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After performing well on the beta branch, patch 2.4.3 is now live on the default main branch.
We've fixed a few bugs (like the station-says-I'm-docked-but-I'm-not-actually-docked-what-the-hell-is-happening-bug) and implemented a workaround for an AMD driver crash.
UI
Improved consistency of subsystem tooltip descriptions
Bugfixes
Fixed an issue where client and server disagreed about docking state (This should resolve cases where the ship was shown as docked but various menus sent errors about not being docked)
Implemented a workaround for an AMD GPU driver issue
Fixed an issue where ancient gates could be connected to world boss sectors
Fixed an issue where it was possible to give orders meant for ships to stations
Fixed a crash when a station was ordered to support a ship and the ship left the sector
Fixed an issue where boss health bars were visible in build mode
Fixed a crash related to destroyed entities in scrapyard sectors
Fixed an issue where a tooltip obstructed the confirmation dialog when removing a subsystem with shift-click
More details about the AMD driver situation can be found in the previous Beta-Branch Announcement
Beta Branch Note: These changes are currently available on the beta branch. The beta branch is for testing experimental changes and for finding and fixing errors.
This is how you get access to the beta branch (USE AT YOUR OWN RISK): Right-Click on Avorion in your Steam list, Properties -> Betas -> Select branch 'Beta Branch - Newest Changes & Experimental Features'.
UI
Improved consistency of subsystem tooltip descriptions
Bugfixes
Fixed an issue where client and server disagreed about docking state
This should resolve cases where the ship was shown as docked but various menus sent errors about not being docked
Implemented a workaround for an AMD GPU driver issue
Fixed an issue where ancient gates could be connected to world boss sectors
Fixed an issue where it was possible to give orders meant for ships to stations
Fixed a crash when a station was ordered to support a ship and the ship left the sector
Fixed an issue where boss health bars were visible in build mode
Fixed a crash related to destroyed entities in scrapyard sectors
Fixed an issue where a tooltip obstructed the confirmation dialog when removing a subsystem with shift-click
AMD situation
Some users reported crashes with AMD cards when creating or loading a galaxy using AMD driver version 23.12.1 or 24.1.1. We have implemented a workaround that hopefully addresses this issue. If you had this issue, please report in the comments if this patch fixes the issue for you (on driver 24.1.1). If the problem still exists we recommend a downgrade to driver 23.11.1.
Details
Some background on the status of this issue, by one of our devs:
"This problem is particularly difficult to debug. Originally none of our office PCs with AMD cards were affected. However, we managed to build a PC where we can reproduce the issue, but even with this PC, the crash doesn't happen reliably.
On a technical level, the crash happens in a thread run by the AMD driver in the Avorion process. This should not be possible unless there is a bug in the driver. For those who don't know: a driver *must not crash*. We have verified multiple times that our code is correct and doesn't raise any errors. We've contacted AMD multiple times over different channels but have not received a helpful answer, yet.
Warning, technical: To analyze the cause, we tried to disable various parts of the engine. When the crash disappeared we always had to test many times, as it wasn't 100% reliable. No crashes a few times in a row can just be plain (bad?) luck and lead down the wrong path. We finally found different, independent functions we could disable, that individually stopped the crash. None of them look like they made sense as a cause for a crash. Just leaving them disabled was no option either, we had to find a solution without impacting the content of the game. We settled on restructuring a small part of preparatory texture work so we give the driver less work while loading the game, and forced the driver to complete some of its work on our schedule instead of its own."
We're very sorry for the inconvenience. We hope that the workaround we've screwed into our engine fixes the issue for you fine AMD folks, and we hope we can remove it once the driver crash was fixed by AMD.
good news awaits as the latest patch 2.4.2 is now live on the default branch! After performing well on beta we're moving it onto default so you can enjoy the latest improvements over the holidays.
Beta Branch Note: These changes are currently available on the beta branch. The beta branch is for testing experimental changes and for finding and fixing errors.
This is how you get access to the beta branch (USE AT YOUR OWN RISK): Right-Click on Avorion in your Steam list, Properties -> Betas -> Select branch 'Beta Branch - Newest Changes & Experimental Features'.
Gameplay
Increased bonuses of Behemoth Civil Turret Control System
Increased bonuses of Behemoth Military Turret Control System
Behemoth Carrier Control System production speed is now a percentage bonus
Behemoth Carrier Control System now also counts mining and shield subsystems for bonuses
Tweaked a few subsystem tooltips to clarify their relevance for Behemoth System Bonuses
Bugfixes
Fixed a crash when attempting to open a remote ship window for an unnamed craft (e.g. for a fighter)
Fixed an issue where limit of at most one behemoth hyperspace system was not enforced
Fixed an issue where behemoth upgrade systems counted temporary installed subsystems as permanently installed ones for bonuses
The long-awaited Behemoth Events DLC has landed in the Avorion default branch, together with Patch 2.4.1! Encounter legendary behemoth ships, enhance your ship with new subsystems, and face epic challenges as they ruthlessly attack sectors in the galaxy.
Behemoth Event Series
Fight Behemoth bosses that will attack different sectors in the galaxy
Collect unique subsystems with special properties dropped by these colossal bosses
Dive into a dynamic experience as behemoths destroy and salvage entire sectors if left undefeated
We wanted to bring more life to the galaxy, so we're introducing many new bosses that you'll encounter while exploring. These bosses are tough to fight and will drop some fine loot! Each of them will have a unique encounter and sector to fight them in. Additionally, they'll have personal unique backstories that players can discover.
Escort AI
We've taken some steps to improve the escort AI behavior, especially when ships follow other ships through hyperspace. You can now see on the map how far your following ships can jump so that you don't accidentally lose them. On top of that, we've fixed some other issues and ensured that ships keep looking for the ship they were supposed to escort until it comes back into the sector or in hyperspace range.
Ship Management
Managing ships has received a big improvement: You can now remote-manage ships that are in the same sector as you. No more switching ships to dump some cargo or assign another captain! Sadly, due to technical limitations, we can't add this feature for ships that are outside of your current sector. We would have added it if we could!
The fleet overview has received some important quality-of-life changes, too. You can now filter, search, or remote-manage ships easily.
Performance & Bugfixes
We've added tons of performance improvements, especially on the galaxy and in rifts. As always there are also many fixes for bugs that have been reported by users. Thank you so much and keep it up, everyone! Enjoy!
2.4.1 is out of beta and live on the default branch! To enable Behemoth Events you now need have the Behemoth Event Series DLC installed.
If you weren't following beta releases, here are the combined changes since 2.3.2:
Behemoth Events
"The behemoths are coming! These legendary ships will now attack helpless sectors - unless someone stops them."
Added a new series of events where large behemoth ships attack sectors in the galaxy
Added new, special subsystems with unique properties dropped by these bosses
Behemoths are very strong and will ruthlessly attack random sectors in different quadrants of the galaxy
When they're not defeated in time, they will destroy & salvage entire sectors
Behemoths do not attack sectors with player-owned stations
Behemoths can be enabled/disabled at will, but will be always disabled when the DLC is not installed
You don't need the DLC installed to play on a multiplayer server which has the DLC enabled
Increased number of bonus turret slots for Behemoth Combat/Civil Turret Control Systems
Adjusted slightly misleading Behemoth Carrier Systems description
New World Bosses
"We're introducing many new bosses that you'll encounter while exploring the galaxy. These bosses are tough to fight and will drop some fine loot. Additionally, they'll have their own unique back stories that players can discover. Or ignore. You can do what you want. I'm not your boss. I'm just text."
Added new bosses that will appear on the map
Each boss has a unique arena they can be fought in
Each boss has a unique background story for players to find
Dev Note: Hidden mass sectors that were scouted by captains, but not yet visited by you, may have incorrect scouting information on the Galaxy Map
Escort AI
"We've taken some steps to improve the escort AI behavior, especially when ships follow other ships through hyperspace."
Added a new dotted range indicator for the jump range of all escorting ships
The minimum jump range of all ships escorting the selected ship (or you) will be shown
ie. when Ship A is being escorted by B (range 4) and C (range 6), a dotted line with range 4 will be displayed on the map
Works for escort chains, too (A escorting B escorting C)
Improved behavior for jumping after other ships when escorting/following
Ships now warn after waiting for 5 minutes if they can't follow their escortee
Ships can now find their escorted ship again when it returns into them, instead of cancelling the escort command
Ships now locate their escort target on the map and will jump to it (if in range)
Ships that want to jump out of the sector now wait until escorting allied ships are ready to jump
Travel command no longer destroys an escort order of escorting ships
Ships can no longer be followed by enemy ships that are set to "escort" them
Remote Ship Management
"Managing ships has received a big improvement: You can now remote-manage ships, that are in the same sector as you. No more switching ships to dump some cargo or assign another captain! Sadly, due to technical limitations, we can't add this feature for ships that are outside of your current sector. We would have added it if we could!"
You can now manage ships that are in the same sector as you, as if you were sitting in them
Holding 'I' now opens the remote management window for the selected ship (if you have the rights to manage it)
Briefly pressing "I" still opens your current ship's management window
Added an interaction option to manage another ship
Added visual clues to the remote manage window to make it more clear it is not your current ship's window
Fleet Tab
"The fleet overview has received some important quality of life changes. You can now filter, search, or remote-manage ships easily."
Added searching to the fleet window
Added a compact view to the fleet window
Added a checkbox to sort crafts in the same sector to the top
Added a context menu when right-clicking in the Fleet Tab (similar to Galaxy Map):
Select
Manage
Switch to craft
Switch to sector
Show On Map
Added controls hint for right mouse button context menu
Improved compact view to take currently selected ship or station into account
Ships that have yield ready to claim will now display an icon in compact view
Additional UI improvements
Added a 'Manage' option to the GalaxyMap context menu to manage a ship in your sector
Initial ships are now named "Inspiration-X.xml" to avoid confusion over their purpose
Added a "Streamer Mode" setting for improved privacy
Hides paths containing possibly private information
Added more tooltips and explanation about how to buy building knowledge for ores
Added an item to the galaxy map legend for explanation of jump range of escorting ships
Reduced height of minor notifications on the right so that the important ones stick out more
Added an "Unlisted" setting for workshop uploads
Some buttons to command fighters are now hidden if they are not applicable
e.g. no "Return" button when no fighters are out
When pressing Return key in the ship design renaming window, the rename is confirmed instead of the text box losing focus
Mission-relevant trading goods are now specially marked in sell command
Clarified some single- vs. multiplayer related expressions in loading screen and other windows
Performance
Improved performance on galaxy map when lots of sectors have been explored and are marked on the map
Improved overall performance in Rifts
Improved overall script performance
Multiplayer & Security
Fixed an issue where it was possible to overload a server with too much traffic
Implemented detection of suspicious network traffic patterns and dropping of such players
Misc
Updated Credits
Bugfixes
Fixed a bug where ships could get duplicated during hyperspace jumps
Fixed an exploit where resource depot could be abused for infinite resources
Fixed an issue where some captains with special combinations of traits could procure or sell infinite goods in constant time
Fixed an issue where docked objects removed the "empty space" hyperspace bonus
Fixed a bug in the encyclopedia, where Scrap Metal had the same text as scrap materials besides beeing a normal trading good
Fixed an issue where escorting ships could shoot torpedoes at their protegee
Fixed an issue were inactive gate activators would automatically undock a battery but then weren't able to dock that battery before it leaves docking distance
Inactive gate activator will now first check if it can dock the battery it undocked in previous update step independent of distance
Fixed an issue where stations could buy goods without getting them in their cargospace
Fixed an issue where captains didn't reach 100% experience when level 6
Fixed an issue where tooltips of turrets with 5 or more crew members of the same profession had two lines for crew instead of one
Fixed an issue where rift objects could be at war with players after loading a galaxy backup
Fixed a potential issue with Black Market mission "The Transport" where players could lose mission item
Family mission 4 will now reset to phase were identity thief is given instead
Mission item is now marked as such
Fixed an issue where milestone for a 5-slot-ship was already unlocked with 4 slots
Fixed an issue where the Four could have a pirate encounter in their sector
Fixed an issue where galaxies could have the same name when there were capitalized letters in the new galaxy name
Fixed an issue where tech level label for special offer was at the wrong place and wrong size
Fixed an issue where a boss with lasers would never fire at players if multiple player ships were in the sector
Fixed an issue where a negative amount of goods could be sold to a station
Fixed an issue were one explore sector mission couldn't be accomplished while a second was active
Fixed several issues were Tutorial could get stuck if player left the ship
Fixed an issue where rift monoliths could be shot through the sector
Fixed an issue were rift mission exiting items were not put in full inventories
Fixed an issue with Omni Recycler turret, where the turret might use massive amounts of energy
Fixed an issue were black market mission "Protect the Transport" would not continue after dialog
This was possible if dialog partner was destroyed by autofire turrets which led to the phase not being set correctly
Fixed an issue when renaming or moving a design file: The corresponding steam upload (project file) is now updated instead of deleted
Fixed tutorial using hard-coded key shortcut for interact instead of actual key
Fixed an issue where cargo bay pickup behavior was not transmitted from server to client
Fixed an issue where turret AI would try to shoot holo-blocks
Fixed an issue with the settler treck mission crashing sometimes when trying to delete entities
Added missing SFX for imperial lightning cannon
Fixed some issues concerning money and resource handling with broken values to avoid broken money/resource values
Fixed a crash when opening system tab in ship window while having a subsystem installed in a locked slot
Fixed an issue where escorting ships prioritized gates over jumps even when target sector was in jump range
They will still attempt to use gates if their hyperspace engine is on cooldown
Fixed an issue where escorting ships did not immediately jump with the leader when possible
Fixed an issue that caused error messages "You can't modify the component ControlUnit"
Fixed an issue where player owned resource depots gave incorrect amounts of resources and money
Fixed an issue where the filter for stolen goods overruled other cargo bay filter settings
Fixed an issue where toggling compact view off and on resulted in the wrong row being expanded
Fixed an issue where a Long-Distance-Trader subsystem's tooltip claimed to provide software for Transporter Blocks even when it didn't
[edit 2023-12-07] Fixed an issue where duplicate mails were sent during the expedition to the center mission
Beta Branch Note: These changes are currently available on the beta branch. The beta branch is for testing experimental changes and for finding and fixing errors.
This is how you get access to the beta branch (USE AT YOUR OWN RISK): Right-Click on Avorion in your Steam list, Properties -> Betas -> Select branch 'Beta Branch - Newest Changes & Experimental Features'.
Behemoth Events
Increased number of bonus turret slots for Behemoth Combat/Civil Turret Control Systems
Adjusted slightly misleading Behemoth Carrier Systems description
Remote Ship Management
Remote managing the selected ship now requires the player to hold "I"
Briefly pressing "I" while having another ship selected now just opens your current ship's management window again
Added visual clues to the remote manage window to make it more clear it is not your current ship's window
Fleet Tab
Improved compact view to take currently selected ship or station into account
Ships that have yield ready to claim will now display an icon in compact view
Misc
Updated Credits
Bugfixes
Fixed a crash on Linux related to recent Steam client updates affecting singleplayer and hosting multiplayer games
Fixed a crash when opening system tab in ship window while having a subsystem installed in a locked slot
Fixed an issue where escorting ships prioritized gates over jumps even when target sector was in jump range
They will still attempt to use gates if their hyperspace engine is on cooldown
Fixed an issue where escorting ships did not immediately jump with the leader when possible
Fixed an issue that caused error messages "You can't modify the component ControlUnit"
Fixed an issue where player owned resource depots gave incorrect amounts of resources and money
Fixed an issue where the filter for stolen goods overruled other cargo bay filter settings
Fixed an issue where toggling compact view off and on resulted in the wrong row being expanded
Fixed an issue where a Long-Distance-Trader subsystem's tooltip claimed to provide software for Transporter Blocks even when it didn't
[edit 2023-12-07] Fixed an issue where duplicate mails were sent during the expedition to the center mission
Beta Branch Note: These changes are currently available on the beta branch. The beta branch is for testing experimental changes and for finding and fixing errors.
This is how you get access to the beta branch (USE AT YOUR OWN RISK): Right-Click on Avorion in your Steam list, Properties -> Betas -> Select branch 'Beta Branch - Newest Changes & Experimental Features'.
Behemoth Events
"The behemoths are coming! These legendary ships will now attack helpless sectors - unless someone stops them."
[beta only] The DLC will be enabled for anyone playing on the beta branch
Added a new series of events where large behemoth ships attack sectors in the galaxy
Added new, special subsystems with unique properties dropped by these bosses
Behemoths are very strong and will ruthlessly attack random sectors in different quadrants of the galaxy
When they're not defeated in time, they will destroy & salvage entire sectors
Behemoths do not attack sectors with player-owned stations
Behemoths can be enabled/disabled at will, but will be always disabled when the DLC is not installed
You don't need the DLC installed to play on a multiplayer server which has the DLC enabled
New World Bosses
"We're introducing many new bosses that you'll encounter while exploring the galaxy. These bosses are tough to fight and will drop some fine loot. Additionally, they'll have their own unique back stories that players can discover. Or ignore. You can do what you want. I'm not your boss. I'm just text."
Added new bosses that will appear on the map
Each boss has a unique arena they can be fought in
Each boss has a unique background story for players to find
Dev Note: Hidden mass sectors that were scouted by captains, but not yet visited by you, may have incorrect scouting information on the Galaxy Map
Escort AI
"We've taken some steps to improve the escort AI behavior, especially when ships follow other ships through hyperspace."
Added a new dotted range indicator for the jump range of all escorting ships
The minimum jump range of all ships escorting the selected ship (or you) will be shown
ie. when Ship A is being escorted by B (range 4) and C (range 6), a dotted line with range 4 will be displayed on the map
Works for escort chains, too (A escorting B escorting C)
Improved behavior for jumping after other ships when escorting/following
Ships now warn after waiting for 5 minutes if they can't follow their escortee
Ships can now find their escorted ship again when it returns into them, instead of cancelling the escort command
Ships now locate their escort target on the map and will jump to it (if in range)
Ships that want to jump out of the sector now wait until escorting allied ships are ready to jump
Travel command no longer destroys an escort order of escorting ships
Ships can no longer be followed by enemy ships that are set to "escort" them
Remote Ship Management
"Managing ships has received a big improvement: You can now remote-manage ships, that are in the same sector as you. No more switching ships to dump some cargo or assign another captain! Sadly, due to technical limitations, we can't add this feature for ships that are outside of your current sector. We would have added it if we could!"
You can now manage ships that are in the same sector as you, as if you were sitting in them
Pressing 'I' now opens the management window for the selected ship (if you have the rights to manage it)
Added an interaction option to manage another ship
Fleet Tab
"The fleet overview has received some important quality of life changes. You can now filter, search, or remote-manage ships easily."
Added searching to the fleet window
Added a compact view to the fleet window
Added a checkbox to sort crafts in the same sector to the top
Added a context menu when right-clicking in the Fleet Tab (similar to Galaxy Map):
Select
Manage
Switch to craft
Switch to sector
Show On Map
Added controls hint for right mouse button context menu
Additional UI improvements
Added a 'Manage' option to the GalaxyMap context menu to manage a ship in your sector
Initial ships are now named "Inspiration-X.xml" to avoid confusion over their purpose
Added a "Streamer Mode" setting for improved privacy
Hides paths containing possibly private information
Added more tooltips and explanation about how to buy building knowledge for ores
Added an item to the galaxy map legend for explanation of jump range of escorting ships
Reduced height of minor notifications on the right so that the important ones stick out more
Added an "Unlisted" setting for workshop uploads
Some buttons to command fighters are now hidden if they are not applicable
e.g. no "Return" button when no fighters are out
When pressing Return key in the ship design renaming window, the rename is confirmed instead of the text box losing focus
Mission-relevant trading goods are now specially marked in sell command
Clarified some single- vs. multiplayer related expressions in loading screen and other windows
Performance
Improved performance on galaxy map when lots of sectors have been explored and are marked on the map
Improved overall performance in Rifts
Improved overall script performance
Multiplayer & Security
Fixed an issue where it was possible to overload a server with too much traffic
Implemented detection of suspicious network traffic patterns and dropping of such players
Updated Steam API to v 1.57, added authentication safety against man-in-the-middle attacks
Misc
Updated Credits
Bugfixes
Fixed a bug where ships could get duplicated during hyperspace jumps
Fixed an exploit where resource depot could be abused for infinite resources
Fixed an issue where some captains with special combinations of traits could procure or sell infinite goods in constant time
Fixed an issue where docked objects removed the "empty space" hyperspace bonus
Fixed a bug in the encyclopedia, where Scrap Metal had the same text as scrap materials besides beeing a normal trading good
Fixed an issue where escorting ships could shoot torpedoes at their protegee
Fixed an issue were inactive gate activators would automatically undock a battery but then weren't able to dock that battery before it leaves docking distance
Inactive gate activator will now first check if it can dock the battery it undocked in previous update step independent of distance
Fixed an issue where stations could buy goods without getting them in their cargospace
Fixed an issue where captains didn't reach 100% experience when level 6
Fixed an issue where tooltips of turrets with 5 or more crew members of the same profession had two lines for crew instead of one
Fixed an issue where rift objects could be at war with players after loading a galaxy backup
Fixed a potential issue with Black Market mission "The Transport" where players could lose mission item
Family mission 4 will now reset to phase were identity thief is given instead
Mission item is now marked as such
Fixed an issue where milestone for a 5-slot-ship was already unlocked with 4 slots
Fixed an issue where the Four could have a pirate encounter in their sector
Fixed an issue where galaxies could have the same name when there were capitalized letters in the new galaxy name
Fixed an issue where tech level label for special offer was at the wrong place and wrong size
Fixed an issue where a boss with lasers would never fire at players if multiple player ships were in the sector
Fixed an issue where a negative amount of goods could be sold to a station
Fixed an issue were one explore sector mission couldn't be accomplished while a second was active
Fixed several issues were Tutorial could get stuck if player left the ship
Fixed an issue where rift monoliths could be shot through the sector
Fixed an issue were rift mission exiting items were not put in full inventories
Fixed an issue with Omni Recycler turret, where the turret might use massive amounts of energy
Fixed an issue were black market mission "Protect the Transport" would not continue after dialog
This was possible if dialog partner was destroyed by autofire turrets which led to the phase not being set correctly
Fixed an issue when renaming or moving a design file: The corresponding steam upload (project file) is now updated instead of deleted
Fixed tutorial using hard-coded key shortcut for interact instead of actual key
Fixed an issue where cargo bay pickup behavior was not transmitted from server to client
Fixed an issue where turret AI would try to shoot holo-blocks
Fixed an issue with the settler treck mission crashing sometimes when trying to delete entities
Added missing SFX for imperial lightning cannon
Fixed some issues concerning money and resource handling with broken values to avoid broken money/resource values