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This being possibly the single biggest whine about the 1.3 patch I think it should be aired as much as the 'vets' need it to be.  Let them have their say and get it out of their system.  As long as everyone remains civil it's not doing any harm.

Everyone else can avoid this thread and concentrate on the real issues...

-Av-

"Invisible when you see through it...."



You mean as in when you Target one of your buildings?  Or when you call up the Recy/Factory with it's number key?  The Picture-in-a-Picture view from that building?

If that's what you mean, that view is generated from the COM point of the building, which is always INSIDE the building.  You'll only see those parts that are facing the COM unit so it's a bit of a mess.  I don't see how that can be 'fixed', although it might be possible to add a height to the view to put it up over the top of the building/unit...  

***

Can you give an example of a list that does the deletion bit?

-Av-

It's just darn frustrating to have to dig down and find what's causing your MOD to crash when 1.3 changes.  I'm doing that now, as something in my MOD directories is causing 1.3 to die...

I think it's safest to see what this testing digs out first, then release your MOD once things are quiet again bugwise.

-Av-

I can run an MPI on my LAN with two machines for hours and hours without a burp, but it's not really a stress test or anything with just the two machines...  

Fire it up and then COME BACK HERE AND TELL US!!!  

-Av-

I would love to see a hover switch in the shell; this would keep all players happy and make the bz2 community grow again.

*sigh*

This IS a problem.  Let me try to explain it this way.

Remember BZ1's "Scav Traps"?   Scavengers would hit a certain slope that they couldn't get up, start to back up hitting part of the slope they COULD get up and decide that the original path was OK and start up again, becoming stuck there permanently.  This was a bug.  A programming error.  In the case of the Scav the 'extra' code that told it to grab scrap didn't get along with the basic unit code that showed it how to move around, shared by all of the units.  

To fix such things sometimes means altering a basic part of the program that affects all units.  It can't always be targeted to one particular unit or one type of action.  A lot of the code affects a lot of different things...

An example of this is at one point in 1.3 Constructors would start up a hill with a steep slope only to keep climbing into orbit at the top.  (very funny the first time you saw it, "stairway to heaven" sort of thing)  This was unintentional also, the result of changing some small bit of physics code to fix something else.

Asking for a switch to restore the bug is unreasonable.  The factors that caused 'hovering' were errors in basic parts of the physics code.  They've been fixed and cannot be turned on or off at will, or even put back.

Asking GSH and Ken to work on developing legitimate code to make units 'hover' is also out of the question, so don't go there either.  It was a bug from the beginning and regardless of how fun it was it's gone along with a TON of other bugs.

The REAL issue is whether or not 1.3 has enough in it to make it worth people living without 'hovering'. I think it does but everyone needs to give it a chance and not just blow it off because one buggy thing is gone...  Again, decide what's most important to you and stick with the version that gives you that.  

As to it dividing the Community...

I've got six different versions of BZ2 switching around on my HD right now without any trouble.  Dividing the Community?  Nope.  Expanding it!   Just think of it as another Mod and switch around when you want...  But give it a decent run before you decide which version is best...

-Av-

No, you're not the only one.  The 'Targeting Reticule' is very sensitive to nearby units.  I find I have to almost point at my feet sometimes to actually hit the ground...

I guess the only solution is to practice your "mad reticule skillz" in a crowded base...  

-Av-

You can also point at a unit now and send them a powerup from the armory, as you could in BZ1.   I love it...

If you want to use the Armory dropoff place a nav on it.  That way you can have a ship waiting for whatever you're making.

-Av-

They are?  I must have missed that...

Right now they're the only ISDF unit I can get to do that...

-Av-

I remember you mentioning that before.

This is absolutely the coolest thing...  

In the past I've asked Ken to allow ALL ships to be recycled at Extractors OR the Recy, whichever is closest.  I don't know if this was some sort of experimenting on his part or just some fluke, but I like it...

-Av-

Thanks, I tried to be simple and direct...  

Everyone knows this is going to be one of the most touchy points of the 1.3 patch.  Everyone needs to be calm and reasonable as the loss hits the 'vets' or the boards will erupt in stupidity and chaos.

-Av-

I've made several posts asking that there be a thread where the 'vets' can discuss the loss of hovering.  I don't think it wise to just lock down any mention of it without allowing the 'vets' to vent.  I'm absolutely one hundred percent POSITIVE that nothing new will be said, but they should have their say.

That being said let me assure everyone that they won't be able to come up with anything that hasn't already been beaten to death over the course of the private Beta.  There are plenty of 'vets' on the beta team and they've already voiced every possible argument for keeping 'hovering'.  (don't get started on terms, that's what the 'vets' are calling it)

Plain and simply 'hovering' is a mistake in math.  It's bad code.  It's not meant to be, never was meant to be, and regardless of how fun it is or how much you feel you need it to dominate the game it's gone.

Gone.

Will not be back.

Cannot, won't, will not, is impossible to be recoded into the game.

Gone.

Got it?  Vent all you want, take it to other boards, get good and p!ssed off about it's loss.

Then deal with it and learn to play the way the game is, or stick with 1.2 and all the silly AVs and such.  Those are your choices.

Pick one and get on with it.

-Av-

I'd like to add that the existance of this patch is completely and entirely due to Nathan and Ken's good will.  They've donated CONSIDERABLE time and trouble to do this ENTIRELY on their own and for FREE.

REMEMBER THAT in your comments and postings.

-Av-