NEWS 2000
(some links may not work anymore)
12/30/2000:
Version 1.1 of the Easy Wall Texture Program is now available from the download page.
12/29/2000:
Added Utility Downloads including Easy Wall Texturer version 1.0, Configure Program version 1.1, and some temporary resolution support files to the download page.
12/04/2000:
Tonight's version, 0.5.7.6, adds more capabilities to the Logic Block event and the ability to edit level dimensions without clearing it.
11/29/2000:
Version 0.5.7.5.1 fixes a bug in the Question Yes/No event and clears up some confusion on the Logic Block event dialog.
11/26/2000:
Version 0.5.7.5 is ready and waiting to be downloaded. Most notably, this version adds support for custom cursor art, 8 directional movement on overland maps, and Move/Death sounds for each monster.
11/05/2000:
This has been a productive week. Version 0.574 is ready. Outdoor maps and combat are now supported by the editor and engine. Also, multiple wall slot art layouts can be specified and used simultaneously.
10/29/2000:
Now it's ready! Version 0.573 is ready for download. This release has concentrated on re-coding and testing of existing event processing. Some bugs were fixed, a few new things were added. Most notable new feature is an increase of allowable levels to 255, with max level size now 100x100.
10/15/2000:
Not quite ready yet. All events are completely converted except for the Combat event. With a few more days to complete the Combat event and then test everything, next weekend is looking good for a release.
10/05/2000:
Work is progressing well on the event processing code. It has been converted from an ugly mess into something that can be understood and more easily maintained. Work on other aspects of Dungeon Craft are on hold until we complete this important effort. My guess is that we will have the new event code ready for release by the weekend of Oct 14.
09/22/2000:
Everything is back to normal again. The install is uploaded and ready to go. I bumped up the version number to 0.5721 and added the missing Launch.wav file.
09/20/2000:
I thought I had the new release uploaded, but it got corrupted somehow. I can't get a connection to upload the latest release right now. I upload a few files and the connection fails. I'll keep trying, but it may be a day or so before the install is available once more.
09/19/2000:
After several glitches, I think I finally have the install working like it should. If you downloaded an update over the last couple of days, please update again. I apologize for the hassle. Version 0.570 was missing the overland map art, and version 0.571 included the debug build of the executables. The debug build is not likely to run on most computers since it has a DLL dependency on the Microsoft Visual Studio debug runtime DLLs. I hope that with tonight's version, 0.572, I have got it right.
I also had some omissions in the HTML tags after applying the new website design. IE users probably didn't notice, but Netscape browsers couldn't view the download.html page. This has been fixed and all pages and links should work fine now.
09/17/2000:
Many thanks to Dark Zone for his help in changing the design of this website. Version 0.570 of Dungeon Craft is available. In addition to bug fixes, support was added for testing a design from your current position in the editor so you don't need to start from the beginning. Also added a new feature in the engine that lets you substitute the name of party member 1-8 into event text by adding ^1 thru ^8 into the text. This is the first release which provides some support for overland maps, but only in the editor. The engine still cannot handle them.
09/04/2000:
Tonight's release adds support for PNG image loading and multi-input event triggers. Also starting to actively transition the project name from UAForever to Dungeon Craft.
08/22/2000:
I posted another release last night that should fix a few problems. In combat, characters on Quick mode can be un-Quicked by pressing the space bar while they are taking action. A debugging aid was accidentally left in the previous build that allowed monsters to be player controlled. Monsters are back to their normal aggressive selves now.
08/20/2000:
Version 0.567 is ready to be downloaded. It's mostly bug fixes for combat. Also fixed some more problems with drawing distant walls and a few event problems. The one new feature is the ability to delete one event from an event chain rather than the whole chain (your option).
08/10/2000:
I believe the sound problems have been solved. Version 0.566 is now available. The highlights for this release include MP3 and JPG file support, and a new Heal Party event.
08/08/2000:
I was about 5 minutes away from putting the new build on the website, when on a whim I decided to run the release build to make sure it checks out ok. It didn't. The new sound library is not working well in the release build. While testing things I always run the debug build. The new sound library won't load and play in the engine when you try to test the design from within the editor, MIDI files play under WinNT but not Win98, and WAV files won't play in the SOUNDS event. Except for the first one, all of those things work fine in the debug build. MP3 files always work great. I managed to get the Heal Party event included, and the 'Look' message included. I was really looking forward to getting this release out the door, but I need to figure out the sound problems first. I especially don't like to be wrong about release dates. If I can't solve the problems by Thursday, I'm going to put the old sound code back in and release with it. The only difference is the old sound code cannot play MP3 files.
07/31/2000:
In addition to the ever present bug fixes, we have added support for JPEG image loading. I'm working on PNG image support, but no promises there. I added a utility to the downloads section called EasyTex. It allows the user to load a BMP image, then it maps that image as a texture to all of the various wall perspectives and saves the result to a BMP file that is ready to be used by the Dungeon Craft editor. Although the wall sections will be properly aligned, it's not pixel perfect when aligning textures between wall sections. It still provides a good beginning that can be manually tweaked if needed. As always, both source and executables are available.
07/23/2000:
The latest version is now available, 0.5.6.5. This release has a new event, keyboard shortcuts, and greatly revised default artwork thanks to D.Huling. Check out his RPG site called the Ironworks.
07/09/2000:
UAF version 0.5.6.3 is available. It's mostly bug fixes, but it also adds a new Start menu option that will automatically check the UAF download area for an updated version. You can also choose to download a small installer (156KB) that will automatically download only the components you choose to install. I recommend using the small installer, since then the auto-update feature will download only changed components. If you install using the full package installer (3MB), the auto-update will download another 3MB package.
07/04/2000:
UAF version 0.5.6.2 is available. P.Stevens made a few GUI improvements to the editor. The mouse can be used to place/erase wall anywhere the map is clicked, map access can be displayed, and map cell info is dynamically displayed. For the engine, character stats can be edited after being rolled, and event text can have highlighting toggled on/off by embedding '/h' inline. The full list of changes can be seen in the release notes on sourceforge. I still need to update the screenshots.
06/21/2000:
I made a new release of UAF available, version 0.5.6.1. It includes the new installer, help files, ability to write new items/spells/monsters file formats, and bug fixes. I cannot remove the old versions of UAF install files on sourceforge, so make sure you download the file labeled UAF_Installer.
06/20/2000:
Welcome to the new site for the UAF homepage. Thanks! go to RpgMaker.net for hosting UAF. After being invited to move here, I decided to do so to provide UAF with more exposure to RPG fans. I will be making a release within the next day or so that will use the new installer, include the new help files, and as usual fix bugs.
06/10/2000:
By popular demand, I have created an installer for UAF that will make installing and updating everything a breeze. No more manual edits of path files, and only one download file rather than 3 or 4. This single install file contains all UAF programs, art, sound, and source code. The installer will ask which components to install. The file weighs in at around 2.5 MB. The installer will be available with the next release of UAF.
A new addition to the next UAF release is a windows help file. The documentation is still sparse but it will be filled in as time goes by. I'm not sure when the next release will be available. Several bug fixes have been made, the format of the items/monsters/spells config files has been revamped, and I'm still making combat changes. When the major features for the upcoming release are complete I want to spend a few days testing the build under Win98 and NT to make sure all is well. It might end up being two or three weeks before everything is ready.
05/29/2000:
UAF version 0.5.6.0 is available for download. Highlights for this release include partial import of FRUA designs, easier to edit items/monsters.txt files, and more combat improvements. Full details can be seen in the change history file. Due to several changes that have been made to support files, I recommend downloading and installing the support files along with the engine and editor.
05/23/2000:
Still working on the next release. There will be some more combat changes, and I have finally started work on importing existing FRUA designs. The next release will be able to import the FRUA items, zones, special items/keys/quests, and wall/obstruction/backdrop data for each level. The events will take more time since each event type needs special treatment. Spells and monsters will hopefully follow soon. Not sure about importing art or sounds yet, since I'm not very knowledgeable about such things. I'll probably need to ask one the FRUA experts for help. With a three day weekend coming up, I feel certain UAF will be released again by Monday night.
05/09/2000:
An update to the UAF Engine is available. Only the engine has been updated. Additional changes were made to correct problems located by P Stevens, and also by BoundsChecker. I recommend using this new version of UAFWin.exe - 0.5.5.2.
I have adjusted the links on the download page so that the files are downloaded from sourceforge. I did this to avoid going over my 5 MB limit imposed by my service provider, and also to reduce the duplication of effort in updating files in two locations.
05/08/2000:
UAF version 0.5.5.1 is available for download. I rushed this release in order to provide a working version of the engine. The problem turned out to be a compiler optimization glitch. In addition to fixing that, I have removed all restrictions on text length in the engine. Whatever text you add to a text event in the design editor will be displayed by the engine, one page at a time. Also, the engine will now replace the '^' character with the active party member's name.
05/07/2000:
At the moment I am embarrassed to admit that the UAFWin.exe 0.5.5 release has a serious flaw that causes it to exit just after character creation. I will investigate and release a fixed version as quickly as I can. I usually run tests with a debug build of UAF, then create and ship a release build when all is well. In this case however, the debug build works and the release build doesn't. I definitely will not let this happen again in the future. I apologize to all those who downloaded the latest version only to find out it won't work. The previous version of UAFWin, 0.5.4, does work and can still be downloaded from sourceforge.
05/05/2000:
A fellow UAF contributor, P Stevens, has cooked up a scriptable conversation system that allows the text event to actually provide two-way communication between the player and the event. This system can use keywords in a manner similar to Ultima type conversations. It also provides a way to manipulate designer-defined variables based on conversation results. The current release (0.5.5) already has the hooks in place to make calls out to the script engine. An external tool is required to turn your scripted text into a file that the script engine understands, but once the file is created you just need to include it in the design and inform a text event to use the script engine.
There are two files: GPDL.zip has the source code to the compiler, GPDLComp.zip has the executable ready to be used. These files are also available on the UAF FTP area on sourceforge
05/01/2000:
The next UAF release is available for download. Version 0.5.5 fixes many combat problems, and adds mouse support for menu items, inventory items, and party members. Still need to add mouse support for selecting combat terrain or combatants.
04/27/2000:
I think I have a satisfactory Guard implementation in place, and I'm testing it now. I have also added some mouse support in the engine. You can now select menu items using the mouse, but I still need to allow selection of party members (where appropriate), and also allow movement to be performed by clicking either on the view window or perhaps on a compass graphic. I want to wrap up the Guard code and hopefully release the next version of UAF this weekend.
04/16/2000:
I think I finally have satisfactory path finding in combat. The monsters have been finding and following a path towards a target through some fairly tough mazes. Now I can concentrate on the Guard code. I will release another version of UAF next weekend with bug fixes and the path finding stuff even if I don't complete the Guard code. I suppose Guarding probably seems simplistic to implement, and you might be wondering why it is taking so long. Putting a unit on Guard is easy, letting the guarding units attack something that moves into range is a bit of trouble. It involves giving control temporarily to one or more guarding units so they can make an opportunistic attack and then returning control to the original unit which was moving. The combat code is geared towards one unit acting until completion before switching to the next unit. All of this means that some redesign is called for.
04/09/2000:
UAF version 0.5.4 is available for download. I have not completed the combat code yet, but many other changes were made. I added a link to the release notes on the download page that lists all recent changes.
04/03/2000:
I did not get much time to work on UAF this week, thanks to working some overtime and helping a friend with car repairs this weekend. If I cannot get the Guard code finished by the end of this week, I will go ahead and post the other changes made over the last two weeks. Many thanks go to a few FRUA list members who not only downloaded UAF, but took some time to use it and report bugs.
03/26/2000:
I am working on the combat 'Guard' and path finding code. I don't think I will be able to finish everything and release a new version this weekend. Some fixes I did finish include the menu option separation, encumbrance calculations, editor window position save/restore, and ensuring that combatants face towards each other during an attack. Hopefully, I'll finish up the rest and post the next release sometime this week.
03/19/2000:
Beta release version 0.5.3 is available for download. It includes many bug fixes and a few new items.
03/13/2000:
Fixed the Sound Event. Also put UAF on the sourceforge site. The latest source and executables will be available here. Sourceforge provides convenient access to discussion forums, bug reporting, and shared access to the source code using CVS.
03/12/2000:
I uploaded the source code and executables for both the editor and engine. The editor is still in beta and the engine is pre-pre-beta with limited capabilities. It will load a design and process events as the party walks around the map. I am working on the combat code now and haven't tested it with more than one combatant on each side.
03/07/2000:
I uploaded the latest version of the editor, and I am still testing the engine. After downloading the latest version of CDX, most 8-bit PCX and 24-bit TGA files seem to load properly. In view of the many times I have griped about CDX integration with UAF, let me say that I chose to use the beta version and expected problems to occur. Not all bugs were CDX errors, some were due to my misunderstanding of the usage of CDX. I don't want to appear to be harsh about using CDX, because I believe it to be a great wrapper for DirectX.
03/05/2000:
Well, I guess the moment has arrived. After many delays I finally have a beta version of the editor available for download. I have changed an enormous amount of the editor code over the last few weeks, and some things I assume still work, might not. I believe the current testers have uncovered the majority of the obvious bugs (that is, I *hope* they've been uncovered). I certainly welcome and encourage feedback. After a couple of weeks of bug fixing to clean out any remaining major glitches, I will make the source code available here and on sourceforge. The engine is still under test, and I am working as fast as I can to get it ready for download also. The engine is much more incomplete than the editor though. Before I began integrating UAF with CDX, I was working on the combat and obstruction code. Unfortunately, just because the editor allows such-n-such to be configured, doesn't necessarily mean the engine will do anything with it (yet!).
03/02/2000:
A beta version of the editor is ready for public consumption, and I will make it available for download as soon as I replace the art I screen-capped from Gold Box games with something I have permission to distribute with UAF. The engine is still suffering from CDX conversion bugs, but I should have those fixed soon.
02/26/2000:
I finally changed the editor over to using SDI instead of MDI (Single/Multiple Document Interface). Now the area map is scrollable and is attached to the same window as the 3d view. The editor started out like this several years ago, but in a moment of silliness I thought it would be a good idea to have the 3d view float separately over an expandable area map(s). I never liked the result and vowed to switch it back to SDI someday. I haven't put up a new screenshot yet.
02/19/2000:
Solved all of the problems following CDX integration and the UAF editor now runs under 8/16/24/32 bit color depths. After a little more testing on the editor, I'll move on to testing the engine's use of CDX. I have a volunteer friend (thanks John) who is compiling and running the editor to make sure this code runs on a machine besides mine. So if he doesn't encounter anything drastically screwy, I should have no trouble meeting the end of February deadline for uploading UAF to sourceforge.
02/15/2000:
I have converted UAF over to using CDX, and I am working out some of the conversion glitches in the editor. Much like my own DirectX wrappers, CDX is a thin wrapper and was easy to integrate into UAF. On the plus side, UAF can now load BMP, PCX, and TGA files. On the minus side, the graphics will not draw properly when I run the editor in 24 and 32 bit color depths. All of my BMPs are 16-bit. Now that I also have support for text configuration files, I have been moving some of the hard-coded constants into a Config.txt file. I expect the editor to take the most time to fix since it uses DirectX in windowed mode, always a hassle. I still hope to finish CDX integration with the editor and engine and get everything put on sourceforge before the end of February.
02/08/2000:
Finished removing compression, and the data previously read from the Win32 registry is now read from a text file. Now I am beginning the process of converting UAF to use CDX. CDX will give me a GPL compliant way to handle DirectX tasks, including graphics and sound. UAF will be more flexible after the conversion, supporting more file formats and more monitor resolutions/bit-depths.
01/25/2000:
I am still ripping out the compression code. Progress has been slowed by some computer problems, but I think I have a stable system now. I have stopped adding features until I can get the source GPL compliant and uploaded to sourceforge. There isn't much there yet, but the link to UAF on sourceforge is here.
01/21/2000:
I've been busy putting Gnu Public License headers in each of the source files, and getting UAF ready for upload to the Source Forge site. As I began to look at licensing for some third party source I am using in UAF, I realized I can't include some of it under the GPL. So I am removing UAF's dependence on this sort of code. This includes the compression and registry routines, and the MIDI code. I think that I can solve the licensing problem and also some unrelated issues if I convert UAF over to using the CDX SDK rather than use my own DirectX wrappers. About the compression - The editor was putting all art and sound data into compressed files and the engine was uncompressing them as needed. When I take out compression, the editor will just copy the selected art/sound files into the design directory and the engine will load them directly. So for now I will be converting over to CDX and converting registry usage to config files. On a side note, I just changed over to a service provider that gives me cable modem access (Yeah!) so I will be transferring the UAF home page to a new location soon.
01/11/2000:
Getting a little tired of working on the combat code, so I switched back to the main code for a while. I am adding code which determines if the party has detected a secret door while searching/looking. This leads into the pick and bash options. I copied the blockage options from UA and this includes a Wizard locked door. Since spells are editable in UAF I cannot hard code for a particular spell that the party would need to unlock the door. So I am working out a way to allow the user to specify which spell will do the deed. After looking at what www.sourceforge.com offers for open source projects, I am impressed. I am leaning towards putting UAF source on the site, which might entice others to contribute. The main thing holding me back is my total embarrassment for my messy spaghetti code. I started UAF planning to learn about DirectX and GUI programming, and I think I have accomplished that goal, or at least as much of it as I can with UAF. At this point I continue coding it because it's fun to work on.
