Positech Games has rolled out a new update for its space strategy title Gratuitous Space Battles, bringing several new fixes and usability improvements to the game. Better battle sounds, a new tutorial hint, mod support additions and more highlight the latest patch from Cliff Harris:

Version 1.47

• Usability: The battle sounds now work much better in cases where they overload from playing too many identical sounds at once.
• Usability: Added a new tutorial hint to point out the range overlay in the battle screen.
• Bug Fix: The supply limits window on the choose battle screen now sizes to show all limits correctly.
• Bug Fix: When creating a custom challenge, the ‘challenge’ button is not correctly disabled until some ships have been deployed.
• Bug Fix: Improved code to prevent ‘stacking’ of ships on the deployment screen (works more reliably now).
• Usability: New feature, there are now short strips under each icon on the deployment screen to show the name of the ship to aid selection.
• Mod Support: Added new ‘num_submunitions’ (limit 6) and ‘flaresize’ (default 16) to missile data for modders.
• Mod Support: Found the bug that prevented modded ships from being larger than 256. No known limit now.
• Usability: The game now checks that any challenge you are about to fight has not been removed from the database, so you are prevented from running corrupt and deleted challenges.
• Usability: The buttons that filter ships by size on the deployment screen now remember their settings.
• Bug Fix: Limpet launchers now record shots fired and hit like other weapons.
• Bug Fix: Usernames that are too long to display now get sensibly cropped in challenge list.

Gratuitous Space Battles is available now for $20, check out the demo here and our review as well.

[Positech Games]

Wanted to catch everyone up on a popular game by a popular developer. Positech Games has announced a single-player campaign expansion in the works for space strategy title Gratuitous Space Battles. The cool part of the added component of the ‘conquer-the-galaxy’ mode is the way battles are presented. I’ll let Positech head Cliff Harris explain:

Rather than set, pre-determined fleets to battle against, the game utilises the fleets designed by other GSB players to provide an endless variety of opponent, so you will be pitted against real carbon-based intelligence on every step of your path to galactic dominance. The GSB campaign is not a full 4X game, but a contextual ‘wrapper’ for GSB that introduces new strategic concerns such as crew and cash shortages, repairing ships between battles, the need for construction and repair facilities, and the ability to issue a retreat order mid-battle.

No release date other than “soon” mentioned for the fourth piece of add-on content, but as we’ve learned when Cliff wants to get something done it usually doesn’t take too long.

In related news Impulse informs us that GSB v1.46 has been released and is now available for download for owners of the game.

From the patch notes:

Bug Fix: Fixed crash bug where assigning fighters to escort fighters, then trying to edit the range on the invalid order caused a crash.

Bug Fix: Unlocking now works if you beat the previous mission on hard or expert, you don’t specifically have to beat it on normal.

Usability: Game now lets you toggle between old and new stats screens after each battle

Bug Fix: It’s now impossible to put an apostrophe in your username, which was breaking challenges.

Bug Fix: It’s now not an option to fight your own challenge and rate it yourself.

So many great indie deals, offers and sales this weekend it simply won’t let us slack off and not tell you about all of ‘em. Everyone is getting in the mix today, a couple of developers are taking the initiative themselves along with all four major digital distributors offering something for the indie connoisseur. Let’s take a look around.

Also remember that MMO Love and multiplayer shooter Altitude are free for anyone to play this weekend only.

Use the coupon code”PUZZLEPAX” and get 50% off Wadjet’s Puzzle Bots in celebration of the adventure game earning a PAX 10 Finalist spot.

Use the coupon code “INDIEPOWER” when pre-ordering Frozen Synapse and save $6.50, bringing the price down to $19.50. Remember they’re giving an extra copy to give to a friend seeing as its a head-to-head multiplayer title.

GamersGate is offering all of the Penumbra titles and bundles at 70% off (PC/Mac). Air racing sim Ikaro is 75% off and goes for just $7.50 instead of the $30 standard.

Over on Steam, Altitude is half off and goes for just $5 (PC/Mac). Railworks is $20 off with two pieces of DLC discounted as well. King Arthur is $18 cheaper and King Arthur – The Saxons goes for $6 off. Puzzle Dimension sale is supposedly expired but it’s still going for 33% off its $10 tag.

Impulse is still offering the Gratuitous Space Battles Complete bundle (Game + All Available DLC) for $15 off.

Direct2Drive has a couple of deals on top of the same discount as GamersGate with the Penumbra Collection. They also offer Defense Grid for $6 instead of $10 and have slashed the Mount & Blade: Warband Bundle down to just $18 from $60.

Steam has announced its “Weekend Deal”, offering Positech’s space strategy title Gratuitous Space Battles at 75% off the standard price through Sunday. Typically $20, the core game can be had for just $5, while the Collector’s Edition which packs all three add-ons for the title is just $6.25 instead of $25.

Additionally, “The Tribe”, “The Swarm” and “The Order” DLC packs also carry large individual discounts and can be had for $1.50 instead of $5 each.

The offer goes through this Sunday, August 8. A demo is available as well on the Steam page if you really want to make sure.

How about some indie sales for this, a month-turning weekend. That’s right, by Monday we’ll be well into August, and usually when temperatures get hot, game sales disappear. Luckily, digital distribution never rests, and offers plenty PC indie game discounts over the next couple of days. Have a look and see if something catches your fancy:

We’ve already discussed D2D’s IGF Finalists and Winners sale resurgence, which actually goes through the middle of next week. It’s a great deal if you don’t have half of the ten games packed in the bundle.

Impulse offers a few sales including the best individual discount of the weekend. Exosyphen’s Hacker: Evolution Untold with the “Flight Zero” expansion is 50% off, and can be had for just $12.50 instead of $25. Gratuitous Space Battles Complete is $15 off for the third weekend in a row (Our review.) Lastly, KRANX’s casual puzzler Musaic Box is $4.20 instead of $7.

Direct2Drive is offering a few deals this weekend. Killing Floor is $5 off and goes for just $15, Tripwire’s other title Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45 has been given the same 25% discount taking the $10 FPS down to $7.50. IGN’s digital distribution service is now also offering the 10% pre-order deal for Frictional’s adventure horror Amnesia: Dark Descent.

Steam’s offering a 10% pre-order discount on Team17′s Worms Reloaded, taking a couple bucks off the $20 strategy game.

Impulse sends word of a new update for Gratuitous Space Battles, bringing Positech’s space strategy title up to v1.45.

The new update includes several new features, usability improvements and bug fixes including a couple of balancing tweaks and a new shield support beam feature for the empire.

Currently the patch is only available for Impulse users, but should arrive shortly to all owners of the title as an automatic download. From the change log:

Gratuitous Space Battles v1.45

• Balance: Shield Support beam being drastically re-balanced with lower beam rate and capacitor, and only able to have one beam at a time on each shield. Also now auto-selects the lowest friendly shield available.
• Balance: Frigate disruptor bombs damage increased from 60 to 75.
• Graphics: Better smoke clouds now for cruiser and frigate explosions.
• Bug Fix: Player can no longer use the maximise window option in windows mode to stretch the window size, which caused problems.
• New Feature: Shield support beam added for the empire.

Indie sales are plentiful this weekend, with seemingly every digital distributor getting involved. Let’s get right into it!

First some deals that deserve individual highlighting:

Though technically not a sale, Totally Tiny Arcade! is free until July 26. Go here for more info. Also remember that GamersGate has had a week long sale on good indie platformers, RPG’s and adventure games through Sunday as well. Oh, and as I mentioned in a previous post Eufloria is 50% off into the week.

Multiple outlets have the following titles on sale for half off, you get to choose a game and a vendor (this is the format we’re pulling this week so go with it):

Mount & Blade for $15 — Steam — D2D — Impulse – GamersGate –

Mount & Blade: Warband for $15 — Steam — D2D – Impulse — GamersGate –

Mount & Blade Bundle — D2D ($30) — GamersGate ($27.50) –

Fort Zombie for $5 — D2D — Impulse — GamersGate –

Penumbra Black Plague — D2D ($6.50) — GamersGate ($5) –

Penumbra Black Plague Gold Edition for $7.50 — Steam – GamersGate –

Penumbra Requiem for $5 – D2D – GamersGate –

Penumbra Collection for $10 — Steam — D2D –

Sword of the Stars for $5 — D2D — GamersGate –

Sword of the Stars: Argos Naval Yard for $4.50 — Steam — D2D — Impulse – GamersGate –

Sword of the Stars: Born of Blood for $7.50 — GamersGate –

Sword of the Stars: A Murder of Crows for $10 — GamersGate –

Sword of the Stars Complete Collection for $15 — Steam — D2D — Impulse – GamersGate –

Sword of the Stars Ultimate Collection for $15 — D2D — GamersGate –

Sword of the Stars Ultimate Naval Yard Edition for $19.50 — D2D –

Other sales include:

Gratuitous Space Battles Complete for $26 (normally $41) and Quantz $6 (normally $10) on Impulse.

Cliff Harris of Positech Games has announced the release of v1.43 for his space strategy title Gratuitous Space Battles, adding a new weapon support module along with some minor fixes and tweaks to the game.

Currently, the patch is only available to those who purchased the title directly from Positech’s site for the game. The update should arrive Monday to digital distributors including Steam and Impulse. From the description:

Patch 1.43 for GSB is now live. some minor fixes and tweaks, and 1 new weapon support module (Imperial shield support beam).

Indie Sales may be the only thing these days poking the dead raccoon that is our economy. Each week, I wonder what sale might pop-up and demand that I pay money for a game by giving me an offer too good to refuse. Is there a discount out there this week like that? Depends on who you are, what’s your poison? Steampunky action? Old school RPG? Space Strategy?

Whatever you’ll have, there’s some nice discounts on good titles this week. Go splurge a bit.

On Impulse, Gratuitous Space Battles Complete–which packs the core space strategy title along with its three paid expansions–is $14 off its $40 tag. Review here. Steampunk action game Guns of Icarus is $6 instead of $10. Review here.

Steam has several small launch sales including 10% off RPG Eschalon Book II, 10% off casual puzzler 4 Elements and 20% off strategy title Future Wars. Into trains? Several RailWorks add-ons are 33%-50% off as well.

Neocore’s Crusaders: Thy Kingdom Come has been given a 50% off sale this weekend courtesy of GamersGate. That’s $10 instead of $20, from the same team that developed King Arthur — The Role Playing Wargame.

As a reminder from last week since it’s still going on: You still have the chance to pick up Plain Sight for just $5 on D2D.

A new update is available for Positech’s space strategy title Gratuitous Space Battles, bringing the game up to v1.42.

Truth be told the patch isn’t too large, packing only a pair of notes in a fix and an improvement for GSB. The game now ‘silently ignores’ invalid designs instead of crashing when opening the design loader as well as repairing a rare issue where a ship’s power is displayed as invalid but the design can be saved and loaded anyway.

The patch is currently available for automatic download for owners of the game on Steam.

From the change log:

Version 1.42

• Fixed problem where in rare cases a ship’s power may be displayed as invalid, but the design can still be saved and loaded.
• Game will now silently ignore invalid designs like it used to do, rather than crashing when opening the design loader.