New beta build! https://wiki.arcengames.com/index.php?title=AI_War_2:Finalizing_Multiplayer#Beta_3.605_Code_Will_Change This one's title is a reference to the Persona 5 song that I'm rocking out to right now (Life Will Change), because I'm feeling pretty darn good after today's work. We now have some networked personal settings that can be handled really easily with xml and which transmit themselves to the host ONLY if they differ from the defaults, and which allow us to make intelligent automation decisions on the host based on client data that was previously inaccessible. We also now have a whole new framework for checking achievement statuses, tips to give you, automation to run, and many other things that were previously very expensive (in terms of CPU time) when you add it all up cumulatively. We used to run that stuff (until today) on the main simulation thread in what we call the "stage 3 faction code." It turns out that had a number of problems with various things like the host being a spectator in MP, or the host not being a human empire (maybe they're a necromancer), or even in solo games if there is no human empire at all (maybe you're playing solo ark plus vassals, or maybe ark empire). All those cases now work, whereas before they would not have. More than just solving problems, though, this provides a really high-performance and easy-to-read model for modders to follow with their own factions. It is quite "puppy proof" (as described in the prior release notes), without restricting what coders in that part of the codebase can do. So, yeah. I'm feeling good. There's still more to do for multiplayer (waves, some notifications, and AIP are not visible on clients right now, and I'm not sure MP clients even connect properly because of general bugs that I just haven't bothered to fix yet during this rip and tear phase). And there are a couple of other little odds and ends there. But overall these are great strides forward, they benefit both solo and MP, and we're coming closer and closer to being back off the beta branch for solo, and hopefully then shortly after out of beta for MP. Happy weekend!