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Version 1.59 - New save system, Vector3 variables, and refinements

edited September 2017 in Official news
Not much exciting about this update, but hopefully that's a sign that AC is now getting more mature.  This update focuses on bugfixing and some behind-the-scenes changes to the save system, but there are still a few goodies to be found.

Key features:

Save system rewrite
The acts of file-saving, option-saving, and data serialization are now all delegated to separate interfaces - making it easier to manage but also now possible to override them with custom scripts.  This should make it feasible, with some customisation, for a project to run on a platform that AC doesn't officially support.  On the game/design side of things, nothing (hopefully) should be different, however.

Vector3 variables
Vector3s are now available as an option when creating variables and parameters.  They can be used in the Object: Teleport and Object: Transform Actions, and can be written to with the new Object: Record transform Action.

And the full changelog:

Upgrade notes
  • Save and load functions no longer return success as a bool - the OnFinish / OnFailSaving etc events must be used instead
  • The SpeechManager script's LanguageReadsRightToLeft functions have been moved to RuntimeLanguages
  • Removed "HasPausing" function from Speech class as it is no longer used
  • Save and load functions no longer return success as a bool - the OnFinish / OnFailSaving etc events must be used instead
Variables
  • Added: Ability to declare Vector3 Variables and Parameters
  • Added: "Object: Record transform" Action - use to store the position, rotation or scale of a GameObject as a Vector3 Variable
  • Added: The "Object: Transform" Action can now take Vector3s when setting new Transform values
  • Added: The "Object: Teleport" and "Object: Add or remove" Actions can now position objects relative to Vector3s
  • Added: The "Variable: Run sequence" Action no longer requires an external Variable, though the current order will not be saved without one
  • Added: The "Variable: Check random number" Action can now be prevented from generating the same value in succession
Save games
  • Added: Ability to implement custom save formats and file handling through scripting interfaces
  • Added: Ability to customise the time display of save game files
  • Added: Ability to prevent saving of individual Remember components through script with the PreventSaving bool
  • Added: Option to allow multiple instances of objects with RememberTransform components
  • Changed: Save and load functions no longer return success as a bool - the OnFinish / OnFailSaving etc events must be used instead
  • Fixed: Using the "Save: Check" Action's "Is Saving Possible" method sometimes giving false positives
QTEs
  • Added: The "Input: QTE" Action now supports axis-based QTEs
  • Fixed: Error if the "Input: QTE: Action refers to a Menu that does not exist
Editor
  • Added: Variable and Parameter selector fields now only show those appropriate for the situation
  • Added: Scroll bar to Active Inputs Editor window
  • Fixed: BackgroundImage Inspectors not working with Unity 2017
  • Fixed: "Hotspot: Check interaction enabled" Action showing unused output socket
Speech and language
  • Added: Ability to script event token keys that trigger custom events when placed in speech text
  • Added: "OnClickConversation" and "OnStartConversation" events
  • Added: Constructor to ButtonDialog class with no ActionList requirements (useful for scripted Conversations)
  • Added: Ability to filter speech text listed in the Speech Manager to those with or without associated audio, provided audio is manually assigned
  • Added: Ability to only include lines with no associated audio in script sheets, provided audio is manually assigned
  • Changed: Removed "HasPausing" function from Speech class as it is no longer used
  • Fixed: Script sheets not showing line ID numbers
Translations
  • Added: Ability to create languages before gathering text
  • Changed: The SpeechManager script's LanguageReadsRightToLeft functions have been moved to RuntimeLanguages
  • Changed: The RuntimeLanguages' ImportRuntimeTranslation function now requires the text column to import as an integer parameter
  • Fixed: Issue with Hotspot labels when the game's original language reads right-to-left
Physics
  • Added: Ability to set the initial lift of PickUp objects when grabbed
  • Fixed: Handling issues with PickUp objects in first-person
  • Changed: The "Player movement reduction factor" of Draggable and PickUp objects now also affects free-aiming speed
Menus
  • Added: Slider element labels now support tokens
  • Fixed: "Mouse over" Menus being able to open while the player is manipulating physics objects
Movement
  • Added: Smoother movement to first-person free-aiming
  • Fixed: "Straight To Cursor" movement not making use of the NavMesh search fields
Cameras
  • Added: The restoration of the MainCamera transform when loading in VR is now optional
  • Fixed: GameCameras not being able to move vertically if the X-axis movement option is set to "Side Scrolling"
  • Fixed: Warning message when using GameCamera 2D Drag prefabs
Misc
  • Added: Integer parameter support for the item count fields in the "Inventory: Check" and "Inventory: Add or remove" Actions
  • Fixed: 2D Demo sharing assets from Demo folder
  • Fixed: Hotspots not being interactive when inventory items are selected in rare circumstances
  • Fixed: Loading scenes not exiting correctly in some circumstances
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Comments

  • WOOOW. Nice job Chris. It's great update!!!
  • edited September 2017
    Great as usual! :)
  • Another new feature probably worth a mention:

    Custom speech event tokens
    Bit of a mouthful, but custom coders may find this useful.  Basically you can now define your own tokens of the form [key:value] which, when placed in speech text, can trigger a event that can be used to run custom code.  See Section 10.5.1 of the Manual for more on how they work.
  • @ChrisIceBox Could you give an example of what you mean by "customising the time display of save files?" I would have just thought, you either show it you don't - what is there to customise? Unless you mean customisation options are included, like only show date, or only show 12 hour clock or something like that.
  • Very nice update!
  • edited September 2017
    Can't wait to try the Custom speech event tokens :)  it sounds perfect for my emoticons system (before I was using a custom action), I just got to make sure I can pass or parse the character's name too and I'm all set :) (I use the name to identify who should show what).
  • @Deckard_89: There's a new Time display option - Custom format.  This allows you to enter in a Microsoft-standard date format string (see this article).  The default value is MMMM dd, yyyy - which translates to Sept 04, 2017.
  • "Added: The "Input: QTE" Action now supports axis-based QTEs"

    Thank you! ;) ;)
  • Nice!

    I was away for a long time working on something else. Opened up Unity and Imported Adventure Studio and Playmaker, ready to start working on some ideas I have and seeing what sticks.
    No 2D platformers or anything else. :)

    So....just for my reference, what tutorials or updates is the best to start learning as of today?
    For instance is this still relevant? 


    otherwise i guess the manual right?


  • Yes, the first-person video is still fine.  The video tutorials are updated with annotations where things have changed, but nothing major.  The Manual is always correct, though, and has been recently re-written with images, pro-tips and additional notes.
  • Great! Thank you.
  • I think I've found a bug: my default camera in a scene follows the player horizontally. It works perfectly until I save and then load the save game with "Always reload scene when loading a save file?" checked. When I do that, the camera breaks and doesn't follow the player anymore.

    I thought I had broken it because I had been messing with some new assets, but I created a new project and it still happens. I updated to 1.59 today, so the timing makes sense too.
  • @Rairun: And the camera has a ConstantID component?  Does it not start at the correct place or just not move afterwards?

    I can't recreate - please post a new thread in Technical Q&A with more details: including the Unity version, platform, and game perspective.
  • How odd, for some reason all my cameras were missing the ConstantID component. Added it, and it now works without a hitch. Thank you!
  • Is current version Unity 2017-compatible?
  • edited September 2017
    Version 1.59a

    Upgrade note:
    • Load menus turned off after loading a save file no longer run their "ActionList when turn off" - the "ActionList after loading" should be used instead
     
    • Added: "Scene: Switch previous" Action - use to switch to the previously-loaded scene
    • Added: When used in 2.5D and 3D games, the GameCamera 2D prefab works for all orientations
    • Added: Follow Sorting Map components can now scale characters that do not have a sprite child assigned (i.e. 3D characters)
    • Added: Multi-slot menu elements linked to Unity UI can now connect their graphics to a Button’s "Target graphic" instead of the first-found Image component
    • Added: Option for Button and Interaction menu elements linked to Unity UI to respond to "Pointer Enter" events
    • Added: Additional options to the "Align To Camera" component
    • Added: Options-related custom events to Section 9.10 of the Manual
    • Added: Function to GameCamera to determine if it is currently the active camera
    • Added: Get/Sets to GVar class to more easily read and write variable / inventory property values when accessing the GVar / InvVar classes
    • Changed: Load menus turned off after loading a save file no longer run their "ActionList when turn off" - the "ActionList after loading" should be used instead
    • Fixed: Error messages when playing speech in rare circumstances
    • Fixed: Console warnings showing inappropriately when working with "Unity UI In Scene" Menus
    • Fixed: Issues with the UI of the "Input: QTE" Action
    • Fixed: Issues with Inventory properties of type "Vector3"
  • Version 1.59b
    • Added: Ability to give 2.5D cameras a perspective offset
    • Added: Ability to snap 2D camera movement to grid
    • Added: Smoother 2D camera movement
    • Added: When ActionLists are listed in the debug Game window, the active camera is also listed
    • Changed: The "Vertical movement factor" setting for 2D games has been moved from Camera to Movement settings in the Settings Manager
    • Fixed: 3D characters in 2D scenes not animating correctly when moving vertically
    • Fixed: Issues with the UI of the "Input: QTE" Action
    • Fixed: Issues with Slider elements linked to Unity UI
    • Fixed: Minor issues with Manager asset handling
    • Fixed: Issue with SkipSpeech input button
    • Fixed: Auto-creating a default PlayerStart resulting in a 3D one in 2D games
  • Quickly followed by..

    Version 1.59c
    • Fixed: 2.5D cameras not previewing correct "Field of View" in v1.59b
    • Fixed: Incorrect Hotspot labels in rare circumstances
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