UPGRADE U3.0

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Hammer has related the following on the bulletin board:

Hello Pilots! I just got off of ICQ with Ciaran from SR. Just a little info to pass along. Most of this you may have already heard. The word is that a BETA of the patch will be out by the end of August. That's as close to a date as I could get. It is going to be a large download. About the same size as the last one. The game will require Direct X7 only, not 8 like may have previously been posted. They said that they wanted 8 because it will allow play from behind a NAT Router for online games, but they have a few issues with DX8 at the moment, so it may not happen this time around. Most of the changes are with the code, not resources. They said that they have not improved the flight characteristics of the AI pilots, (they will still run into walls) but he said that the new Auto Pilot uses basically the same engine as the AI pilots, so that will give them some insite into how they fly. There is a key control to toggle auto pilot on and off. Auto pilot will fly towards a targeted building, or attack a targeted ship. Also, the upgrade is supposed to help the economy run better, plus you will be able to manufacture stuff for yourself. And finally, the longterm goal for the game is to have a permanent online internet game running. It won't be Hardwar because of the ownership issue of the name, but it will use the Hardwar engine. That's it. This has been a public service announcment. Hope some of this info was new!

-- Hammer

Thanks, Hammer

To date this patch is not released. Software Refinery has given us several clues as to what this patch will include:

Economy upgrades. Titan's economy won't suffer as many "recessions" and the game will boost the economy as needed to keep it robust.

Hosts will be able to block use of the God Hangar in online games.

Several dedicated game improvements including password protection for pilot names and assets.

Taxis will respawn meaning that they won't all die off under the usual circumstances.

AI traders will no longer hover over businesses that are closed.

UnderDog and Hammer have reported that the U3.00 patch will expand Auto-Pilot's abilities to being able to fly your Moth for you. You pick a building from Local Services or your Building's menu and you can be flown there automatically.

UPGRADE U2.04

This patch updates the video more and allows for the creation of a dedicated server. I'm sure the dedicated server software will be used heavily and online worlds are created.

UPGRADE U2.03

Well, we can finally use the Moth skins we've been making and collecting. A new tab is added to Hardwar's main lauch screen titled "Moths". Click this tab, select a Moth in the first box and then select the skin file (24-bit bitmap) you want to use for that Moth. Now that type of Moth will be "skinned" when you play the offline game.

There's a sneaky new weapon on Titan. It's called a Trojan. Think "Trojan Horse". This weapon fires like any other and takes up a weapons bay. When fired, a cargo marked "Minerals" is released. This cargo is in fact a bomb that will destroy the Moth that picks it up. Great for those times when you must jettison cargo. If the pirate picks it up -- BOOM ! Problem solved. Trojans are pricey at nearly $10,000 for two. Pick some up at Psycho Bob's 2, Downtown in the Trade Central complex.

There's a new occupation, too. It's called Dealer. You don't start with much of a Moth, but you get a hangar with some goods and lots of clones installed. The hangar is old Vacant 0030 which is the tower beside Hardwarp FM. Your stock includes some Trojans and a lot of Sprats. You also get $100,000. A tidy little nest-egg that should be used for immediate Moth upgrades.

As a Dealer, you start with a poorly fitted Moon Moth. You've got a laser, medium pod, and drone. You're fitted with Engine and Cell #1. Upgrade both of these immediately as you've also inhereted an enemy by being a Dealer. Your enemy's name is Nelson Column. He's gunning for you Downtown in a Silver-Y. He's a good pilot, too.

You can ride the monorail now.

Probably the most important feature in the long run is the ability to host continuing online games. Dedicated server software is included with the U2.03 upgrade. I imagine there will now be several online worlds to play in. This is what I really wanted to see in Hardwar. The game just begs for online worlds.

UPGRADE U2.01

The biggest news about the second upgrade is the superior support for Direct 3D and most 3Dfx cards. You now have the option of using your choice of Glide drivers and Direct 3D devices from the drop down menu at the top of the "Display" tab of Hardwar's launch menu.

There's also a new MOTH called the SWALLOW. We've all been waiting months to try out this new moth. You can learn more about it on the Swallow Page. It's fast, tough, and will replace the Neo-Tiger for traders who can afford one.

The other upgrades include all of the U1.0 upgrades described below.

UPGRADE U1.0

CLONING

I"ve found out a lot about cloning and have started a seperate page for it here.

NEW OCCUPATIONS

We're not stuck with starting the game in a Silver-Y anymore. There are three new occupations all with their own specially equipped Moths. The new occupations are Agitator, Godfather, and Corrupt Cop. They all come with Engine #3s and Fusion Cells. More details can be found here.

PRICE CHANGING

We've all been annoyed by having to change the prices of items we have for sale in our hangars. The price up and down buttons only went in one dollar increments. Those days are gone. There's a new button between the Price Up and Price Down buttons that allows you to select $1, $10, or $100 increments.

The effect will be that you'll probably mess with your prices more to find the highest price an item will sell at. I've already discovered that you can just about name your price for exotic missiles and Sprats early in the game.

PIRATES ARE MORE AGGRESSIVE

Pirates attacking you are much more aggressive and more apt to attack in groups. In fact, I noticed that there were just more pirates around in general. They're still going by the same names, it's just that they're a lot thicker out there. I rarely exited a hangar with any cargo that at least one pirate didn't jump on me immediately. They attacked me once for carrying only five Ore. In the old version, you had to be carrying at least ten Ore or Scrap Metal to catch the attention of AI pirates. No more.

In a bigger question, I think that the AI pilots are flying a little better overall. The pirates are particularly noticeable. They stay on you better and longer and are more vindictive if you evade them. If you beat them to a cargo, you can bet they'll be waiting for you as you exit a hangar after selling it.

POLICE MOTH STILL CAN'T FIRE NUKES

I'm sure this is an oversight that will eventually be corrected. Remember this, though, if you're using the new Corrupt Cop career option. You'll have to find another Moth to fire your nukes just like in the unpatched game.

FILES ADDED AND CHANGED

Below are a list of the files that are added or overwritten by the U1.0 upgrade patch:

HardwarW.exe

The main program executable file. The initial launch screen is opened with Hardman.exe. The real program is the HardwarW.exe. This new file overwrites your current one.

Hardup.res

This is the file that makes things look differently. It is the model code for the various new objects found in the game. The big Hardwar.res file is the main RES file that has all of the old Moths and buildings and other objects. This new file just has a few new things. It is referred to by the new HardwarW.exe. It is a new file and lives right alongside the older Hardwar.res file.

Hardman.exe

This runs the opening "launch" screen where you select your gaming options and start a game. The new file overwrites you old one and provides you with new options like being able to turn of hangar noises, etc. This file overwrites your current Hardman.exe, but does not change any of your settings.

RefUinst.exe

The uninstallation program activated when you remove Hardwar using the Add/Remove programs function of Windows. This gives a little cleaner uninstallation than the old installation program.

Hardwar.id

A file that identifies the patched version as U1.0. This is a new file.

dsetup.dll

Kind of a mystery. The file matches exactly, bit for bit, the older DSetup.dll. The file accesses and initializes DirectX controls like Direct 3D video. I'm not sure why they changed the capitalization to rename the file or why they even included it. Compare them in a hex editor and you'll see that they're the same file with slightly different names. Maybe all older versions do not have this file. It overwrites the DSetup.dll file.

NOTE:

You will want to remove any player patches you may be running before installing the patch. The player patches shouldn't have any effect since the core files are overwritten, but why tempt fate. If you have trouble with your initial installation, back up your saved games and uninstall and reinstall your original Hardwar game before installing the patch.

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