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Version 1.41 - Unity UI integration, ActionList Editor improvements, Cinema Director support

It's nearly the holidays, and here's your early Christmas present: AC v1.41.  Lots of stability issues taken care of this time, but there's some nice additions here all the same - the biggest one being what everyone's been wanting: Unity UI integration!  Let's have a look..

Unity UI integration
If you make a UI using Unity's new tools, you can control it with AC by linking it to the Menu system.  Menus now have a "source" property - change it to Unity UI, and all display properties will be replaced by a Canvas field.  Same thing for elements: the Label element takes a UI Text field, and so on.  Simply link each element / menu to it's UI counterpart, and AC can control it.  It will handle it's display, translation, click processing etc automatically.  See the manual for more, but to get a quick idea: each of the Menus in the Demo game's Menu Manager have a UI alternative.  Just change the source to "Unity UI prefab" (before running the game), to see it in action.

ActionList Editor improvements
Taking a cue from @PixelArtist's excellent suggestions, the ActionList Editor has undergone further refinements.  We now have a proper toolbar, Actions can be collapsed, multiple Actions can be dragged at once, selections can be added together by holding "Shift", and Actions now flow vertically by default.  (If you prefer the old horizontal flow instead, though, just go to the Actions Manager - you can change it back there.)

Cinema Director integration
Cinema Suite's Cinema Director is a great timeline-based cutscene tool, and Adventure Creator now supports it.  Cutscenes made with Cinema Director can be called (and properly skipped) with the new "Third-party: Cinema Director" Action.
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Comments

  • And the full changelog:

    Upgrade notes
    -"Transition speed" property for Menus has been changed to "Transition time" - it's value must be changed to a time, in seconds
    -Label
    menu elements of type Dialogue Line will be cleared once the dialogue
    ends unless "Update if string is empty?" is checked in the properties
    list
    -To show a "walk" cursor icon, "Provide walk cursor" in the Cursor Manager must be checked
    -If your game uses InteractiveCloth components and you are not using Unity 5, comment out the marked lines in SceneSettings.cs
    -Dialogue Portrait graphics are now displayed in Menu Graphic elements, not Menu Labels
    -Actions in the ActionList Editor are now arranged vertically (horizontal arrangement can be set in the Actions Manager)

    Menus
    -Added: Support for Unity's new UI system - when creating Menus, choose between Adventure Creator and Unity UI
    -Added: Ability to start building your game with a Unity UI-based interface with the New Game Wizard
    -Added: Sample Animator Controller for animated Unity UI menus - find in Assets / AdventureCreator / UI
    -Added: Option in Menu Manager to supply an Event System prefab - will be loaded into scene if one is not already present
    -Added: Option to Label menu elements of type Hotspot, Dialogue Line and Dialogue Speaker to update even if it would turn empty
    -Added: Performance boost to regular Menus
    -Changed: InventoryBox elements now all have a "maximum number of slots" cap
    -Changed: Dialogue Portrait graphics are now displayed in Menu Graphic elements, not Menu Labels
    -Changed: "Transition speed" in Menus is now "Transition time"
    -Fixed: Menu previous outlines being slightly off
    -Fixed: Text scroll audio effect no longer playing
    -Fixed: Menus not crossfading correctly if a menu with an instant transition is enabled at the time
    -Fixed: Pausing menus freezing scene if turned on at start of scene
    -Fixed: "Ignore Cursor clicks?" setting not working correctly for Menus set to appear During Gameplay

    Cinema Director
    -Added: Support for Cinema Director, a timeline-based Cutscene tool for Unity (www.cinema-suite.com)

    ActionLists
    -Added: Actions in the ActionList Editor can be collapsed in the same way they can be in the Inspector
    -Added: Toolbar to ActionList Editor, with buttons to delete, copy, paste and arrange Actions
    -Added: Dragging one Action in the ActionList Editor will drag all selected Actions together
    -Added: If the shift key is held while selecting Actions, previously selected Actions will remain selected
    -Added: Option in the Actions Manager to arrange Actions horizontally or vertically in the ActionList Editor window
    -Added: Option in the Actions Manager to hide Actions from the Inspector window
    -Changed:
    Actions in the ActionList Editor are now arranged vertically
    (horizontal arrangement can be set in the Actions Manager)
    -Changed: Option to name active ActionLists in the Game window is now listed in the Settings Manager under "Debug settings"
    -Fixed: Minor issues with ActionList Editor window
    -Fixed: Various issues related to skipping ActionLists

    Speech
    -Added: Support for cross-platform Papagoyo lip sync files (www.lostmarble.com/papagayo/)
    -Added: Speech text in "Dialogue: Play speech" Action can be set dynamically using parameters
    -Added: Option to "Dialogue: Play speech" Action to disable speaking animation (useful for "thinking" effect)
    -Added:
    Ability to use Player prefab's name, rather than "Player", for speech
    audio and translation files (Only if "Player switching" is disallowed)
    -Fixed: 2D Characters requiring the Shapeable script to be attached before they can lip-sync
    -Fixed: Speech playing from a Cutscene set to Run In Background inappropriately blocking gameplay
    -Fixed: Speech lines replaced with variable tokens not displaying for the correct duration

    Inventory
    -Added:
    If Inventory Items can be selected outside Context Sensitive mode,
    interactions can distinguish between "giving" and "using" items on NPCs
    -Added: Ability to exclude Inventory items from Interaction menus and cursor-cycles in Choose Hotspot Then Interaction mode
    -Added: Drag and drop Inventory interface is now compatible with Choose Hotspot Then Interaction mode
    -Added: Inventory items of interaction type "Multiple" can now be selected if a particular Interaction icon is unhandled
    -Added: Inventory items of interaction type "Multiple" can now be selected using "Inventory: Select" Action
    -Added: Ability to give Inventory items to specific player characters when game starts (Only if "Player switching" is allowed)
    -Fixed: Inventory interactions of type "Multiple" not making use of unhandled interactions declared in Cursor Manager
    -Fixed: Syntax for combining Inventory not being translated
    -Fixed: Not all available Inventory interactions showing in Interaction menus if "work in reverse" is enabled

    Variables
    -Added: "Variable: Pop Up switch" Action - use to run other Actions based on any value of a Pop Up Variable

    Choose Interaction Then Hotspot mode
    -Added: Ability to map Cursor icons to Input buttons when in Choose Interaction Then Hotspot mode
    -Added: "Single 'Use' Interaction" Hotspot option now works for Choose Interaction Then Hotspot mode, too

    Choose Hotspot Then Interaction mode
    -Added: Option to halt player when clicking Hotspot to bring up Interactions in Choose Hotspot Then Interaction mode
    -Added:
    If Interactions are selected by Cycling Cursor And Clicking Hotspot,
    Inventory items can be auto-cycled through as well as Hotspots
    -Fixed: Many bugs related to Inventory items in Choose Hotspot Then Interaction modes

    Cameras
    -Added: The X and Z position of GameCameras can be affected by their target's height
    -Added: The Y position of GameCameras can be affected by more than their target's height

    Direct control
    -Added:
    If the camera cuts during gameplay while in Direct control, the player
    will continue to move in the same direction until the input direction
    changes

    Cursors
    -Added: Option to prefix the cursor label with a "Walk to" text when in walk mode
    -Added: Option in Cursor Manager to hide Hotspot label if an Inventory item is selected but the cursor is not over a Hotspot
    -Fixed: Cursor remaining locked after using "Engine: Manage systems" Action to end First Person movement
    -Fixed: Various cursor issues

    Hotspots
    -Added: Option to highlight Hotspots based on cursor proximity, when Hotspots are detected by Mouse Over
    -Added: Option to not show Hotspot icons if a Collider is between them and the camera
    -Fixed: Highlight script brightening objects even if "Brighten materials" is unchecked
    -Fixed: Minor issues with displaying icons for Hotspots that have been instantiated mid-game

  • Other
    -Added: Option to let player trigger Dialogue Options with number keys
    -Added: "Engine: Change timescale" Action can use a curve to control flow of time
    -Added: LimitVisibility script now affects GUITexture components as well
    -Added:
    If a Player is present in a scene when it is loaded, it will override
    the Player set in the Settings Manager (Only if "Player switching" is
    disallowed)
    -Changed: References to scripts and managers are now stored as static variables for greater efficiency
    -Fixed: Unexpected behaviour when rotating around any of the three main axis with "Object: Transform" Action
    -Fixed: Unnecessary error messages sometimes appearing when jumping using Ultimate FPS
    -Fixed: Error messages during scene transitions if a loading screen is used
    -Fixed: Unity 5 compatibility issues
  • Are there plans to make a third party action for uSequencer ?
  • Wow...huge.  Amazing work, Chris. Almost hate to ask, but will you be updating the tuts to reflect some of this new goodness?

    best,
    B.

  • Yup great update.

    New UI is huuuge.
  • Best developer evere ;)

  • @outtoplay: Time's limited at the moment, but I should have time for one or two.  Anything aside from UI you think needs covering?

    @shredingskin: Cinema Director fits better with AC's framework that uSequencer does, but with custom actions anything's possible.
  • Awesome! Looks like I have some work cut out for me, upgrading to 1.41!
    Very excited about the UI, camera suite (that i just bought in the sale) and the various bugfixes.
  • Yay!

    Variables
    -Added: "Variable: Pop Up switch" Action - use to run other Actions based on any value of a Pop Up Variable
  • Thanks very much, Chris! Merry Christmas!
  • Hi Chris. Thanks so much for integrating us into Adventure Creator! Just wanted to peek in say hi to everyone. It's great when Unity publishers can partner together to help everyone in the community! Woot!
  • great news! thanks!
  • edited December 2014
    Thanks @CinemaSuite for making exactly the kind of tool AC can benefit from.  AC's been long in need of a good timeline tool, but it's such a complex aspect I felt it best left to those who know what they're doing, rather than making a lesser attempt myself.

    A new tutorial on using the new Unity UI integration can be found here.  It covers the fundamentals while making an inventory bar.

    I also forgot about another development: additional downloads.  Something I'm keen to add to over time is a number of optional freebies that demonstrate a few more advanced techniques.  New to the downloads page are:
    • Nine-verb interface (think Monkey Island 1/2)
    • Walking dead-like interface
    • UFPS player prefabs
    • Save game screenshots example
  • edited December 2014
    thanks as usual!

    a couple of questions:

    so far I haven't downloaded the new Unity 4.6 yet. My main concern is: what happens to all the GUI you have already made? I know it's more of a Unity question but I'm concerned that something might get broken or not work anymore.
    And yes I understand that you can choose between Adventure Creator and Unity UI, it was more of a generic question. Also I guess you can't use both ?

    2)Option in Menu Manager to supply an Event System prefab - will be loaded into scene if one is not already present 

    what's this event system? Yes, naturally I'll have a look at the manual after upgrading but just wanted to get a quick and short idea
  • @David:

    1) The new UI options are totally optional.  The regular Menu system underwent some love, too - it's faster than it was before, and you can continue to work with that if you prefer.  You can use both, for sure - it's a per-menu setting, so you can have a UI pause menu, and AC options menu, and they'll all work together.

    2) The Event System is a Unity UI concept - it's an object that's required by the UI system for mouse clicks etc to register.  AC will basically handle this for you, unless you want to use specific settings.
  • Chris you are awesome man !   Your name wil be in credits section in my game ! 
  • Minor bugfix update, 1.41a:
    • Added: Downloads page to "Online resources" sub-menu in the top toolbar
    • Fixed: Menus with Appear type set to Manual not always having their visibility state recorded in save games
    • Fixed: Menus pausing gameplay if "Pause game when enabled?" setting is checked, but not visible
    • Fixed: Minor issue with Hotspot labels
  • Ended up buying Cinema Director.

    Animation and stuff works, but I'm not really sure on how "shots" are used.

    Should I change cameras within AC ?
  • edited December 2014
    I noticed this option under speech: "treat carriage returns at separate speech lines?"
    I don't understand what it means.
    I'm sorry but I'm not a native english so it makes it even harder for me to understand it.

    edit: I also enabled "List active ActionLists in Game Window" but I don't understand where this is reflected
  • @David: I think "treat carriage returns at separate speech lines?" means that when you write your dialogue, and you hit enter and write on the next line, it will separate it multiple speech bubbles when the character speaks. For example.

    I was looking at this thing earlier...
    It seemed pretty cool.
    So I just took it.

    That will break it up into three separate speech bubbles, so you don't have to create three separate nodes.
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