Version 1.3.25

This update makes AI opponents considerably stronger, reduces memory usage by about 4 GB, improves stability when video memory runs low, and fixes several crashes.

In 400 head-to-head test matches against the previous AI, the new AI won 369, lost 30 and drew 1, a 92% win rate.

General

• Reduced memory usage by about 4 GB and improved startup time: texture pixels and uncompressed sounds are no longer kept in memory, and large artwork is loaded on demand.
• Improved performance on graphics cards with limited video memory: textures and models that spill into system memory are moved back once video memory frees up, without stuttering or visual glitches.
• Changing anisotropic filtering now applies instantly.

AI

• The AI now keeps larger mineral reserves.
• The AI now prioritizes upgrades for units it already has in the field.
• The AI now values upgrades that increase the output of buildings it has already built.
• The AI now favors quicker research over expensive upgrades with similar benefits.
• The AI now raises city loyalty before it drops into negative values.
• The AI now prioritizes resources whose shortage leaves its factories unable to produce units.
• The AI no longer builds colonizers in cities threatened by stronger enemies.
• Fixed AI players ignoring traits that change unit cost and upkeep when judging whether they can afford units.

Balance

• Antiparticle Purge with Unrestrained Disassembly now damages all units on the cleared tile instead of only biological units.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed Anchorite and ZEPHON units becoming Undersupplied late game, which crippled their accuracy and made them no challenge on higher difficulties.
• Fixed a memory leak where unit health and morale bars were never freed after units were removed, increasing memory use over long games.
• Fixed cinematics crashing on Linux when subtitles started, losing their last frames, or stalling on damaged video data.
• Fixed arrow keys scrolling lists while typing.
• Fixed the Intel processor stability warning appearing on 13th and 14th-generation processors that are not affected.
• Fixed a rare graphics error when the game window's swap chain becomes suboptimal, for example after moving the window to another monitor.
• Fixed rare crashes and interface elements that stopped updating.
• Fixed World XML validation for mods: schemas no longer reject valid data such as token effect names and skipOverwatchOnNextTileEnter or accept some invalid data, and the validator no longer warns about numbered unit response sounds or feature meshes composed from scene blueprints.