Original release history
The surviving original release history is preserved in GEREADME.DOC. Its dated entries run from version 2.0a on April 29, 1989, through version 3.2e on August 6, 1994. The 2.0a notes explicitly describe that release as a revision of version 1.4; the earlier releases are not dated in this changelog.
Release chronology
| Release | Date in surviving notes | Historical significance |
|---|---|---|
| 1.4 and earlier | Before April 1989; dates not established here | 2.0a names 1.4 as its predecessor. Elwynor's retrospective history traces the titles Galactic War, Galactic Raiders, and Galactic Empire, but does not date each change. |
| 2.0a | April 29, 1989 | First official 2.0 release outside beta; added Cybertron opponents, multiple ship classes and fleets, and kill-focused scoring. |
| 2.0b–2.0n | May–December 1989 | Frequent combat, economy, scanner, and scoring adjustments. The notes record changes to galaxy-edge behavior and a random starting point for planetary updates. |
| 2.1a–2.1e | January–March 1990 | New planet-based scoring and roster details, database changes, Btrieve and cleanup work, and further combat fixes. A 2.1f entry is explicitly marked not released. |
| 2.2a–2.2e | June–September 1990 | Early beta releases followed by wider releases; 2.2c added colorized screens, revised scans, and moved the neutral zone to sector 290. |
| 2.3a–2.3g | July 1991–February 1992 | More configurable planet ownership and transfer rules, mines and jammers, Cyberquads, and working zippers by 2.3g. |
| 3.0a | July 15, 1992 | Beta debut of the on-demand Virtual Galaxy, sector 0 0 neutral zone, wormholes, scanner locks, navigation aids, and terminal-program support. |
| 3.0b–3.0d | August–September 1992 | 3.0b added MajorBBS 6.0 DLL support; 3.0c activated Droid ships and explicit shield controls; 3.0d added registration protection for general release. |
| 3.0l–3.0p | November 1992–February 1993 | 3.0l is labeled a general, non-beta release. Later notes added self-destruct blast damage, DATA support, and additional neutral-zone planet configuration.
|
| 3.1b | July 4, 1993 | New database keys and registration code, protected-memory allocation for systems above 128 users, expanded ship options, and warp overspeed. |
| 3.2c and patches | December 14, 1993–February 8, 1994 | Scoring and stock-default rebalance, database reset, and six documented patch levels covering spies, cloak, shields, missiles, and planetary updates. |
| 3.2d | March 6, 1994 | Configurable item/phaser/shield prices, revised fighter attacks, optional command headings, stronger phasers, wormhole projectile cleanup, and SET FILTER.
|
| 3.2e | August 6, 1994 | Per-class Cybertron and Droid messages and corrected high-warp display; last release recorded in the supplied classic notes. |
The table highlights milestones, not every letter release or patch. In particular, a dated note records what the developer intended to release; it does not by itself prove that every described correction worked in the final code. The Classic bug database documents surviving discrepancies.
Installation and compatibility
Several releases required new databases, a database conversion, a fresh registration code, or coordinated changes to the MSG and ship-class files. The 3.2c base release explicitly required resetting all databases after a ship-table field-size error; 3.1b required new empty databases and registration information. An operator upgrading a historical system should read that release's installation notes rather than assume that a same-series update is data-compatible.
Later history
The 1994 endpoint belongs to the original MBM release line. Elwynor Technologies' later Worldgroup and MajorBBS ports, and the separately developed ge-next line, are covered under History of Galactic Empire and Versions of Galactic Empire.
See also
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