WarLight has just been updated to version 1.16.2! This blog post describes what’s changed.

Updated UI

The first thing everyone will notice is that the UI of the left and right columns of the main game screen received some improvements. This is just one small part of a larger UI overhaul that was done to the mobile client, which itself received lots of updates throughout the app.

The new website UI provides a fresh look and also fixes a few minor visual issues. The game name now fits within the left column and won’t overlap the map anymore. The turn number is now easier to spot. The gradients that used to exist in the lower corners are gone, as they always looked strange when overlapping the map (this was most noticeable when the right column was unpinned.)

Surrender Prompt

When surrenders are available to be accepted, the game now pops-up a message asking if you want to accept them, instead of requiring your to click the Accept Surrender button in the lower-right. This prompt is simply a convenience, it does not change the surrender mechanics at all.

This helps for cases where there are a lot of players and you may not have seen the accept surrender button due to the players section scrolling. It also helps when multiple players surrender at once, as it can automatically accept all surrenders instead of requiring you to click Accept Surrender for each player. Additionally, it’s big help for players who play with the right column unpinned, as they wouldn’t notice the surrender button appearing.

The primary motivation for adding this feature is for the mobile client, where there isn’t room for an Accept Surrender button on the main screen like there is on desktop computers.

Improved Common Games

When viewing another player’s profile, there’s a link that allows you to see games that you played in common with them. This page received some improvements in this update. In addition to showing the game name, it now also shows the team makeup (1v1, 2v2, FFA, etc.) and the game’s date.

Misc Improvements

– If you don’t get your normal color in a game, but on the first turn of the game repeatedly try to deploy to territories that are your normal color, the game now kindly reminds you that those aren’t your territories. This fixes the “I can’t deploy” bug.
– Fixed a bug when creating games that sometimes caused the map thumbnail to not appear.
– Fixed a bug that prevented the escape key from being able to close the Analyze window.

Mobile Client Improvements

– Added a chat button alongside the game’s menu button. This allows you to see it when it flashes, and also brings the UI closer to parity with the Flash version.
– Added a “Skip” button while watching turns play out.
– When in landscape mode, the menu button is now in the bottom-left corner instead of the top-left. This maintains parity with the Flash version and portrait mode.
– Re-designed the button style slightly.
– Added a cards button for tablets, as well as labels on the three phase buttons.
– Added the ability to view other player’s profiles, which includes the ability to add or remove them from your invite list and see games that you shared in common. The only things missing are the ability to see favorite maps and ranked games stats.
– Added support for the blacklist. Players who are on your blacklist now get their chat hidden and little “B”s over their names on the My Games page.
– When viewing history on a manual distribution game, your picks are now shown by default.
– Nudge/boot is no longer shown on the menu for single-player games.
– Fixed a bug when creating games that prevented map changes from taking effect.
– Android: Fixed a bug that caused the app to consume more CPU and memory than it should have, sometimes even when the app was closed.
– Android: Fixed a bug that sometimes caused the screen to re-size itself incorrectly when rotating your device.
– Android: Fixed a bug that caused moving the attack/transfer dialog around on tablets inconsistent.
– IOS: Fixed a bug that caused some big maps to render incorrectly.
– IOS: Fixed a bug that caused things to layout incorrectly if you started the app while your device was in landscape orientation.

CLOT Improvements

CLOT is a way for players to make their own Custom Ladders Or Tournaments. The CLOT system has received a couple of improvements in this update.

First, it’s now possible for CLOTs to create games that use open seats. However, when doing so, a member-only prerequisite must be used on the open seats. See the Create Game API for details.

Second, CLOT now has an authentication system. Up until now, CLOT creators had to choose between allowing any player to add any player to their ladders (as unknownsolider did), or only allowing themselves to add or remove players from the ladder (as ps did). The problem with the former is abuse, and the problem with the latter is that it creates extra work for the CLOT creator.

CLOT’s new authentication system gives a third option where players can securely add or remove themselves from the ladder, as well as do anything else a CLOT creator can dream up. See CLOT Authentication for details.