FreeCol 0.10.6 has been released, to coincide with the end of the world.  Thanks to all contributors, but particularly to izzieliu (see below) and reflame (most prolific bug reporter).

The main user-visible changes since 0.10.5 are:

• >80 bugs fixed.
  
• colony names (freecol ruleset): The colony names have been revised for accuracy and chronological order, contributed by izzieliu.
  
• disasters: Colonies are subject to natural disasters.
• editor: The map editor should be working again.
• European trade: Trading of goods with other European nations should be working again.
• intervention force: A foreign power may intervene and aid you against the REF.
• map reveal: The map is fully revealed on independence, as in Col1.
• native anger: Native settlements now have a `most hated nation', visible in the various popups, reports and the `!' chip by the settlement name.
• native trade: An option has been added to allow trading with empty carrier units.
• options panel: New tree-view of the options.
• path finding: The path finding code has been reworked, and should now find the fastest path in more cases.
• peace: The monarch now sometimes declares peace.
• ship names: Ships now have names by default. Historic ship name list contributed by izzieliu.
• AI:
  1. Following the path finding rewrite, most AI actions have been reworked and are now more robust and efficient, fixing many long standing bugs.  This was a lot of work and the main reason for the long release cycle.  Much of this is not really obvious to a casual player, the AI just fails less often.
     For example: In a 0.10.5 test game the Russian AI sent a unit to build a colony on a small island, but when it arrived the colony site had already been taken by the Swedish.  The Russian unit just hung around until eventually captured.  With 0.10.6 a new colony site is chosen as soon as the existing one becomes unavailable, and if needed a transport unit will be sent to take the colony founders there.
  2. European AI nations now send missionaries to nearby native settlements.
  3. European AI player cheating has been reduced, some explicit cheats are now controllable in the game options.
  4. Native AI gift and tribute demand probabilities are now game options.
  5. Note though, with very few exceptions, the AI is concerned only with the efficiency of its movements.  It makes no attempt to check if it is moving its units into danger.  Not yet.  That is the next major thing to do with the AI.  For now, do not bother reporting bugs where the AI moved a unit into unnecessary danger.  We know.

 

A serious bug has been discovered in 0.10.6 that removes all colonists from captured colonies. 0.10.7 will be releasd soon, fixing this and other less serious bugs.