We tried to get the release ready for production this week, but a number of factors, including our office losing internet connectivity, conspired to delay things. So, due to a bunch of new code and changes to the client, we're going to do a hopefully-final Beta.. available now. We ask that everyone please test this out over the weekend, and depending on the problems found, we'll aim to roll it into production on Monday.

This version adds a lot of text (help menus, character creation stuff, descriptions) and introduces a lot of small changes. Once again, please try it out and post problems to the messageboard.

One final clarification about the production-izing of the new client.. we are aiming to get this done as quickly as possible, as it is stalling some of our other projects. However, I don't want anyone to be under the mistaken impression that a monday release will suddenly introduce a ton of new ships, or other amazing new features. The first production release(s) will be just like the late Betas. We will, of course, be adding the new ships and other features as we move along, but don't expect too much right out of the gate. The purpose right now is to get the current game stable, so people can keep playing with the updated client.. and THEN begin to focus on new content.

Beta 8 changelog:

- nav menu is a proper tab in the station menu
- help/info text is mostly in place
- fixed problem with navmap not saving completed routes
- fixed problem with survey window breaking menu flow
- fixed problem with trying to create a character with a previously used name messing up menus
- changed selection color of text part of tree control
- changed color of faction standing progress bar
- fixed buyback/buy preset when items are not available but there are some in storage
- fixed bug with rescaling HUD resetting group health HUD element
- scroller width is dependent on font size
- fixed primaryship problem that was causing groupmembers to stop being white on radar
was creating a new charinfo with nodeid before useradd was coming in
- fixed problem with mission timer not getting killed when player logs off.
- fixed problem with sending private msgs to character names that are numbers
- desired speed is set back to current speed when flight-assist is re-enabled.
- changed non-buyable item colors
- toggling different radar blips works
- images/shaders are cached on startup
- changed sector load screen
- changed how multiple identical joysticks are named in windows.
append an index instead of GUID
- fixed problem with double-selecting missions if mission is not taken
- fixed crash if, for some reason, ship is not found when listing ships in ship-select menu
- mouseclick that focuses the edit control now also moves the cursor.
- fixed bloodflash color
- fixed problem with trying to buy an empty preset.
- fixed buyback/preset so it doesn't try to connect non-local addons
- don't accelerate ship when in freelook_mode and flight-assist is on.
- added group keybind to F1 hud help
- fixed aggressor auto-enemy thing

VO Beta 8 is available from:

http://www.vendetta-online.com/vo3_beta8.zip

and the mirror:

http://zarniwoop.guildsoftware.com/vo3_beta8.zip

PLEASE try it, even if you didn't try the previous betas, and let us know if you have any problems (post to the messageboard). This is hopefully our last beta client, so let's make it count! Thanks!