Arvoch Alliance 1.x has been updated to 2.0, http://www.starwraith.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=13180

See the update notice below:

Arvoch Alliance 2.0 is now available for download.

This update is free to everyone who purchased the 1.X version. Simply download and run the installer for 2.0 and it will update any older 1.X build to the 2.0 edition. Anyone purchasing the game from now on will get 2.0. There are several important changes and requirements to keep in mind with this update for anyone upgrading from 1.X:

- You will need to remap all controls as the systems and options have changed dramatically, requiring new save templates and formatting. Evochron Legacy's GCS and more recent control framework (developed last year) has been ported to Arvoch Alliance, although it has many unique attributes designed to accommodate the control systems and options of the mission based game (which has different consoles, command options, and more).

- The minimum system requirements have increased for the new version to support newer graphics technology. This was done to support more advanced planetary terrain, larger universe scaling, shadows, and a number of other graphics capabilities. Most systems that could play 1.X should be able to play 2.0 as well. But one significant change is dropping support for Windows XP. Windows Vista is now the minimum required version. This is due to the migration to the newer WDDM display model approach used up through Windows 10, which was first introduced with Vista and not supported in XP. Another change is the requirement for a video card that supports shader model 3 minimum, an increase from shader model 2 required with 1.X. I will continue to offer the 1.X version of the game for anyone interested in continuing to play the older version of the game.

- The Arvoch games have generally been developed alongside the Evochron series, featuring many of the same graphics, ships, weapons, flight dynamics, and technologies. Arvoch has simply focused on the military side of things for its mission driven gameplay. Arvoch Alliance was originally released in 2011 and shared similarities with the latest Evochron game at the time, Mercenary (the original 1.X version). So it's been quite a long time since then and with the introduction of Legacy in 2015, I wanted to go ahead and work on Arvoch to again bring it up to a similar graphics technology level and style of the current Evochron game. So you'll find the two games will again now look and feel pretty similar, with differences in a few key areas in addition to Arvoch's mission driven approach. The HUD, cockpit displays, and many indicators have been unified, with a few style and menu option differences to accommodate Arvoch's functionality and design approach.

- Sector scaling in the new update is 10X what it was in the 1.X version, so all entity placement and mission area sizes are spaced that much farther out. This provides a much larger battle area while still accommodating existing mission files and their values. Standard IFF radar/sensor range has been increased to 25K and maximum jump drive speed increased to 78K to better accommodate this scaling change.

- Weapon designations, sounds, ranges, and visuals have also been brought closely in line with Evochron Legacy for consistency. There are some variations in energy reserves and capacities for the advanced military conditions and specifications of Arvoch. And some names are slightly different (for example, the 'E' type Evoch fighter is referred to as the 'Evoch-E' in Arvoch, rather than its descriptor name 'Nighthawk' as in Evochron). The physics and flight dynamics of the two games are also now generally pretty close, so maneuvers/tactics used in one will usually apply well to the other. However, since Arvoch focuses on Vonari and some differences in settings/parameters, the AI will fly differently under some conditions than they will in Evochron.

- Custom campaigns and mission files should generally still be compatible with the new game. However, since sector size is now 10X greater, radar range increased to 25K, and jump drive velocity increased to 78K, some minor adjustments may be needed to retain desired pacing and/or spacing. The game will automatically increase the placement values by 10X to line up with the new version's scaling, but you may want to make changes to any mission files to account for such differences. Retaining compatibility with formatting and values also means that the original mission editor can continue to be used with the new version of the game.

- If you are updating from version 1.X to 2.0, the game will move some files and create new ones to accommodate changes and additions to the settings, options, and control systems. The game will do this automatically the first time you launch it if a 1.X version is detected. If old games files are present, the game will first create a folder named OldSettingFilesV1 in the save data folder (default location is c:sw3dgArvochAlliance). It will then move the keymap8.sw, stickt.sw, sw.cfg, and any pilot*.sw files it detects to the newly created folder. These files can then be kept as backups in case you want to install an older 1.X build in the future and want to restore the old files that are compatible with the older version of the game. New keymap8.sw, stickt.sw, and sw.cfg files will then be created for the 2.0 version of the game. New pilot*.sw files won't be created however, since they are compatible with the new version of the game (so you will be able to continue where you left off in the 1.X version of the game as well as keep any rank you've earned).

To update the game, simply launch the 1.X version of the game and when it prompts you for the update, follow the link provided in the game to download the 2.0 installer. If you have troubles getting the installer, you can contact me via e-mail (starwraith.com > contact) for support, please be sure to include the reference ID for your license to the game in your e-mail. You can also optionally download the demo version from the game's website to try out the new version.