This patch improves fighters, improves ship movement knowledge, adds more levels of several weapon types, gives players more control over primitive progress, and fixes several more minor issues. 0.844 change list:

• halved plasma damage from monsters (Ic4reign)
• fixed not being able to get a diplomatic win when player has a protectorate (shiosai)
• now primitives progress through ages faster the more technology they have gathered from other races/players
• now fighters get 50% of players base defense (APXEOLOG)
• now ships are added to maps based on knowledge level instead of treaty (so spying helps)
• added 6 plasma cannon icons
• added 3 new levels of plasma cannon, plasma burst, and plasma wave
• fixed some problems with armor plating components with armor plating skills (peter.sugarek)
• fixed a few issues with race scavenge ability (Smogg/MaDDworlD)
• now add socket chances goes up slightly each time you try (doesn't display though) (Kurama Kitsune)
• now reduce power load chances goes up slightly each time you try (doesn't display though)
• now show "accept only in person" quests in race quest list so know they exist (Varkon)
• extended each EM weapon type to max component level (FDru)
• now get a relation bonus if successfully escort a colony ship, diplomat ship, freighter, or cruise ship to its destination
• Xenophobes now stick together a bit more (Annex)
• changed rumor, propoganda, espionage, and sabotage chances from 50%/70%/90% to 70%/80%/90%
• increased FollowLeader range by 33% so things like fighters can wander a little further and not clump as much (HoboElf)
• doubled the size (scale & texture size) of effect that shows what entity you have selected (Monkeyhuouse/Eris Shrugged)
• changed Fringe race to use plasma instead of beams
• now will fail protect race quest if at war with them when the quest times out (Darke)
• now get a message when try to put an incorrect component into a race specific slot
• fixed sometimes resurrecting a race already in the game (Smogg)
• fixed some inventory screen help position/size issues
• fixed some character screen help position/size issues
• fixed some quest screen help position/size issues
• added a warning of can't scavenge from a primitive race
• changed Unknown Crew to Crew (Eris Shrugged)
• fixed missing PowerStolenPerHit translation
• fixed Planetology Blessing print
• changed Skip Shields to Bypassing Shields
• fixed ChainedBeams Blessing print
• fixed ChaoticProjectiles Blessing print
• fixed Penetrate Blessing print
• changed PROTOCOL_VERSION to 104