<a href="http://www.arcengames.com/aiwar_features.php"/><img src="http://arcengames.com/img/side_aiwar.png"</img></a>
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<b><a href="http://arcengames.blogspot.com/2011/09/ai-war-children-of-neinzul-donations-to.html">Please see the original post here</a></b>

As of September 1st, 2011, we have so far raised and donated <b>$27,779.12</b> for Child's Play! That's <b>$7,098.82</b> since our July update, all of which has already gone directly to the charity. This means that we're just a hair away from doubling the original goal of $14,000.00 raised for Child's Play, which we could not be more pleased about.

We'll keep everyone posted on how the donations are doing. Once again, we're ecstatic to continue our on-going contribution! Especially pleased to be considered a <a href="http://www.childsplaycharity.org/">platinum sponsor</a> for such a worthy cause.

<b>More About AI War: Children of Neinzul and Child's Play </b>

<img src="http://www.arcengames.com/img/ChildsPlay.png"></img>

When you purchase AI War: Children Of Neinzul, you're not only getting an exciting new expansion, you're also supporting an important cause. Arcen Games has partnered with the <a href="http://www.childsplaycharity.org/">Child's Play</a> charity, pledging 100% of the profits from sale of Children of Neinzul (excepting any taxes and distributor fees) to helping sick kids in need.

The staff at Arcen has long admired the work done by Child's Play, and we're very excited to finally be able to contribute in a substantial manner. Our goal for 2010 was to raise $14,000.00 USD for Child's Play, but even after 2010 all of the proceeds from this micro-expansion are continuing to be donated to the charity.

At the moment, this micro-expansion is available directly through the <a href="http://www.arcengames.com/store.php">Arcen Online Store</a> ($3.99 USD), as well as through Steam, Impulse, and GamersGate.

AI War Facebook page
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Tidalis Facebook page
A Valley Without Wind Facebook page
Our community forums
Report bugs and suggestions: MantisBT
The AI War IRC / AI War web IRC
Please see the original post here

As of September 1st, 2011, we have so far raised and donated $27,779.12 for Child's Play! That's $7,098.82 since our July update, all of which has already gone directly to the charity. This means that we're just a hair away from doubling the original goal of $14,000.00 raised for Child's Play, which we could not be more pleased about.

We'll keep everyone posted on how the donations are doing. Once again, we're ecstatic to continue our on-going contribution! Especially pleased to be considered a platinum sponsor for such a worthy cause.

More About AI War: Children of Neinzul and Child's Play

</img>

When you purchase AI War: Children Of Neinzul, you're not only getting an exciting new expansion, you're also supporting an important cause. Arcen Games has partnered with the Child's Play charity, pledging 100% of the profits from sale of Children of Neinzul (excepting any taxes and distributor fees) to helping sick kids in need.

The staff at Arcen has long admired the work done by Child's Play, and we're very excited to finally be able to contribute in a substantial manner. Our goal for 2010 was to raise $14,000.00 USD for Child's Play, but even after 2010 all of the proceeds from this micro-expansion are continuing to be donated to the charity.

At the moment, this micro-expansion is available directly through the Arcen Online Store ($3.99 USD), as well as through Steam, Impulse, and GamersGate.

<a href="http://www.arcengames.com/aiwar_features.php"/><img src="http://arcengames.com/img/side_aiwar.png"</img></a>
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Tidalis <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Tidalis">Facebook page</a>
A Valley Without Wind <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Valley-Without-Wind/164979970229916">Facebook page</a>
Our <a href="http://www.arcengames.com/forums/index.php">community forums</a></i>
Report bugs and suggestions: <a href="http://www.arcengames.com/mantisbt/">MantisBT</a>
The <a href="irc:/irc.rtsnet.org/aiwar">AI War IRC</a> / <a href="http://www.arcengames.com/aiwar_irc.php">AI War web IRC</a>
<b><a href="http://arcengames.blogspot.com/2011/08/ai-war-beta-5015-martyred-forcefields.html">Please see the original post here</a></b>
<b><a href="http://arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=AI_War_-_Current_Post-5.000_Beta#Prerelease_5.015">Changelog may be found here</a></b>

This one has a number of balanced tweaks that are notable, as well as one performance tweak that may or may not actually do anything. We'll be curious to hear more feedback on the performance thing a wider variety of scenarios and machine setups.

In terms of the balance changes:
1. The Spirecraft Martyrs have been hit with the nerf bat really hard, thanks to player urging.
2. The Zenith Virtal Shredders have as well, but in general their swarm mechanics have also been simplified.
3. And lastly, super-stacked forcefields have also been heavily nerfed. Stacking forcefields is still a smart thing to do, but you can no longer set up a chain of them where one is being repaired under the next in an endless rotation.

There was also a bugfix to the recently-added ActivateHighestEfficiencyLowPowerEnergyReactor and PutLowestEfficiencyActiveEnergyReactorIntoLowPower keybinds.

<i>This is a standard update that you can download through the in-game updater itself, if you already have 5.000 or later. When you launch the game, you'll see the notice of the update having been found if you're connected to the Internet at the time. If you don't have 5.000 or later, you can download that <a href="http://www.arcengames.com/aiwar_buy.php">here.</a></i>

AI War Facebook page
Arcen Games' Facebook page
Tidalis Facebook page
A Valley Without Wind Facebook page
Our community forums
Report bugs and suggestions: MantisBT
The AI War IRC / AI War web IRC
Please see the original post here
Changelog may be found here

This one has a number of balanced tweaks that are notable, as well as one performance tweak that may or may not actually do anything. We'll be curious to hear more feedback on the performance thing a wider variety of scenarios and machine setups.

In terms of the balance changes:
1. The Spirecraft Martyrs have been hit with the nerf bat really hard, thanks to player urging.
2. The Zenith Virtal Shredders have as well, but in general their swarm mechanics have also been simplified.
3. And lastly, super-stacked forcefields have also been heavily nerfed. Stacking forcefields is still a smart thing to do, but you can no longer set up a chain of them where one is being repaired under the next in an endless rotation.

There was also a bugfix to the recently-added ActivateHighestEfficiencyLowPowerEnergyReactor and PutLowestEfficiencyActiveEnergyReactorIntoLowPower keybinds.

This is a standard update that you can download through the in-game updater itself, if you already have 5.000 or later. When you launch the game, you'll see the notice of the update having been found if you're connected to the Internet at the time. If you don't have 5.000 or later, you can download that here.

<a href="http://www.arcengames.com/aiwar_features.php"/><img src="http://arcengames.com/img/side_aiwar.png"</img></a>
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Tidalis <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Tidalis">Facebook page</a>
A Valley Without Wind <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Valley-Without-Wind/164979970229916">Facebook page</a>
Our <a href="http://www.arcengames.com/forums/index.php">community forums</a></i>
Report bugs and suggestions: <a href="http://www.arcengames.com/mantisbt/">MantisBT</a>
The <a href="irc:/irc.rtsnet.org/aiwar">AI War IRC</a> / <a href="http://www.arcengames.com/aiwar_irc.php">AI War web IRC</a>
<b><a href="http://arcengames.blogspot.com/2011/08/ai-war-beta-5014-bulk-rate-starships.html">Please see the original post here</a></b>
<b><a href="http://arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=AI_War_-_Current_Post-5.000_Beta#Prerelease_5.014">Changelog may be found here</a></b>

This one is a much smaller release than the last, but I predict that its effect on gameplay will actually be just as large. The main change here is that starship costs have been driven down substantially -- reduced about 33%, in most but not all cases. This makes the average combined metal/crystal costs of mark I starships closer to 80k rather than 120k, meaning that players can deploy more of them earlier in the game, more of them overall, and that they build faster.

Given the role that siege starships are intended to play against large aggressors, that's important. Excuse me -- antimatter starships. After running our poll for a while, that became the clear winner for a new name for sieges that would be more descriptive and less misleading. The description text for the animatter starship also makes it abundantly clear right from the start that their role is "capital killer," rather than their former (long ago) role as a siege cannon.

<i>This is a standard update that you can download through the in-game updater itself, if you already have 5.000 or later. When you launch the game, you'll see the notice of the update having been found if you're connected to the Internet at the time. If you don't have 5.000 or later, you can download that <a href="http://www.arcengames.com/aiwar_buy.php">here.</a></i>

AI War Facebook page
Arcen Games' Facebook page
Tidalis Facebook page
A Valley Without Wind Facebook page
Our community forums
Report bugs and suggestions: MantisBT
The AI War IRC / AI War web IRC
Please see the original post here
Changelog may be found here

This one is a much smaller release than the last, but I predict that its effect on gameplay will actually be just as large. The main change here is that starship costs have been driven down substantially -- reduced about 33%, in most but not all cases. This makes the average combined metal/crystal costs of mark I starships closer to 80k rather than 120k, meaning that players can deploy more of them earlier in the game, more of them overall, and that they build faster.

Given the role that siege starships are intended to play against large aggressors, that's important. Excuse me -- antimatter starships. After running our poll for a while, that became the clear winner for a new name for sieges that would be more descriptive and less misleading. The description text for the animatter starship also makes it abundantly clear right from the start that their role is "capital killer," rather than their former (long ago) role as a siege cannon.

This is a standard update that you can download through the in-game updater itself, if you already have 5.000 or later. When you launch the game, you'll see the notice of the update having been found if you're connected to the Internet at the time. If you don't have 5.000 or later, you can download that here.

<a href="http://www.arcengames.com/aiwar_features.php"/><img src="http://arcengames.com/img/side_aiwar.png"</img></a>
<i>AI War <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/AI-War-Fleet-Command/143457342376">Facebook page</a>
Arcen Games' <a href="http://www.facebook.com/arcengames">Facebook page</a>
Tidalis <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Tidalis">Facebook page</a>
A Valley Without Wind <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Valley-Without-Wind/164979970229916">Facebook page</a>
Our <a href="http://www.arcengames.com/forums/index.php">community forums</a></i>
Report bugs and suggestions: <a href="http://www.arcengames.com/mantisbt/">MantisBT</a>
The <a href="irc:/irc.rtsnet.org/aiwar">AI War IRC</a> / <a href="http://www.arcengames.com/aiwar_irc.php">AI War web IRC</a>
<b><a href="http://arcengames.blogspot.com/2011/08/ai-war-beta-5013-resurgent-underdogs.html">Please see the original post here</a></b>
<b><a href="http://arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=AI_War_-_Current_Post-5.000_Beta#Prerelease_5.013">Changelog may be found here</a></b>

<u>Things that can now be scrapped that could not be before</u>
- Gravity Drills

<u>Cheaper knowledge costs or AI Progress costs</u>
- Riot Control Starships
- Scout Starships
- Gravity Turrets
- Zenith Spacetime Manipulators
- Mark II Scouts
- Armoured Warheads
- Cloaker Starships
- Neinzul Enclave Starships

<u>Now knowledge-free</u>
- Mark I Riot Control, Cloaker, and Neinzul Enclave Starships

<u>Improved Function</u>
- Mark III Lightning/Armoured Warheads
- Siege Starships
- Mercenary Neinzul Enclave Starships

<b>Other Changes</b>
ut that's not it! Starfields actually got a bit more attractive and a bit lighter on the GPU (they were already trivially light anyhow, though). And even more importantly, fixed a longstanding bug that has been mucking with AI retreats, and which recently has been causing astro trains to stall out on player planets.

So expect a more dynamic, responsive foe when you spring a trap that the AI recognizes and wants to run away from. Previously the AI was issuing retreat orders that a good portion of its ships were simply ignoring to stay and shoot at stuff! Now they'll shoot stuff as they flee, then come back when it's inconvenient for you.

<b>What's the deal with all the balance changes above?</b>
Well, these are all ships that players seem to ignore as not being useful, because their cost-to-benefit ratio was just slightly off (or, in the case of riot control starships, it was too big a gamble to unlock the mark I version and then see if you need them or not).

The tweaks overall are fairly slight, but they should help bring the difficulty of the expansions (sans minor factions and other special features) back down at least a little bit closer to that of the base game alone, while at the same time encouraging experimentation and use of more of the ships that are there.

I also changed around the knowledge costs of a few of the lesser-used techs to make them more attractive. Several new things now fall into the "candy tech" realm, where they are attractive to take but start to "rot your teeth" if you take them too much. I think the same will now be true of the armored warheads when it comes to AI Progress costs, too, actually. We used to have that dynamic with lightning warheads back in the 2.0-3.0 days, and this will hopefully bring elements of that back.


<i>This is a standard update that you can download through the in-game updater itself, if you already have 5.000 or later. When you launch the game, you'll see the notice of the update having been found if you're connected to the Internet at the time. If you don't have 5.000 or later, you can download that <a href="http://www.arcengames.com/aiwar_buy.php">here.</a></i>

AI War Facebook page
Arcen Games' Facebook page
Tidalis Facebook page
A Valley Without Wind Facebook page
Our community forums
Report bugs and suggestions: MantisBT
The AI War IRC / AI War web IRC
Please see the original post here
Changelog may be found here

Things that can now be scrapped that could not be before
- Gravity Drills

Cheaper knowledge costs or AI Progress costs
- Riot Control Starships
- Scout Starships
- Gravity Turrets
- Zenith Spacetime Manipulators
- Mark II Scouts
- Armoured Warheads
- Cloaker Starships
- Neinzul Enclave Starships

Now knowledge-free
- Mark I Riot Control, Cloaker, and Neinzul Enclave Starships

Improved Function
- Mark III Lightning/Armoured Warheads
- Siege Starships
- Mercenary Neinzul Enclave Starships

Other Changes
ut that's not it! Starfields actually got a bit more attractive and a bit lighter on the GPU (they were already trivially light anyhow, though). And even more importantly, fixed a longstanding bug that has been mucking with AI retreats, and which recently has been causing astro trains to stall out on player planets.

So expect a more dynamic, responsive foe when you spring a trap that the AI recognizes and wants to run away from. Previously the AI was issuing retreat orders that a good portion of its ships were simply ignoring to stay and shoot at stuff! Now they'll shoot stuff as they flee, then come back when it's inconvenient for you.

What's the deal with all the balance changes above?
Well, these are all ships that players seem to ignore as not being useful, because their cost-to-benefit ratio was just slightly off (or, in the case of riot control starships, it was too big a gamble to unlock the mark I version and then see if you need them or not).

The tweaks overall are fairly slight, but they should help bring the difficulty of the expansions (sans minor factions and other special features) back down at least a little bit closer to that of the base game alone, while at the same time encouraging experimentation and use of more of the ships that are there.

I also changed around the knowledge costs of a few of the lesser-used techs to make them more attractive. Several new things now fall into the "candy tech" realm, where they are attractive to take but start to "rot your teeth" if you take them too much. I think the same will now be true of the armored warheads when it comes to AI Progress costs, too, actually. We used to have that dynamic with lightning warheads back in the 2.0-3.0 days, and this will hopefully bring elements of that back.


This is a standard update that you can download through the in-game updater itself, if you already have 5.000 or later. When you launch the game, you'll see the notice of the update having been found if you're connected to the Internet at the time. If you don't have 5.000 or later, you can download that here.

<a href="http://www.arcengames.com/aiwar_features.php"/><img src="http://arcengames.com/img/side_aiwar.png"</img></a>
<i>AI War <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/AI-War-Fleet-Command/143457342376">Facebook page</a>
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Tidalis <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Tidalis">Facebook page</a>
A Valley Without Wind <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Valley-Without-Wind/164979970229916">Facebook page</a>
Our <a href="http://www.arcengames.com/forums/index.php">community forums</a></i>
Report bugs and suggestions: <a href="http://www.arcengames.com/mantisbt/">MantisBT</a>
The <a href="irc:/irc.rtsnet.org/aiwar">AI War IRC</a> / <a href="http://www.arcengames.com/aiwar_irc.php">AI War web IRC</a>
<b><a href="http://arcengames.blogspot.com/2011/07/ai-war-beta-5012-efficient.html">Please see the original post here</a></b>
<b><a href="http://arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=AI_War_-_Current_Post-5.000_Beta#Prerelease_5.012">Changelog may be found here</a></b>

This one has the usual variety of tweaks and fixes requested by players. Of particular note are some optional keybindings for turning on/off your highest/lowest efficiency reactors (micromanagers rejoice), and some options for multiplayer in terms of auto-building on allied planets.

Astro Trains also now actually shoot their guns again, after having been accidentally muzzled for the last six months, and ships with "temporary invincibility" now show up with an angry-looking red/yellow force field effect to make it more clear that they have that status effect.

<i>This is a standard update that you can download through the in-game updater itself, if you already have 5.000 or later. When you launch the game, you'll see the notice of the update having been found if you're connected to the Internet at the time. If you don't have 5.000 or later, you can download that <a href="http://www.arcengames.com/aiwar_buy.php">here.</a></i>

AI War Facebook page
Arcen Games' Facebook page
Tidalis Facebook page
A Valley Without Wind Facebook page
Our community forums
Report bugs and suggestions: MantisBT
The AI War IRC / AI War web IRC
Please see the original post here
Changelog may be found here

This one has the usual variety of tweaks and fixes requested by players. Of particular note are some optional keybindings for turning on/off your highest/lowest efficiency reactors (micromanagers rejoice), and some options for multiplayer in terms of auto-building on allied planets.

Astro Trains also now actually shoot their guns again, after having been accidentally muzzled for the last six months, and ships with "temporary invincibility" now show up with an angry-looking red/yellow force field effect to make it more clear that they have that status effect.

This is a standard update that you can download through the in-game updater itself, if you already have 5.000 or later. When you launch the game, you'll see the notice of the update having been found if you're connected to the Internet at the time. If you don't have 5.000 or later, you can download that here.