Early Access version 55.2

MAIN CHANGES

:warning: There is a game-breaking bug in v55.1 in which keys, food, and other items do not drop from enemies. Make sure you download the v55.2 patch from here: ⬇ Download CIU

Although it’s been a long while since v.54, this release is not focused on new features, or even bug fixes. Rather, this version serves as a testing bed for several significant technical changes under the hood:

  • DirectX 9 is out, DirectX 11 is in: New pixel shaders should improve performance (particularly during large explosions or other intense particle effects).
    • Sadly, as a result of this change, Windows XP is no longer supported. Windows Vista support is also probably broken – please report experiences here.
    • In my VM tests, I’ve noticed a 10-second delay when game is first starting up. You can hear the music, but the screen is black. Not sure if this is VM-related – please report experiences here.
  • Reworked audio engine: Fixes some long-standing bugs (in particular, related to the game losing/gaining focus).
  • Reworked input engine: Fixes some long-standing mouse-jumping issues.

There is significant probability of something going horribly wrong. In fact, I’d be very surprised if I don’t have to release an emergency patch within the first hour :grimacing:

COMPATIBILITY

You will lose:

  • any in-mission progress
  • all game preferences
  • any graphics options you have configured (under particular circumstances, all menu options could be lost)

CHANGELOG

:new: New features – :bulb: Tweaks – :bug: Bug fixes – :gear: Internal changes

  • :gear: Deleted users that haven’t logged in in the past 4 weeks and have less than an hour of playtime.
  • :bug: “Feather Brain” boss: Fixed weakness against fire/metal (@Sammarald :medal_sports: Bug)
  • :bulb: Changed store phrasing of “Maneuvering Jets” (@BoggY :medal_sports: Idea)
  • :bug: Fixed missing tooltips for hot/electric/massive/singularity/frozen bodies (@minasam123 :medal_sports: Bug)
  • :bug: Fixed incorrect “diameter” text alignment (@SA-GoldenBoss128 :medal_sports: Bug)
  • :bug: Proper fix from v.54. Fixed keys not being dropped even though key glow is visible (@MoonKnight :medal_sports: Bug)
  • :bug: Proper fix from v.54. ICBMs can now destroy feathers (@Tempest_ORM :medal_sports: Bug)
  • :bulb: Competitive missions: Pointless enemies no longer drop keys.
  • :bug: Fixed menu integers/sliders responding (beep) when clicked in the area between the arrows and the central field (@trueuser :medal_sports: Bug)
  • :bulb: Removed alternate “Wake up!” title from CI1 Anniversary mission (@MoonKnight :medal_sports: Idea)
  • :bulb: Feather Brain: raised pitch of death sound (@Fractorial :medal_sports: Idea)
  • :bug: “Over the Rainbow” wave: reversed order of colors (@trueuser :medal_sports: Bug)
  • :bulb: Added medal glints.
  • :bulb: “Corridor Shooter” wave: Prevented Cowards from spawning (@SA-GoldenBoss128 :medal_sports: Idea)
  • :bug: Retro missions: Fixed wave ordering (@SA-GoldenBoss128 :medal_sports: Bug)
  • :gear: RuntimeClassManager: Building of class tree now uses hashes (reduces startup time)
  • :gear: NavGotoLeaveScreen: fixed infinite recursion when serializing (benign unless user connects mid-wave)
  • :bug: “Egg Cyclone/Enemy Hurricane” wave: Enemies now stop further away from screen border (to hide any key glow). Slowed down enemies (5s → 6s) to account for increased distance travelled (@SA-GoldenBoss128 :medal_sports: Bug)
  • :bulb: Weekly mission: “Droid Raid” waves now also have a chance of appearing (weight=0.5) (@SA-GoldenBoss128 :medal_sports: Idea)
  • :gear: Replaced DirectX 9 with DirectX 11. Removed support for Windows XP. (Probably) corrects this bug:
    • Game starts in a very small (postage stamp-sized) window.
  • :gear: Reworked audio engine (unified sound/music handling, better channel management, added capability to freeze and restore sounds/music, supports multiple audio layers). Resultant improvements: improved music preview in Store/Mission Config screens; game audio now stops when in-game pause menu appears; (probably) also corrects these bugs:
    • Mission music will keep playing if you’re disconnected while Alt-Tabbed away.
    • Looped sounds stop playing after Alt-Tabbing away.
    • Both quiet and intense CIU themes play simultaneously.
  • :bug: Galaxy: Fixed bug whereby cloud textures were incorrectly precached as heightmaps (due to a fortuitous bug, they were not precached at all rather than corrupt memory)
  • :bug: Multi-kill bonus is no longer interrupted by the in-game pause menu (@harakat @SA-GoldenBoss128 :medal_sports: Bug)
  • :bulb: In-game pause key is now customizable.
  • :gear: Game now prefers discrete GPU over built-in GPU.
  • :bug: Corrected spacecraft jumping/warping when in-game pause menu appears/disappears (caused by bad SetCursorPos behaviour). (Probably) corrects this bug too: (@Alucard :medal_sports: Bug)
    • Sometimes mouse warps to the center of the screen when you close the in-game pause menu.
  • :bulb: Hybrid missions (weekly challenge): Stages that are replaced by other mission types are now random; up to 3 stages can be replaced. (@SA-GoldenBoss128 :medal_sports: Idea)
  • :gear: Due to change above, random wave generation has changed for all missions.
  • :new: Added “precision movement” keyboard key (@OneWingLunarian :medal_sports: Idea)
  • :gear: Reworked input engine (largely untested).
  • :gear: Compiled with VS2017 15.9.25
  • :bulb: Weapon virtuosity bonus for Moron-only usage (+25%) removed from competitive missions (@VerMishelb :medal_sports: Idea)
  • :bulb: Meteor Storm missions: Grazing bonus is now disabled while spacecraft is invulnerable (@Recruit_75 :medal_sports: Idea)
  • :bulb: “Asteroids / No, really!” wave: asteroids are now lava on hot environments (
    @SA-GoldenBoss128 :medal_sports: Idea)
  • :bulb: “Clean sweep” bonus is now calculated precisely from actual wave start. Cut-off increased to 2s (was 5s, but including 4s transition time from previous wave). It’s now possible to earn the bonus on waves where enemies delay entering the screen (e.g., Binary Stream, The Invasion Begins) (@SA-GoldenBoss128 :medal_sports: Idea)
  • :bug: Fixed “Early Bird” bonus not being awarded on the first wave of each stage (@SA-GoldenBoss128 :medal_sports: Bug)
  • :bug: Interchanged quips for “Attack of the Giant Crab” and “The King of Crabs” waves (@SA-GoldenBoss128 :medal_sports: Bug)
  • :bulb: “Marching on” wave: Added mirrorred variation (@ScarletCuboids :medal_sports: Idea)
  • :gear: Fixed font digit width equalization information (bEqualizeDigitWidths) getting lost each time UVE mode changed.
  • :gear: Updated DPI-aware manifest to use “true/pm” instead of “true” (fixes window being resized/blurred when moved between different-DPI displays).
  • :gear: Stricter anti-cheating checks.
  • :gear: Mouse wheel: Each notch now counts as 1 Z-unit (instead of 120).
  • :gear: Input engine now correctly handles case of mouse wheel scrolling through multiple notches per frame (results in more responsive list scrolling/zooming).
  • :new: Added tutorial mission.
  • :bulb: Reworked tutorial/help system (incomplete).
  • :bug: Updated Laser Cannon description in store (@OneWingLunarian :medal_sports: Bug )
  • :bulb: Lightning/Plasma: Camera zoom is now factored out for when thickening long beams (@RainbowBoyVN @AmirMohammad.as :medal_sports: Idea)
  • :bug: Updated Corn Shotgun description in store (@ScarletCuboids :medal_sports: Bug)
  • :bug: Weekly missions: Alien Container now appears during Supernova stages (@SA-GoldenBoss128 :medal_sports: Bug)
  • :bulb: “Awarded for not collecting any power-ups in a single stage” medal now worth 50,000 points (was 30,000) (@SA-GoldenBoss128 @Boggy :medal_sports: Idea)

v55.2 patch

  • :bug: Fixed drops not… well… dropping (@Alucard medal_sports: Bug)

BACKUPS

You are reminded that during Early Access you are responsible for backing up your own progress. Make a copy of everything under C:\ProgramData\InterAction studios\CIU (including all sub-folders). :warning: Never rename files or move them from one version folder to another. Simply make a copy and then later put it back exactly where you found it.

34 Likes

Wonder what the Tutorial looks like.

You could temporarily delete your existing configuration files to create a new profile. But only do this if you know what you’re doing, I won’t restore profiles lost this way.

In due course, I’ll figure out a way to make the tutorial mission always available.

7 Likes

I just store my data in another folder and load it back up later.

For those of you who want to do the same: Save your current CIU folder in the ProgramData/interAction studios directory somewhere, and then delete the CIU folder in the directory. Load the game up, and you’ll be running a brand new account.

If you want to load your backed up save before you deleted the CIU folder, just copy your main “CIU” folder (assuming you followed what I said above, and saved it somewhere), and replace the one in the directory.

6 Likes

First look of the tutorial menu: much better than before.

It seems that the bubbles don’t drop any food in droid missions. Also, it seems that they can’t also drop keys.

2 Likes

Maybe there was also a trailing droid that you needed to kill before the food was released?

#OneMinuteAfterTheRelease

2 Likes

Why there’s no fullscreen option anymore?


Also some bosses don’t play music, like the Iron Chef and The Henperor’s Appretience and It’s Party Time! and Close Encounters and Show 'em Who’s boss and Planetary Egg City And It Gets Cold In Space and Henlley’s Comet and Bossa Nova from what I’ve seen so far. I’ll edit this more to see if it happens on more bosses or not.

It seems to affect all droid missions.

Why aren’t chickens dropping food?

Fastest bug find in the west lol.

2 Likes

I suggest using the “Pulsating Grid” wave for the 4th wave of “Your First Mission”. Soft in the middle is not exactly a good example of a time to use a missile.

1 Like

I’m looking into the “stuff not dropping” issue.

Also, taking the server down for 10 minutes for a backup.

1 Like

Medal glints are there: Check.

Updated First Mission Message: Check. (I still think the 4th wave should use Pulsating Grid)

Clickable Environment descriptions: Check.

Correct wave progression in Retro: Check.

2 Likes

Wait, since when were these aliens weak to Fire?

EDIT: Nevermind. I realized I was using Tourist skill.

Controlling the hatchling is really unconfortable, wasn’t the new precision movement for bombers only?

No. It’s mainly for keyboard users. Precision movement key does not work for mouse movement.

Fixed in v55.2 :medal_sports: Bug

3 Likes

:warning: There is a game-breaking bug in v55.1 in which keys, food, and other items do not drop from enemies. Make sure you download the v55.2 patch from here: ⬇ Download CIU

4 Likes