attack Craft (need to research what the special mechanics are, if any, for 500-1000 ton ships)
- Tech Data on Ships
- NPR Class Type classification (not visible, but assigned in database upon designing a ship class, and important prereq for AI)
- UI and infrastructure for external scripting
Regarding 1366x768 and alternate themes, that's on my long list, probably won't be considered til the AI scripting features are done.
And someday... someday I'll be ready for AI things. I don't need things to be completely polished and finished before I start that, but as you can see there are still some obvious gaps to fill first before we're there.