v2.2.0 Changes Discussion Thread

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

Release when?

From Steve on the discord -

"The next update will be a while. I've been ill recently so unable to do much programming (getting better now). In two weeks I start a three week motorhome trip, then back for a month, then another three week motorhome trip, then back for a month and then a third three-week motorhome trip, which takes me to  mid-September. Planning a fourth three week motorhome trip for around mid-October.

I can play a little while I am away, although I tend to be busy, but any serious programming and bug-fixing only tends to happen while I am at home.

TL:DR - probably months before next release."

Just to follow up on this, I got back to the island in May 20th and I leave tomorrow for another 23 day trip. We've also just had the two-week TT festival. Needless to say, I didn't get much done on Aurora. I am back on July 9th for seven weeks, before another trip in late August. With that in mind, the earliest likely release is October/November - although we may schedule another trip around then.

[Bremen]

Release when?

From Steve on the discord -

"The next update will be a while. I've been ill recently so unable to do much programming (getting better now). In two weeks I start a three week motorhome trip, then back for a month, then another three week motorhome trip, then back for a month and then a third three-week motorhome trip, which takes me to  mid-September. Planning a fourth three week motorhome trip for around mid-October.

I can play a little while I am away, although I tend to be busy, but any serious programming and bug-fixing only tends to happen while I am at home.

TL:DR - probably months before next release."

Just to follow up on this, I got back to the island in May 20th and I leave tomorrow for another 23 day trip. We've also just had the two-week TT festival. Needless to say, I didn't get much done on Aurora. I am back on July 9th for seven weeks, before another trip in late August. With that in mind, the earliest likely release is October/November - although we may schedule another trip around then.

I'm pretty sure anyone who wasn't patient enough to wait for updates found a different game by now. Have fun on your vacation!

[Nori]

Release when?

From Steve on the discord -

"The next update will be a while. I've been ill recently so unable to do much programming (getting better now). In two weeks I start a three week motorhome trip, then back for a month, then another three week motorhome trip, then back for a month and then a third three-week motorhome trip, which takes me to  mid-September. Planning a fourth three week motorhome trip for around mid-October.

I can play a little while I am away, although I tend to be busy, but any serious programming and bug-fixing only tends to happen while I am at home.

TL:DR - probably months before next release."

Just to follow up on this, I got back to the island in May 20th and I leave tomorrow for another 23 day trip. We've also just had the two-week TT festival. Needless to say, I didn't get much done on Aurora. I am back on July 9th for seven weeks, before another trip in late August. With that in mind, the earliest likely release is October/November - although we may schedule another trip around then.

Wow that is a lot of traveling! Good for you though. Life is too short to be stuck working all the time.

[nuclearslurpee]

I'm pretty sure anyone who wasn't patient enough to wait for updates found a different game by now. Have fun on your vacation!

Slow updates are the lifeblood of the AARs board... I just wish Steve would announce in advance if he won't update for a year... but if the next one takes even longer we will be golden. 

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

I just wish Steve would announce in advance if he won't update for a year.

That would require planning and organization, which I try to avoid

[nuclearslurpee]

I just wish Steve would announce in advance if he won't update for a year.

That would require planning and organization, which I try to avoid

#JustAuroraThings 

[db48x]

I just wish Steve would announce in advance if he won't update for a year.

That would require planning and organization, which I try to avoid

So says the guy who made a game that is entirely about planning and organization!

But I know what you mean; you don’t want to plan your release schedule. You’d rather just play it for a while until you stop seeing new bugs. Then you’ll think to yourself “I could release this now, and hardly anybody would complain” and then you won’t mind releasing it. Sometimes that takes years, other times it takes days or weeks.

[ExChairman]

Having had two times when I could have bought it, (addisons in 1986 and the a stroke in 2016) both were noticed late, the first one was a few hours from death...

Anyway, Steve take all the time you need, make everyday count, for family, friends and others.

Aurora is also your child but that one can wait for som TLC later

[Viridia]

I am stoked by the reported updates, there is some great stuff in there. The missile updates look very promising! Hope you enjoy your time away, Steve.

[lumporr]

Wow! This is maybe the best quality of life change I would've never thought to ask for. This is going to save me *weeks* of time remaking the same 40k fleets, researching and unresearching tech over and over again. I can also imagine making a template that's a "starting package" for certain games - just a mashup of every ship component you'd need for a beginner navy in one design that you can just hit Instant Path on. Fantastic stuff!

[Pedroig]

My only question is with the new Class Template system is can we basically design a Prototype "Advanced Tech" Ship, and then be able to use that to "create" a "tech path" to be able to obtain that "futuristic" ship?

With Commercial Ships I tend to just make a "base template" ship already, and then as improvements happen, just take advantage of the improvements without changing anything else.  So if I were to design a base 150,000 ton Freighter, using 10 Size 100 .5 Engines at Tech level 2, then as the game goes on, I simply replace the engines, sensors, CIWS, etc with Tech Level 3, 4, 5, etc. without changing anything else (size specifically) so the "benefits" are "real" as "realized".  The Freighter which plods along at 275 kps gets up to 12000 kps for example, with it's load capacity remaining the same, weight going down due to armour improvements, which is additive for velocity.

With Military Ships it is much more often trying to cram as much in as possible all the time, but yet generally sticking to the same "doctrine" so getting better/smaller advances freeing up room for either more capabilities or all new capabilities added to the design.  Having the ability to have that path "focused" would save quite a bit of micro, and memory strain, especially if one pauses for a few days for real life and if one has not updated notes/spreadsheets properly, fairly easy to get lost in what the plan originally was...

[Snoman314]

Going way back to the ECM changes, I was thinking today about how it's a shame the smaller ECM modules will be gone in the next version (or at least that's my understanding of the changes here: http://aurora2.pentarch.org/index.php?topic=13090.msg164302#msg164302).
Given the much larger impact of differences in ECM levels now, it doesn't make a lot of sense to have smaller ECM modules that are two levels lower, as that may make them completely ineffective, even when you're 2 ECM levels higher than your opponent.
That's when I had my idea: Instead of ECM modules being core components, what if they were designed components? i.e. instead of an ECM being a fixed size, and pretty impossible to fit onto a fighter, make them more like jump drives, in that they have a maximum tonnage that they can provide ECM for. Then small, fully effective ECMs could be designed for fighters that would do nothing for larger ships, and larger ECMs could be designed for larger ships.
Thoughts?

[ChubbyPitbull]

Caught up with all the changes and just want to say while all the new mechanical changes, especially the missile-related ones sounds really exciting, I'm REALLY appreciative of all the QoL love being given to ground forces. All of C# Aurora has been an incredible leap since the VB version, but wow the new ground forces mechanics have been my favorite part. Thanks for all the love planned for it in v2.2.0!

[Snoman314]

I finally sat down and had a proper read through of the new class template mechanics. I have a few questions:

• How do templates get shared between races / games?
• You mention that templates can be shared across a single database. Have you given any thought to allowing templates to be imported/exported to a csv file or something similar?
• Could you add an option that creates prototypes, instead of instantly researching components? You can already create prototypes for components that you don't have the technology for, so I don't think this would break anything.
• Along similar lines as the last point, could you add a button to create a class with current tech, but again make all unresearched components prototypes?

I like the sound of the new system, But I my mind went straight to saving ship designs between games/versions, and then importing them to save me time designing ships during a new game, without using Instant Research points.

[Steve Walmsley (OP)]

I finally sat down and had a proper read through of the new class template mechanics. I have a few questions:

• How do templates get shared between races / games?
• You mention that templates can be shared across a single database. Have you given any thought to allowing templates to be imported/exported to a csv file or something similar?
• Could you add an option that creates prototypes, instead of instantly researching components? You can already create prototypes for components that you don't have the technology for, so I don't think this would break anything.
• Along similar lines as the last point, could you add a button to create a class with current tech, but again make all unresearched components prototypes?

I like the sound of the new system, But I my mind went straight to saving ship designs between games/versions, and then importing them to save me time designing ships during a new game, without using Instant Research points.

1) Any race in any game has access to templates created by any other race in any game, as long as they share the same database.
2) I considered CSV, but its very complex to do the templates and there is a lot of scope for problems when transferring between databases, especially if they are different versions. By maintaining everything in the DB, it is a lot easier to prevent bugs.
3) Maybe at some point in the future. For now, I want to see how this works in the wild and then I will look at options for generating research projects for anything not available.