GALCOM ECHO SQUAD SE CHANGELOG

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KNOWN ISSUES

  • When on the planet and using Tacops remote viewing, your craft position will sometimes change when returning to the cockpit.
  • The new docking transition when used on the planet to dock at a starbase or MFB, will sometimes relocate the fighter on terrain after relaunch. A workaround: After launching from the starbase or MFB, land on the ground, then take off again.

[2.11.11 | 03-08-2018]

  • Minor revisions to the difficulty and script settings for 0106 – 0112 scenarios
  • Updated the Game Builder System (GBS) distribution files to include the aforementioned updated scripts

[2.11.11 | 12-23-2017]

  • Minor tweaks and improvements
  • Adjusted gun laser power requirements, resulting in faster gun recharge rates. NOTE: The higher the laser level, the more damage to the target – at a sacrifice of longer recharge (between firing) rate. The gun laser has limited power. When firing, if the requested energy exceeds the current charge, the guns won’t fire until fully recharged. The default laser level is 10 (0=off, 100=full), allowing faster recharge rate, more shots, less damage per shot. In addition, all craft have varying recharge rates, and per shot damage. Remember this before tinkering with these settings. The undocumented commands can be used to increase () | decrease (;) the laser level by 10 with each tap.
  • Added target range to F10 target camera
  • Minor 3D spatial audio improvements
  • MOTHER will no longer warn about a missile target as if it were a ship
  • FIXED: Using cheats to spawn ships would sometimes cause a crash

[2.11.10 | 12-04-2017]

  • Minor tweaks and improvements.
  • Simplified autopilot settings. ALT+A toggles on|off and CTRL+A toggles NAV|COMBAT ASSIST
  • FIXED: 3D audio settings weren’t working correctly

[2.11.09.01 | 11-27-2017]

  • Minor tweaks and improvements
  • Updated in-game docs and UI. Go to Control Panel and uninstall the previous version. Then Locate and run the gces_steam_shortcuts.exe file in your install folder to update stand-alone PDF files. See KB62
  • FIXED: an issue which prevented the game from running in WIN7

[2.11.09 | 11-26-2017]

  • Minor tweaks and improvements
  • Additional improvements to 3D spatial audio.
  • Revisions to K, L, O radar targeting commands (and the controller variants). They now prioritize threats which are actually firing at you or the selected target. This means that when using these commands, you will find units (e.g. enemy air defenses, fighters etc) which are actively trying to kill you, instead of units (e.g. starbase, launch pad) which have radar, but which don’t have weapons. NOTE: If you get NO TARGET after using one of these commands, that means no target was found in the current radar mode (SPC/GND/AIR) so you need to switch modes and check again. e.g. on the planet, if a GND target isn’t found, then the threat was an AIR target.
  • Added two (0111, 0112) new space to planet combat missions. These are variations of 0106 – 0107 scenarios, but which start off in space.

    When you launch, use TacOps to set a waypoint to the Hellstorm starbase located in the EARTH03/SITE_SBASE03 zone on the planet. Then use the nav system to jump to Earth. Your aircraft will then planetfall over the base. From there, you can locate the objectives. You can also choose to plot a nav point directly over or near the target area.

  • The high level combat tactics for NPC fighters (removed from game options in previous version) is now disabled by default due to combat being difficult for some people. If you do want to use it, search the GAME_CONFIG.INI file for HLEnemyCombatTactics and set to TRUE; then save the file and restart. Good luck!
  • The 100% UNSUPPORTED Game Builder System (GBS) tools have been released. More Info). This archive contains all the script sources for the scenarios included in the game, along with some samples. See the included README.TXT for more info.

[2.11.08 | 11-23-2017]

  • Minor tweaks and improvements. This update will replace your existing GAME_CONFIG.INI file with default settings.
  • Added new space and planetary scenarios, including several space and planetary sandbox variants.
  • Removed all legacy 4:3 resolution support. Minimum supported res is now 1280×720 (720p). Also added support for new resolutions: 2560×1440 (QHD, WQHD, Quad HD, 1440p) and 3840×2160 (UHD, Ultra HD, 4K, 2160p) More info
  • You can now dock with a planetary Mobile Forward Base in order to repair and rearm when deep inside enemy lines. This works the same way as when docking with a planetary starbase or a space starstation. See known issues for a known side effect.
  • Changed NPC gun sounds playback to ON|OFF setting in game options
  • Updated audio engine, and made various tweaks and improvements to audio playback.
  • Revised commandline options. See KB77
  • Updated in-game docs and UI. Locate and run the gces_steam_shortcuts.exe file in your install folder to update stand-alone PDF files. See KB62
  • Disabled playback of weather audio on Tacops
  • Disabled controller vibration due to WIN10 issues
  • Disabled multiplayer from the main menu due to master servers going offline years ago. Multiplayer is no longer supported. See KB80.
  • Various revisions to support the future (coming soon!) release of the game’s modding tools which can be used to create space and planetary combat missions. These are the same tools released for Universal Combat CE, but with support for GCES-SE.
  • FIXED: Some lingering minor bugs and issues. See known issues for more info.

[2.11.07 | 03-07-2014]
REMASTERED STEAM RELEASE


  • Added four (for a total of five fighters in the game) new playable fighters (single player only)
    • VANDAL Super Fighter
    • INTERCEPTOR MK1 Heavy Fighter
    • AURORA Medium Fighter
    • STARLANCE Medium Fighter
    • STARMONK Light Fighter
  • Added ability to play the sandbox scenario with any of the five fighters
  • Added ability to play RISE OF THE INSURGENTS campaign with any of the five fighters
  • Added Instant Action scenario, THE INSURGENT INCURSION playable with any of the five fighters

    This Instant Action scenario is a heavily revised version of the active duty combat scenario which appears at the end of the tutorial. It has been tweaked for the full game and also extended from thirty to sixty minutes worth of combat engagement. A bunch of new assets and strike packets were also added.

    The Insurgents, in a brazen move, decided to launch an attack on GALCOM HQ station in orbit around Earth. Your Wildstar fleet had just returned to the Genesis station (in orbit around Venus) from tactical ops in Alpha Centauri when the call came in.

    Your fleet and two others launched from the GAZER-1 (Pluto) and STARPATH (Mars) stations, have been tasked to the region to provide tactical support alongside GALCOM HQ forces already engaged in the region.

    At the end of the scenario – if you survive – your fleet will be given a four hour patrol tasking order which takes it from Sol through the Sirius and Barnard’s Star systems. Both of which are hostile territory.

    During this free-form patrol period, you can – if you so choose – explore the game universe without following orders from your Fleet Commander.

    NPC auto-generation is also activated at some point. Which means that while the fleet is on patrol, if you go off on your own, there is a very good chance that you will be killed.

    As usual, you can dock with any carrier in your fleet or any friendly starstation to repair and rearm your fighter. A list of friendly stations appears on p50 of the game manual.

    You can simply set Mother to escort GALCOM HQ, activate the Combat Assist mode of the auto-pilot, then just cycle through targets while viewing them using the F10 camera view (while using its viewing controls) as the battle rages on.

    Before switching to the F10 camera mode, you need to first select a target in the TRS, then press F10. This then allows you to cycle targets using the . and , commands while in that camera mode. You can then use the camera’s viewing controls (refer to the game’s commands) thereafter.

  • Updated game manual to include Aurora fighter specs (p48)
  • Added keyboard command files and galaxy map (with jump links) suitable for printing (two pages to a single 8″x11″ sheet)
  • Added all new space skyboxes
  • Added updated 3000AD logo animation file
  • Added 27 new music tracks from our internal audio library
  • Added optimized versions of previously released DLC scenarios
  • Updated the demo (uses v2.11.02 engine build) to use the game’s full tutorial (with voice-over audio)

[2.11.07 | 02-21-2009]

  • VTT now show distance in meters when its below 1000
  • Revised laser shot damage
  • FIXED: mouse flight mode was broken

[2.11.06| 02-20-2009]

  • Performance tweaks to radar detection
  • Laser damage is no longer tied to the current frame rate
  • FIXED: lasers were causing damage twice, once as lasers and a second time as fragments
  • FIXED: a revision to radar detection performance improvement in previous update caused issues with friendly target detection

[2.11.05 | 02-17-2009]

  • Compiled with latest FMODex (4.22.00) audio SDK
  • Non hostiles, civil and misc units are no longer tracked on radar. Performance improvement
  • FIXED: Issue with improper sound card initialization
  • FIXED: gamepad controllers had inverted axis
  • FIXED: multiple missiles sometimes firing when using gamepad/joystick/xbox controller

[2.11.04 | 12-29-2008]

  • Compiled with latest DirectX (November 2008) SDK. Requires November 2008 Runtime!!
  • Compiled with latest FMODex (4.20.06) audio SDK
  • FIXED: Minor rendering issue with buildings on planetary terrain

[2.11.03 | 10-28-2008]

  • Compiled with latest DirectX (August 2008) SDK. Requires August 2008 Runtime!!
  • Compiled with latest FMODex (4.18.06) audio SDK
  • The game will now default to the standard 1024×768 resolution if an incorrect resolution is detected in the INI file
  • Revised handling of F7/F8 missile views. Now more flexible. NOTE: If you have the missiles/mines threat filter off, these keys will not work

[2.11.02 | 08-04-2008]

  • Compiled with latest FMODex (4.16.08) audio SDK
  • FIXED: HyperJump charge is no longer displayed when on a planet
  • FIXED: Shifted NID/MAP zoom up a few pixels so it no longer overlays the zoom scale

[2.11.01 | 07-03-2008]

  • Compiled with latest FMODex (4.16.03) audio SDK

Multiplayer

  • Minor misc tweaks/revisions

[2.10.10 | 06-19-2008]

  • Minor localization revisions
  • Multiplayer
    • FIXED: Random crash when joining server due to weather revision in 2.10.08
    • FIXED: slight delay when firing missiles
    • FIXED: scripted dynamic objects weren’t being properly initialized client side

[2.10.09 | 06-13-2008]

  • Compiled with latest DirectX (June 2008) SDK. Requires June 2008 Runtime!!
  • Compiled with latest FMODex (4.16.00) audio SDK

Multiplayer

  • When a new unknown object is created the console server now shows who created the object
  • FIXED: server delegated objects were sometimes being created and moved under the terrain
  • FIXED: console server would crash trying to create pilot messages

[2.10.08 | 06-05-2008]

  • FIXED: Problem with auto-save when on planet

Multiplayer:

  • Various performance tweaks; especially with laser related collision detect on planets
  • FIXED: planetary weather conditions were being generated on client. Server now chooses a random fixed value for the weather each session.

    NOTE: Once the server sets a random weather, it will not change until the server is restarted!

[2.10.07 | 04-30-2008]

  • Updated the game commands, manual & tutorial PDF files to reflect changes in this version

    Also added specs for the other two (of four) fighters which are flyable in future episodes and DLC

  • Reduced the planetary egress altitude from 14K to 12K feet for those having trouble
    getting a handle on how to coax their craft to reaching a high altitude. There is no trick to it. See the updated section 6.6 of the game manual for some tips.

  • Enabled CTRL+S support which auto-saves the current game state to slot #9. It does this without you having to completely quit the game to the main menu. Note that ALT+S remains unchanged, as this gives you more control over the save game slot, naming convention etc.
  • All save game ops will now prompt Y/N before proceeding. This is for those of you who keep hitting ALT+S instead of ALT+T
  • The saved games listed now have the game date/time stamp
  • Further simplification of 3D cockpit
    • Added NID/TRS menus to COMMAND/SYSTEMS menu. Can now change modes using the mouse/controller
    • Removed icons from cockpit MFDs. Text indicating the NID and TRS modes is now only displayed at the top left corner of MFD#1.
    • Removed all redundant VDD modes. Now it only supports the single [Video Link] mode

      SSR – System Status Relay icons moved to bottom of cockpit so that they are always visible
      SMD – Stores Manifest Display mode is obsolete as no scenario requires you to inspect a target’s cargo
      ACM – Advanced Campaign Mode data already appears in the HUD and in the orders display
      RTM – Radar Target Mask moved to COMMAND/SYSTEMS/RADAR TARGET MASK menu with toggle boxes

  • Minor revision to how data is processed prior to being recorded in the COMMLINK log
  • Revised the FSAA buffer handling to safeguard against crashes or exiting when a higher
    FSAA setting is used in Config. If the video card does not have enough memory, then it will run with FSAA and HDR disabled

    This was done because in some cases, using high value FSAA values would later result in a crash due to insufficient video memory. Due to the large amount of runtime FP16 surfaces, Config has no way of knowing how much VRAM is later needed for the currently selected screen resolution. e.g. selecting 8x or higher FSAA while running the game at 1280×960 will most definitely result in out of memory anomalies (screen tearing, missing textures etc) and a possibly flat out crash.

  • Revised handling of roll/yaw mode on joysticks for better compatibility with older sticks.
  • FIXED: clip distance when drawing the infra-red missile camera in VDD/VID was being incorrectly set, causing smaller objects to not appear in it
  • FIXED: adjusted burn, speed and range text in VDD/VID when drawing the missile camera due to overlapping existing text
  • FIXED: player character injury was sometimes being improperly set. This sometimes caused a premature damage condition which immediately ended the game instead of playing the external camera “death” transition

    It must be noted that when your craft takes combat damage, so does your alter-ego. As a result, your alter-ego may sometimes die from injury even if the craft is not sufficiently damaged to be destroyed.

[2.10.06 | 04-09-2008]

  • Added violations (VIO) info to the cockpit HUD.
  • Added medals count to the orders display
  • Added campaign theatre info to the cockpit HUD. This gives an at-a-glance look at the scenario timers without having to use the VDD/ACM mode

    T – Theatre
    S – Start time
    E – End time
    N – Next scenario start time

  • Added native support for 1280×800 and 1920×1200 16:10 widescreen display modes

    NOTE:This will delete your configuration file, thus creating a new default one. So be sure to set your Config options again

  • Increased the minimum docking range from 1km to 10km
  • Increased Commlink log size delete prompt from 32K to 1MB
  • Changed COMMAND menu save game texts to: “QUIT & SAVE WITH RESUME” and “QUIT & SAVE WITH RESTORE”
  • Time will no longer have passed when you dock and re-launch.

    When you dock (to perform repairs, re-arm etc) the world is still being updated. So if the total repairs time is, e.g. 30 mins, when you launch, that amount of time would have elapsed. In some cases, if you had a lot of repairs and you dock towards the end of the current scenario operations, when you launch you may find that the next scenario is already in progress. You can still check for orders you may have missed, but there is a possibility that you may also miss some specific instructions which could get you taken off active duty eventually.

    With this revision, even though the elapsed time is still calculated, this time is no longer elapsed when you launch. So if you dock at 21:00, when you launch, the time would be closer to 21:01 than 21:30 (assuming the repairs/rearming took thirty minutes).

    In effect, we’re just dumbing down the game even further because normally, due to the game’s real-time processing nature, this behaviour is normal and thats how the game engine was developed to behave.

  • The ability to select component repairs stats in Logistix has been disabled

    This used to occur when you click on a fighter component as this calls up the engineering work order. This is part of our underlying game engine that is not needed in the GALCOM due to the singular REPAIRS button which does a batch repair job in a single click and saves time (so you don’t have to select each damaged component to repair). Normally, in order to save on repair time (see above), you would just pick the most important components to repair, then launch. This would minimize the time you spent docked and thus ensures that you don’t miss much of the on-going fleet operations due to time passing.

  • FIXED: When using the mouse as the flight controller, axes were swapped if you also had a joystick plugged in and joystick swap roll/yaw was enabled in Config
  • FIXED: When you dock, the REPAIRS button is not active once the current date/time has been calculated and displayed. You have to switch to WEAPONS, then switch back and click the button before the date/time is displayed.
  • FIXED: Some minor widescreen (mostly) text display issues in various areas

[2.10.05 | 03-24-2008]

  • Game options revisions:
    • FSAA is now set to DISABLED by default
    • TEXTURE FILTERING is now set to ANISO NORMAL by default
  • Can now swap the yaw/roll on two-axis joysticks by pressing and holding SHIFT
  • FIXED: gamepad roll was reversed
  • FIXED: Config wasn’t showing 16x FSAA option in some cases. Note: The available FSAA
    options are determined by (a) the set game resolution (b) the amount of video memory on the card

  • FIXED: Sometimes the 2D cockpit image of the comms speaker was not being displayed. This was due to the HDR revisions in the previous update to prevent the cockpit gun and armor status icons from being affected by HDR.
  • Multiplayer:
    • Removed CAREER button when joining a server as the career cannot be changed
    • FIXED: weapons loadout background wasn’t being cleared resulting in extra lines of missiles
      being shown

[2.10.04 | 03-21-2008]

  • Small optimizations to the cockpit and other graphics rendering code
  • Cockpit gun and armor status HUD icons are no longer affected by HDR rendering. So they are now easier to see
  • Revised handling of HDR and FSAA settings to work around issues with some nVidia cards

    Note that if you have HDR on in Config and the card (e.g. ATI X800, X850 etc) does not support it, then the graphics engine will not use HDR

  • FSAA settings in Config now goes up to 16x. Also, only FSAA modes supported are available.

    WARNING: Just because your card supports a high FSSA mode (2x to 16x) does not mean that you can set it as high as possible. Why? Because FSAA settings depend on the current screen resolution that the game is running at. e.g. @ 1024×768 you can go up to 8x on cards with 256MB or more. However at 1280×960, you max out at around 4x FSAA.

  • Updated page 1 of the keyboard commands due to removal of CTRL+J command
  • FIXED: If the video device resets (changing resolution/FSAA/HDR/etc…) while a volume texture (explosions etc) is being stream loaded, the game could crash. Since you can’t do any of these things during gameplay, this was a remote event.
  • FIXED: HDR config setting was sometimes being read from the config file before the actual file was initialized, resulting in some incorrect values
  • FIXED: changing the HDR or FSAA settings sometimes wasn’t causing any changes to the device until the game was restarted
  • FIXED: FSAA wouldn’t work properly in some cards due to not supporting FSAA in FP16 render targets. This could cause some rendering artifacts. Game now disables FSAA if HDR is enabled on such video cards

Multiplayer:

  • FIXED: console server was trying to use vertex buffers. This could potentially cause a crash
  • FIXED: orbiting objects (stations, ODS) were jumping around a little when flying close to them.

[2.10.03 | 03-14-2008]

  • Updated pages 23, 45 of the game manual
  • The SWAP ROLL/YAW AXIS option in Config now works with sticks that have an independent X axis (twist)

    I have no idea why anyone would want to swap this but apparently some folks are so used to doing it the WRONG way that they are just used to it. I put the blame squarely on other space combat developers who started doing this crap way back when. flight sims. Thats why most sticks with a twist axis use it for yaw. The default roll of the joystick is standard.

    I really do think that you folks need to un-learn this improper way of flight controls and do it the correct way. If you insist on using yaw as your default joystick axis, you will be extrememly frustrated during combat in my games because the NPC pilots – who do it the proper way – will completely own you time and time again.

  • You can now abort Config button mapping by pressing the ESC key.

[2.10.02 | 03-08-2008]

  • FIXED: The orders text display in the first mission shows “ECHO 01 and 02” instead of “ECHO 00 and 01”, though the commander’s audio instruction is correct
  • FIXED: The TACOPS option in the COMMAND menu was emulating ALT+S instead of the recently revised ALT+T. The ALT+T hotkey to activate TACOPS still worked fine however

[2.10.01 | 03-07-2008]

  • Maintenance only release due to DRM compatibility issues. If your current version is 2.10.00 and you got the game from Gamers Gate on the day of release, you need this build. To check your game version, start the game and look on the right side of the main menu.

[2.10.00 | 03-03-2008]
Initial Release

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