Changelog

Version: 1.0.5
Date: 2026-11-01
  Bugfixes:
    - Fix: the game did not start ("Value must be a string ... localised_description") because of the blast radius in the targeting device tooltips.

Version: 1.0.4
Date: 2026-11-01
  Features:
    - A red danger zone (filled disc with outline, also on the map) is shown around the target with the radius of the blast, from the moment of the shot until the strike lands. Mk1 and Mk2 show their own radius.
    - The tooltip of each targeting device shows the blast radius.
  Changes:
    - The Mk2 cannon building is bigger: 5x5 tiles (3x3 with the "1x1 controller" option). The Mk1 stays 3x3 (1x1).
    - No more chat messages when a cannon is built/launched or fired. (The one-time help text for the very first cannon, "unable to fire", permission and "cannon lost" messages are kept.)

Version: 1.0.3
Date: 2026-11-01
  Bugfixes:
    - Fix: the Mk2 cannon was too heavy for a rocket. It weighs the same as the Mk1 now, so exactly one fits into a rocket, and it can be sent to orbit like the Mk1.
  Changes:
    - The Mk2 cannon building looks like the artillery turret, tinted blue. The Mk1 cannon keeps the radar look. (If the artillery turret prototype can not be used, the Mk2 falls back to the radar look.)

Version: 1.0.2
Date: 2026-11-01
  Features:
    - Mk2 cannon: twice the energy capacity (2000 MJ with default settings) and twice the discharge speed of a Mk1. It charges at up to 200 MW (new startup setting "Max charging power of an Ion Cannon Mk2", default 200 MW).
    - Mk2 cannon recipe is twice as expensive in every ingredient and takes twice as long to craft.
    - Separate targeting devices: the blue Mk1 device fires Mk1 cannons only, the new orange Mk2 device fires Mk2 cannons only. The Mk2 device has its own shortcut, unlocked together with the Mk2 cannon research. The selection box colour and the icon tell the devices apart.
    - Mk2 targeting device recipe costs twice as much as the Mk1 device.
  Changes:
    - A targeting device no longer falls back to the other cannon type. If no cannon of its type is ready you get a message naming the type. (The area targeter and the auto targeting still use any ready cannon.)
    - The Mk2 upgrade shortcut swap is gone: the Mk1 shortcut always gives the Mk1 device.

Version: 1.0.1
Date: 2026-11-01
  Features:
    - Mk1 and Mk2 cannons are two independent types, both can always be built (no research needed, no more "outdated technology" explosion). A Mk1 cannon fires the smaller strike, a Mk2 cannon the bigger strike. The Mk2 targeting device uses a Mk2 cannon first, the Mk1 device a Mk1 cannon first, the other type is used if none of the preferred type is ready.
    - Top left: two counters instead of one. The Mk1 counter uses the Mk1 item icon, the Mk2 counter the Mk2 item icon. Each shows the number of cannons of that type at the current planet, plus the ready count (green) or the seconds until the next one is ready (red). The panel lists both types.
  Bugfixes:
    - Fix: a planet without cannons showed "0" and a red cooldown time. It shows 0 and no timer now.
    - Cannons built while the platform is travelling are no longer destroyed.
  Changes:
    - Removed the explosion messages "outdated technology" and "unsuitable location".

Version: 1.0.0
Date: 2026-10-30
  Info:
    - First release under the name "Orbital Ion Cannon (Battery Edition)". Fork of Kux's "Orbital Ion Cannon (Space Edition)" 4.8.15, which is based on Supercheese's "Orbital Ion Cannon" 1.8.2.
    - Parts of the changes were written with the help of an AI assistant (Claude).
  Features:
    - Every cannon is a building on a space platform and is tracked individually.
    - Cannons work like batteries: they charge from the power grid (default 1000 MJ, max 30 MW charging power) and can fire when full.
    - The hover panel shows the charge like an accumulator.
    - The targeting devices are selection tools: any click fires one cannon, also in fog of war and unexplored areas.
    - New settings: energy per shot, charging power, "allow all players to use the targeting device".
  Bugfixes:
    - Many fixes to cannon counting, force merging, auto targeting queue and multiplayer permissions.
  Changes:
    - Incompatible with the original mods (same prototype names). Existing saves of the original mods can not be converted.

Version: 4.11.1
Date: 2026-10-30
  Bugfixes:
    - Fix lag introduced in 4.11.0 (the flare scan has been removed).
    - Fix inconsistent firing. The artillery remote only works near loaded artillery, so it can not be used for ion cannons.
  Changes:
    - The targeting devices (Mk1, Mk2) are selection tools. A click anywhere (left or right, with or without shift) fires one ion cannon at that position, also in fog of war and unexplored areas.
    - The area targeter works in fog of war too, for all click variants.

Version: 4.11.0
Date: 2026-10-30
  Features:
    - The ion cannon targeting devices (Mk1, Mk2) now work like the artillery targeting remote. You can fire anywhere, in map view or remote view, including fog of war and unexplored areas.
    - Firing reveals a small area around the target on the map.
  Changes:
    - The targeting devices are capsules now and are no longer "placed". Targeting with the device creates a short lived "Ion Cannon Target" flare that is used to fire the cannon.

Version: 4.10.2
Date: 2026-10-30
  Features:
    - New runtime setting "Allow all players to use the targeting device" (default on). Fixes "You have been blocked from targeting ion cannons by an admin" for non-admins in multiplayer.
  Changes:
    - A player an admin has unticked in the ion cannon panel stays blocked. The panel now shows the effective permission.

Version: 4.10.1
Date: 2026-10-30
  Changes:
    - Default energy per shot is now 1000 MJ (setting "ion-cannon-charge-energy-mj", replaces "ion-cannon-charge-energy").
    - New startup setting "ion-cannon-charge-power-mw": maximum charging power of a cannon, default 30 MW. Output power stays equal to the buffer size in MW.

Version: 4.10.0
Date: 2026-10-30
  Features:
    - Cannon buildings now work like a battery: they need electricity to charge up and hold their charge.
    - A cannon is ready to fire when its energy buffer is full. Firing uses up the whole charge.
    - New startup setting "Energy to charge an Ion Cannon (MJ)", default 500. Max input and output power of the building equals this value in MW.
    - The hover panel shows the charge like an accumulator. The status line shows "Ready to fire" while the buffer is full.
  Changes:
    - The cannon building is an accumulator again (was a storage tank with a fluid bar). Existing cannon buildings of 4.9.x have to be rebuilt.
    - The cooldown setting is only used for cannons without building (rocket launch in vanilla, cheat menu).
    - The GUI shows the charge in percent for cannons with building.

Version: 4.9.1
Date: 2026-10-30
  Bugfixes:
    - Fix game not starting: the cannon sprite sheets were read as four frames side by side (sprite rectangle outside the image).

Version: 4.9.0
Date: 2026-10-30
  Features:
    - Every orbital ion cannon is now tied to its building. Charge, ready state and orbit are stored per building.
    - Hovering a cannon on a space platform shows its charge like a fluid (bar out of 100) and a status line (charging / ready to fire).
    - The charge bar fills over time and stays full until the cannon is fired.
    - Cannons only count and fire while their platform orbits a planet. Charging continues while the platform travels.
    - Mining or destroying the building (or deleting the platform) removes the cannon. Mining returns the cannon item.
  Changes:
    - The cannon building is now a storage tank without pipe connections (was a radar). Old saves: existing cannons are migrated and matching buildings are re-linked.
    - Mk2 upgrade research no longer wipes buildings. Only cannons without building (rocket launch, cheat menu) are recycled 10:1, at least one remains.
    - Removed the unused startup setting "ion-cannon-bob-updates".
  Bugfixes:
    - Mined or destroyed cannons are no longer counted forever, and no longer give a free radar.
    - IonCannon.target no longer modifies the position passed by the caller (wrong position in events and remote interface).
    - The runtime setting "ion-cannon-auto-targeting" is applied when it is changed in game.
    - Cheat menu "remove ion cannon" removes a cannon of the current orbit.
    - Area targeter respects player permissions, fires only as many cannons as are ready and reports a missing cannon once.
    - Auto targeting queue is kept per force, honours the auto targeting switch and is processed every second.
    - Fix crash in on_force_created. Merging forces now keeps cannons.
    - The targeting shortcut gives the Mk2 targeter after the Mk2 upgrade.
    - The top bar button is no longer rebuilt every second.

Version: 4.8.15
  Changes:
    - Fix Factorio 2.1 migration issues
    - surface_conditions = {{ property = "pressure", min = 0, max = 0 }}

Version: 4.8.14 WIP
Date: 2026-07-26
  Info:
    - Push to Factorio 2.1

Version: 3.8.14
  Bugfixes:
    - Fix a bug in on_built_entity when entity was not valid

Version: 3.8.13
  Changes:
    - update dependencies

Version: 3.8.12
  Bugfixes:
    - fix issue with GuiLib 3.0.4

Version: 3.8.11
  Info:
    - dependency changes

Version: 3.8.10
  Bugfixes:
    - workaround for Gui Unifier content changes

Version: 3.8.9
  Bugfixes:
    - Fix for Factorio 2.0.33

Version: 3.8.8
  Features:
    - Add an option (per player) to choose where the Klaxon is audible
    - Add electric damage to the ion cannon MK2
  Changes:
    - Klaxon is now allways played on the destination position (independent of user settings) But you only hear it when you are about to be grilled (10 tiles radius)
  Bugfixes:

Version: 3.8.7
  Bugfixes:
    - Fix auto-targeting bug from version 3.8.6
    - Fix friendly fire if turrets/unit-spawner are in the same force as the radar
    - -> Cheese's Concentrated Solar mod is using turrets as solarpanels. This caused the ion cannon to fire on the turrets.

Version: 3.8.6
  Features:
    - add support for script_raised_sector_scanned (custom event)
  Bugfixes:
    - [Vanilla] Fix that cannon is not found in rocket

Version: 3.8.5
  Bugfixes:
    - cheat "remove one ion cannon" now takes into account the currently viewed surface

Version: 3.8.4
  Bugfixes:
    - fix area targeter for the vanilla version

Version: 3.8.3
  Bugfixes:
    - fix orbital-ion-canon item for the vanilla version
    - adapt damage and radius w/o flames for mk2

Version: 3.8.2
  Bugfixes:
    - fix a incompatibiliy with 5dim

Version: 3.8.1
  Bugfixes:
    - fix a crash on moving platform

Version: 3.8.0
  Features:
    - Button shows number of ion cannons ready to fire
  Changes:
    - Ion Cannon Mk2 has now x1.5 Radius
  Bugfixes:
    - fix a bug in ion-cannon-table (table expected, got nil)
    - fix a bug on forces merging
    - fix descriptions
  Info:
    - code refactoring

Version: 3.7.2
  Features:
    - Add technology to upgrsade existing Ion Cannons to Mk2

Version: 3.7.1
  Changes:
    - Ion Cannon Mk2 has now x10 Power
    - Old Ion Cannons can no longer be built once Mk2 has been researched
  Bugfixes:
    - fix a targeter bug that reacts to any selection tool

Version: 3.7.0
  Features:
    - Area Fire, a new technology that allows you to target a large area. also unexplored areas.
    - Ion Connon Mk2, a new technology that allows you to build a more powerful ion cannon.
  Changes:
    - Enable shortscuts only when the technology has been researched
  Bugfixes:
    - fix the targeter bug that built a visible turret

Version: 3.6.1
  Bugfixes:
    - upate dependencies to use Kux-CoreLib >= 3.14.4

Version: 3.6.0
  Features:
    - (Space Age) added Ion Cannon Starter Pack
  Changes:
    - (Space Age) build a normal radar is no more requiered. build the Starter Pack instead
  Bugfixes:
    - hide the recipe until the technology is researched

Version: 3.5.5
  Bugfixes:
    - fix ancient migration bug

Version: 3.5.4
  Features:
    - added zh-CN locale (request by plexpt)

Version: 3.5.3
  Changes:
    - hi-res scorchmark

Version: 3.5.2
  Changes:
    - (space age) fix crash in on_space_platform_built_entity

Version: 3.5.1
  Changes:
    - (space age) weight for ion cannon is now 1t
    - (space age) build trigger for a new ion cannon is a radar

Version: 3.5.0
Date: 2024-11-15
  Info:
    - push to Factorio 2.0
    - 3.x is the version for Factorio 2.0
    - 2.4.1 is the last version for Factorio 1.1 (no updates planned)

Version: 2.4.1
Date: 2023-05-15
  Info:
    - add dependency Kux-CoreLib
    - add mod.lua
    - move util parts to Kux-CoreLib
    - use Version, String from Kux-CoreLib

Version: 2.3.4
Date: 2023-1-1
  Bugfixes:
    - Compatibility with newest Bob's Mods updates

Version: 2.3.3
Date: 2022-12-27
  Bugfixes:
    - K2 Tesla Coil will no longer be targeted

Version: 2.3.2
Date: 2022-7-31
  Bugfixes:
    - Cleaned up research costs
    - Fixed Early Research setting
    - Update research for Space Exploration 0.6

Version: 2.3.1
Date: 2022-7-11
  Bugfixes:
    - Fixed bug caused by putting the targeter into the cursor while cannons are ready

Version: 2.3.0
Date: 2022-6-10
  Features:
    - Volume settings for voices and the klaxon
    - Targeting remote is now fully functional in Space Exploration's satellite view, however it cannot yet be kept in the satellite inventory
  Bugfixes:
    - Targeting remote item no longer vanishes when removed from cursor
    - Targeting remote shortcut will not appear until the technology is researched
    - Correct number of orbiting ion cannons is now displayed whenever it is printed to chat
    - Fixed targeting remote collisions being affected by other mods, it should now be properly usable anywhere
    - UI should no longer automatically appear before a cannon has been launched
    - Fixed Ion Cannon crafting time, it will now be 60 seconds by default

Version: 2.2.1
Date: 2021-07-07
  Bugfixes:
    - fix changelog. Its time that Wube supports tab chars!

Version: 2.2.0
Date: 2021-07-07
  Features:
    - french voice (thx to Dae)

Version: 2.1.15
Date: 2021-05-06
  Bugfixes:
    - fix the "Area not found" log message. (at least I hope so)

Version: 2.1.13
Date: 2021-05-05
  Bugfixes:
    - 5dim compatibility

Version: 2.1.12
Date: 2021-05-05
  Changes:
    - refactoring / code cleanup for permissions
    - refactoring / code cleanup for GUI
  Bugfixes:
    - try to fix restore permissions for multiplayer

Version: 2.1.11
Date: 2021-04-09
  Bugfixes:
    - fix ingredient_count

Version: 2.1.9
Date: 2021-01-31
  Bugfixes:
    - add missing shortcut translation

Version: 2.1.8
Date: 2021-01-28
  Bugfixes:
    - fix for: gui.lua:54: attempt to get length of field '?' (a nil value)

Version: 2.1.7
Date: 2021-01-22
  Bugfixes:
    - backwards compatibility for 1.0

Version: 2.1.6
Date: 2021-01-13
  Changes:
    - filter overview of ion cannons for current surface
    - refactoring, starting use of mod-gui
    - move top button into mod-gui frame
    - implement shortcuts for the targeter (thanks to ickputzdirwech)
  Bugfixes:
    - Fix crash with Rampant Arsenal if rampant-arsenal-technology-energy-weapons-damage-6 is not present

Version: 2.1.5
Date: 2021-01-11
  Bugfixes:
    - fix auto-targeting for surfaces

Version: 2.1.4
Date: 2021-01-11
  Bugfixes:
    - control.lua:52: bad argument #2 of 3 to 'index' (string expected, got number)

Version: 2.1.3
Date: 2021-01-10
  Bugfixes:
    - Fix: LuaPlayer doesn't contain key clean_cursor.

Version: 2.1.2
Date: 2021-01-06
  Bugfixes:
    - Fix: Error while running event Kux-OrbitalIonCannon::on_runtime_mod_setting_changed (ID 59)

Version: 2.1.1
Date: 2021-01-05
  Changes:
    - Settings for an early recipe (Space Exploration)
    - Workaround for Rampant Arsenal technology tree changes

Version: 2.1.0
Date: 2020-12-18
  Features:
    - respect of the correct surface (Space Exploration) [experimental, please report issues]

Version: 2.0.0
Date: 2020-12-18
  Info:
    - Republished for Factorio 1.1

Version: 1.8.2
Date: 1. 5. 2020
  Bugfixes:
    - Fixed bad usage of deprecated syntax causing startup error.

Version: 1.8.1
Date: 9. 3. 2020
  Changes:
    - Updated German locale (Vainock)
  Bugfixes:
    - Fixed a startup error concerning mipmaps (flexoo)
    - Fixed another critical error (Bellicosity)

Version: 1.8.0
Date: 26. 1. 2020
  Changes:
    - Updated for Factorio 0.18
  Bugfixes:
    - Players who are denied ion cannon permissions will now simply have the targeting device returned to inventory rather than removed entirely.

Version: 1.7.2
Date: 23. 3. 2019
  Bugfixes:
    - Fixed a mod crash with Auto-targeting.

Version: 1.7.1
Date: 20. 3. 2019
  Changes:
    - Factorio Standard Library is no longer directly bundled with this mod, but rather cross-referenced, and is now a required dependency.
    - Added the ability to remove ion cannons via cheat.
  Bugfixes:
    - Fixed a bug with Bob's mods compatibility (research prereqs).

Version: 1.7.0
Date: 11. 3. 2019
  Changes:
    - Updated for Factorio 0.17 (thanks emperorjimmy!)
    - Updated Russian translation (courtesy of badway)
    - Show Admin Panel is no longer checked by default.
    - Show Cheat Menu moved to a Mod Setting rather than a checkbox option in top dialog. Disabled by default, this should reduce the visibility of the cheats significantly, as they were a bit too readily accessible before.
    - Added a new checkbox in the top dialog to toggle Auto-Targeting. This is exactly the same function as the Mod Setting, just more easily accessible. As with the Mod Setting, only Admins (or single-player, of course) can access this toggle. Toggling this setting takes priority over the Mod Setting.

Version: 1.6.3
Date: 24. 2. 2018
  Minor Features:
    - Ion cannon strikes now show up on the minimap akin to vanilla artillery strikes.
  Changes:
    - Added an icon to the "Number of times an ion cannon was fired" entry in the Kills graph.
    - Switch to new "on_nth_tick" event, rather than on_tick.
  Bugfixes:
    - Fixed "Select Target" announcement being played much more often than intended if using a "Long Reach"-style mod.

Version: 1.6.2
Date: 19. 1. 2018
  Changes:
    - Added a Cheat Menu accessible in singleplayer or for admins in multiplayer that allows you to cheat ion cannons into orbit. The Cheat Menu selections can be found beneath the Admin Panel.
    - Removed the "(Compact)" designation from the Compact-type menu. This is a text-only change, so now the GUI merely cycles between closed, open, and full. The Full GUI is still disabled when 40 or more cannons are in orbit (see 1.5.0).

Version: 1.6.1
Date: 18. 1. 2018
  Changes:
    - Changed map marker icon.
    - Switch to new play_sound() function rather than spawning "explosion"-type entities to play sounds.
  Bugfixes:
    - Fixed error with auto-targeting.

Version: 1.6.0
Date: 15. 1. 2018
  Changes:
    - Updated for Factorio 0.16.
    - New icon for the Ion Cannon Targeting Device
    - New (minor) animation for the ion cannon target location
    - It is no longer possible to designate a target for an ion cannon in an uncharted region using the zoom-to-map feature. Charted areas that are in the "fog of war" are, however, still valid.
    - When a new biter base is built in a revealed zone and would normally be auto-targeted immediately, but there are insufficient ion cannons available, it will now be queued up for targeting when the next ion cannon is ready.
    - Ion cannon alerts & map icons now contain the name of the user who designated the target, if applicable.
    - An admin panel has been added to restrict ion cannon targeting ability in multiplayer environments. Server admins can find it in the Compact ion cannon details screen.
    - When cheat mode is enabled, the targeting device can be used at any time, even if there are no ion cannons in orbit.

Version: 1.5.3
Date: 24. 8. 2017
  Bugfixes:
    - Just some bug fixes.

Version: 1.5.2
Date: 29. 6. 2017
  Changes:
    - New setting "Minimum Cannons Ready Before Auto-Targeting" that allows you to keep a buffer of ready-to-fire cannons that will always be available for manual targeting.
    - Removed "Verbose Messaging" option -- It is replaced by the new "Custom Alerts" option.
    - New custom alerts will trigger (if enabled in the mod options) whenever an ion cannon target is designated. These behave just like the alerts for destroyed structures et al.
    - Switched from using a train stop to show the ion cannon target location on the map to 0.15's new custom map marker feature.
    - New setting: "Map Marker Duration". This determines for how long the target map markers will remain after the ion cannon fires.
    - Reworked some text strings & added descriptions to the mod's technologies.

Version: 1.5.1
Date: 22. 5. 2017
  Changes:
    - Fixed an error when trying to start a train mini-tutorial.
    - Reinstated printing the name of the radar that designates an auto-target if Verbose Messaging is enabled.
    - Fixed a rare bug when both quickbar & inventory slots were completely filled, manually using an ion cannon targeter could cause it to disappear.
    - Reworded & improved a couple setting names/descriptions.

Version: 1.5.0
Date: 14. 5. 2017
  Changes:
    - Updated for Factorio 0.15.
    - Auto-Targeting of ion cannons no longer requires dedicated Auto-Targeting Stations.
    - Instead, after researching Auto-Targeting, *any* radar scanning activity will scan for nests and target ion cannons as needed.
    - Additionally, there is a new option to detect any nest expansions within the always-revealed regions of radar coverage and auto-target them accordingly.
    - Do be cautious with this option enabled, as biter nests expanding in close proximity to your own structures can result in friendly fire.
    - Disabled the annoying "Rocket launched without satellite!" message.
    - Added Orbital Ion Cannons as tracked items in the new "Rocket silo stats" frame.
    - New research costs.
    - Added support for the new "Expensive" recipes option in Factorio 0.15.
    - Auto-targeting now fires the custom "on_ion_cannon_targeted" event.
    - Auto-targeting should no longer leave spurious "target location" markers on the map; they should now properly disappear after the ion blast.
    - Added custom event "on_ion_cannon_fired", which now properly activates when the ion cannon blast actually occurs. See the Readme for documentation.
    - Added support for in-game mod options (Options -> Mods).
    - Added a mod option to toggle auto-targeting.
    - Removed the "proximity check" option. Be sure to be careful about your target designation, as always.
    - Removed the "lockout ticks" option; there are now always 10 lockout ticks (1/6 second).
    - Renamed remote call "fire_ion_cannon" to "target_ion_cannon".
    - The Ion Cannon Targeting Device is now unlocked upon research of the technology, rather than upon launching the first ion cannon.
    - It is no longer possible to switch to the "Full" ion cannon gui when there are 40 or more ion cannons in orbit.

Version: 1.4.6
Date: 6. 3. 2017
  Changes:
    - The ion cannon GUI hotkey now only works when there is at least one cannon in orbit.
    - Added config option for adjusting how much area Auto-Targeting Stations permanently reveal around themselves.
    - Reduced "Ion Cannon Ready" spam when firing several ion cannons -- the minimum duration between announces can be found in config.lua.
    - Renamed custom "on_ion_cannon_fired" event to "on_ion_cannon_targeted", to better reflect that it fires on target designation rather than actual blast impact.
    - The "on_ion_cannon_targeted" event position is no longer slightly off-center, and now also passes an event.radius variable.

Version: 1.4.5
Date: 21. 10. 2016
  Changes:
    - Reduced "Ion Cannon Ready" spam by allowing multiple cannons to become ready in the same second.
    - Simplify code now that the StdLib print-force function is available in the base game.

Version: 1.4.4
Date: 28. 8. 2016
  Changes:
    - Updated for Factorio 0.14.

Version: 1.4.3
Date: 26. 8. 2016
  Changes:
    - Close any instance of the old stats window still open.

Version: 1.4.2
Date: 22. 8. 2016
  Changes:
    - It is no longer possible to shift+click with the Targeting Device and place useless ghost entities.
    - Moved the ion cannon status GUI from gui.top to gui.left.
    - Added an option in the config file to disable the ion cannon blast flames, should you wish to eliminate the chance to cause wildfires with your orbital bombardment.

Version: 1.4.1
Date: 9. 8. 2016
  Changes:
    - Auto-designated targets within a chunk are now randomized, rather than being biased towards the northwest corner of the chunk.
    - Added radius visualization to the Ion Cannon Targeting Device. Now you can see just how far away from the blast zone you need to be!
    - Along with the radius visualization, the Targeting Device acquired new tooltip data; feel free to ignore the "Shooting speed" bit, but the rest should reflect the values from config.lua.

Version: 1.4.0
Date: 7. 8. 2016
  Changes:
    - The direct damage from the ion cannon blast now only applies within 80% of the full blast radius as defined in the config file. This effectively returns the full damage radius to 20, as it was in version 1.2.3.
    - All entities within 100% of the blast radius (25 by default) will be instantly set on fire; even if something survives the initial blast, it will continue to burn.
    - If also playing with my Swarm mod, this makes ion cannon blasts significantly more effective at killing the sub-enemies that spawn after spawners/large enemies die, since they will now catch fire and burn.
    - Black plumes of smoke will be emitted from ion cannon blast sites, similar to the smoke emitted by forest fires... and indeed, the blast can now ignite forest fires!
    - (Note: Cheese Orbital Industries™ is not responsible for any property damage and/or pollution caused by rampaging forest fires ignited by ion blasts.)
    - The "Ion Cannons" text-button at the top of the screen has been changed to an icon-button. Upon first update, the icon will shift position slightly; simply click it a couple times to reset the GUI positions.
    - Added a custom hotkey that you can press to toggle the Ion Cannon GUI rather than click the button. The keybinding is "I" by default; you can edit this in the game controls options.
    - Auto-targeting stations now scan for targets on a chunk-by-chunk basis, which should vastly improve performance while also eliminating the tendency for multiple stations to needlessly fire on the same target.
    - This also makes the auto-targeting stations behave more like vanilla radars; now you can monitor their scanning progress on the map as each chunk is revealed.
    - The range of the auto-targeting station is now represented in chunks (chunks are 32x32 tiles). The new default range is 10 chunks (for a 20x20 chunk scan region).
    - Each station now scans a new chunk every 4 seconds.

Version: 1.3.1
Date: 13. 7. 2016
  Changes:
    - Fixed worm auto-targeting config option.

Version: 1.3.0
Date: 2. 7. 2016
  Changes:
    - Updated for Factorio 0.13 (thanks to Danielv123 for assisting).
    - 25% more BOOM: Increased default blast radius from 20 to 25.
    - Add config option to disable printing messages to the console whenever an ion cannon fires or an auto-targeting station acquires a target.
    - Added a dark_background_icon to the Targeting Device, to improve visibility in some situations.
    - "Select Target" should now play more promptly upon grabbing a Targeting Device.
    - The Auto-Targeting Station no longer prints messages when all ion cannons are on cooldown.
    - Added an option in config.lua to toggle targeting of both worms & spawners or just spawners only (courtesy of madmaxoft).
    - Performance optimizations.
    - Increased default Auto-Targeting range to 400.

Version: 1.2.3
Date: 31. 5. 2016
  Changes:
    - Increase default Auto-Targeter range to 250 tiles.
    - Add Worms as valid targets for Auto-Targeters; Spawners are primary targets, Worms secondary.

Version: 1.2.2
Date: 29. 5. 2016
  Changes:
    - Fix compatibility with mods that add an Assembling Machine 4 but don't increase the ingredient_count.

Version: 1.2.1
Date: 20. 5. 2016
  Changes:
    - Revert use of the Standard Library's event registry function, as it did not behave as I intended.
    - Use improved graphics for the Auto-Targeting Station, courtesy of the excellent ExtraChests mod by Qumojo (https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?f=91&t=19970)

Version: 1.2.0
Date: 18. 5. 2016
  Changes:
    - Added an Auto-Targeting Station, a radar-type entity that periodically scans for enemy spawners, and automatically fires an ion cannon if it detects one.
    - Reduced the overlap the klaxon sound can have when firing multiple ion cannons in succession.
    - Extended the remote interface to allow firing an ion cannon. See the readme for more modding details.
    - Changed the default config.lua settings: Damage increased, heatup time increased, cooldown increased, proximity check disabled, voice style reverted to classic C&C. These are of course just changes to the defaults, you can change them yourself at any time.
    - Increased the cost of the ion cannon recipe.
    - The target location for all ion cannons is now shown on the map (when you press M). This is helpful to identify which spawner an Auto-Targeting Station is firing at -- or to detect enemy target locations in PvP!

Version: 1.1.0
Date: 26. 4. 2016
  Changes:
    - The mod is now using the Factorio Standard Library (https://github.com/Afforess/Factorio-Stdlib/wiki).
    - Added German translation (courtesy of bNarFProfCrazy).
    - Added two new Announcer voice styles to choose from (similar to the Red Alerts mod): Tiberian Sun EVA & Tiberian Sun CABAL. Select your favorite voice in config.lua.

Version: 1.0.9
Date: 1. 3. 2016
  Changes:
    - Properly fixed the technology to include Bob's Science Pack 4 if bobtech is loaded.
    - Fixed that the mod's on_tick function wasn't getting re-registered when loading a saved game.
    - Added a remote interface to allow other mods to detect when an ion cannon is targeted.

Version: 1.0.8
Date: 26. 2. 2016
  Changes:
    - Added Russian translation (thanks to apriori).
    - To increase performance, the on_tick function is now only registered upon first launching an ion cannon into orbit - there was no need to run this function in the early game before any ion cannons have been launched.

Version: 1.0.7
Date: 20. 2. 2016
  Changes:
    - Fixed a bug when another mod created a new force in init.
    - Updated recipes & technologies to use more new ingredients if Bob's Tech and/or Bob's Electronics mods are installed.
    - Fixed a rare bug when forces merged.

Version: 1.0.6
Date: 6. 1. 2016
  Changes:
    - Multiple forces are now supported. Now, each force can only access the ion cannons they have launched.
      Note that if loading a save where ion cannons have already been launched, these ion cannons will be all assigned to the "player" force when updating.
    - Moved hard-coded text strings out of control.lua into the locale .cfg files. Now all texts in the mod should be localizable into other languages.
    - The "Select target" notification and switching between closed/full/compact GUI states are now stored on a player-by-player basis.
    - Added an option in config.lua to disable the check for friendly characters in close proximity to the target zone. It is recommended to disable this check if you are using the "Long Reach" mod.
    - Added an option in config.lua that controls the minimum time between targeting multiple ion cannons. By changing this value, you can control how often ion cannons are allowed to be fired.

Version: 1.0.5
Date: 11. 12. 2015
  Changes:
    - Added an option in config.lua to enable/disable the klaxon sound that plays whenever an ion cannon target is designated.
    - Added an option in config.lua to adjust ion cannons' heatup time, i.e. the time between target designation and ion cannon blast impact.
    - Slightly increased the default value of the ion cannon blast radius. (You can of course still change it in config.lua if you want.)
    - Adjusted minimum base version requirement to >=0.12.17, due to graphical oddities present in lower versions.
    - Fixed " Unknown key:"entity-name.ion-cannon-target" " in the defeated enemies list; now it explicitly states that this is the number of times an ion cannon was fired.
    - Both the light generated by an ion cannon blast (best observed at night) and the size of the crater left behind now scale with the blast radius (as set in config.lua).

Version: 1.0.4
Date: 23. 11. 2015
  Minor Features:
    - Added a third GUI state; now, clicking the main Ion Cannon button cycles through Closed, Open (Full), and Open (Compact).
      This is helpful if you happen to have lots of ion cannons in orbit and would rather not have the GUI take up half of your screen!

Version: 1.0.3
Date: 22. 11. 2015
  Bugfixes:
    - Fixed a bug in multiplayer mode.

Version: 1.0.2
Date: 22. 11. 2015
  Changes:
    - Ion Cannons can now be crafted in vanilla Assembling Machine 3s, if there are no other mods installed which enable higher tiers of assembling machines.

Version: 1.0.1
Date: 20. 11. 2015
  Changes:
    - "Select Target" no longer plays when all ion cannons are on cooldown.
    - Added damage amount for each ion cannon blast to config.lua.

Version: 1.0.0 - First public release
Date: 20. 11. 2015
  Major Features:
    - Initial release, featuring Orbital Ion Cannons that can pretty much obliterate anything you might come across.