Derelict Update Released!
The wait is over. After 6 months of behind the scenes efforts of many CDT programmers and playtesters, Build 275 is finally LIVE ON STEAM! Build 275, properly named DERELICT is not just your average maintenance release but includes all new free content in the form of our newest map DERELICT.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6bbdr-z2KE
Within the theme of the rest of the game, DERELICT takes you to an abandoned base on a remote planet where the world has overgrown and transformed the base into a truly beautiful and yet dark mesh of organic life and man made devices. Map developer and CDT member Loki has worked very hard to create this incredible map that not only plays well, but also looks amazing at the same time! We hope you enjoy this newest addition to the game and know this is only the beginning :)
Build 275 bring together two other massive milestones for the CDT. First being the change to Microsoft Visual Studio 2013, a significant upgrade from Visual Studio 2005. This change required a lot of modifications to the engine and a good amount of effort. While this may not mean anything major for performance on the client/server side, it is a big deal for the CDT when it comes to our future plans, as well as better bug and diagnostic tools to help us! Secondly, the CDT now has control over our own build machine. This allows us to better track and maintain all of our development in NS2 and help make the flow of builds and tools smoother for everyone. See our current and future plans here on the Community Trello Board, from here you can also vote up cards you want to be given more attention.
We would also like to take a moment to give a shout out to a few of our team members for their efforts over the last few months. McGlaspie, Matso, Ghoul, Samus and fsfod, we couldn’t do what we do without all your tireless efforts to support this community. Thank you!
Below you will find the entire changelog for Build 275.
- Dillon ("WasabiOne")
NEW MAP - DERELICT
by CDT Mapping Lead: Loki
Map developed by Loki - artwork & contributions also from: BeigeAlert, SamusDroid, Zavaro, Flaterectomy, Howser & the CDT/PT/Map Test Teams. Special thanks to the SCC (Spark Crafters Collective) **Note for server operators: Don’t forget to add ns2_derelict to your mapcycle!
New Main Menu Backgrounds and Music
You can now choose your own main menu background and music from the options settings!
**All main menu levels have had an optimization pass to reduce file size in order to increase the speed at which the main menu loads.
PERFORMANCE
NS2 is now being compiled using Microsoft Visual Studio 2013, an upgrade from VS2005. From our testing, some users may gain an improvement of increased fps. The following are other optimizations:
- Avoid certain health/armor predictions on client
- Use fieldwatching to avoid some OnUpdate calculations
- Linux: use FixPathCase only if file is not found.
- Implemented filesystem cache to avoid file-lookup penalty for mods.
- Improved GUIMinimap performance.
- Improved performance of many GUIScripts.
- Alien hivesight related LOS-checking was being done even for Marine players, where it is irrelevant.
- Alien players are now always shown with Hive-Sight outlines, even when in LOS.
- Changed Scoreboard data to only update twice per second instead of once per frame.
- Cache OnosDirtEffectGeneration.
- Improved Onos camera shaking code
- Added caching surface beneath players, prevents additional traces for footstep sounds.
- Fixed tons of code and libraries issues preventing the NS2 project to get compiled under VS 2013 (should also make NS2 more stable)
- Fixed first person spectating causing hitching movement to other players.
- Fixed that the server wasn’t necessarily using the same snapshot as the client when the client was extrapolating positions. (Other issues with hitreg will be getting fixed in upcoming patches!)
- Fixed cursor not centering properly in Fullscreen Windowed mode.
- Reject attempts to load resources using empty strings.
- MapCycle now automatically cycles to next map if the attempt to load a map fails.
- Detects that a map change failed and cycle to next map.
- The restriction that map mods had to be on the filesystem to be cycled to has been remove; the map mod will be downloaded if not present before being cycled to.
- Replaced hardcoded keys for spectator drawing with:
- Secondary Attack: Draw on the screen.
- Reload: Clear the screen.
- Bile bombs and gorge spit are now client side predicted.
- Gorge Tunnels can now be exited at any height in the tunnel.
- Fixed that Hive time-outs caused the “forceventeams”-vote to fail.
- Fixed that cached Hive data were not applied correctly onto reconnecting players.
- Fixed that the PAX badge was not applied on players who don’t have any Hive badges.
- Fixed that it was not possible to disable the team auto-balancer.
- Fixed Medpacks/Ammo/Catpacks not showing the pickup icons.
- Fixed bug where Loading screen wouldn't use custom map backgrounds and made it scale with resolution.
- Fixed that mod downloading via the web admin interface did not work.
- Fixed Insight displaying Health for exos (they only use Armor).
- Fixed jetpacks left behind by dead marines not dissolving with the body on death.
- Fixed damage numbers and private sounds being sent to the original owner for MACs, Drifters, Whips, ARCs and Sentries. They are now sent to the current Commander.
- Old mods are now deleted 24 hours after new versions have been downloaded (kept around for a while just in case you want to play on a server that haven’t upgraded yet).
- Fixed that the Swedish translation wasn’t using the correct file.
- Fixed various crash issues of the Overview.exe.
- Added the latest patches from LuaJIT hopefully increasing the performance and stability of NS2 as well
- Fixed a script error with LayMines.
- Fixed a script error appearing sometimes when you tried to vote.
- Added a blank model check for dynamic props so to stop crashing the client.
- Added sanity checks to avoid client crashes from any kind of corrupted texture files
- Made net_loss a cheat command so people can’t use it to cheat anymore
- Added consistency checking for hmp files.
- Fixed embryos not having a taunt causing assert errors.
- Fixed sending blank chat messages causing messages to overlap
- Fixed being able to place an IP in eclipse where you shouldn't be able to
- Auto deactivate mods on patch release
- Fixed menu being unresponsive if mousing over webview while a window was loading
- Fix highlighting of view models
- sv_tests console command added. This allows server admins to give certain people access to the command.
- Fixed error for Gorge Tunnel Enter/Exit screen FX preventing liquid effects from playing
- Added remaining cannister ammo on the display for the flamethrower
- Lowered opacity for red colored low ammo warning on weapon displays.
- Chat now displays tags before the player names for Rookies and Commanders.
- Replaced the Reinforcement label in the Main Menu with a label linking to the CDT Trello page
- Added the Serbian translation
- Lowered the opacity of the tv_glare texture in the main menu so it distracts less from the menu background
- You can now change the used gamma correction value in the option menu. This allows you to adjust the brightness of ns2 overall. The default is 2.2 (even though it is not the center of the slider)
- Removed consistency checking for the screens folder. You can now have custom loading screens by putting jpg files inside a screens/custom folder.
- Removed consistency checking for models/marnie/male/flashlight.dds. You can now have custom flashlight textures
- Added a separate bind for movement override for commander
- Fixed invalid triangle bug!
- Displacement window is now properly sized.
- Added a default bind to open entity list (‘O’ key).
- Replaced “Create Color Grading” with “Create Reflection Probe” on the tools-ribbon.
- Added a filter decals button.
- Added a selection color option and a new light blue color option.
- Added a brightness slider.
- Fixed scoreboard hiding the GUIHoverMenu every frame as long as the scoreboard wasn't up.
- Introduce FieldWatcher, a way for a client to detect that a network field changes.
- Introduce a way for GUIScripts to run at less than full fps (set self.updateInterval).
- Improve AddTimedCallback to give you time since last callback, return time to next callback.
- Added MapChangeFailed Event Hook.
- Fixed console commands passed on the command line failing to run because they were running in the loading world.
- Added new server admin console command “sv_installmod <modid>” to download the given mod to the server.
- New command “hud_rate <mul>”: specify a multiplier for the hud update rate (impacts fps)
- Decals also load now in cinematics
- Added propnames development console command to show names of nearby props while in game
- We are aware of some render distance issues with the Editor, this will be fixed in 276.
- Some servers are not automatically installing the required VS2013 Redistributables. Please make sure to request this from your server host or install it yourself from the following link
