Version 2.50 Release (187052)

• New Feature: New side-bar based main menu.
• New Feature: External camera view.
• New Feature: Free look in cockpit.
• New Feature: New shipyards for small and medium sized ships.
• Added Drone Hunt generic mission.
• Added Protection Detail generic mission.
• Added Diplomatic Aid mission chain.
• Added respawning of specialists with increasing hire fees.
• Added incoming remotely ordered wares to item trader menu.
• Added auto-refuel setting.
• Added small ship traders.
• Added primary shields to large ships which did not already have them.
• Added "civil war" behaviour between Plutarch and Heart of Albion in Albion.
• Added ability to replace destroyed CVs so that station construction can can continue.
• Added ability to assign ships to other ships of same size or to any large ship.
• Added option to choose between stopping and maintaining speed while in menus.
• Added event monitor display to drone control mode.
• Added target elements for player-owned small ships.
• Added statistic for storage modules hacked.
• Added crash report option with privacy settings.
• Improved event monitor with "picture-in-picture" mode.
• Improved hacking gameplay.
• Improved engine animation and effects.
• Improved ship AI behaviour in numerous situations.
• Improved generation of mission enemies.
• Improved "Assign new superior" command.
• Improved ability menu to show when a drone is unavailable.
• Improved mission target indicator to point always to the closest mission target.
• Improved trade offers menu (shopping list is included in ship cargo).
• Improved docking behaviour of drones.
• Improved build tree menu user experience.
• Improved several mission briefings.
• Improved Open Comm Link menu in legacy main menu.
• Improved scan time for police scanning illegal activities.
• Improved lifetime of containers dropped from cargo bays.
• Improved remote controlled player drones flying back to the player ship.
• Improved rendering of distant objects to reduce flickering slightly.
• Improved Mission Bar so it no longer obstructs menus.
• Improved crash report content to help us find and fix causes of crashes.
• Fixed several plot and other mission issues.
• Fixed player ship cover faction not being reset from Xenon after plot.
• Fixed player ships returned during the plot being inactive.
• Fixed incorrect Player relations with Plutarch.
• Fixed Reiver reputation not being mutual in new games.
• Fixed drones not being able to return to their home base.
• Fixed an issue with station expansions not completing out-of-sector.
• Fixed multiple ship dealers per platform.
• Fixed escort ships disappearing after loading a savegame.
• Fixed a pathing issue for ships flying to stations.
• Fixed an issue with gas collectors not collecting.
• Fixed production module animations being stuck after having been out-of-sector.
• Fixed incorrect AI ship behaviour after having been forced out of a highway.
• Fixed several problems with drone docking.
• Fixed problems with transport drones not picking up containers.
• Fixed drones failing to get a new commander if theirs is destroyed.
• Fixed several mining bugs (resource gathering, movement, searching...).
• Fixed cases of player drones getting lost when you enter a highway.
• Fixed police not detecting illegal cargo in player inventory in many cases.
• Fixed station building not proceeding correctly when not in the player zone.
• Fixed refuel budget menu assuming that the trader has no money.
• Fixed case where build resources are requested for the playership.
• Fixed problem involving disappearing wares.
• Fixed managers pestering the player for money.
• Fixed stuck trade offers and refunded money to all participants.
• Fixed shields not protecting surface elements on several ships in Omicron Lyrae.
• Fixed jumpgates sometimes sending the player to invalid positions.
• Fixed mining drones not picking up asteroids in some cases.
• Fixed ships getting stuck waiting for drones.
• Fixed some ships not shooting at large objects.
• Fixed some trade ships ignoring trade opportunities for extended periods of time.
• Fixed storage calculations for intermediate products that caused storage requirements to be vastly overestimated.
• Fixed exploit allowing repeated instantly-profitable trades on shipyards.
• Fixed temporary loss of faction discounts when temporarily losing reputation.
• Fixed remote transport drones ending up in the player squad.
• Fixed station-to-station trades sometimes ending prematurely.
• Fixed dropped inventory items being picked up again immediately.
• Fixed picked-up objects disappearing due to timeout.
• Fixed several problems associated with hacking gameplay.
• Fixed mining drones being unable to return to some capital ships.
• Fixed Split "Gangrene Chaser" turrets disappearing and allow re-building.
• Fixed upgrade resources being counted twice for building.
• Fixed upgrade level rounding issues resulting in incorrect upgrade counts.
• Fixed ship category in encyclopedia for Hermod, Light Sul and Heavy Sul.
• Fixed inconsistent upgrade counts between encyclopedia and ship dealer.
• Fixed player ship selectable in Assign to Commander conversation.
• Fixed unidentified station modules having a name in the map.
• Fixed being able to remote comm NPCs in the same room.
• Fixed offset mouse position in borderless window mode.
• Fixed mouse confinement when starting the game in borderless window mode.
• Fixed minor button selection bugs in menus.
• Fixed issues with scrolling down in some menu tables.
• Fixed automatically changing selection in map menu.
• Fixed initial button selection in menus not being highlighted.
• Fixed rare cases of hotkey buttons not working.
• Fixed occasional freeze when opening the options menu.
• Fixed cases where the dialog menu was not displayed.
• Fixed mode options being available in the player ship's back room.
• Fixed left mouse clicks not closing ability/interact menus in some cases.
• Fixed double clicks on current target not always opening interact menu.
• Fixed stuck scroll-bar when returning to a previous menu.
• Fixed platform trader menu getting stuck with discounts.
• Fixed various other issues with UI and targeting behaviour.
• Fixed dialog or legacy main menu sometimes not showing buttons as selected.
• Fixed pressing ESC/DEL on loading screen returning to startmenu after loading is done.
• Fixed target cycling not working in highways.
• Fixed targets being lost in some cases.
• Fixed mission targets showing group target elements for ships instead of single ship target elements.
• Fixed certain invisible ship/station components being selectable as target.
• Fixed keyboard navigation selecting options from time to time.
• Fixed input actions and states mapped to axis on joystick 3-8 not working.
• Fixed ability to comm from a remote control drone using the "C" shortcut.
• Fixed stuck shift keys when alt-tabbing or changing window focus.
• Fixed station hints not being shown in non-plot games.
• Fixed mission offer locations being displayed when in a drone.
• Fixed weird camera behaviour when flying relative to moving capital ships.
• Fixed main menu font issue in Chinese and Korean.
• Fixed the boost effect not stopping in some situations.
• Fixed missing Ad Sign text in event monitor.
• Fixed wrongly-scaled buy ship menus on detail monitor.
• Fixed wrong message text when standard drones arrive via remote delivery.
• Fixed subtitles changing too fast for long lines.
• Fixed incorrect English voice lines for a Teladi speaker.
• Fixed excessively bright lights on certain objects.
• Fixed disappearing ice asteroids.
• Fixed missing advertising signs.
• Fixed several of the most common causes of crashes.
• Various optimisations resulting in performance improvements.

Minimum:
OS: Windows 7 SP1 (64-bit), Vista SP2 (64-bit), XP SP3 (64-bit)
Processor: Intel i-Series at 2GHz or AMD equivalent
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: NVidia GT400 series with 512MB RAM or better, ATI 4870HD with 512MB RAM or better
DirectX: Version 9.0c
Hard Drive: 6 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c Compatible Sound Card
Additional Notes: These specs are still being determined

Recommended:
OS: Windows 7 SP1 (64-bit)
Processor: Intel i5 (Quad) or i7 at 2.5GHz or AMD equivalent
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: NVidia GT500 series with 1GB RAM or better, ATI 5870HD with 1GB RAM or better
DirectX: Version 9.0c
Hard Drive: 10 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c Compatible Sound Card
Additional Notes: These specs are still being determined.

Pilots are certified small spaceship pilots who may well have military or commercial experience. Competence and skills will obviously vary and it is worth checking into their credentials wherever possible. A Pilot is essential for taking over a newly-acquired small ship, whether through purchase, construction or by consequence of combat. You may come depend on one these Pilots in combat so keep an eye on their progress.  
 
Captains are experienced in capital ship command. Their experience could lie in military or commercial fields, or even both if you are lucky. It is always worth taking the time to check their credentials before hiring, if you can. A Captain is essential for commanding that capital ship that you have recently had constructed, or have acquired by other means. You will issue commands to your capital ship by issuing orders to the Captain, so it is always a good idea to help them to develop in the fields in which you want to use them.  
 
A Defence Officer is employed on Stations or capital ships. He controls the defensive turrets and drones of the host to maximise their contribution to self-defence. They also coordinate with other ships, dedicated or just available, to request or marshal additional assistance as necessary. Their skills and abilities vary and this will impact upon their overall effectiveness.  
 
Managers will run your stations for you in your absence. A station without one cannot run effectively, if at all. They come with individual skills and experience and so should be carefully selected, if you have the necessary opportunity. Managers will report any issues or requirements that their stations encounter and so you are advised to listen carefully when they contact you. Hopefully you will come to trust and nurture your station Managers.  
 
An Engineer is an important member of any crew. Not only can one repair surface elements of stations and capital ships but, when a member of the crew of the Albion Pride, one can conduct partial repair to the Skunk in space, or more in-depth and complete repair when docked at a platform. Different Engineers obviously come with differing experience and competences.  
 
An Agricultural Engineer is employed on a station to monitor and improve the efficiency of production using agricultural resources. Products improved by their services include: Meat, Plankton, Soybeans, Spaceweed, Spices and Wheat.  
 
An Architect is a designer and project manager for construction work for stations and modules. They are actually employed on the Construction Vessel, or 'CV', that does the actual building. Every new CV will require one and they come, as expected, with differing skill levels. Architects will listen to your outline construction intentions and then advise you what can be built, where, and in which order. They will also advise the costs in terms of credits and supplied resources for your construction requests.  
 
A Marine Officer commands the detachment of marines on a ship. One is essential for conducting boarding operations and helps the pilots by interpreting scan data for the best place to send the pods. They then control the boarding operation in detail and help to suggest what assistance the Skunk could provide to the operational success, and also when to abort an operation destined for total failure and loss. As always, some Marine Officers are more skilled and experienced than others.  
 
A Cell Specialist is employed on a station to monitor and improve the efficiency of cell production in power and energy processes. Products improved by their services include: Antimatter Cells, Energy Cells, Ion Cells and Plasma Cells.  
 
A Food Technologist is employed on a station to monitor and improve the efficiency of foodstuffs production using mainly natural resources. Products improved by their services include: Bofu, Food Rations and Spacefuel.  
 
A Chemical Specialist is employed on a station to monitor and improve the efficiency of chemical product using various resources. Products improved by their services include: Bio-Electric Neuron Gel and Chemical Compounds.  
 
A Precision Assembler is employed on a station to monitor and improve the efficiency of precise component production processes using technical resources. Products improved by their services include: Bio-Optic Wiring, Microchips, Plasma Pumps and Quantum Tubes.  
 
A Weapons Technologist is employed on a station to monitor and improve the efficiency of technical production processes using various technical components. Products improved by their services include: Missiles, EM-Spectrometer, Scanning Array and Warheads.  
 
A Pharmaceutical Agent is employed on a station to monitor and improve the efficiency of pharmaceutical processes using medicinal resources. Products improved by their services include: Medical Supplies and Narcotics.  
 
A Metallurgical Engineer is employed on a station to monitor and improve the efficiency of metal-based processes using metallic resources. Products improved by their services include: Refined Metals, Silicon Wafers and Reinforced Metal Plating.  
 
A Geophysicist is employed on a station to monitor and improve the efficiency of production using resources extracted from asteroid debris. Products improved by their services include: Cut Crystals and Nividium Cubes.  
 
A Surface Technician is employed on a station to monitor and improve the efficiency of system production processes using sub-systems and components. Products improved by their services include: Shield Generators and Turrets.  
 
A Power Specialist is employed on a station to monitor and improve the efficiency of power generation production using various resources and components. Products improved by their services include: Fusion Reactors, Podkletnov Generators and Plasma Flow Regulators.  
 
A Hydro Specialist is employed on a station to monitor and improve the efficiency of water-production processes using natural resources. Water production is greatly improved by their services.