Empire Server Files

Release notes for Wolfpack Empire 4.3.29

This release fixes several bugs, some of them crash bugs.

Deities are urged to use this release for new games.  Upgrading mid-game
is not supported, and expected to result in total disaster.  Fine print:
you should be able to upgrade with the empdump utility, if you know what
you're doing.

This release was made from the Git repository at

    http://git.pond.sub.org/?p=empserver;a=summary


Released files:

Source code
 * empire-4.3.29.tar.gz             Everything
 * empire-client-4.3.29.tar.gz      Just the client

Pre-formatted documentation
 * empire-info-text-4.3.29.tar.gz   Text
 * empire-info-html-4.3.29.tar.gz   HTML

User contributed files:
 * contrib/empire-server-4.3.29-i386-win32.zip
                                    Server binaries for Windows
				    (Ron Koenderink)


Change log:

Changes to Empire 4.3.29 - Fri Jan 20 19:20:20 UTC 2012
 * drop and fly from carrier could fail to load last civilian or
   military.
 * Telegram and announcement changes:
   - wire no longer loops to show announcements that arrived while
     waiting for the player to confirm deletion.
   - At most five seconds worth of messages are now squashed together
     into one.  Before, only the time between adjacent telegrams was
     limited, not the total time.
   - When telegrams arrived while read was waiting for the player to
     confirm deletion, and we then showed them, we nevertheless
     claimed "you have new telegrams" before the next command prompt.
     Only with toggle inform off.  Known bug since Empire 2.
   - Fix read not to clobber asynchronous notification of telegrams
     arriving while waiting for the player to confirm deletion.
   - Fix wire not to reset number of pending telegrams with toggle
     inform on.  Broken when Empire 2 introduced toggle inform.
   - The number of pending announcements was off when announcements
     were squashed together.
   - More careful error handling and logging.
 * Ensure all of an update's output goes into a single production
   report:
   - Avoid splitting it up when the update is slow.  Empire 2 already
     did that for the number of pending telegrams, but not for read.
   - Don't turn parts of it into BULLETINs.  Autonav and sail could do
     that since Empire 2.
 * files now creates POGO with user interface flags beep, coastwatch,
   sonar and techlists set, for consistency with add.
 * Change newcap back to not wiping the country (it wiped since
   4.3.12).  Additionally, leave levels and telegrams alone.
 * Changes to deity command add:
   - Require confirmation for unadvisable actions.
   - Refuse to touch a country while it's being played.
   - Don't crash on negative country number.
   - Create deities with money, just like files creates POGO.
   - Always reset the country completely, not just when adding a
     player or a visitor.
   - Rename argument "new" to "player".  Keep recognizing "new" for
     now, but deprecate it.
   - Drop argument "active".  If you really want to create a player
     country without a capital, add the player country normally, then
     activate it with edit instead of newcap.
   - Drop the obscure sector check and wipe option.  If you really
     need to wipe out a country, there's much more to wipe than just
     sectors.
   - Drop the undocumented land unit destruction feature.
 * Permit no-op country name change again.  Accidentally outlawed in
   4.3.20.
 * Plug a few minor memory and file descriptor leaks.
 * Fix use-after-free when plane gets shot down or aborted in
   dogfight.  Broken in 4.3.27.
 * Code cleanup.
 * Info page and manual page fixes.

The client did not materially change since 4.2.28.