Horizon receives a 2nd major add-on/update v1.0.1.100

[Zaimat]

We are very happy to announce that our 2nd post-launch update is now available. We hope you will enjoy the new features! – Horizon Team

The update introduces a new combat management system, allowing players to better manage each and every battle. Battle engagements are now individually presented on the galaxy map for players to make quick and informed decisions to engage, retreat or auto-resolve. An after battle report summary is also displayed with the results. The system also enhances the participation of allies which can join the battle on either side

Horizon receives new major add-on/update v1.0.1.100
Thursday June 19, 2014

Combat Management System / Instanced Combat
* A new instancing mode, allows the player to control every combat synchronously one at a time. If the player is involved in a battle - a prompt is shown with choices to engage/flee/auto-resolve or do nothing
* Engage sector can now be set to multiple sectors, it is necessary for attacking non-hostiles and quest/missions related monsters/ships. In all other cases the prompt will appear automatically at the end of movement if sector has not been engaged at the start of Turn.
* Allied ships can participate in instanced combat on either side
* When the battle begins ships in combat are already in close range of each other to allow for quicker engagements with less ship movements to manage
* The Galaxy map pinpoints every battle location before combat. While an after report summary is displayed after combat has ended. Orders such as Invade are now available immediately before combat ends to facilitate things.
* AI Ships have gained a new instinct mode that is used to assess when to retreat from battles. A new ship retreat and a group mass-retreat button has been added for the player’s benefit as well
* Retreating ships are given a move order to their nearest base/colony if the battle is lost
* The number of combat rounds has been increased to 50 and ships are automatically resupplied after combat

Boarding Combat
* AI boarding now uses the new instinct system making boarding more common when ships are vulnerable
* We have added to and improved boarding combat messages to provide better progress info
* Ship scans will now reveal on-board marines (their own, as well as from allies and hostiles)

Other Combat Related:
* Stealth, cloaked and weapon de-buff effect icons are now shown with tooltip info in tactical view
* Ship status panel info will now persist during attacks if player or an ally is involved during tactical combat showing their status during attacks
* Life-forms (such as monster) attacks now have appropriate names. Their attack types have also been improved and are much more powerful
* A Fast-resolve mode has been added for invasions, clicking on the screen during the combat phase will speed things up for quick results
* Relations are now shown for non-player ships and task forces when scanned or on the galaxy task force panel to identify more easily friend from foe
* Cloaked ship thrusters will now correctly fade along with the ship
* Fixed an issue where combat animation speed would not match the speed button setting due to accumulated frames buffering
* Fighters will no longer launch from carriers during attacks vs. planets


Ship Design and Technology
* Ship design limits for weapon refills and emplacements have been increased to allow for more configuration options
* Auto-repair bots technology has been buffed up - repairing ships to full after combat and to a lesser extent during combat
* Advanced refit will now set the colonizer role for ships that gain colonizer pods, fixing an issue where they could not execute colonize orders

Diplomacy related
* Race Report on Diplomacy now clears extinct races from each race's ally/enemy lists
* The “reckless expansion” controversy threshold is now dependent on the game difficulty setting
* Reduced the Diplomacy AI advisor’s chance to offer systems to other races
* An armistice treaty will now work better with other checks like blockades etc. being suspended while the treaty remains active
* Cancel armistice will now work correctly by immediately cancelling the treaty effect
* Galactic council (classic mode) will now convene with a minimum of 3 races. The first council vote will also happen immediately once the player has discovered all races and at least 100 turns has been played

UI and Journal
* The colony “civilian buildings” cap is now shown on planet view details before colonization
* The tutorial journal entries have been improved to make it easier to follow
* Several quest journal entries, clues and hints have been improved to provide better info

Fixes and other changes
* Fixed the scroll-bar not showing correctly sometimes with multi-line text on Last Turn Summary
* Fixed dig completion messages sometimes being repeated in the same turn
* Fixed an issue with Unload troops order that could cause a crash if the colony didn’t have barracks or any soldiers
* Fixed an issue where decimals were sometimes showing for whole units

* Split task forces will no longer get stuck waiting if any ships are stranded in hyperspace during Stargate travel
* Improved ETA precision for hyperspace / Stargate travel
* ISN news will no longer cull normal priority messages even when there are higher priority messages. Low priority messages will still be culled. This is further adjustable through Game Options
* Added ISN news graphics for relation changes and toxic planet reports

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Full-sized HD Wallpaper Available for Download:
http://www.horizongame.com/images/wallp ... HD_WEB.jpg

[Zaimat]

This is now live!

[True_poser]

Combat works well.
I like the pre-battle UI (seeing where do you strike is great).
The post-battle UI is far, far better than it was. I still have some issues with it (I'd like to know how many soldiers are left on the planet; also, mine ships survived and enemy lost are still insufficient for me).

A big ow! is the new science points logic.
I see, you got rid of the guaranteed 5000sp*building_level, making young colonies suitable only as workshops.
This will further op high fertility races.

I've found an interesting issue.
If an enemy's dropship tries to invade your planet, even if you engaged and killed it on the outskirts of the sector, the invasion will still take place.
It would be irritating if even the Very Hard AI was better at planning invasions.

On the other side, with torpedoes only 2 spaces per torpedo (forgive me, if this change isn't new), scouts become the new op ships.
Just mass-produce (or mass-buy, actually) scouts with 10 torps, throw some levels into targeting and you're the king.
Two scouts reliably kill a transport, four scouts reliably kill a cruiser, thirty scouts reliably kill planetary defenses.
Neat!

[Anguille]

excellent! well done

[True_poser]

Well, I've tested it thoroughly and the new combat system kinda breaks the game.
I'm talking about the "Retreat" button which in these circumstances allows not only to withdraw certain units from the battle quickly and painlessly, but to place them on the same battlefield on the next game turn.
So, the system favors alpha-strike above everything else.

Gameplay-wise it means that the old MOO2 Katyusha style is back with vengeance.
AI likes to run into missiles and it won't shoot your ships if it sees missiles, even if it is obvious that its ship is dead anyway.
So, making your fleet a force comprised only from missile boats (i.e. scouts) doesn't cause much drawbacks.

Just put in aux pods, maybe shields and stealth devices if you feel like it, and 5-7 one-shot missile launchers and you're done!
Then in battle get close, shoot a volley (one or two per enemy scout, three or four per bomber), press R, rinse, repeat and ... you're defeated.
However, it's a Pyrrhic victory as your intact force can be returned to the sector instantly.

You'll only need bigger ships for colonization or bombing missile bases (scouts can't bomb, unfortunately).
Oh, and you'll be really longing for the dauntless guidance system.

I believe that making retreat more long (or actually autopilot the ship to a sector border) may help.
Also more sensible AI approach to the missiles (like knowledge of their radius) would make oneshots useful only to scare enemy ships.

[keller]

AI likes to run into missiles and it won't shoot your ships if it sees missiles, even if it is obvious that its ship is dead anyway.

It seems to me the AI has been this way for some time. One of the strategies I use frequently is to place 3-4 missile mounts on a ship. Its pretty effective because as you said, they won't fire at your ships if there is a missile incoming.

[reefs_of_space]

Thanks for another update! I can't wait for tomorrow (I can play again yay!).

Should I start a new game or will the new patch work with an existing save?

[Zaimat]

AI likes to run into missiles and it won't shoot your ships if it sees missiles, even if it is obvious that its ship is dead anyway.

It seems to me the AI has been this way for some time. One of the strategies I use frequently is to place 3-4 missile mounts on a ship. Its pretty effective because as you said, they won't fire at your ships if there is a missile incoming.

I'll review the AI threat assessment with regards to missiles. Another way to improve this would be if only Point Defense weapons focus on missiles and other weapons focus on the ship launching them or other nearby threats.

Thanks for another update! I can't wait for tomorrow (I can play again yay!).
Should I start a new game or will the new patch work with an existing save?

The update is backwards compatible so you should be fine continuing an existing game.

[Seddrik]

Played the game again and noticed a lot of the changes, especially in the combat. Appreciate the improvements & keep it up.

[Zaimat]

Thanks Seddrik! We should have another update soon.

[Bansheedragon]

Been a while since I played the game now, played so much I got burned out.
With this new update I feel like giving it a spin again and see whats new.