Dev Blog 4/5/2020 - Beta 6.2 Development

[jcsnider]

Beta 6.2 Development!

4/5/2020

 

 

Introduction

Because we're now automatically building and publishing development builds it makes sense to have ongoing development threads so you all know what's new in our development builds. This thread will cover quality of life changes, new features, and more for Beta 6.2.

 

 

Event Variable Multiplication and Division - (3/30/2020)

The first enhancement in Beta 6.2 is the ability to multiply, divide, and shift event variables.

 

 

Updated Server Statuses - (4/4/2020)

The main menu server status indicator will now indicate whether servers are offline, if there are version mismatches, and soon when we add options for player limits it will be able to display if a server is full.

*This was added to stable as well post release in order to reduce questions on why the client and server wouldn't connect in the instance of version mismatches.

 

 

Entity Animation Frames - (4/8/2020)

This is probably been the most requested feature that we have put off until now and we're finally caving in! Entity animation frames are in the pipeline at the time of writing and will be available soon!

 

Just add create graphics with the appended postfixes ("_idle.png", "_attack.png", "_cast.png", "_shoot.png", "_weapon.png") in the graphic names in order to activate. These animations work on paperdolls, spell transformations, and can easily be expanded upon with source mods going forward!

 

Previews:

        

 

Example Graphics:

Download (Credit @Zetasis

 

 

 

Embedded Auto Updater - (4/21/2020)

6.2 introduces an optional built in updater system that you all can use for your games! It's pretty simple, but requires that you have some sort of web hosting capabilities available to you.

 

 

To use the updater:

In the editor you click on Tools -> Package Update, and that will create a folder full of files for you, upload that folder and it's contents to your webhost!

 

Inside that folder is a file called update.json, get a link to that (ie: https://freemmorpgmaker.com/updater/update.json) and throw that into your Client/Resources/config.json file as your UpdateUrl.

 

As you upgrade your game to new Intersect versions, or update any of your games' resources simply use the editor to package a new update to replace the one on your webhost.

 

Your client and editor will do the rest every time they're launched, they can even replace themselves so you don't need an external updater application.

 

Full documentation can be found here!

 

 

Loot Ownership - (4/29/2020)

@Joyce added new loot options so that loot ownership and timing is taken into account when loot is dropped.! 

 

Adds the ability to tag MapItems with an owner, and only allow the owner (and their party) to pick the items up for a configurable amount of time.

NPC drops will attempt to use the player that did the most damage to it as the owner, unless killed by something other than a player.

Player drops will attempt to use player that did the killing blow as the owner for the items. Unless killed by something else.

Items dropped from the inventory voluntarily are also subject to ownership.

Items that you are unable to pick up can be configured to be hidden

 

Options for all of this are in the servers config.json

 

Note: The ItemDespawnTime and ItemRespawnTime have been moved/renamed so those values will be reset when upgrading to this version... if you have changed those values please be sure to go and modify them again!

 

 

More Coming Soon!

We're always going to keep working on and improving the engine, we don't really have a roadmap at the moment but we will get more news and a plan going forward out shortly! 

 

[wishy]

Amazing updates as usual!!! love it!!!!

[Miharukun]

Awesome!!

[Fugaku]

My god, this is amazing!!

[Kamus]

That's incredible !!! 

[Cheshire]

2 hours ago, jcsnider said:

Just add create graphics with the appended postfixes ("_idle.png", "_attack.png", "_cast.png", "_shoot.png", "_weapon.png") in the graphic names in order to activate. These animations work on paperdolls, spell transformations, and can easily be expanded upon with source mods going forward!

 

Guess who's going to have to try that first.

 

Joking aside, looks good! Should make life easier for a lot of people.

[Yanz]

Amazing, I will try that! Keep up the great work!

 

 

[Ainz Ooal Gown]

Epic!! Nice one JC this is awesome!

[happycharcher]

Amazing update

[Processinho]

>>>>Entity Animation Frames<<<<

 

Finally, my prayers were hailed.

[Worldofjimmy]

Where can I read how L and R shift works?  However, great update!

[jcsnider]

Bit shifting: https://www.interviewcake.com/concept/java/bit-shift

[Beefy Kasplant]

36 minutes ago, jcsnider said:

Bit shifting: https://www.interviewcake.com/concept/java/bit-shift

 

Do you have an example how this could be used in a system? 

[jcsnider]

Nope. It is often used in lower level hardware code (which is what Kibz does IRL).. I personally cannot think of usages for the event system but that's just because I forgot about those operators after college.

 

Gonna tag @Kibbelz, he made have had ideas for it in mind.

[Kibbelz]

12 hours ago, jcsnider said:

Nope. It is often used in lower level hardware code (which is what Kibz does IRL).. I personally cannot think of usages for the event system but that's just because I forgot about those operators after college.

 

Gonna tag @Kibbelz, he made have had ideas for it in mind.

Flags honestly. So I'm in the process of making a title system for Nightmare. Instead of having 64 boolean variables to be true or false if a title is owned or not per player. I'm going to use bit flags and thus with binary shifts I can achieve this to detect what flags are set and which ones are not.

[Weylon Santana]

@jcsnider, a quick question here, since it involves this new feature of beta 6.2.
In addition to the animation of idle, attack with sword, unarmed, cast and shot. Do you intend to put animation of death and animation of when the player suffers a hit at the base of the intersect?

[jcsnider]

No to both.

 

Hit would be weird since you can continue other actions after being hit. (Separate mod)

Death would be insanely difficult because upon death the entity is immediately removed from existence -- it doesn't stick around in order to render several frames.

[jcsnider]

Embedded Auto Updater - (4/21/2020)

6.2 introduces an optional built in updater system that you all can use for your games! It's pretty simple, but requires that you have some sort of web hosting capabilities available to you.

 

 

To use the updater:

In the editor you click on Tools -> Package Update, and that will create a folder full of files for you, upload that folder and it's contents to your webhost!

 

Inside that folder is a file called update.json, get a link to that (ie: https://freemmorpgmaker.com/updater/update.json) and throw that into your Client/Resources/config.json file as your UpdateUrl.

 

As you upgrade your game to new Intersect versions, or update any of your games' resources simply use the editor to package a new update to replace the one on your webhost.

 

Your client and editor will do the rest every time they're launched, they can even replace themselves so you don't need an external updater application.

 

Full documentation can be found here!

[Riuback]

beautiful, if I download the latest update from the source, will it come with all this?

[Cheshire]

13 minutes ago, Riuback said:

beautiful, if I download the latest update from the source, will it come with all this?

 

If you're using the Development branch, then yes.

All of the above is currently implemented there.

[jcsnider]

Hey everyone! More Beta 6.2 developments here ^^.  @Joyce added new loot options so that loot ownership and timing is taken into account when loot is dropped.! 

 

Overview:

• Adds the ability to tag MapItems with an owner, and only allow the owner (and their party) to pick the items up for a configurable amount of time.
• NPC drops will attempt to use the player that did the most damage to it as the owner, unless killed by something other than a player.
• Player drops will attempt to use player that did the killing blow as the owner for the items. Unless killed by something else.
• Items dropped from the inventory voluntarily are also subject to ownership.
• Items that you are unable to pick up can be configured to be hidden

 

Options for all of this are in the servers config.json

 

 

Note: The ItemDespawnTime and ItemRespawnTime have been moved/renamed so those values will be reset when upgrading to this version... if you have changed those values please be sure to go and modify them again!

 

 

[Cheshire]

It also works on resources and items dropped on the map from a trade that can't be completed and your inventory ends up full from it. 👍

[CoolGuyBoss]

So, I use the old textures for the game because I don't feel like redesigning all my items just to match the new design. Will this new auto updater not allow me to do any of that? Because idk if it changes my files to the new ones or not, i am not risking testing it either.

[jcsnider]

The updater isn't one where we provide the updates. You upload your own Client and resources to a webhost and then as you make changes to your webhost your players will get the Client and resources that you provide. Because the whole update process revolves around you supplying the updates with your own files there is no risk to us somehow replacing your files.

[CoolGuyBoss]

On 5/4/2020 at 1:11 AM, jcsnider said:

The updater isn't one where we provide the updates. You upload your own Client and resources to a webhost and then as you make changes to your webhost your players will get the Client and resources that you provide. Because the whole update process revolves around you supplying the updates with your own files there is no risk to us somehow replacing your files.

 

How do you set it up again? I don't remember