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[Blaster]

Although I don't have any critical feedback, I will also say that I'm really enjoying this game and where it's going. Keep up the nice work.

[Christian Knudsen]

Thanks, Pita!

[Christian Knudsen]

v0.3.7 released!


www.asciisector.net/download.html


- Fixed potential crashing bug with hand grenade explosions.
- Fixed bug with enemies in character combat suddenly speeding towards you.
- Added credit balance to the Merchants' Guild computer terminal.
- The ship dealer will now tell you how many credits will be left in your account before you buy the ship.
- Objects in your inventory can now switch positions, and you can now load and unload an ammunition clip anywhere in your inventory, not just in your hands.
- Decreased banning periods.

[Christian Knudsen]

v0.3.8 released!


www.asciisector.net/download.html


- Fixed bug with the alphabetical sorting of movie files.
- Fixed bug with improving your Rifle Shooting skill from the shooting range on Manurhin in the Vichy system.
- Fixed bug that froze the game when landing on Novy Norilsk with an assassination mission there.
- Added new Quine for purchase in the equipment shop.
- You can now access your Quine while viewing a computer terminal.
- Did a whole bunch of stuff related to the upcoming quest scripting.


Next up is v0.4, which will allow for user written quest scripts, making it possible for players to create stories in the Ascii Sector universe for other players to play.

[Christian Knudsen]

v0.3.8.1 released!


www.asciisector.net/download.html


- 0.3.8 had a lot of bugs due to an error when compiling the code. They should be fixed in this version.

[Christian Knudsen]

v0.4 released!


www.asciisector.net/download.html


- Fixed bug with circular wipein when starting new game.
- Fixed bug with the ship dealer's dialogue disappearing too quickly.
- Fixed bug with placement of characters in hidden area on Loye Naval Base.
- You can no longer enter autopilot if your speed is set to zero.
- Implemented user scripted quests.


For more information about quests and how to make your own:
www.asciisector.net/quests

[Christian Knudsen]

v0.4.1 released!


www.asciisector.net/download.html


- First Linux release!
- Fixed bug with captives counting against your passenger space.
- Fixed bug with '2' and '3' not toggling guns on/off.
- Fixed bug with wrong names for named ejected pilots.
- Fixed bug with contents of mission cargo containers.
- Fixed bug with ship sending docking message while fighting.
- Fixed bug with the tracking of critical wounds.
- Fixed bug with locking missiles when flying a capital ship.
- Added "+FirstName+" and "+LastName+" script functions.
- Added nav bouys to "empty" nav points.
- Added type of ship to escort in mission descriptions for escort missions.
- Added an icon to the Win32 executable.
- Added ship stats to the manual.
- Added keypad support.
- Bases you're banned from will now also show up as red on the quadrant map.
- The nav computer will now tell you where to collect payment.

[Christian Knudsen]

v0.4.4 released!


www.asciisector.net/download.html


- Fixed bug with captives counting against your passenger space.
- Fixed bug when calculating the payment for "Join Convoy" missions.
- Asteroid fields now gradually thin out as you reach the edge.
- You will now be able to enter autopilot if there are enemy ships nearby, but they aren't attacking you.
- When escorting a ship, you can now order it to engage hostiles.
- Miscellaneous minor changes and fixes to escort/convoy missions.
- When escorting a ship to a docking, the ship to dock with will now engage hostiles instead of just sitting there.
- During ground combat, innocent bystanders will now move away from the combatants.
- Missions are now sorted in the order they're accepted (first to last).
- Your risk of being scanned at a nav point is now based on: your confed and militia standing, how often you've been caught smuggling in the past, how controlled the nav point is by confeds and militia, and whether or not you've just attacked or destroyed any pirates, retros or Kilrathi at that nav point.

[Movius]

All these updates are great. I find it hard to keep up with though.

I love the various interfaces and atmosphere you're able to create using just ascii characters. My only complaint is that it's a bit sluggish in combat and hard to aim.

I would offer more feedback but I've played transcendence, ascii-sector and Ad Astra recently, and tend to confuse the origins of issues from each.

[Christian Knudsen]

My only complaint is that it's a bit sluggish in combat and hard to aim.

Just so I'm certain that I understand correctly; by "sluggish" do you mean that the game itself is running too slow or just that your current ship moves/rotates too slowly? If it's the former, it might help to turn the game speed up in space, and if it's the latter, buying an afterburner will help tremendously until you can afford a faster and more maneuverable ship.

As for being hard to aim, I suppose you're just refering to the fact that your ship can point in "only" 28 directions, which means that you're sometimes unable to hit another ship from your current position and have to maneuver closer or to a different angle of attack? This is indeed a weakness with the games ASCII/grid basis...

[Movius]

I mean sluggish as in running slow.

I understand the aiming limitations, it's just difficult to visualise where the projectile will go over long distances based on the position of the ship and it's crosshair

[Christian Knudsen]

I mean sluggish as in running slow.

What are your system specs?

I understand the aiming limitations, it's just difficult to visualise where the projectile will go over long distances based on the position of the ship and it's crosshair

True. I've previously thought about making some sort of aim assist available for purchase. I'll give that idea another go. In the meantime, if you're using a laser or some other weapon that doesn't use that much energy, you can just fire away and use the shots as tracers.

[Christian Knudsen]

Version 0.4.5 has been released!


www.asciisector.net/download


- Fixed bug with slow autopilot when music is set to 0.
- Fixed bug with tracking of critical wounds (again!).
- Fixed bug with naming of ejected pilots from bounty hunting missions.
- Fixed mission generation bug that sometimes created patrol missions with 0 nav points to patrol and 0 credits to earn.
- Fixed bug when saving a game while using the commodity exchange.
- Fixed bug with missiles not exploding for the first five movements.
- Fixed bug with a destroyed wingman generating a bunch of identical pods.
- Fixed bug with a milita or confed ship following you around, if you jumped away while it prepared to scan you and then jumped back.
- Fixed bug with non-existant nav points being chosen for cargo missions.
- Fixed bug that could cause an AI ship moving to a base for landing to get "stuck" close to its destination.
- Fixed bug that would sometimes freeze the game for a short while when jumping or landing.
- Fixed bug that allowed you to jump with a destroyed jump drive.
- Fixed the "jumping" experienced when contacts go from the long range to the close range part of the radar.
- Fixed bug with 'local' characters not leaving their area when engaged in combat.
- Added automatic sliding doors to seperate areas.
- You can no longer launch into space or use a computer terminal if you're completely blinded.
- Increased the effect stunned has on the time required to do actions.
- Changed the way your skill levels are displayed, allowing for a more gradual display, while also removing the Unskilled, Basic, Skilled and Expert descriptions, as they gave the wrong impression that skill gain only happens when the description changes (you actually gradually increase your skills every time you use them).
- You will now increase your skills faster -- but only at first, as the speed at which a skill increases will slow down the higher the skill level is.
- Sleeping is now a lot faster.
- Hidden compartments can now be bought/sold at Bounty as well. They will now also be displayed in red -- even on non-pirate bases, where you will get the message "only sellable at pirate base", when you try to sell it.
- The terminal screen in the commodity exchange now shows home much cargo space you have left (and hidden compartments, if any).
- You can no longer engage the autopilot if your maneuvering jets or thrusters are completely destroyed.
- You can no longer use afterburners if the generators are destroyed.
- Fixers that have left their chairs in the bar will now offer their missions when you talk to them.
- Added message and music to inform you when a mission has expired, failed or been completed.
- Added music for when in combat mode.
- Changed default 'Really quit game?' answer from 'Yes' to 'No'.
- Changed 'Buy new ship?' message to 'Enquire about new ship?'.
- When using the 'L'ook feature, you can now hold down 'C' to get the X and Y coordinates of the cursor's current position (useful when writing quests and you need the coordinates for placing a character).
- Improved the control of AI fighters: When a single fighter is attacking a ship with a rear turret from behind, it will make evasive maneuvers to try to avoid the turret fire; and when a group of fighters from the same faction are attacking the same target, they won't block eachother as much anymore.
- When flying in space, you can now use SHIFT + 'N' to select the nav point for your destination.
- In the nav computer, if you select a system that's connected to your current system, the jump point leading to that system will automatically be selected as your destination.
- Changed the jump fuel gauge to show the correct amount of jump left, instead of two bars for each jump (this will also allow for jump drives that can carry more fuel in future versions).
- Added indicator to show which of your ship's components is currently being repaired.
- You can now use SHIFT + 'R' to select which component to repair.
- It will now take longer to repair damaged components.
- Thrusters and Maneuvering Jets can no longer be completely destroyed (no more getting stranded with a crippled ship!).
- You can now use SHIFT + 'Q' to quit the game at any time and SHIFT + 'O' to access the options menu while playing.
- Added five new systems.
- Added seven new bases.

[Tanner]

i've been watching this for a while and i love how you continue to update and post comprehensive changelogs here.
i just wanted to say that.

[Christian Knudsen]

Thanks! And I will definitely continue to do so.

[Christian Knudsen]

The holidays have given me a bit of extra free time to work on Ascii Sector, so here's a new version with some bugfixes and new features, v0.4.6


www.asciisector.net/download


- Fixed bug that potentially crashed the game when accessing the terminal computer in the commodity exchange when you have a ship with more than 255 cargo space.
- Fixed bug that potentially crashed the game when dealing damage from a melee attack.
- Fixed bug with the listing of criminal offences.
- Fixed some minor issues with the automatic doors when in combat mode.
- Added news feed to the front page of the Quine5000.
- Added random events that change the supply/demand of a commodity on a base or planet for a short number of days.
- Most people now carry a random amount of credits that you can take when you kill or stun them (if anybody sees you taking the credits, you risk getting fined).
- Using a Stunrod or Pepperspray will now increase your Armed Fighting skill (very slowly, though).

[Christian Knudsen]

v0.4.7 released!


www.asciisector.net/download


- Fixed bug that would crash the game when entering the quest menu if you're playing a new game (not a loaded game).
- Fixed bug that caused time not to pass for some events when using the autopilot (mainly the simulation of production and consumption of commodities as well as the commodity affecting events - which resulted in these events being active for way too long and not happening often enough).
- Fixed bug with characters trying to get an object on the ground even though somebody is standing there.
- Added quest achievements. When you complete a quest, an achievement describing what you did will be added to the Achievements section under Stats in your Quine5000 (if the quest author has added an achievement to his quest).
- Added quest requirement. If used in a quest, the player can't play the quest if he hasn't completed the required quest.
- Allowed character dialogues in quests to use the STEP feature used in ship dialogues. This can give the player up to five different reply options and more branching dialogue than just Accept/Reject.
- Added a GOTO feature in quest dialogues to allow an immediate "jump" to another step without having to wait for the player to choose a reply.
- Added quest ship settings: Armor, ECM, Guns, GunBoosts, GunCoolers, Missiles, Experience, Morale, Shields, X and Y positions in space.
- Added quest character settings: Health, Equipment, CriticalWounds, Order, OrderTarget, Precision, Speed, Strength, Template.
- Added quest trigger events: AreaEntered, CargoBought, CargoSold, CargoInHold, CharacterBlinded, CharacterHitByPlayer, CharacterKilledByPlayer, CharacterOrderCompleted, CharacterStunned, Credits, ItemAcquired, ItemLost.
- Added quest trigger results: ChangeCharacterOrder, ChangeCharacterOrderTarget, CreateCharacter, RemoveCargo, CreateItem, GiveItem, PlaceItemOnBase, RemoveItem, RenameItem and RemoveCredits.
- Made some changes to the "Kilrathi Hunt" example quest to use some of these new quest features.
- When a fixer or wingman has left his chair due to a fight breaking out, he will now stay inside the bar and will in time sit down again when the fight is over.

[Cymon]

I keep on downloading this intending to play it, but always have more interesting things come up. I'll keep downloading the latest version and one day I'll check it out, provided it's easier to get into than Dwarf Fortress.

[Christian Knudsen]

If you don't find it easier to get into than Dwarf Fortress, I'll commit public seppuku... 

[Christian Knudsen]

www.asciisector.net/download


- Fixed bug with the gems commodity event.
- Fixed bug with SHIFT+'N' that would mess up the destination MFD or even crash the game.
- Fixed a couple of graphical bugs with the Quine.
- Fixed bug that caused new missions to not always be added to the end of your mission list.
- Fixed bug that had mission status messages always tell you that the mission was completed even if it was expired or failed.
- Fixed but that made it possible to send messages to cargo containers and ejected pilots.
- Fixed bug that may have been responsible for many of the crashes related to playing the music.
- Fixed various other potential game crashing bugs.
- Time no longer passes when using the Quine or computers.
- You can now access your Quine while in Combat Mode and while walking around on a ship in space, but you won't be able to save the game.
- When you save an ejected pilot and take him/her to a base, you'll now also receive a random amount of credits (beyond having your standing with the pilot's faction increased).
- The Drayman can now carry 1350 units of cargo (2025 with cargo expansion). It can no longer use an afterburner, though.
- When you jettison cargo, you can now specify precisely how much cargo to dump.
- The various ships now carry different amounts of jump fuel.
- Added one new system and base.
- You can now walk around on your own ship, both while flying in space and landed at a base.