• Register

Star Ruler is a 4X/RTS Hybrid on a grand scale. Mod everything, design anything; play what you want, how you want, when you want.

Report RSS Patches 1040, 1042, 1044, 1050, and 1052

We've added a bunch to the game lately. Among the new features: Race customization, a tactical grid overlay in systems, and much more! Read our full article to learn more!

Posted by on

Patches 1040, 1042, 1044, 1050, and 1052



Dawn of the "Race"

...and whatever that thing is called.


New to Patch 1050 is the ability for players to customize and create their own race by buying advantages, disadvantages, and options within a point-buy system. We'll take a closer look at Race Customization in the first part of the news brief and then move on to what else is new in the patches. This news post will cover most of the major features of the patch.


(For those who would rather see the patch in action than read, a feature reel for Patch 1050.)

Race Creation


Phenomenal Cosmic Power; itty, bitty, point count

Traits are both simple to understand and incredibly empowering if used correctly; they are the ruler by which a race is measured. They can have profound impacts on your game and, if you're not prepared to properly work with a trait a major sink in time or resources -- or worse.

In short: A race is the sum of its traits and careful selection of the traits your race will have to live with for the rest of the game is recommended.

To ensure that you know what you're getting in to, the Race Creation system will inform you of how risky/advantageous a given trait is. The more points a trait has, the more potentially imbalancing/empowering (either for or against you) it might be. Traits that cost points give your race advantages and traits that give points give you disadvantages or handicaps (for example, turning off your access to the galactic bank or your civil acts)

A race's history and description can also be filled out. We make no assumptions on what your race looks like or has gone through to get to this point and don't require you to write a novella to justify the points you spent. It's entirely at your option, of course. Once saved, the preferences will be kept whenever you decide to load that race into the game -- this means that if you want a race called the Urulians to normally form the Uhuran Empire, just fill in the Empire space when you save the race. It's that simple.

We have done our best to make the traits fun and interesting, throwing in as little 'fat' as possible into the mix. We hope you enjoy creating new races and inventing new forms of life and intriguing social constructs.

FAQ: Will the AIs have Races? Yes, but not at this time -- they will likely pick traits suiting their personality.

Detailed Blueprints

Zoom. Enhance.

In the interest of engineer-minded rulers, we have implemented a more detailed overview of the ship you're looking over. This new submode in the Blueprint window (Detailed Stats) allows you to quickly and definitively compare subsystems against each other, get consolidated, practical, information (how long can the guns fire before they run out of ammo), and compare ships that you have the blueprint for more readily and with greater ease.

We have also made a few interaction upgrades to the window itself. The mousewheel now scales subsystems up or down and right clicking on the subsystem will remove it. Double-clicking on a subsystem will switch it between maximum and minimum size as well. Finally, you can click your Mousewheel on a subsystem in the blueprint window to open up the subsystem in the Stellarpedia if you're unsure what a subsystem's purpose is.

With these upgrades, we hope that your ship-building experience becomes even more fluid and enjoyable.

Dedicated Servers

For that "Persistent Galaxy" flavor

With the arrival of dedicated servers, now people can set up their own persistent games which automatically reset, have votekick and voteban features and so on and so forth. A full readme on how dedicated servers function, where to locate the dedicated server executable, and how to set up and operate a dedicated server, are available on our forums through the following link:

In addition to dedicated servers, we have also made the game able to connect clients and servers together without port forwarding as long as the host is using modern router firmware/hardware.

Under Attack Glow


More effective at attention-grabbing than the leading yellow system ring!

Objects and Systems that are under attack will now pulse with color when they are assaulted, giving you a much clearer response on what is under attack and what is contested by enemy forces. The effect can be turned off in the Options if you find it to be more distracting than useful, along with a whole host of new things to toggle, turn on and off, and manage.

Much, MUCH more!

Incoming Wall of Text from the left. Drop altitude.

As usual, we have included the full changelog between these patches for your convenience. Given that the amount of changes effected in this patch are... considerable we apologize that the news post will be rather large as a result.

The Full Changelog


Patch 1030 -> 1040

Fixed

  • Multiple colonizer modules on one ship now correctly sums the structure count.
  • Crash on return to main menu for mods using tag{} blocks in shipsets.
  • Ships moving to a target that gets destroyed flying towards the quasar.
  • Disabled ships getting station icon on load.
  • Ships following a planet after a transfer order.
  • Loading a game with 0 research rate would lead to an empty sub system / structure list.
  • Crash when constructing ships on a planet / dry dock in deep space.
  • Ships with control but without fuel could still use their thrusters every second tick.
  • Sub Systems did not have their onDeactive binds called when scuttled or retrofitted.
  • Space port trade now happens in the planet tick, leading to less wasted trade rate.
  • Fetch orders were not leaking control to subsequent orders until fetching for the first time.
  • Haulers could get stuck doing nothing waiting for a resource to become available instead of trading in different resources.
  • Superfluous explosion sounds were playing when scuttling / retrofitting or when colonizing a planet.
  • Ringworlds were being constructed at the wrong position.
  • Ringworlds constructed on larger stars (ie the quasar) would appear inside the star.
  • The ringworld structure size bonus was not applying correctly.
  • Using a jumpdrive could render the jumping ship unselectable.
  • Ships parked in orbit using a jumpdrive would not pick a new orbit correctly and fly off into the distance.
  • Offline planetary structures could not be removed.
  • Asteroids and comets were not working for multiplayer clients.
  • Ships constructed after load would not be assigned their proper automation (fetch, deposit, work) orders.
  • Capturing another empire's design will no longer spam duplicates each time.
  • Haulers ended up with wrong / negative cargo after trading with a planet that had cargo storage.
  • Haulers would end up filled with one particular resource (usually adv. parts) when its supply outweighed demand.
  • Hovering over the +/- resize buttons while holding shift in the blueprint editor now correctly displays the effect of an increment/decrement.
  • In the blueprints window, dragging a sub system to an invalid position would sometimes return it to the last valid position, rather than the nearest valid.
  • We have discovered that a particular function in OpenGL is quite slow; fixing this improved framerate significantly.
  • Sub-menus in the right-click menu will no longer move off screen.
  • Objects could push each other to ridiculous speeds.

Changed

  • Shields now have a % chance to block or leak all damage from kinetic weapons entirely, rather than always blocking a % of the damage.
  • Objects larger than scale 3600 are now visible everywhere to everyone.
  • The system window's build on best algorithm now prefers shipyards over other structures.
  • The main menu planet now chooses a random texture.
  • Only one ringworld can be constructed per system. Attempting to construct additional ones will simply fail.
  • The Analyzer now captures the design of disabled ships. Each attempt has a chance to succeed, which improves dramatically with bigger ships and analyzers.
  • Ringworlds are now unlocked at MegaConstruction 22, Gravitics 16 and Spatial Dynamics 16.
  • Haulers only supply when storage is under 45%, to avoid attempting to race against space ports.
  • You can now hold shift when dragging sub systems in the blueprint editor to snap to a grid.
  • When dragging sub systems in the blueprint editor, they can no longer leave the circle (you will see them where they would normally snap to).
  • Dry Docks automatically fetch resources from the planet they are orbiting, if the planet has any.
  • The mouse over information and object information panel now display hitpoints of all objects, not just the ones owned by you.
  • You can now set individual settings, difficulties, names, colors, and cheating or not cheating for Empires in the New Game window.
  • You may now add far more than 10 opponents if you wish; caution: larger numbers of opponents can rapidly degrade system performance.
  • Sped up base panning speed.
  • Updated Translations: Polish.

Balance

  • Shields are now more effective, particularly for larger ships.
  • Planetary shields are now much stronger.
  • Increased power cost of middle-tech weapons.
  • Power generators produce significantly less power.
  • Bridges and Computers produce significantly less control.
  • Increased mass of armor.
  • Decrease gains to science labs from general sciences research. (Getting to level 10 takes about twice as long, level 20 four times)
  • Missiles and Torpedoes now have longer range.
  • Increased overall laser damage to compensate for their short range.

Added

  • The blueprints tab now displays statistics for the currently selected design.
  • The loading screen displays random gameplay tips from a moddable / localizable list.
  • "Stockpiling Protocol" civil act: makes space ports keep resource levels at 95% instead of 50%.
  • You may now check for updates from the main menu. Note: Steam users won't see this option.
  • Added a patching program which downloads patches from our server and installs them itself. Must be run from Star Ruler.
  • AI Personalities may now specify a shipset for the AI to use.
  • "Refresh Automation" option in the right-click menu: adds back automation orders (fetch, work, defend, etc) after clearing them.
  • Destroyed planets now leave behind a bunch of asteroids based on the amount of ore they had left.
  • Added three new tracks by Artem Bank.
  • Economic Sub Systems for ships: Metal Refinery, Electronics Fabricator, Advanced Parts Assembler, Export Dock.
  • Graviton / Anti-Graviton beams: Repulsor, Attractor, Interdictor.
  • New Sub Systems: Quantum Battery, Matter Generator, Overcharged Laser, Internal Defenses.
  • Lobby System to Multiplayer and Singleplayer.
  • Detailed Statistics sub-window for the Blueprints window.
  • Lobby Chat window for both the main menu and in-game that connects to the new official irc channel.
  • "Give Vision" clause for treaties. Does what it says on the tin.
  • Ability to set teams between players before starting the game.

Patch 1040 -> 1042

Fixed

  • Choosing to auto-update would crash the game.
  • Multiplayer clients were not loading the galaxy map.
  • Certain xml files would not load from mods.
  • Certain AI designs did not have enough power and would go disabled.
  • Ships would sometimes run out of control even though they had a surplus available.
  • Internal Defenses subsystem would not get unlocked.
  • Fixed various designs being mis-localized or unstable.

Changed

  • Updated translations: French.

Added

  • /who can be used to list users in the IRC.

Patch 1042 -> 1044

Fixed

  • Dry Docks could get stuck fetching resources from another planet in the system.
  • Asteroids in normal systems would be destroyed instantly instead of when they ran dry.
  • Missiles were not consuming proportionate amounts of ammo.
  • Multiplayer clients could crash when holding alt.
  • Legacy mod for 1.0.4.0 was missing, resulting in abnormally slow thrusters when loading 1.0.4.0 games in 1.0.4.2.
  • Default level health gain was 1.25 instead of the intended 0.25.
  • Repeat mode was crashing after completion.

Changed

  • The IRC window can now be minimized.

Balance

  • Computers generate a bit more control to make up for their large power consumption.
  • Torpedo bays no longer gain bonuses from coolant systems / targeting sensors.

Removed

  • Legacy 1.0.1.2 and 1.0.1.4 games are no longer supported.
  • Removed the patcher, as it was entirely non-functional in most cases. Instead, Star Ruler links to a list of patches for your version.

Patch 1044 -> 1050

Fixed

  • A long lag before joining a multiplayer game in progress that appears as a freeze (but eventually does connect).
  • Modded EmpireNames.txt and EmpireColors.txt are now used in the lobby.
  • Tips files were showing up as languages.
  • Freeze when holding alt for range rings while hovering on an enemy unit.
  • Antimatter generators would not explode when disabled due to lack of control.
  • Queue management commands did not work for dry docks in multiplayer.
  • Light/Heavy/Stealth hulls were incorrectly scaling with level, making them much too powerful at later tech levels.
  • Ships can now be retrofitted / scuttled at dry docks.
  • The victory message was not showing up when eliminating all enemy teams in a team game.
  • Docking stations into planets or carriers could crash.
  • Starting a multiplayer game with teams could crash due to timing issues.
  • When hovering over a sub system with a modifier/link attached to it, the correct stats will now be shown on the left.
  • Overriding controls that had a default key assigned to them would create duplicate bindings and not be displayed correctly in the options menu.
  • Hotkey groups are now saved and loaded.
  • The Rack Mount was misbehaving at small scales. It now behaves much more sensibly at all scales.
  • Fixed jittery movement of ships in multiplayer (except in very high-lag situations).
  • Manual transfer orders did not work for MP clients and did not save.
  • The order list on completely idle ships would not properly display for clients.
  • Boarding defenses were not scaling up, making them wholly ineffective.

Changed

  • Nano armor hitpoints and damage reduction now only increase with armor research, while regeneration rate increases with nanotech research only.
  • Multiplayer server names now default to "'s Game".
  • Clicking the planet lost message now zooms to the system the planet was lost in.
  • Version compatibility is now checked before joining the lobby, instead of after starting the game.
  • When a treaty ends prematurely because of one party lacking the required materials / research, a message is now displayed.
  • Use tool only appears in the right click menu if the ship could actually use that tool on the clicked object.
  • Stations built from orbital dry docks now correctly orbit the original planet.
  • System Searches (used by the AIs) should now be faster.
  • The hovered object poll now uses the OctTree, improving performance by ~10% in large galaxies.
  • Arrow key movement speed now changes more drastically with zoom level, instead of being exceedingly slow when zoomed out.
  • Zoom in now locks on to the system plane, so missing a target will no longer zoom "through" the system.
  • The Remnants now use designs with more advanced technology in them. Analysing or boarding their designs will let you build high-tech toys much earlier.
  • The system rings are now larger so as to fully contain the bounds of the system.
  • Space damage is now percentage based.
  • System ring owner color is now based on military strength rather than pure ship count.
  • Systems are only marked as under attack if either you or the enemy have military presence.
  • Systems that are contested now glow rather than their ring changing color.
  • Distant icons for ships that are taking damage now glow.

Balance

  • All armor levels are now equalized, making more advanced armor more viable.
  • Ablative armor now scales the same way as other armor, giving it significantly more hitpoints at higher tech levels.
  • Torpedoes now use less ammo.
  • Planets now have a damage resistance related to cities, capitols, and bunkers. This scales with level, increasing their longevity late-game.

Added

  • Savegames may now be deleted in-game.
  • Added an 'experimental' tab to the options menu. Has various completely unexplained options that aren't quite ready for release, but mostly work.
  • Dedicated server binary to run a server without playing or rendering the graphics.
  • UPnP support: port forwarding is no longer necessary to host a server when using a modern router that supports UPnP.
  • Moving your mouse to the edge of the screen now moves the camera. (Can be turned off from the options menu).
  • Options menu settings for ambient brightness and multiplayer server autosave.
  • 3D movement orders: Double right clicking and holding the right mouse button now lets you adjust the vertical component. (Also works by holding control, single right clicking and holding)
  • Added support for scripted planet queues. Use '' in a queue to use a function of the type 'bool Name(Planet@).' Return true to prevent the rest of the queue from running.
  • A grid is now displayed on every system's XZ plane. (Can be turned off from the options menu).
  • Added 'OrderList::leaveFleet()' to remove a ship from its fleet.
  • Added a new weapon: Artillery. Huge range, massive damage, but very slow fire rate. May only be equipped to stations.
  • Added log & log10 functions for formulas.
  • Added new planet conditions: Plains (Cheaper buildings), Volcanic (Weaker buildings), and Geothermal vents (Faster electronics/advanced parts production).
  • Empire messages now have a category. Categories can be toggled on or off when expanding the ticker display.
  • Options to control the display or hide the distant icons for ships, stations and planets.
  • Race Customization: before the game starts, you can pick traits affecting your empire in various ways. Traits are picked with a point-buy system.

Patch 1050 -> 1052

Fixed

  • Orbit circles in the minimap were not showing up for multiplayer clients.
  • Crash when loading transfer orders out-of-order.
  • Planets in binary systems would get offsets on their orbits.
  • Use tool orders were stopping out of range when used on large objects.
  • Using the race customization and irc windows at the same time would lead to strange behaviour and crashes.
  • Colony ships already built when giving an auto-colonize order would move to random planets instead of prefering the closest.
  • Some new shaders were referencing a slow system call. This is now cached, resolving the slowdown.

Changed

  • Updated german translation.

Added

  • Configurable hotkey to toggle system planes.
Post a comment

Your comment will be anonymous unless you join the community. Or sign in with your social account: