EMPEROR OF THE FADING SUNS
NOVA
The New Start
|
|
EMPEROR OF THE FADING SUNS NOVA The New Start |
||
Nova has now been updated to version 2.3. For details of the changes, click here. Existing Nova games can be upgraded to the new version, just by installing it over the top of any old version.
The rest of the web site has also been updated, and now assumes that you're using EFS 1.4 and Nova 2.3.
Escape From Earth (which includes all the Nova files) has been updated in line with Nova 2.3, but no other changes have been made in it.
The official EFS 1.4 patch has now been out for a couple of months. You can download it from Holistic's web site. For a full list of the changes, see the Whatsnew file with the patch. Here's a list of the most significant changes, other than bug fixes:
Dag and I have started work on a new version of Nova (2.3), which will take account of the changes and incorporate some other minor improvements, but this may take a while, as we're both busy with other things. In the meantime, you can continue using Nova 2.21 with the 1.4 patch, but note the following two points:
The rest of this web site is being gradually updated to be "version 1.4 compatible".
Added some new house rules.
My new Escape From Earth scenario is now available for download.
Holistic has begun work on a new patch (version 1.4) for EFS. The patch is being made available for beta testing in stages, and the first stage is being tested now. You can read the discussion about this patch in the Nova Forum. If you want to be involved in the beta testing, contact Ken Lightner at Holistic.
Nova version 2.21 is now out, which fixes a few more minor problems. What's new in Nova 2.21? Download Nova 2.21.
Why's the version number 2.21 and not 2.2? Because there was briefly a version 2.2 which I only distributed to a few people.
I've also made some minor improvements in It's War! which is now at version 2.1. Download It's War! 2.1.
Version 2.1 of Nova is now available. This corrects a few minor problems in version 2.0.
I've also made some minor improvements in It's War! which is now at version 2.0.
There are also changes to the Recommended House Rules and a new system for Balancing the House Traits.
Most other pages have been updated too. I've removed the Nova 1 charts from the Reference Charts page, but I've left the Nova 2.0 charts, for the benefit of those who are still playing it.
Finally completed the Notes on Play of Nova 2.
I've added three new files to the Downloads page:- (1) maps of all the starting planets in my "It's War!" galaxy; (2) the official version 1.3 patch; (3) the official version 1.21 patch (the previous one).
Version 2.0 of Nova is now available. As well as a large number of minor changes, it includes a complete overhaul of unit characteristics and costs, to ensure that each unit's strength is in line with its cost. In particular, the high-tech units are now a lot more powerful. Thanks to Dag Stålhandske for all his work on Nova 2.
We hope this will be the final version of Nova, as we don't intend to make further major changes. However, we will still attempt to fix any problems which appear in this version.
I've also finished work on my new galaxy/scenario called It's War! This is intended specifically for multiplayer games, and will make for much more player interaction. Instead of each House starting on a different planet, each house has cities on Kish, Aragon, Severus, Delphi, Istakhr, Byzantium, Holy Terra and Stigmata. So there will be plenty of opportunity for conflict right from the start! Plus, the Symbiots and Vau are really forces to be reckoned with.
Matt Caspermeyer has created his own data file patch for EFS, called Hyperion.
Nova Version 1.4. Fixes a couple of minor problems.
Nova Version 1.3. Thanks to Chris Donovan, we've now discovered why spotting and camo don't work in standard EFS and we've been able to fix it by changing the unitspot.dat file. This is the only file that's changed, and there shouldn't be any problem with continuing your existing games using the new file. We think this change is a significant improvement.
Nova Version 1.2. It looks like version 1.1 didn't completely fix the Symbiot crash problem. This time I think we've really got it fixed. No need for details. It's a bit technical. Suffice to say, it was a careless error on my (Richard Wein) part. There are no other changes in 1.2.
Galaxy Editor. We've now obtained a copy of the EFS Galaxy Editor. We aim to produce one or more custom galaxies to take full advantage of the benefits of Nova. Watch this space.
Nova has been upgraded to version 1.1. The main reason was to deal with a problem that was sometimes causing the game to crash. It seems to be OK now, but please let us know if you experience any more crashes. We've also taken the opportunity to make some other minor adjustments.
Segasoft has finally released the official version 1.3 patch for EFS. It seems to be basically the same as the 1.3.05 beta patch, which some of us have already been using with Nova. There would appear to be no problem in using the new version with Nova, in case anyone was wondering.
The Nova web site is now up and running.