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[1;33;44m+ [37mGALACTIC EMPIRE ge-next 0.3   [1;31;44m ******** What's new this release ******** [1;33;44m  +[0m
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ge-next RELEASE NOTES

ge-next is developed by ManicPop.org and based on Galactic Empire,
copyright (c) 2025 Elwynor Technologies.

https://manicpop.org/ge-next  https://github.com/manicpop/ge-next
https://github.com/elwynor/elwge  https://www.elwynor.com/
https://discord.gg/SqhYmZvWsn  anthony@manicpop.org
Please contact me with thoughts and suggestions.

Version 0.3 focuses on user ship improvements, clearer combat feedback,
smarter scanning, and major quality-of-life fixes. ge-next now uses
MPO* filenames and MPOGEMP.DLL so it can run alongside classic GE.

Major ship systems changes:
- Running over the top recommended warp speed now causes gradual,
  persistent engine wear instead of half-speed drops Top speed loss
  is smoother and saved so it can't be avoided.
- Damaged ship systems now repair one at a time instead of all at once.
- Maintenance and mine timers are shown in real seconds.
- A "negligible" damage string now covers damage between 0 and 2.

New ship upgrades:
- Eight purchasable upgrades are now available at Zygor, depending on
  ship class: enhanced scanners, armor plating, acceleration
  boosters, scan range boost, enhanced lock, improved damage control,
  transponder control, and reinforced neutron core.
- Improved damage control speeds passive repair and adds repair ETAs.
- Transponder control changes how likely Cybertrons are to pursue a ship.
- Reinforced neutron core makes it possible to travel over top speed longer.

Scanning and jamming:
- SCAN RA, SCAN LO, and SCAN SE were overhauled with better alignment,
  color coding, range controls, text-only options, and map scaling.
- Locked ships, player ships, NPCs, planets, and wormholes are easier
  to distinguish, and lock targets take precedence in scans.
- Jamming now distorts scan results instead of simply disabling them.
  Severity depends on distance from the jammer.

Combat and tactical changes:
- Phasers are centered correctly, use smoother damage falloff, and have
  improved hit logic. Hyperphaser and neutral-zone messaging was cleaned up.
- Missile behavior now varies with charge level, giving light missiles
  faster travel and heavy missiles more impact.
- Each class of ship now has between 0 and 3 torpedo and missile launchers,
  instead of a simple yes/no, and a small reload delay after firing.
- Projectile tracking and hit messages are batched when possible.
- Self-destruct blast behavior, mine damage, and random system damage
  were reworked. More ship systems and onboard items can now be affected.

Other additions and fixes:
- Nebulas were added. They limit scans, hide ships, and affect locks and
  projectile tracking while still allowing phasers and mines through.
- Team, roster, beacon, SEND, entry filtering, and planet listing logic
  were improved. Ship names are now optional, and many legacy bugs were
  corrected, including ship-letter issues and overflow/memory problems.

Please read RELNOTES.TXT on Github or visit the ge-next website for more.
