New Nomads version available now (oct 2013)

[Brute51]

I'm uploading a new version of Nomads as I write this, build 41. [edit: upload finished] Below is a list of the most important changes (lots changed under the hood but doesn't directly show in game). The balance changes will be posted by Pip.
This is a huge release that looks significantly more polished than the previous one, so check it out!







Build 41 General Changelog:
- General: New ability for Nomads ACU and SCUs: capacitor. This device temporarily boosts the performance of the command unit for a short time. It then needs to recharge using your excess energy. The capacitor ability is manually triggered and boosts damage output, build speed and self repair rates while active.
- General: Removed sniper mode enhancements from ACU and SCU command units.
- SCU: The SCU has had a complete overhaul. New model, new textures, a few new enhancements (rocket launchers), and new features such as "Akimbo control" which allows the SCU to target different units with both arms at the same time.
- General: Many units had their textures enhanced.
- General: the glow parameter in the shader.fx has been reduced for more subtle lightning effects when Bloom is enabled.
- General: New unit icons for about half of the units, necessary after updating the unit textures.
- General: The FAF version of Nomads now supports the engymod changes (HQ and support factories at T2 and T3).
- Structures: Tarmacs changed to a lighter version with a slight copper color. Two mini-mods added that enable different color tarmacs.
- Nuke: Nomads nuke (black hole) effect changed slightly to look a bit better.
- SCU: explosion effects caused by dying SCUs no longer partially plays above water, if the SCU is submerged.
- Shader: Reduced over-the-top glow on all units.
- AI: For every T1 sniper tank or T2 EMP Tank that the AI builds, it also builds at least 1 tank. This is to reduce the large groups of support units that the AI sometimes sends towards enemies.
- AI: Factory built units can now use the abilities area bombardment and capacitor if they have that ability.
- General: UI and special ability (orbital bombard, intel probe, etc) code overhaul. Gameplay wise there's not so much changed but under the hood a lot of improvements were made, that will show full potential in future builds.
- General: The blueprint variables OnWaterSpeedMultiplier, DamageToShields and InitialDamage now globally available, for units of all factions.
- Shield units: A stunned bubble shield unit recovers its shield much quicker (using low power recharging iso damaged recharging).
- Naval: The T2 destroyer and T3 heavy destroyer (naval units) now have supported artillery weapons.

- Bug fix: Factories and other large units can now be stunned by area stunners such as the T2 EMP tank.
- Bug fix: Units with personal shields are no longer stunned while the shield is still activate. Once the shield drops the unit will be stunned but not while the shield is still up.
- Bug fix: Some units left a wreck with much less mass in it than it was supposed to.

New mods:
- Blueish tarmac
- Grey tarmac
- Dreadnought sky ship

Changed mods:
- Small modifications to the other faction SCU preset mod: veterancy corrected and new anti air preset created for Cybran SCU








The Dreadnought Sky ship for those who prefer this placeholder model to the default orbital placeholder model.

[pip]

Here is the full balance changelog:

Build 41 balance changelog:

General Changes:
Projectiles:
- railgun projectile : speed = 600 (from 100), turnrate = 100 (from 20), lifetime in units bp = 1.2 (from 4). This is to allow the SCU weapon to work properly
- A 2nd railgun projectile with more HP (350) is used with single (and heavy) railgun weaponry ; default railgun projectile hp (150) is for railgun carrier only, which has 2 railguns.
NB: Railgun projectiles absorb torpedoes up to their damage value.

Artillery support : a single unit support all units in range instead of just one.

ACU:
Capacitor stats: it starts half full, takes 60 seconds to fill up when extra energy is produced (fills normally with +50 energy, slower if between +1 and +49).
Duration = 15 seconds, Dissipation = 0.1 (when energy storage is not full).
Buffs during capacitor:
- The weapon is buffed with an AOE fiery effect that deals damage over time, the ACU regen twice faster
- The buildrate is doubled
- The regen rate is doubled
- The vision radius is enlarged

Weapons :
- Default weapon : rate of fire changed to 0.6 (from 0.6667), default DPS is now 90; during capacitor: rate of fire = 0.5, damage = 150+200 over 2 seconds, aoe = 1.5 (moving targets won't take ful damage)
- Overcharge : Damage during capacitor = 150 ; Damageradius during capacitor = 2 (from 1.5)
- Sniper mode removed

ACU Enhancements:
- Locomotor upgrade : mass cost = 650 (from 700), energy = 14400 (from 15450), buildtime = 600 (from 700)
- Gun upgrade : new rate of fire = 1.2 (from 1.333); add range = 10 (from 8)
- Double gun is much cheaper : mass cost = 1800 mass (from 3500), energy cost = 80000 (from 250000), buildtime = 2000, on the other hand, it doesn't provide double OC anymore
- Rapid Repair: mass cost = 1000 (from 1250), buildtime = 1200 (from 1500), delay before the repair starts = 15 seconds (from 30)
- Intel probe : energy cost = 9000 (from 1000)
- RAS :mass production = 17 (from 13), Energy production = 2800 (from 3800) ; it speeds up capacitor fill rate by 3.
- Sniper mode is removed

SCU:
General changes
- Capacitor : Cf. ACU ; specific weapons buffs are written below
- Base Health = 14000 (from 15000)
- base mass production = 1 (from 2) and base energy production = 20 (from 200)

Weapons:
- Base weapon damage = 500 (from 350), during capacitor :+300 damages over 2 seconds ; Damage radius = 0 (from 1.2), 1.5 during capacitor ; Rate of fire = 0.6 (from 0.6667) , 0.5 during capacitor
- Gattling weapon in capacitor : damages = 150, rateoffire = 3
- Energy bomb explosion damage (when RAS is equipped) = 7000 (from 7500)
- Railgun weapon:damage = 400, Max Radius = 55 , min radius = 8 , rate of fire = 0.33 and 0.66 during capacitor
- Rocket weapon: 4 rockets, 150 damages each; Max Radius = 55 ; min radius = 8; Damage Radius = 1.25, DPS = 180 (very slight dot effect); during capacitor : radius = 2.5, DPS = 300, and long dot effect (3 seconds)

SCU enhancements:
- Capacitor upgrade : new capacitor duration = 37.5 (x2.5) : cost = 1000 mass, 45000 energy, buildtime = 3000
- both engineer upgrades cost = 700 mass (from 10000), 30000 energy (from 40000), 2000 buildtime (from 2400)
- gunleft cost : cost = 700 mass (from 800),
- gunright cost = 700 mass (from 800)
- gunleft upgrade : New rate of fire = 1.2 (instead of adding 0.6667)
- Rapid repair : delay before repair starts = 15 seconds (from 30)
- Power armor mass cost = 2500 (from 2000), buildtime = 5000 (from 3600)
- RAS mass cost = 3500 (from 4000), buildtime = 4800 (from 6000); significantly speeds up the fill rate of capacitor.
- New Railgun upgrade mass cost = 1400 , energy = 45000, buildtime = 3600
- New Rocket launchers (cost for each) : mass cost = 1000, energy cost = 36000, buildtime = 2400
NB: sniper upgrade is removed, the long range attack capability is now on the rocket launchers

Land Units:
Tank Destroyer:Health = 160 hp (from 150), FiringRandomnessWhileMoving = 1 (from 1.1)

T1 Medium tank:Damage = 30 (from 35),rate of fire = 0.87 (from 0.78)

Mobile Missile Launcher:Health = 650 (from 600), speed = 2.6 (from 2.4)

Fast Hover Tank: Mass cost = 200 (from 220), Vet levels = 6/12/18/24/30 (from 7/14/21/28/35)
Damage = 8 (from 6), Rateofire = 4 (from 5)
Turret Yaw speed = 150 (from 90)

T2 heavy tank:Name changed to "Brute"
Health = 1600 hp (from 1300), Energy cost = 1200 (from 880),Mass cost = 250 (from 198),Buildtime = 1200 (from 880)
Max Range = 26 (from 23)

EMP tank:
Health and max health = 2000 (from 1600)
cost = mass: 300, energy: 1980, build time: 1320 (from mass: 220, energy: 1320, build time: 880)
RateOfire = 0.75 (from 0.8), Total damage to shields = 180 (from 160)
Stun : A Radius that matches the aoe of the weapon is added (1.3)

T3 heavy tank: Rocket weapon damage = 40 (from 38), Plasma canon weapon AOE = 1.5 (from 2)
veterancy level adjusted for FAF = 15/30/45/60/75 (from 9/18/27/36/45)

T3 mobile artillery:rate of fire = 0.09 (from 0.08)

Field Engineer:adds patrolhelper (for automatic reclaim while in patrol),buildrate = 15 (from 10)

Beamer: mass cost = 12 000 ( from 13200), energy = 200 000 (195000), buildtime = 12000 (from 13000)
Veterancy thresholds = 30/60/90/120/150 (from 32/64/96/128/160)
targetting priority = ACU on top of the list (so that you can use it as ACU sniper when loaded in a Comet)

Crawler:MassCost = 24000 (from 22000)
fusion missile damage = 500 (from 350), rate of fire = 0.0834 (from 0.1)
Veterancy thresholds = 50/100/150/200/250 (from 75/125/200/275/350)

Bullfrog:Min range for plasma weapon = 15 (from 8) to prevent it to shoot through the model at close range
Veterancy thresholds = 80/160/240/320/400 (from 100/200/300/400/500)

Air Units:
T1 gunship:Name changed to Titmouse, StartTurnDistance = 2 (from 5)
Both weapons: Damage = 7 (from 10), AOE = 0.4 (from 0), rate of fire = 3 (from 2), Muzzle velocity = 40 (from 20),Leadtarget = true (from false), FiringRandomness = 0.2 (from 0), FiringTolerance = 1 (from 2)

T2 fighter Bomber:Bomb Max Radius = 55 (from 45)

Comet:Veterancy thresholds = 30/60/90/120/150 (from 32/64/96/128/160)

Naval units:
Cruiser:Fusion missile weapon:damage = 500 (from 350), rate of fire = 0.22 (from 0.375)
Stun weapon:Damage = 20 (from 15),Rate of fire = 0.75 (from 0.8),a radius that matches the aoe of the weapon is added (1.3)

Railgun Carrier:damages = 200 (from 250), rate of fire = 0.28 (from 0.25)

Heavy Destroyer:railgun weapon: damage = 400 (from 250), rate of fire = 0.4 (from 0.5)

Heavy Railgun Array:HP reduced to 4800 (from 5500)

Structures:
Stealth field generator: Energy = 3000, (from 5000), Mass = 150, (from 300), BuildTime = 300, (from 500)
MaintenanceConsumptionPerSecondEnergy = 250, (from 350)
RadarStealthFieldRadius = 10, (from 18)
SonarStealthFieldRadius = 10, (from 18)

Heavy Stealth Shield Generator: Energy = 8000, (from 10000), Mass = 400, (from 600), BuildTime = 800, (from 1000)
MaintenanceConsumptionPerSecondEnergy = 500, (from 650)
RadarStealthFieldRadius = 20, (from 28)
SonarStealthFieldRadius = 20, (from 28)

[Brute51]

Changelog for the version I'm about to upload to FAF (build 42). It's a bug fix version mostly that addresses a few small issues and, most importantly, uses the FAF shader.

Changes:
- Bug fix: T1 gunship weapons code fixed (doesn't directly influence gameplay).
- Bug fix: Orbital strike now works with more than 1 Nomads player in game.
- General: Small texture improvements for the T1 air scout, T1 transport and Comet air experimental.
- General: Use FAF shader


Like I said, this version isn't online yet but will be soon.

[brandonpotter0]

I sooo wanna try Nomads out... It has full AI support right?