Game version 3818 (14th of February 2025)

This is the first patch of the new year. This time we have a lot of balance changes thanks to the renewed activity of the balance team.

With kind regards,

BlackYps

Balance

(#6415) Make Ahwassa’s bomb ignore collisions with ASF, same as strategic bombers.
(#6437) Automatically rotate Cybran Carrier and Othuum towards their targets when idle or attacking so that all their weapons can fire. Units rotate in place while aiming, so formations do not get disrupted.
(#6448) Fix projectiles colliding with dead air units. From a balance perspective, this increases the effectiveness of SAMs against groups of aircraft flying directly at them.
(#6464) Make engineers assisting a shield start repairing the shield in 0.1 seconds instead of 0.7 to 1.1 seconds.
(#6551) Improve the performance of the currently underused Czar by increasing its survivability and improving the targeting of its flak cannons.
- CZAR: Experimental Aircraft Carrier (UAA0310):
  - Intel
    - VisionRadius: 70 –> 100
  - Defense
    - ShieldRechargeTime: 120 –> 100
    - ShieldRegenRate: 180 –> 240
  - Fizz Launcher 1
    - Damage: 240 –> 140
    - DPS: 960 –> 560
    - FiringTolerance: 3 –> 10
    - HeadingArcRange: 120 –> 90
  - Fizz Launcher 2
    - Damage: 240 –> 140
    - DPS: 960 –> 560
    - FiringTolerance: 1 –> 10
    - HeadingArcRange: 120 –> 90
    - PrefersPrimaryWeaponTarget: true –> false
(#6560) Adjust several minor stats to better align the Vulthoo with its role as a ‘Tech 2.5 unit’.
- Vulthoo: T2 Gunship (XSA0203):
  - Physics
    - FuelRechargeRate: 5 –> 10 (15 for Tech 3 Gunships)
    - FuelUseTime: 400 –> 600 (800 for Tech 3 Gunships)
  - Air Crash
    - Damage: 100 –> 200 (300 for Tech 3 Gunships)
(#6563) Combine Ahwassa’s final 3 damage instances into 1 damage instance.
- Greatly improves the effectiveness of stacked low HP shields, such as the UEF and Aeon mobile shields.
- Fixes Ahwassa not overkilling units as much as it should, and leaving more reclaim because of that.
(#6584) Further rebalance various stats of the Seraphim Tech 3 Submarine Hunter to make it less oppressive. The overall aim of these changes is to allow for more counterplay against it, especially with Destroyers and Tech 2 Submarines. This PR is a continuation of #5895, which was a step in the right direction but ultimately did not nerf the unit enough.
- Yathsou: T3 Submarine Hunter (XSS0304):
  - Physics
    - MaxAcceleration: 6 –> 5.5
    - MaxBrake: 6 –> 5.5
    - MaxSpeed: 5 –> 4.6
    - MaxSpeedReverse: 5 –> 4.6
    - MaxSteerForce: 5 –> 4.6
  - Uall Cavitation Torpedo
    - Damage: 380 –> 375
    - RateOfFire: 10/45 –> 10/50
    - DPS: 338 –> 300
    - MuzzleSalvoDelay: 1.0 –> 1.1
    - FiringTolerance: 2000 –> 180
(#6558) The Seraphim destroyer is currently too powerful due to its micro potential, but nerfing its main stats like range or damage would make it weaker than it already is when not micro’d, which would be unfun at lower levels. Considering this, the underwater speed is reduced to allow counterplay potential without heavily affecting lower level gameplay: Aeon and Cybran destroyers can catch Seraphim destroyers that overcommitted, and all destroyers (particularly UEF) can flee from submerged Seraphim destroyers and get out of torpedo range.
- Uashavoh: T2 Destroyer (XSS0201):
  - Underwater speed: 5 -> 4.5
(#6589) Increase the UEF T3 shield’s regen start time (the amount of time after taking damage before regeneration starts) to make it consistent with other shields, as it was missed by accident during regen start time changes a long time ago.
- UEF T3 Shield Generator (UEB4301):
  - Regen start time: 1 -> 3 seconds
(#6590) Reduce the damage of Aeon and Seraphim T2 PD, as they have better DPS/mass than the UEF PD, and the Aeon one has higher muzzle velocity while the Seraphim one has a beam weapon.
- Aeon T2 Point Defense (UAB2301):
  - Damage: 600 -> 560 (DPS: 150 -> 140)
- Seraphim T2 Point Defense (XSB2301):
  - Damage: 605 -> 550 (DPS: 151 -> 138)
For comparison, the Triad has 124 DPS, and all three PDs cost the same amount.
(#6591) Buff UEF ACU Drone’s rebuild costs by making it half the upgrade’s cost. Previously it was too high due to not being changed alongside the upgrade’s cost, and had an unreasonable drain for a T1 economy. Additionally, the drone now rebuilds based off the ACU’s buildpower instead of a hardcoded 10 seconds.
- UEF ACU Drone (UEA0001):
  - Rebuild mass cost: 160 -> 60
  - Rebuild energy cost: 1600 -> 800
  - Rebuild time: 10 seconds -> 200 buildtime
(#6595) Fix a bug that prevented the Vulthoo from hitting units directly beneath it.
- Vulthoo: T2 Gunship (XSA0203):
  - Heavy Phasic Autogun (x2)
    - TurretPitch: -20 –> -40
    - TurretPitchRange: 60 –> 90
(#6606) Buff the power of sniper bots as they have become too expensive and micro-intensive to use compared to saving for a T4 to counter Bricks and Percivals. The changes improve the leniency for their micro and improve their firing accuracy.
- Aeon and Seraphim snipers (XAL0305 & XSL0305):
  - Speed: 2.2 (Seraphim) / 2.4 (Aeon) -> 2.3 (Seraphim) / 2.5 (Aeon)
  - Firing Tolerance: 2 (Aeon) / 3 (Seraphim) / 0.5 (Seraphim sniper mode) -> 0 (all)
    
    This fixes them consistently missing shots while turning/retargeting.
  - Firing Randomness while moving: 0.4 (Seraphim) / 0.3 (Aeon) / 0.2 (Seraphim sniper mode) -> 0.18 / 0.1 / 0.05
    
    The firing randomness is reduced so that snipers can reliably hit T3 units at max range, since the random chance to miss was annoying and snipers no longer need such a downside due to their cost changes.
- Seraphim Sniper (XSL0305):
  - Sniper mode speed: 1.65 -> 2.0
    
    The speed was uninentionally reduced from 1.8 to 1.65 due to the last speed nerf, which was excessive (an ACU is 1.7 speed for comparison). Since the sniper mode is a bit underused, the unintentional reduction is reverted and the speed is further buffed to 2.0 speed.
  There may be further changes to sniper mode next patch to make it more viable.
(#6607) Improve the functionality of a number of anti-torpedo weapons by giving them a minimum range and altering their targeting. The addition of a MinRadius prevents the weapon from locking onto projectiles it cannot reasonably intercept anymore. In particular, the torpedo defense of the Aeon T3 Sonar should perform noticeably better with these changes. Additionally, audio queues are added to the torpedo defenses of the Seraphim Tech 1 and Tech 3 submarines.
- Aeon T3 Sonar Platform (UAS0305):
  - Quasar Anti Torpedo
    - FiringTolerance: 2 –> 180
    - MinRadius: 0 –> 5
    - UseFiringSolutionInsteadOfAimBone: false –> true
- Sou-istle: T1 Attack Submarine (XSS0203):
  - Ajellu Anti-Torpedo Defense
    - FiringTolerance: 0 –> 180
    - MinRadius: 0 –> 5
    - UseFiringSolutionInsteadOfAimBone: false –> true
    - Audio queue added
- Yathsou: T3 Submarine Hunter (XSS0304):
  - Ajellu Anti-Torpedo Defense (x2)
    - MinRadius: 0 –> 10
    - Audio queue added
- Barracuda (XRS0204) and Megalith (XRL0403):
  - Anti-Torpedo Flare
    - MinRadius: 0 –> 5
(#6641) Nerf the Brick against Percivals and other T3, as the 32 -> 34 range buff from #5547 made it obsolete Percivals and a bit too strong against Harbingers/Othuums, which resulted in huge spam of Bricks instead of moving onto the other units in the Cybran faction.
- The Brick: T3 Armored Assault Bot (XRL0305):
  - Heavy Disintegrator Pulse Laser
    - Max radius: 34 -> 33
      
      The range reduction gives back Percivals a decisive advantage when retreating from chasing Bricks.
      It also reduces the amount of damage Harbingers take when chasing down bricks.
    - Damage (DPS): 125 (312.5) -> 118 (295)
      
      Since the Brick still has 1 more range than before, this small DPS nerf further reduces how much damage overall the Brick can inflict to approaching Harbingers/Othuums or Percivals it gets in range of.
  - Turn rate: 68.75 -> 75
    
    With the 1 range reduction, Bricks would need a slightly faster reaction time when used against ACUs. This turn rate buff counteracts that, as Bricks got a range buff to deal with ACUs in the first place.
    It also slightly improves the Brick’s micro potential against Percivals and its ability to choose fights, which slightly counteracts the potential snowballing effects of the DPS reduction.
(#6649) Nerf the frontal turret of the Seraphim Destroyer, as the unit has proven to be too strong in direct combat with other destroyers. To prevent it from becoming too weak against Tech 2 Torpedo Launchers due to this change, its torpedo defense is buffed by improving its targeting and reload time. This should also make the unit more resilient against sub spam.
Uashavoh: T2 Destroyer (XSS0201):
- Front Ultrachromatic Beam Generator
  - Damage: 50 –> 45
  - DPS: 137 –> 123
- Ajellu Anti-Torpedo Defense
  - FiringTolerance: 90 –> 180
  - MinRadius: 15 –> 5
  - Reload: 3.3s –> 3.0s
  - UseFiringSolutionInsteadOfAimBone: false –> true

Features

(#6576) Preserve the world camera when switching to/from split view

When you switch to/from split view the primary camera (the left camera) is now preserved. This makes it less disorientating for a player (or caster) to switch to/from split view.
(#6620) Add feature to only dock damaged air units

This alternative behavior can be accessed via the hotkeys and/or by right clicking the dock button.
(#6634) Introduction of the new ‘Wasteland’ biome, rich of textures, decals and props.

A collection of textures dedicated to Supreme Commander map makers.

These are of worlds drab and dreary, forlorn and abandonded, mirthless. Perchance, a few may find beauty here in the scars on the cracked earth, or in the chaotic stains of bile in tepid cesspools. Perhaps the forgotten tarmacs of abandonded civilizations, or the orderliness of the unearthed networks of ancient cities may inspire the industrious to rebuild. One thing is certain, vibrant panoramas are not to be expected.

With the exception of a few decals, all texures have an albedo version and a normal version. Many decals also include a specular version. The layer texures are designed to look best at a scale between 15-30 and although they’re seamless, they should be blended with other layers to reduce the significance of the repeating patterns.
(#6642) Enable the map preview in the in-game matchmaker lobby

The map preview provides a campaign-like preview of the map along with which factions are starting where. It allows players to start pondering about the game before it launched.

With thanks to Brutus5000 and Sheikah we now have a Grafana dashboard again. Grafana is an analytics-like tool for backend developers. It allows us to track how many lobbies succeed. We’ll use this tool to evaluate whether the map preview has a (negative) impact on the number of games that succeed.
(#6643) Introduce a small enforced delay before a paused session can resume

The delay applies to all players but the player that initiated the pause. The delay is 10 seconds. The delay is not configurable.

Bug fixes

(#6405) Transfer unit upgrade progress in modes outside full share, excluding share until death.
(#6434) Fix and improve the frametime (FPS cap) option:
- Now properly applies when starting a new game session.
- Windowed mode is no longer forced to 100 fps.
- Fullscreen is no longer capped at 60 fps.
- Decrease the minimum frametime from 4 ms (250 fps) to 2 ms (500 fps).
(#6449) Fix mods being able to have units that get stuck dying due to invalid death animation file paths.
(#6510) Fix a warning not being given when user key actions were overwritten by default actions.
(#6532) Fix excess projectiles impacting entities that die in the same tick. For example, 6 tactical missiles impacting a shield at the same time, despite only 3 being needed to bring down the shield.
(#6543) Fix dead units having collision with projectiles and beams for 0.1-0.6 seconds after death.
(#6544, #6651) Fix unit transfer enabling weapons locked by enhancements, such as the TML of the Seraphim SACU.
(#6572) Fix bombers missing when bombing while changing altitude.
(#6578) Fix Megalith’s GetCommandQueue returning a hidden factory rally point queue instead of the Megalith’s command queue.
(#6583) Fix personal shields reflecting above the water surface.
(#6602) Removed unused personalty function calls in default AI factory manager and platoon former manager.
(#6604) Fix SACUs with gun range upgrades not stopping at max range when on an attack move order due to insufficient GuardScanRadius.
(#6605) Fix the description of the Cybran SACU’s gun range upgrade saying +15 range (total 40) instead of +10 range (total 35).
(#6605) Update the description of the Cybran ACU’s Nanite Torpedo upgrade to reflect the new DPS value.
(#6606) Fix Seraphim sniper’s dummy weapon’s turret overriding the yaw speed of the turrets of the real weapons.
(#6606) Fix Sera sniper stopping on attack move against underwater targets.
(#6606) Fix GuardScanRadius for Seraphim sniper not matching the increased sniper mode range.
(#6617) Fix an error when silos are given a hard-stop order, causing them to not pause missile construction.
(#6629) Fix a rare error that would cause the Fatboy to not finish dying.
(#6630) Fix ACUs spawned on the right side of the map not facing towards the middle of the map.
(#6636) Fix an error that occurs when a Cybran air factory dies while building something.
(#6645) Fix an error when using distribute orders on a unit that dies shortly after.
(#6647) Fix a buffer overflow exploit in the InternalSaveGame user global
(#6651) Fix the Megalith’s hack peg launcher becoming enabled after being transferred. The hack peg launcher is the origin of the bright red beams under the Megalith that appear in games sometimes.
(#9999) Fix the documentation workflow expecting at least one snippet

Graphics

(#6328) Speed up the death animations of some Seraphim structures: T1 land factories, T2/T3 land support factories, T3 land HQ, air staging, T2/T3 anti-air, T2/T3 radars, and T3 artillery.
(#6621, #6648) Add new terrain shaders that allow better texturing of mesa-like terrain. Slight tweaks to other recently added terrain shaders. These changes have no immediate effects on existing maps, because virtually no maps use these shaders yet.
(#6622) Fix the Seraphim sniper’s barrel not rotating when using the lower fidelity model, typically when zoomed out.
(#6636) Fix some build effects for Cybran land and air factories never appearing.

Other changes

(#6575) Add remaining annotations for the base weapon class file.
(#6596) Annotate files related to scripted tasks like the Scry ability of the Eye of Rhianne or unit Enhancements.
(#6598) Add documentation for the recently added TransportSpeedReduction unit blueprint value.
(#6600) Annotate functionality related to worldviews
(#6612) Add missing localization entries and update Traditional Chinese translations.
(#6626) Annotate sync of enhancements.
(#6627) Annotate code related to collision beam entities.

Contributors

With thanks to the following people who contributed through coding:

Nomander
Basilisk3
Jip
Uveso
Yuchenjimmy
MadMax
relent0r
sting-2
BlackYps
Balthazar

And thanks to everyone on the balance team that discussed the changes.