v534 runs stable in Unmodded form.. did anyone think that the Unity Mod may have been the source of the problems with it crashing???? WT and company liked to set everything high and to have all the weapon spechs (except damage) set across the board.. the game engine was not designed for that, the weapons are suppose to step up in health.. much like the Officers..
anyhow.. v534_b ran stable unmodded fo 3 weeks and 2 days before the server needed to be reset (that is turned off and then back on, not a DB reset)...
the only difference between v531 and v534_b is
30 July 2004
SFC3 Patch version 1.01 Build 534_b
1) Dynaverse - Planet and Base hexes flip normally. Defense Value now changes by 1 per victory or loss.
2) Scimitar now player selectable by default in skirmish and campaign modes.
3) Full Nemisis Add-On material enclosed. Includes nemisis readme file and Nemesis Concept Art which was not contained in any previous game version patches.
4) Borg Armor health too weak in v534 and v534a patch levels. Borg Armor health raised to patch v500 and v531 levels in HullItems.gf.
5) Borg tractor health too low in v534 and v534a patch levels. Borg tractor health raised to v500 and v531 levels in HullItems.gf.
6) Expanded trouble sooting in the SFC 3 Readme v534.rtf file.
8 May 2004
SFC3 Patch version 1.01 Build 534
1) Random and single player missions not being allowed properly (if set) in Hexes with bases and planets or enemies - fixed.
2) After a ship decloaks, it will be auto-targeted but you cannot fire upon it - fixed (no longer auto-targets).
3) If you use the 's' key to accelerate out of a reverse you still manuever at a reduced rate - fixed.
4) Scan mission not working in nebula hexes - fixed.
5) AI attempting High Energy Turns too often - fixed.
6) DefaultLoadout may now be CRC checked when logging on to Dynaverse by placing in validated client files.
7) The amount of damage taken by officers may be attenuated by changing OfficerDamageMod in HullItems.gf, default value is 0.
Borg no longer has Anti-Matter Mines available in weapon selection by default per game manual. Anti-Matter mines can be added back to the borg race in the WeaponItems.gf file.
9) Implimented a No CD tweak into the sfc.ini under the [UI] heading called "MakeItSo".
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20 December 2003
SFC3 Patch version 1.01 Build 531
1) Officers not recovering from injuries - fixed.
2) Cheat: using universal starbase warp engines in starships giving massive amounts of power - fixed.
3) Large number of starships in base and planetary missions cause lag - reduced number of defense ships but made them larger on average.
4) Klingon disruptors will miss a ship going at warp - fixed.
5) Increased proximity torpedo bonus from 20% to 30%.
6) Crash: Klingon first mission crashes when you attack the uninhabited planet - fixed.
7) Allied AI ships are not in a human fleet at the start of a mission - fixed.
Warp core too vulnerable - fixed.
9) Triple shot is not happening enough - fixed
10) Plasma Torpedoes do not hit often enough - fixed
11) Romulan medium and heavy plasma torpedoes fire triple too much - fixed
12) Romulan triple shot never hits with all three - fixed
13) Dynaverse - Lieutenant Commander rank needs t be abbreviated to Lt. Cmdr - fixed.
14) Cinematics Campaign End movies do not play - fixed.
15) Dynaverse - Player can get head start on opponent at start of game - fixed.
16) If two allied races had a successful co-op mission with the same Victory result in a neutral hex, the result would be a draw - fixed.
17) Pirate's have the same map color has the Federation - fixed.
18) Downgrading your ship, or removing components from it, while the server setting "CanBenefitFromDowngrade=1" is set in
the Economy.gf file causes both your lifetime and current prestige to go up, instead of just your current prestige.
This causes the player to stop being promoted if their lifetime prestige exceeds that needed for the next rank - fixed.
19) Stardate "Freezes" when restarting using a saved game - fixed.
20) Confusing Text "...ship is of a higher class and can't join your fleet" - fixed.
21) Your AI Fleet-Members can Decline you from Joining in a Battle - fixed.
22) Borg Base Fast Cutting Beams Charging at Slow Rate - fixed.
23) Failing a scan or distress call mission in a neutral hex causes the hex to flip to the player anyway - fixed
24) AI does not repair non-weapon systems - fixed.
25) Planets named U.S.S. <insert name here> or IKV <insert name here> etc. - fixed.
26) Neutral planets in empire hex do not turn to Player's Empire - fixed.
27) Ships stop in space sputtering around speed 0 - fixed.
28) Must play missions do not stop the player from moving (mission dragging) - fixed.
29) Scan missions in asteroid hexes having multiple black holes present - fixed.
30) Bonus prestige in missions with more than 2 attacking teams is not being caluclated correctly - fixed.
31) Game instability When Attacking Planets - fixed.
32) After being moved to a "Safe Location" with a Starbase or Planet after a battle you are not able to refit or repair - fixed.
33) Borg Cube loads in with System Damage Every Time - fixed.
34) AI's do not start in tactical fleeted up with humans they are fleeted - fixed.
35) Players frequently get stuck "in battle" when they click "done" - fixed.
36) New .gf setting which allows turning off of Borg regen armor. This is in the Hullitems.gf file at the bottom listed as:
.....[BorgArmor]
.....DoesRegen=1
When this is set to 0, it will essentially turn the Borg into a "normal" race. Their hull will no longer regenerate. Their ships will bank, they will have to pay for repairs and they will have shield glows. This option is for modders who wish to replace the Borg with another race .
37) De-Borgified 4th race no longer gets free hull repair.
38) Switch put in to enable random missions when enemy is present in hex.
39) 60sec max wait time for mission start (up from 40).
40) Enabled the shield glows for de-Borgified 4th race.
41) Banking ships enabled for the de-Borgified Slot.
42) Reduced network traffic, improving the overall multiplayer experience. In particular AI constantly throwing out change of direction messages when no change was made.
43) Added weapon acrs into the game engine for modders to further customize their mods.
44) Extra Taldren made missions added. Surprise Reversed, Monster, and Casino.
Now, with these changes it changes some items in the way people has to mod the game.. as such, I think people were consistantly using the same modding techniques without consideing the effects it made on the game...
Also in v531, the cheat of editing the DefaultCore and joining a server was allowed, which allowed players to create Uber ships and rack up PP in little to no time.. v534 corrected this issue with the DefaultCore being CRC checked...
anyhow.. I hope that this information helps...