New Development Snapshot 0.47.5 for Megamek, MegaMekLab, and MekHQ

[Hammer]

Hi Everyone,
Been a few months since our last dev release. This is a massive release with a staggering amount of stuff in it which means their will likely be issues. But unless there are major deal breaking bugs in this release. Things will slow on development for the foreseeable future.  The dev's time have become limited with everything going on in world.

**FOR MAC USERS**
There isn't a Mac release and you'll have to use the Unix release. We are having issues with the Gradle packaging scripts and various security settings in MacOS.  We are working on the issue and have no ETA for a fix.

Megamek
Lots of bug fixes, some errata implemented - looking at you Narrow/Low profile. But a couple of big new things. Fuel-air Explosives for when you just gotta kill that Clan Elemental Cluster. Princess has graduated the next level of artillery school, she can counter-battery fire and so can you.
Thanks to Simon Landmine's testing of the new map editor there have been a bunch of bugfixes and further improvements to the map editor.

MegaMekLab
Their is a staggering amount of bug fixes and the record sheet project has completed new Aerospace Sheets and conventional Infantry sheets. We are targetting BA and Protomeks in the next wave but no ETA.

MekHQ.
MekHQ has finally gone to the dark side with the dark mode implementation complete. Windchild's has done a lot of work on Personnel. These improvements add Random Marriages, divides names into Given Names and Surnames while adding trailing honourifics, Former Spouse Tracking, expanding Family Displays, and a few new marriage and divorce options relating to how names are changed.

Additionally, there are fourteen new options to campaigns (which can now be reach in existing campaigns through keyboard shortcuts: hold ALT, then press 'F' followed by 'C'), under the Personnel tab in the Family Options tab. These are a mixture of new and additional customization, plus a few new features.

• Keyboard Shortcuts for the top Menu (hold ALT, then use the underlined key for the menu option) (primary tab shortcuts coming in the next release)
• Hangar tab pop-up menu bulk selection additions and fixes
• Localized Natural Order Sorting (i.e. going 1, 2, 10, 20 instead of the previous 1, 10, 2, 20)
• Proper Gender and Portrait Migration from MegaMek
• Advance Day in Personnel Market
• Special Abilities are generated for Veteran and Elite Personnel on Person Generation

Note: You might notice that female personnel may have a box, underline, or an additional space between their given name(s) and surname(s). This is due to an issue for certain non-Latin characters in names in our name text files. This has been fixed, but unfortunately could not be fixed in save files through migration. A extra space can be removed by deleting it (provided the new given name makes sense), but any boxes or underline will require manual fixes. I would recommend doing so by comparing the name to what is in the data/names/firstnames_female.txt file, and replace any names that you find have issues with those located in said file.

Also a reminder to drop into the Slack channel to meet other players and harass the devs that drop in and out.  

As a reminder when moving between versions:
1)   Make backups of your campaigns and customs.
2)   Always treat each release as a stand alone release and only copy your data forward from older versions.

There is a good chance you’ll have issues in MekHQ with unit name changes.  If you get errors loading your campaign as result of unit name errors please see this post.

Name Issues with units
The change log below lists all the changes in this release from the previous stable.

CHANGE LOGS AND DOWNLOAD LINKS
Megamek.
Download Here

Code: [Select]

+ Data: Removing broken Unit from Fan Council TRO
+ Issue #1661: Grounded Aero Penalty for AirMech or Mech Mode LAMs
+ Issues #1636 #1637: Main menu and minimap now work when loading a new map
+ PR #1670: Fixing AI Documentation location
+ Issue #1634: Zoom in/out on map editor now works
+ Issue #1660: Narrow/Low Profile quirk implementation matches most recent errata (glancing blow on TN or TN + 1 hits)
+ Issue #1687: Missing Ti Ts'ang (Jason)
+ Issue #1689: Communication gear missing costs.
+ PR #1694: Supercharger and VTOL jet booster cost for support vehicles
+ Issue #1701: SRT ammo has extinction and reintroduction dates for One-Shot launchers
+ Data: Updating Maps and couple of variant Dropships.
+ Issue #1446: Units with trailer hitches properly distinguish between loading infantry and towing other units
+ PR #1711: Add Entity.getPriceMultiplier() method
+ PR #1717: Fixing name issues
+ PR #1716: Use weights when randomizing names
+ Issue #1688: Fixing Radical Heat Sink Target Number
+ PR #1723: Implemented fuel-air bombs from IntOps. Includes bot capability to drop them, so spread out.
+ PR #1737: Implemented fuel-air bomb ordnance for artillery pieces.
+ Issue #1746: Variable Tech Level sometimes changes tech level of equipment the wrong way
+ Issue #1639: in map editor, set building CF to default values when ctrl-scrolling through building types
+ Issue #1638: MapEditor Sidebar Vertical real estate improvements
+ Issue #1635: Errors in classic.tileset
+ Issue #1755: Battlemech Turrets should all be Tech Base ALL.
+ Issue #1302: Improved visibility on unit list scroll buttons; gray them out to indicate no further scrolling possibility
+ PR #1758: Fixing display with negative heat (e.g. while snowing)
+ PR #1754: 'next player' button now properly functions for situations with more than two players on a team
+ PR #1685: Allow Starting Height to VTOL Infantry/Battle Armor
+ PR #1766: Adding tool tips for board editor elevation
+ Issue #1769: Added 'cancel' button to random map dialog; now a user can access that dialog in map editor without a map reset
+ Issue #349: Random map dialog now looks in mapgen folder instead of boards folder by default for presets
+ Issue #377: Ask user if they want to quit MegaMek when attempting to close the window.
+ PR #1765: Fix several board validation issues with map editor concerning buildings and bridges; performance improvement for map editor.
+ Issue #1767: When randomly generating a map, picking a theme is reflected in the map editor.
+ PR #1790: various improvements and fixes around random map dialog;
 ability to directly open map definition file from map editor
+ Issue #1787: user can now manually reset mini-map and mech info card positions
+ PR #1795: Corrections to invalid data in some unofficial boards
+ PR #1779: Counter-battery fire
+ PR #1805: Adding BV Calculation to ChatLounge Entity Right Click
+ Data: New Sprites adding Icewind Metals Shadow Cats and Pendragon.
+ Data: Grasslands Map Pack (Thanks SimonLandmine for converting)
+ Issue #1797: Fix bot freeze when evaluating infantry moves against support vehicles and BA equipped with infantry weapons
+ PR #1810: Bot units with LRMs will no longer be stuck in indirect fire mode
MegaMekLab.
Download Here

Code: [Select]

+ Issue #435: Infantry exports not going to TXT, only HTML
+ Issue #437: Disappearing DS Collars on Space Station
+ Issue #430: Spreadable equipment disappears when removed from tripod center leg
+ Issue #438: MML not tracking Single heatsink to Double(Freezer) Change
+ Issue #441: Battle Armor with Armored Glove and Anti Personnel Weapon Mount saves weapons as Armored Glove have the AP weapon.
+ Issue #447: Seats are free on support vehicles
+ Issue #448: Bay doors are free on support vehicles
+ Issue #451: VTOL rotors not included in Unit Cost Breakdown
+ Issue #453: Light fluid suction system has the wrong weight
+ Issue #444: Aerospace Fighter's Preview says that reduced Heat Sink is damaged.
+ Issue #450: Trouble adding jet boosters to support VTOLs
+ Issue #452: Engine ratings on combat vehicles not automatically rounded up to a multiple of 5 for cost purposes
+ Issue #459: Cost for combat vehicle internal structure is based on unrounded values
+ Issue #440: Combat Vehicle Chassis Mod [Flotation Hull] can be added to non hovercraft, VTOLs, WiGEs, and conventional fighters
+ Issue #443: Auto Fill on Battle Armor puts more slots than the part can sustain
+ Issue #457: Can't add Maritime Escape Pod
+ Issue #460: Cost for heavy support lasers on a support vehicle includes half a ton of power amplifiers
+ Issue #456: Save menu command does nothing when unit is invalid
+ Issue #455: Spot welders aren't treated as energy weapons
+ Issue #480: "Vacuum protection requires fusion engine" neither true nor applicable to environmental sealing
+ Issue #461: Removed items of Aerospace Fighter are still on the equipment list
+ Issue #463: Can't mount non-weapon equipment in pintle mounts
+ Issue #466: Preview summary screen does not update era availability
+ Issue #471: Trouble telling whether a unit is valid or not
+ Issue #474: Adding/removing Environmental Sealing to/from critical slots on combat vehicles
+ Issue #479: Additional tons of ammunition for one-shot missile launchers available
+ Issue #483: VTOL Jet Booster on a combat VTOL disappears from Equipment tab once assigned a location
+ PR #413: Aerospace record sheet overhaul, part 1 (fighters, fixed wing support, small craft)
+ PR #491: Aerospace record sheet overhaul, part 2 (large craft)
+ Issue #475: Adding many items on a combat vehicle also adds a trailer hitch
+ Issue #495: Some things that should't be pod-mountable are anyway
+ PR #499: Indicate when equipment stats are variable on equipment tab
+ Issue #493: Blue Shield PFD problems on vehicles
+ Issue #489: Disappearing OmniVehicle pod-mounted cargo
+ Issue #492: Problems with cargo weights for combat vehicles under Transport section of Structure/Armor
+ Issue #497: Superchargers can be added to units that shouldn't be able to use them
+ PR #509: Set cargo bay size by weight or capacity
+ Issue #510: Restrict armored components to mechs.
+ Issue #511: No dual turrets for WiGE vehicles
+ Issue #496: SRCS on Mechs can't be assigned a location, and thus isn't saved
+ Issue #502: Protomech's equipment database is not sorted properly by weight
+ Issue #501: I can remove the base 10 heat sinks that come with an engine
+ Issue #515: External fuel tanks should be available to ICE and FC combat vehicles
+ Issue #517: Non-mech units loaded from cache sometimes save with mtf extension
+ Issue #522: Industrial 'mech Envi Sealing Cost
+ Issue #525: Some support vehicle chassis modifications should require armor
+ Issue #500: I can do many illegal things with industrial equipment
+ Issue #529: Problems with Omnis and armored components or things mounted in sponson turrets
+ PR #544: Infantry Record Sheet rework
+ Issue #545: MASC won't remove from Assign Crits if removed from Structure Armor Tab
MekHQ:
Download Here

Code: [Select]

+ Issue #1470: Thumper artillery vehicle causes array index out of bounds exception error
+ Issue #1261: RFE: In Contract Market, hyperlink the system/location to the Interstellar Map
+ Issue #1090: Feature Request: Add Origin Faction to Fluff Information display of Personnel
+ Issue #1476: Settings in portrait generation is not saved.
+ Issue #1385: Add dark themes to MekHQ.
+ Issue #1488: Random Origin Search Radius now properly loads.
+ PR #1496: Minor scenario template UI improvements; transports generated by AtB may now contain power armor where appropriate
+ Issue #1480: Add customization for colors used throughout MekHQ.
+ PR #1490: Fix some bugs with the Assign to Ship menu item
+ Issue #1495: Export Campaign Subset to New Campaign Now Copies Options
+ Issue #1508: Injured personnel Keep Command of their Vehicles and Infantry units
+ Issue #1429: Adding Bulk Add to the Parts Marketplace.
+ PR #1500: Scenario Generation properly handles GM Generation and Multiple Missions
+ Issue #1505: Fixing Personnel Tab Graphical Unit Images for Mixed Fighter and Tech Person
+ PR #1519: Adding proper bondsman formatting when Added to Campaign
+ Issue #1492: Medical Report Displays for Personnel with GM Added Injury
+ Issue #1497: Scale Unit sell values by their Entity's price multiplier
+ PR #1509: Adding Monthly and Yearly Autosave Options
+ Issue #1482: Hire Full Complement Now Records Time in Service
+ Issue #1486: Fixing Unit and Personnel Export to CSV and Localizing Top Menu Bar
+ Issue #1530: Fixes issue in infirmary where buttons unreadable in dark mode
+ Issue #1250: Added FormattedNumberSorter to Warehouse total cost column
+ Issue #1375: Creating Localized Natural Order Sorter
+ Issue #155: Adding Advance Day to Personnel Market
+ PR #1553: AtB: Adding SPA Generation for Generated Veteran and Elite Personnel
+ PR #1555: Fixing spacing for C3 Slaves in the TOE
+ Issue #1564: Hide impossible parts in the Purchase Parts Windows
+ PR #1533: Windchild's Personnel Improvements, covering Issues #765, #876, #1404, #1482, #1486, #1492
+ Issue #1524: Sort P_NONE Personnel as Support Personnel
+ Issues #1542 and #1417: Hangar Tab Popup List: Bulk Selection and Rank Fixes
+ PR #1556: Updating Unit Rating wording
+ PR #1584: Stop double-counting medics for FMM:R unit rating
+ Issue #691: Fixed multiple issues importing units from MUL files, including portraits, gender, SPAs
+ PR #1583: Adding Menu Bar Mnemonics (Shortcut Keys)
+ Issue #1540: Switching over to using JSpinner for base salaries
+ Issue #1578: Adding New Campaign to the main menu
+ PR #1597: MegaMek Log File is Reset on MekHQ load
Enjoy everyone

[Hammer]

April 5th.
The Megamek team is happy to announce that Windchild will be joining us as part of the Dev Team.

***IMPORTANT***
There is an issue that can prevent campaigns with procreation enabled from saving. Disabling procreation if it is enabled will only make it far worse. The issue will only occur when loading from a save file with broken data, although it will appear to work properly until you attempt to save, whereby it is unable to save. That means that if you can save immediately after loading, you will be able to save.
You can fix it by copying the save file, then opening it in notepad++ or a similar program and searching for any instances of <map/>. If you remove the lines
<extraData>
   <map/>
</extraData>
(but not the trailing personnel bit), it will work again

[Iceweb]

Gonna be so disappointed if this is actually the files for 47.4 and the most involved April Fools joke ever. 

[Windchild]

@Iceweb
Don't worry, this is not an April Fools joke. And I'm far too excited for this release to joke about it, as I've fixed the bug that prevented me from continuing with my main campaign.

[Simon Landmine]

Don't worry, this is not an April Fools joke. And I'm far too excited for this release to joke about it, as I've fixed the bug that prevented me from continuing with my main campaign.

Now that's motivation!

[Sartris]

Necessity is indeed the mother of invention

[pfarland]

Necessity is indeed the mother of invention

And War is the Father.

[Hammer]

And War is the Father.

War. War never changes

[servo01]

https://youtu.be/FF6uKMYYBeA

Just as Prometheus gifted man with fire, so too have the devs provided us with the latest development snapshot - so that all our AtB campaigns might burn a little brighter in these dark times.

[monbvol]

-snip-

Windchild's has done a lot of work on Personnel. These improvements add Random Marriages, divides names into Given Names and Surnames while adding trailing honourifics, Former Spouse Tracking, expanding Family Displays, and a few new marriage and divorce options relating to how names are changed.

-snip-

 :o :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

I have been waiting so long for the separation of names to happen...  Now it is here and all I can do is shed manly tears and barely contain my joy.

[mikecj]

Thank you all for the hard work!

[TheSilken]

I think that the Fuel-Air Munitions are working backwards. They appear to be vaporizing squads when the calculation results in a number over the number specified to wipe them instead of the reverse as Interstellar Operations states.

Proof: https://i.imgur.com/foEBAba.png

[Hammer]

I think that the Fuel-Air Munitions are working backwards. They appear to be vaporizing squads when the calculation results in a number over the number specified to wipe them instead of the reverse as Interstellar Operations states.

Proof: https://i.imgur.com/foEBAba.png

Yep. Fixed for the next release.

[Windchild]

@monbvol
 :smitten:
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who wanted a division into given names and surnames (for one, I can properly name members of my dynastical line, the Aberdinas von Hofen Penderyn line, without worrying about marriage issues), as I honestly thought I was doing the development just for me when making the underlying changes.

@mikecj
It is our pleasure  :)

@TheSilken
That is because this is one of the few places in BT that is a less than instead of a greater than. Irregardless, it has been fixed for the next release.

[TheSilken]

Yea I figured, making exceptions in coding can be problematic and/or easy to miss. Just bringing it to your attention in case it were to be overlooked, however unlikely that was.

[monbvol]

@monbvol
 :smitten:
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who wanted a division into given names and surnames (for one, I can properly name members of my dynastical line, the Aberdinas von Hofen Penderyn line, without worrying about marriage issues), as I honestly thought I was doing the development just for me when making the underlying changes.

Yeah I've been wanting that for ages.  I think I first requested it almost a decade and a tracker ago.

The other thing I've wanted for a long time in that regard is the ability to edit in relations so I could have a family run outfit that has uncles, aunts, parents, cousins, nephews, nieces,sons, and or daughters filling positions in the unit.

To get that now involves a lot of forcing pregnancies and mass advancing dates.

[Sartris]

found a few units that are out of place in the MML mechs.zip

Axman AXN-3S (in 3067, should be in 3050U
Enforcer III ENF-6G, ENF-6H, ENF-6T (in 3050U, should be in 3060u)

[Iceweb]

I was playing and got a glancing blow on a locust, but it said glancing blow twice and quartered the damage; is this correct behavior? 

Code: [Select]



    Medium Laser at Locust LCT-1V (Chaos March); needs 10, rolls 10 :  - Glancing Blow - - Glancing Blow due to Narrow/Low Profile - hits  CT
        Locust LCT-1V (Chaos March) takes 1 damage to CT.
            9 Armor remaining.



[GreekFire]

I was playing and got a glancing blow on a locust, but it said glancing blow twice and quartered the damage; is this correct behavior? 

That's because of how Narrow/Low profile works when combined with the Glancing Blow TacOps rule.
If you have Glancing Blows off, then it only gets halved once.

[GreekFire]

Small thing, but the file for 'Mechs published on the Iron Wind Metals website has been named "Icewind Metals" by mistake.

[Iceweb]

That's because of how Narrow/Low profile works when combined with the Glancing Blow TacOps rule.
If you have Glancing Blows off, then it only gets halved once.

Good to know
It seems to be new in this version
If it is working as expected then great

[Iceweb]

Had another weird one

Code: [Select]



Physical attacks for Lancelot LNC25-01 (Ulric's Behemoths)
    Kick (Left leg) at Locust LCT-1V (Chaos March); needs 8, rolls 11 : hits (using Kick table) LL
        Locust LCT-1V (Chaos March) takes 12 damage to LL.
            Armor destroyed.
             SECTION DESTROYED.
            Critical hit on LL. Roll is 10; 2 locations.
            CRITICAL HIT on Foot.
            CRITICAL HIT on Lower Leg.

            Critical hit on LL. Roll is 10; 2 locations.
            Location has no more hittable critical slots.


 

I can't figure out why the second message about the critical is showing up.  Given the rarity of rolling 10s in a row I am assuming it is just repeating the message not trying to get a second crit roll.  Might be something to look into.

[Windchild]

Yeah I've been wanting that for ages.  I think I first requested it almost a decade and a tracker ago.

The other thing I've wanted for a long time in that regard is the ability to edit in relations so I could have a family run outfit that has uncles, aunts, parents, cousins, nephews, nieces,sons, and or daughters filling positions in the unit.

To get that now involves a lot of forcing pregnancies and mass advancing dates.

That is sadly very annoying to code into MekHQ (mostly because of the Java usage), although I've started looking into how to do so (with the end goal of having an editable family tree display). However, that is far in the future IF it happens at all (I think so, but... lots of work between now and then, and there are some more important changes first for personnel).

I was playing and got a glancing blow on a locust, but it said glancing blow twice and quartered the damage; is this correct behavior? 

Code: [Select]

    Medium Laser at Locust LCT-1V (Chaos March); needs 10, rolls 10 :  - Glancing Blow - - Glancing Blow due to Narrow/Low Profile - hits  CT
        Locust LCT-1V (Chaos March) takes 1 damage to CT.
            9 Armor remaining.


I do believe that behaviour is correct, but the wording is poor. I'll ask the contributor in question to see if that can be improved.

Small thing, but the file for 'Mechs published on the Iron Wind Metals website has been named "Icewind Metals" by mistake.

PR has been opened to fix that issue.

[Empyrus]

Heavy Vibro-Claws seem to freeze battle armor editing. In MegaMek Lab ofc.
Think this issue may have existed in earlier versions too?
Or is it just something weird that happens in my end?

[Sir Chaos]

That is sadly very annoying to code into MekHQ (mostly because of the Java usage), although I've started looking into how to do so (with the end goal of having an editable family tree display). However, that is far in the future IF it happens at all (I think so, but... lots of work between now and then, and there are some more important changes first for personnel).

Wouldn´t it be possible to manually edit those relations into the save file?

Maybe instructions on how to do that without breaking the save file would be a good stopgap measure.

[Windchild]

Wouldn´t it be possible to manually edit those relations into the save file?

Maybe instructions on how to do that without breaking the save file would be a good stopgap measure.

It is, but... that's dangerous territory.

There are two main portions to do that, and a typo anywhere can cause problems.

[Sir Chaos]

It is, but... that's dangerous territory.

There are two main portions to do that, and a typo anywhere can cause problems.

Step 0: Before you begin, MAKE A BACK-UP OF THE SAVE FILE.

[monbvol]

Hand editing like that is also rather tedious.

Also my sympathies for the bug report I just posted to the tracker to get that resolved.

[Windchild]

Hand editing like that is also rather tedious.

Also my sympathies for the bug report I just posted to the tracker to get that resolved.

Yeah, I started on a doc and ended up doing phase 1 of the design for the final editor instead.

Probably 3 more phases to go in the design though, but work on the feature has been started (I'm not sure my plan will work though, so... no guarantees, as this is not an easy thing to design nor implement, especially given it is Java GUI code that needs to be worked on).

[yukamichi]

I've noticed some changes to the RAT Generator that seem questionable. Mercenary faction in the year 3040 gives access to Clan salvage (albeit with a rarity of 1). I thought the table might be rounding up to 3050 for some reason (3039 has no Clan salvage), but none of the Generator-generated lists for the major Houses include Clan salvage in 3040. And it seems unlikely that even the Dragoons were using any out-and-out Clan mechs that early: even if they were, it feels like such an edge case that I'd question even including it in the table, or maybe a massive retcon from some new source I haven't read yet.

LAMs are included now too, and are far more common than I think they'd be going by any canon source (though I'm not really complaining about this, I like living in the LAMverse).