=================================================================================================== Gem Feeder 3.0 Changelog =================================================================================================== Changes in v3.0: - Delay between rounds can now be raised as high as 30 seconds. - New loading screen layout and artwork. - Dramatically improved the frontend appearance. - Added a Match Info popup on the HUD at the start of match, informing you of how many gems and altars are available on the map. - Screenshots taken while playing Gem Feeder are now prefixed with GFShot#### instead of Shot####. - Added Fragile Gems option which allows gems to be shattered very easily. - Lowered the default A-Bomb Time to 30 seconds, hid Gem/A-Bomb Health settings and tweaked them internally. - Added the Gravity Bomb. - Players now hold gems and A-Bombs in their left hand instead of their right (no more conflict with the weapon now). - Sped up the CE initialization process by removing some redundant map checks. - GF-exclusive maps (with the GF- prefix) are now sorted to the top of the map list when CE maps are also displayed. - Removed some redundant and deprecated options from the Game Rules page. - The generic CE altar bases have a nicer texture and a pretty glow effect. - Various improvements to the particle effects for gems and A-Bombs across the board. - The A-Bomb warning icons which appear when an A-Bomb is placed at your base now indicate the type of A-Bomb. - The scoreboard now shows an icon indicating team members that are carrying a gem. - ECE Bonus Pack vehicles are now supported in vehicle-based CE maps via the "Use ECE Vehicles" option in Game Rules. - Game stats are tracked and will display on the F3 stats menu. This includes overall game stats as well as A-Bomb kills/deaths per type. - Built a new, cleaner frontend. - Added a new intro sequence. - Onslaught maps now display the ONS radar map on the HUD, which shows gem spawns and altars. - Vehicle-based Gem Feeder maps will also display a radar map if one is set in UnrealEd. - Fixed an occasional issue where artifacts of gem ambience effects would pop up in random places. (This issue may still occur in high-latency network games on occasion.) - The circular radar displays at the top of the HUD now indicate vertical position by an up or down arrow instead of a circle if the gem/A-Bomb is a certain distance above or below you. - The Content Editor now starts up in third-person view by default. - The Electric Bomb shatter and detonation effects now turn victims into skeletons. - Added CTF-NMP2-Mandaa and its companion CE definition. - Numerous modifications and improvements to GF-Ritual (now GF-Ritual-SE) and GF-Serenity. - Added new custom maps: GF-Severayo, GF-ArabianNight, and GF-NMP2-Krystnek. Changes in v2.0: - Implemented Epic's mod system. - Added the Gem Feeder Content Editor and default map definitions. - Improved mutator compatibility. - GemAltars can now trigger events. See UT2004\GemFeeder\Help\MANUAL.html for details. - Increased dropped gem reset timer to 30 seconds. - Lowered default Gem Health to 200. - Set default A-Bomb Health to 50 (to faciliate easier explosive shatters; see below). - Lowered default A-Bomb Time to 45 seconds. - Increased A-Bomb lockdown time to 15 seconds. - Added a visual effect indicating when an A-Bomb is locked down. - Locking down an A-Bomb will now kill the disarmer with an electric shock. - Fixed a bug that could allow ineligible players to disarm/lockdown A-Bombs, even if they did not have the disarm interface active or if they were on the wrong team. - A-Bombs now shatter when disarmed. - Added a message alert when someone successfully disarms an A-Bomb. - A-Bomb explosions will always destroy nearby gems, even if the A-Bomb's placer switched teams before it went off. - The small gem icon at the top of the HUD (between the gem scores) will change to a warning icon if an A-Bomb has been planted in your base. - Implemented new visual effects for A-Bomb detonations. - Added ambient special visual effects to gems and A-Bombs. - Added visual effects for punting impacts and captures to gems and A-Bombs. - A-Bombs will explode when shattered by weapons fire. This explosion is different from, and significantly smaller than, the altar detonation. - Replaced the A-Bomb "disarm success" sound effect. - Added support for A-Bomb styles, and added Chemical and Electric Bombs. - Added improved charge and shoot effects to the Gem Launcher. - Added vehicle support, with full AI capabilities. - Defending bots will leave their posts and support the attackers if there are no gems to defend. - Defending bots will leave their posts during the round reset to help with initial gem grabs. - Bots will no longer move to grab A-Bombs during the reset countdown, only gems. - Bots will attempt to disarm A-Bombs, and can lock down A-Bombs on occasion (but not very often). - Bots will respect when another bot/player is disarming an A-Bomb, and will ignore it. - Improved the appearance, variance, and behavior of the gem and A-Bomb shatter effects. - Setup fallback materials for the gem and A-Bomb HUD displays to support older video cards. - Improved HUD and disarm interface graphics. - Added radar dots to the HUD for tracking altars and gems. (Radar dots do not track A-Bombs). - Added tracking ghosts for finding altars (bound to the Find Red Base and Find Blue Base keys, which are M and N by default). - Fixed a bug which would sometimes prevent the "Press USE to swap" message from being displayed. - Gem Launcher no longer needs to be charged up. It still uses player velocity to adjust the throw. - Replaced the Gem Launcher's "switch to" sound effect. - The Gem Launcher will now switch back to the previously-used weapon after firing, rather than picking the "best" weapon. - Loading hints now show actual key strings when appropriate (e.g. "LEFT MOUSE" instead of "Primary Fire") - Adjusted the behavior of round resets slightly: extra gems not involved in the score will shatter immediately upon scoring, while gems that were involved in the score will shatter at the end of the reset countdown (only applicable to maps with more gems than altars). - Created new graphics and a new layout for the main menu, and built a 3D background. - Created a new, custom music track for the main menu. - Rewrote the Gem Feeder manual (UT2004\GemFeeder\Help\MANUAL.html) with updated information and screens. - Modified some lighting and jump pad effects in GF-SunTemple. - Added weather effects and modified lighting in GF-Serenity, creating a new atmosphere. - Added GF-Forbidden2. Changes in v1.1: - Adjustments to GF-Ritual. See UT2004\GemFeeder\Help\GF-Ritual.txt for details. - Fixed karma collision issues in GF-SunTemple. - Reinstated based link drawing. You can now link draw gems from their spawn bases. - You can now disarm A-Bombs through the new Disarm interface. See UT2004\GemFeeder\Help\MANUAL.html for details. - With the addition of A-Bomb disarming, A-Bomb explosions now destroy gems on altars, rather than just throwing them. Destroyed gems are reset to their spawn bases, making A-Bombs more deadly than before! - Added a new "Gem Health" option to the Game Rules menu. Gems can now be destroyed if they are punted excessively, but their health resets when they are picked up, respawned, or captured. - A-Bomb explosions now use different processing to find and destroy nearby enemy gems, ensuring that all gems that should be destroyed, are destroyed. - Changed the color of the A-Bomb explosion effects. - Updated loading screen hints and the manual to reflect new features. - AI now uses Link Drawing and Link Stealing. - AI now uses the Gem Launcher to pass to teammates and to shoot for altars.