Releases: FAForever/fa
Game version 3760
See the patch notes of 3758 for all the details of the second development iteration.
We would like to remind people that we're always open to feedback. You can get in touch with us through the forums, Discord and of course through GitHub to discuss the patch.
With thanks to those that took the time to report bugs,
Jip
Bug fixes
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(#5153) Fix a bug with AI being buggy in the featured mod Nomads
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(#5159) Remove the rehost functionality
The rehost functionality has been broken for quite a long time. It would not properly restart the
game with the correct mods and previously private lobbies would become public. We've not managed to
fix it for quite some time and it confuses those who use it. Therefore we've decided to remove it
until we can find a proper fix.You can still 'rehost' the usual way, and in that case, your mods will work too.
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(#5158) Fix a bug with the Cybran destroyer being stuck in the transition animation
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(#5155) Fix a bug where abandoned armies would not be defeated
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(#5155) Fix a bug in the campaign/co-op where naval rally points were ignored
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(#5155) Fix a bug in the campaign/co-op where the army brain was missing certain functions
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(#5148) Fix a bug with the in-game file picker for replays
Contributors
Game version 3759
You can find the full release here:
We made a minor mistake that tripped the distribution pipeline 😄 !
Game version 3758
There are a lot of goodies in this iteration! The changelog format has been adjusted to make it easier to read. It now contains less detailed information and more general descriptions. Additionally, the in-game changelog window has been enhanced. To access more readable patch notes, you can find buttons at the bottom of the in-game changelog. These buttons will take you to the patch notes on GitHub or to the patch notes website 'patchnotes.faforever.com' for the respective branch. The website provides a user-friendly reading experience and may include helpful images to improve your understanding of the changes.
As mentioned in the previous development iteration, our focus is now primarily on AI development. This iteration establishes the groundwork for future work in this area. Over the next few months, we will be working on improving the AI's decision-making abilities by applying and introducing additional abstractions of the game state. If you'd like to help with this then feel welcome to introduce yourself in the dev-offtopic channel on Discord!
With appreciation towards all the contributors that made this patch possible,
Jip
Features
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(#3823) Improve the auto-balance feature by shuffling the pairs of players
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(#4997) Add a hotkey to select the nearest idle tech 1 engineer
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(#5040) Docked engineering drones are now ignored by anti-air weapons
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(#5134) The recall feature now requires teams of three (remaining alive) players to all agree on a recall
We received complaints of people being recalled in the recently introduced 3v3 matchmaker without their consent. The recall feature was implemented when this matchmaker queue did not exist yet. As such we adjust the threshold slightly to prevent the negative aspects in the matchmaker while still allowing you to recall without the complete consent of a team in large team games
-
(#5133) Personal shields now remain enabled in transports
This behavior does not apply to bubble shields. This prevents the recharge cycle from being reset moving units around in transports. This specifically applies to ACUs with a personal shield enhancement
Bug fixes
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(#4820) Fix 'OnGiven' callbacks not working properly, most notable in various campaign maps
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(#4824) Fix the teleport delay of ACUs being too short due to a bug. They are now 25 seconds again
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(#4774) Fix variables being in global scope while they should be in the local scope
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(#4862) Fix a bug where stationary missile launchers could end up launching missiles into the terrain
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(#4863) Fix a bug where states were unable to call their base class
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(#4867, #15) Fix a bug where missile progression was not transferred when gifting a unit building a missile
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(#4869) Fix a bug where tarmacs of structures would be duplicated when transferring a structure
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(#4904) Fix a bug where the Cybran tech 1 land scout can gain veterancy
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(#4877) Fix blocking of sound banks falsely identified as duplications
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(#4928) Fix a rare bug with the veterancy system that would prevent experience distribution
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(#5027) Fix a bug where the Quantum Optics Facility was being self-conscious, refusing to be turned off
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(#5028) Fix a bug where engineering drones (of the UEF) would be ignored by anti-air weapons
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(#5034, #15) Fix a bug where adjacency would not apply immediately to units that are building a missile
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(#5089) Fix a bug where the team color options window can have multiple instances
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(#5092) Fix a bug where civilians would sometimes not be revealed
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(#5092, #5130) Fix a bug where the game would adjust alliances with civilians after the game has started
Most notable on scripted maps that adjust the alliance with civilians to suit the need of the map
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(#5123) Fix a bug where the 'OnUnitKilled' callback did not trigger
Most notable on the 'Zone control' maps that relied on this callback to provide credits for destroying other units
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(#5131) Fix a bug where projectiles would have no launcher defined
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(#5136) Fix a bug where vision markers would not align with the terrain
This does not impact your intel, it fixes a visual artifact
AI
We would like to remind people that various mods provide different AI experiences. We can highly recommend you download them from the vault and give them a spin too.
A short list of AIs we recommend at this point:
- M27: made by Maudlin
- RNGAI, as made by Relent0r
- Sorian Edit, as made by Marlo
- Uveso AI, as made by Uveso
- Dilli Dally, as made by Softles
- Swarm AI, as made by Azraeel
And not to forget the AI that ships with the Total Annihilation mod that is maintained by Dragun.
AI - improved framework
Github references: #4693, #4858, #4898, #4923, #4921, #4961, #4901, #4970, #4971, #4872, #5008, #5009, #5072, #5068, #5071, #5087, #5084, #5101, #5099, #4879, #5141, #5139
Before this patch, there was no 'natural' approach to creating an AI that would be entirely separate from all the other AIs. It wasn't uncommon for AIs to be (temporarily) incompatible because of this. With this new AI framework, you can create a new AI that is guaranteed to be entirely separate from other AI instances.
As a consequence of this, all AI mods need to update how they set up their AI. We informed them of this months ago and helped them with these changes throughout June and we expect to see quick updates right after the patch of the AI mods that are still actively maintained.
One notable change is the integration done by Relent0r of the transport logic of the LOUD AI that is developed by Sprouto. Our gratitude towards Sprouto for turning the transport logic into a module and the willingness to share that with us
AI - improved Adaptive AI
Github references: #4825, #4836, #4849, #4832, #4880, #4888, #4859
With this patch, the first notable improvements specifically the adaptive AI are in! It can by no means compete with AIs such as M27, but at least the AI won't bug out as often as it used to. This represents the first step in the right direction where a lot of time was put into creating a more consistent foundation.
AI - reclaim grid
Github references: #4811, #4819, #4825, #4832, #4861, #4919
The reclaim grid represents an abstract, highly efficient data structure that the AI can use to make more informed decisions based on reclaim values. Includes a UI window to visualize the data structure
AI - presence grid
Github references: #4930
The presence grid represents an abstract, efficient data structure that the AI can use to make more informed decisions based on what area of the map the AI thinks it controls. It divides the map into sections that are considered 'allied', 'contested' or 'hostile' while taking into account the path ability of the map. Includes a UI window to visualize the data structure
AI - navigational mesh
Github references: #4589, #4874, #4876, #4909, #4899, #4918, #4922, #4919, #4925, #4929, #5023, #5031, #5032, #4879
The navigational mesh represents an abstract, efficient data structure that the AI can use to understand how to navigate the map. It is generated at the start of each map. This developer iteration reduces the generation time. On top of that it introduces various functions that can compute interesting properties based on the navigational mesh. Includes a UI window to visualize the data structure
Graphics
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(#4826) Improve the fidelity of debris of units being destroyed
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(#4828) Improve the quality of the explosions of units
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(#4881) Enable all props (rocks, trees) to cast and receive shadows
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(#4914) Add a bloom intensity slider to the graphics settings
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(#4915) Reduce decal flickering on maps with noisy heightmaps
A note to people that create maps: this engine is not built for sharp edges and in general noisy-like terrain. It doesn't just hurt gameplay but it can also introduce various visual artifacts
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(#4995) Fix an inconsistency when the effects of the Seraphim regeneration field are applied to underwater units
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(#4977) Improve the death animations of the Colossus, Spiderbot, Megalith and the Fatboy
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(#5033) Death weapons can now knock over trees
Graphics - physics-based rendering (PBR)
Github references: #4738, #4737, #4870, #4963, #4999, #5004
We started the path toward physics-based shaders in the first developer iteration of 2023. In this second iteration, we continue making preparations and improvements to be able to release the full potential of what this game can look like visually.
One notable change is the introduction of a texture channel that was missing for the majority of the Cybran units. As a result, Cybran feels less bland and bits that represent lights now also appear to emit light accordingly.
Graphics - adjustments to water
Github references: #4900, #4931, #4895, ##4896, #4964, #5005
Over time various visual artifacts related to water were introduced by FAF. Thanks to BlackYps we did not only tackle those inconsistencies but also improved the fidelity of the water in general. Units now really feel submerged in water, especially noticeable for large units (wrecks).
Graphics - terrain shaders
Github references: #4902, #4972
We've learned a lot while working on the physics-based shaders for units. Empowered with that knowledge we'll also be tackling the terrain shaders. The direction is not yet set in stone but the first improvements are in that allow map authors to add map-wide normals and map-wide shadows that are part of the rendering pipeline of the terrain, instead of 'plastered' on top afterward!
Performance
Game version 3757
Balance
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(#4796) Air Staging Facility
When they were moved from tech 2 to tech 1 their build time was not reduced accordingly. The build time is now reduced from 450 to 350. For a tech 1 engineer, it takes 70 seconds to build. -
(#4442, #4938) Claws of Galactic Colossus
Previously the claws would instantaneously destroy the unit upon arrival. This matched the old behavior, but with the bug fixes of the claws it was only slightly too strong.A unit now receives 730 damage per second upon arriving at the claw. Combining both claws and the beam the colossus has a maximum damage per second of 2460, which matches the old situation.
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(#3918) Chrono Dampener
The chrono dampener received several buffs over the past year. With this patch we nerf it by changing how the Chrono Dampener behaves.The old behavior applies the same stun on all units over a large radius every 5.0 seconds. The stun duration was 3.5 seconds.
The new behavior applies a diminishing stun based on the distance of the unit to the ACU over a large radius every 5.0 seconds. The stun is applied in slices of 0.4 seconds. There are 10 slices. Units that are on top of the ACU receive all slices, and are therefore stunned for 4.0 seconds. Units at the outer edge of the radius receive only a single slice and are therefore stunned for 0.4 seconds.
Contributors
Game version 3756
Hopefully this is the last hotfix for now. Includes various fixes of recent and longstanding bugs.
Jip
Features
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(#4770) Overhaul of the cheat menu
The menu now inherits from the Window class, as a result it can be moved around and rescaled. Units
can now be dragged into the game, instead of the old box spawn formation. Includes a section to
spawn in props, meshes and a new section to preview and spawn in entire templates.This was long over due. The new cheat window is completely configurable, note the little wrench next to the title.
Bug fixes
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(#4805) Fix orientation of structures being applied multiple times after gifting or capturing
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(#4793) Fix disabling of the tabs (in the center) when you are in a replay and your focus army is defeated
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(#4806) Fix lingering draggers around window controls such as the chat and console window
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(#4807) Add a check before applying a platoon function to fix a co-op problem
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(#4804, #4813) Fix various options not listening to the game settings
This includes the following options:- Options for the water depth indicator
- Options for the plane height indicator
- Toggle for rendering mouse positions when observing
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(#4809) Re-order the sync in an attempt to mitigate 'unknown results' of ladder games
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(#4812) Fix overcharge damage not scaling with your power supply
Other changes
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(#4795) Lobby option to share unit cap now defaults to share the unit cap to all allies
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(#4800) Auto-hide the mass fab panel when you change to the observers view
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(#4789) Forward the old ACU-kill event to the UI layer
Contributors
Game version 3755
Game version 3754
See the patch notes of 3751 for the full patch notes.
We would like to remind people that we're always open to feedback. Specifically for the changes surrounding the factories we made a few topics for you to give feedback on the various line ups. You can find them here:
If you can't click on that link then navigate to General Discussion -> Suggestions on the forums. The overview topic is pinned at the top.
At the moment there is a game-breaking issue with Nomads. The maintainer has been informed.
With kind regards,
Jip
Features
Bug fixes
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(#4756) Fix extractors not aligning with the terrain
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(#4743) Fix civilians not being revealed
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(#4752) Fix auto balance button when no faction is selected
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(#4757) Fix hot build not being reset after a build order
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(#4759) Fix beam weapons continiously restarting as they ground fire
This also fixes the bug where beam weapons that are firing on the ground apply the damage twice -
(#4763) Fix veterancy triggering before death weapons do
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(#4771) Fix a typo in
CreateIntelTriggers -
(#4777) Fix a bug where reclaiming props with no value could prevent the ACU from shooting
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(#4778) Fix tractor beams from making units invulnerable
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(#4768) Fix orientation of structures with pre-defined orientations (from the editor)
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(#4782) Fix cursor not changing when you manually issue an attack order
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(#4719) Fix significant weapon delay on the anti air gun of the Sky Slammer, Siren and Bouncer
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(#4784) Fix units receiving full vet after being transferred
AI
We would like to remind people that there are various mods that provide different AI experiences. We can highly recommend you to download them from the vault and give them a spin.
A short list of AIs we recommend at this point:
- M27: made by Maudlin
- RNGAI, as made by Relent0r
- Sorian Edit, as made by Marlo
- Uveso AI, as made by Uveso
- Dilli Dalli, as made by Softles
- Swarm AI, as made by Azraeel
And not to forget the AI that ships with the Total Annihilation mod that is maintained by Dragun.
- (#4674) Fix base AI logic running with AIs from the vault
Navigational mesh
The navigational mesh is an abstract representation of a map. The AI can use that representation to gain an understanding of what the map 'looks like'. The navigational mesh is generated at the start of the map and works on any map.
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(#4761) Fix labels being culled even though they have resources
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(#4762) Introduce a search threshold when searching for a valid leaf
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(#4776) Fix navigational mesh being able to be generated multiple times
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(#4780) Fix order of execution so that expansion markers are properly generated
Physics Based Rendering (PBR)
We're slowly but surely preparing the game for a significant visual improvement. This is a long term project that is going to consume hundreds of hours. We're hoping to find additional contributors that have an interesting in creating (and fixing) meshes and textures. If you have that interest and/or experience and you'd like to help out then you can introduce yourself in the dedicated channels in the official Discord channel!
- (#4713) Fix animation problems with the Cybran air factory line up
Other changes
- (#4758) Add division icon for the unlisted 'division'
Contributors
RabidPope (#4719)
Relentor (#4674)
Rowey (#4752)
Jip (#4745, #4756, #4743, #4757, #4759, #4761, #4763, #4762, #4778, #4777, #4776, #4768, #4780, #4782, #4719)
Wotan (#4745)
SlinkingAnt (#4755, #4783)
4z0t (#4771, #4758)
Game version 3753
See the patch notes of 3751 for the full patch notes.
Bug fixes
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(#4741) Fix build preview of underwater storages
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(#4739) Fix Aloha being ignored by tactical missile defenses
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(#4740) Fix reclaim values of wreckages
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(acc6893) Enforce UTF8 encoding of preference file
We weren't entirely aware that we stopped enforcing the encoding of the preference file. As a result a lot of people encountered issues. We hope by enforcing it again that those issues are resolved
Contributors
Game version 3752
Game version 3751
In this first development update of 2023, we introduce three month's work of bugfixes, quality of life changes, and assorted improvements. It is, by far, the most exciting patch we've released so far. While the full changes are detailed below, a quick summary of those changes we think you'll find most important:
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We've changed how structures interact with the terrain. Previously, structures built on uneven ground could create terrain deformations. On some maps, this resulted in changes to the terrain that prevented the player from placing neighboring structures and created pathing issues for units. With this update, buildings deform the terrain less and may be placed at a slight angle.
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We've introduced a new series of hotkeys that will make it easier to select and micromanage your units.
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The process of managing your mex upgrades will now be easier than ever thanks to several small features. You can now choose to have mexes automatically queue an upgrade and (un)pause extractors when you order engineers to assist them.
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Several smaller quality of life changes have been made to existing features, such as no more empty reclaim orders and preventing ground attack orders from snapping to props or units. You can read more about all these changes in the 'Features' section.
In future updates, we'll be shifting our focus to improving the AI we ship with FAF. So far, we've been working on a navigational mesh that can help the AI understand any map you throw at it. The task ahead is to extend this with additional features to help the AI understand specifics about a map. You can read what we've achieved this patch in the 'AI' and 'Navigational mesh' sections.
And last, but certainly not least: this patch contains the largest performance improvement to date; the game is on average 10% to 20% faster in comparison to the last developers patch! This is exciting because with this patch the average game no longer slows down. We've been running tests and a CPU as cheap as a Ryzen 3600 can now run up to 6000 units without slowing down. We find this is extremely exciting: the game is nearing the point where you can just enjoy playing the originally intended experience in real-time!
With appreciation towards all the contributors that made this patch possible,
Jip
Features
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(#4584, #4607, #4615, #4636, #4714, #4724) Improve terrain structure interactions
Instead of flattening the ground below structures, they now slightly tilt to reduce terrain deformation. -
(#4474) Ground attack now ignores all props/units
You can now assign a ground attack exactly where you clicked without it accidentally snapping to props or units -
(3dd620c) Prevent being able to issue 'empty' reclaim orders
It is now impossible to create a reclaim order with no prop or unit attached to it -
(#4474) Move command mode no longer creates patrol orders by accident
When you specifically issue move commands using the hotkey (usually 'm') or by clicking on the move command button it now ignores the 'convert to patrol' functionality -
(3dd620c) Remove the use of CTRL to issue commands with formations
When you hold control units first move towards each other and create a formation before they would go to where you told them to. This is a hidden feature of the engine and often players were not aware. We patched this out because often people use the same key for hotkeys, after which players (usually accidentally) would issue a formation order instead of a regular move or attack move order -
(#4510) Add a game option to set the zoom threshold at which reclaim values are grouped together in the reclaim-overlay
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(#4586) Add game option to tweak the camera shake multiplier
When set to zero it will entirely remove shaking from the game. Additionally, the default shake multiplier is now set to 0.5 (instead of 1.0) -
(#4577) Add game option to upgrade and pause tech 1 extractors when you issue an assist order
A small quality of life feature that reduces the use of a few hotkeys -
(#4577, #4620) Add game option to unpause tech 1 extractors as engineers start assisting
A small quality of life feature that reduces the need to check up on your extractors -
(#4587) Add hotkeys to divide your current selection into subgroups
There is a separate hotkey to tab through the subgroups. This feature significantly improves your ability to manage and micro larger chunks of unitsAs a few examples of divisions:
- Divide your selection by tech level
- Divide your selection into groups of 5
- Divide your selection over those nearest and furthest from your mouse location
- Divide your selection into two equally sized groups
For UI mod authors: the changes introduces a framework that allows you to define additional ways to split a selection into subgroups.
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(#4626) Allow mass storages to be built underwater
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(#4490) Add mission briefings to the lobby for all campaigns that ship with Supreme Commander
When you are in a co-op lobby the patch notes button is replaced with a briefings button. There you can see the briefing of a map. Only original campaign maps support this feature at the moment. -
(#4689, #4690, #4691) Add hotkey that resembles the 'hard move' functionality introduced by Strogo
For those unware: it allows you to continiously issue move orders without queueing them and without accidentally converting them to patrol orders. This is particularly useful for ASF battles -
(#4095) Adds a partial share game option
An alternative variant of full share. While structures and engineers are transferred, all other mobile units are lost. -
(#4463) Add a new key binding to select naval units, excluding sonar structures
AI
This update adresses several long-standing issues that affected the custom AI that FAF introduces. Further developments and improvements of the AI will remain our focus in future updates.
Additionally, we would like to remind people that there are various mods that provide different AI experiences. We can highly recommend you to download them from the vault and give them a spin too.
A short list of AIs we recommend at this point:
- M27: made by Maudlin
- RNGAI, as made by Relent0r
- Sorian Edit, as made by Marlo
- Uveso AI, as made by Uveso
- Dilli Dally, as made by Softles
- Swarm AI, as made by Azraeel
And not to forget the AI that ships with the Total Annihilation mod that is maintained by Dragun.
-
(#4413, #4419, #4450) Tunes the economic assesments of the AI.
Throughout the game the AI constantly tries to balance his decisions and those decisions depend on various conditions. These conditions can be tweaked and that is exactly what we did here. -
(#4445, #4447, #4455, #4462, #4461, #4460, #4454, #4475, #4505)
General tuning and bug fixing of the AIs. This involves all sorts of improvements, such as fixing a bug causing the AI to hoard units in their base and improving their use of naval units. -
(#4386) Separately keep track of radar structures for AIs
These are interesting and often vulnerable targets for the AI. By keeping track of them separately it can interact with them more easily.Better guard those radars from now on!
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(#4412) Add logic to prevent prematurely disbanding a platoon
A platoon is a group of units that is acting according to some logic that describes the behavior of the platoon. When a platoon disbands it returns to base to receive a new order. We fixed platoons disbanding too soon due to a bug. -
(#4682) AI has been upgraded to make better use of experimentals.
-
(#4436, #4450) Improve consistency of builders used by the AI
A builder is not an engineer, but a set of conditions that the AI uses to determine what to build. These conditions depend on the status of the AI (do I need additional factories given my income?) and the status of the enemy (should I produce more interceptors?)These are tweakable and that is what we did here.
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(#4525) Allow AIx multipliers that are lower than 1.0
Some people asked for this feature and here it is - for new players you can lower the multiplier to below 1.0
Navigational mesh
The navigational mesh is an abstract representation of a map. The AI can use that representation to gain an understanding of what the map 'looks like'. The navigational mesh is generated at the start of the map and works on any map.
We're looking for people with an interest in computer science to add features to add many other functions that allow the AI to understand. One example of such a feature is the ability to generate expansions markers: points of interest for the AI when it would like to build an expansion. And we'd like to add so much more so much more so that an AI can understand and properly play on any map. The navigational mesh is only use by the AI and only runs when there are AIs in-game.
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(#4432) Add label utilities
Allows the AI to understand the value of an area, such as a plateau. -
(#4485, #4495) Only load in the navigational mesh as requested
Entirely skip the generation of the navigational mesh when it is not used. This prevents allocation a few megabytes to store the navigational mesh in memory -
(#4555, #4559, #4561) Improve retrieval of (nearest) leaf for path finding
This is an improvement to a macro feature (what is the general path from A to B?) and not a micro feature (how should I move this unit?). It is now more consistent, such that if a unit is remotely able to navigate to some place it will always have a label assigned to it. -
(#4569) Add generation of expansion markers
These markers are generated for each map. The AI can now identify sane expansion locations on any map