Update news for 2012-10-16

Spotlight features

Vicinity chat

This is a new, special chat channel only visible when outside on the terrain. It's basically a local area chat, where everyone in the vicinity can talk to and hear each other freely, if they are in range of each other.

For determining this range, the same detection/masking system is used like for normal encounters. So if you can see someone on your radar/landmarks/etc., you will be able to see when he/she writes something into the vicinity chat. You can only have a conversation if you and your chat partner can mutually see each other. Incidentally, this also means that if you can see some guys but they can't see you, you can basically eavesdrop on their conversation without them noticing.

Gameplay

Fix: Lag related to AoE damage and chain explosions has been improved.
Fix: NPCs spawned from distress beacons or artifacts were not supposed to attack anyone else but those who spawn them or attack them. This has now been fixed. (Again.)

Industry

Change: Minerals won't spawn within 1000m of alpha and beta terminals and outposts anymore. Current fields within this radius have been cleared. This change does not affect gamma islands and solibdit fields.
New: Factory line calibration and CT extraction events are now shown in the production log.

Assignments

New: In assignments where NPCs are part of the experience but there is no objective to destroy them, NPCs will now only spawn when a player with the specific assignment is near. These spawned NPCs will only attack the one who triggered them.

General

New: Agent names in chat channels can be now clicked to open the Agent's profile (in the main chat area, not the memberlist, if you're wondering "what's new about that").

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