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Version 1.34 - UFPS integration, better ActionList assets and performance boost

edited June 2014 in Official news
Now that Adventure Creator is beginning to get more stable, I'm planning to make updates larger but further spaced apart (critical bugfixing aside).  This update focuses on speed, stability, and usability: a few new big features, but mainly it's smaller things.  Check 'em out:

Performance boost
A number of code improvements have been made, which should result in a performance boost on slower systems.  Exact boost will very from game-to-game, system-to-system, but hopefully it'll be noticeable on e.g. mobile platforms.

Ultimate FPS integration

Integration with Visionpunk's UFPS asset has been a commonly-requested feature for a while.  Using a UFPS-based Player will let you jump, crouch, climb ladders, and all the other cool features of that asset, and still work with AC.  Getting it to work doesn't take much, but the steps are very particular, so I've created a tutorial that you can follow.

ActionList assets
Inventory and Menu ActionLists are no more - they've been combined to a single ActionList asset.  Old lists will still work, but from now on ActionLists are the way to go.  You can edit them in the ActionList Editor window, just like Cutscenes, as well as run them directly from Hotspots, Conversations, and scene-based ActionLists - just change the Source field from "In scene" to "Asset file".  Also: no more sub-assets appearing in the Project window!!

Drag menu element
A niche but useful menu element that lets you drag the position of a menu or element around.  I've been playing Syberia on my tablet lately, and like the way you can scroll through large documents by dragging them around, so this'll let you do something similar in AC.

Animated cursors and portrait graphics
You'll need to re-assign these textures in your project (see upgrade notes below).  If a texture has multiple animation frames arranged side-by-side, you can get AC to animate them.  When used for portrait graphics, this can be used to give your Character portraits a "talking" animation.

And finally..

Dialogue-option shifting
You can now use Button menu element to shift the displayed dialogue options on a Conversation, if there are more options available than are allowed on-screen.  Why did it take me so long to add this?

Full changelog in the next post.
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Comments

  • edited June 2014
    Upgrade notes:
    • Main Cursor and Character Portrait textures must be re-assigned
    • "Pause when enabled" Menus no longer deactivate selected the Inventory Item - use the Inventory: Select Action to do so
    • The "Player To Container" type of InventoryBox has been removed, as "Default" type now serves the same purpose
    • The ability to lock Inventory menus with the Player: Constrain Action has been removed
    • Inventory-
      and Menu-ActionLists are now deprecated.  ActionList assets are now
      used instead, but previously-made assets will still work
    Additions and fixes:
    • Added: Performance boost - games on handheld devices in particular should now run faster
    • Added: Basic integration for "Ultimate FPS" asset - follow the online tutorial for instructions
    • Added:
      Ability to change movement method with Engine: Manage systems Action -
      note that such changes are not recorded in saved games
    • Added: "Jumping" feature for 3D Player Characters (Direct and First Person modes, only)
    • Added: Animated cursors - set the number of frames and speed of individual cursors
    • Added: Animated portrait graphics - Character "speaking" graphics can now be animated
    • Added: "Drag" menu element - click and hold to drag a Menu, or a Menu Element around - useful for displaying documents
    • Added: "ToggleRun" input axis for Direct and First Person movement methods - use to toggle player running on and off
    • Added: ActionList Assets - replaces Inventory and Menu ActionLists as a unified asset-based ActionList
    • Added: Asset-based ActionLists can now also be edited with the ActionList Editor window
    • Added: Ability to link a scene-based ActionList (Cutscene, Interaction etc) to an ActionList Asset file
    • Added: Hotspots and Conversations have the option to use ActionList Assets, instead of scene-based ActionLists
    • Added: Ability to run an ActionList Asset when a Menu is turned on - used by the Demo's Pause Menu to deselect Inventory
    • Added: Ability to re-order Inventory items in default InventoryBox Menus
    • Added: Ability to hide the active Inventory item from default InventoryBox Menus
    • Added: Ability to deselect the active Inventory item with Inventory: Select Action
    • Added: If the active Inventory item can have multiple counts, the count number is shown on the Cursor
    • Added: Ability to auto-select Inventory items when removing them from "Container"-type InventoryBox menu elements
    • Added: Ability to import and export all game translations in one CSV file
    • Added: Ability to ignore game's original language when at least one translation has been created
    • Added: Ability to run a ActionList asset after using a SavesList menu element to save game progress
    • Added: "New save" text in SaveList elements is now editable and translatable
    • Added: Menu Buttons can now offset DialogueList slots as well as InventoryBox slots
    • Added: "RememberTrigger" script - attach to Triggers that are disabled during gameplay to save their state in save games
    • Added: Ability to lock the Cursor when the game starts (useful for First or Third Person games)
    • Added: Ability to stop child Sounds when using Engine: Play sound Action to stop audio playing
    • Removed: Inventory-locking setting from Menus, as it is superseded by the Menu: Change state Action
    • Removed: InventoryBox menu elements of type "Player To Container" as "Default" type now serves the same purpose
    • Renamed: Labels and buttons in Speech Manager to better reflect their purpose
    • Fixed: ActionList assets no longer add Actions as "child" objects within asset file
    • Fixed: Menu Manager assets no longer add Menus and Elements as "child" objects within asset file
    • Fixed: Certain Character inspector fields not updating prefab asset when "Apply" is clicked
    • Fixed: Variable: Check Action not being able to compare non-Boolean or local Variables
    • Fixed: Perspective cameras not supported by "Unity2D" 2D mode
    • Fixed: 2D character sprites not re-ordering relative to one another when FollowSortingMaps are involved
    • Fixed: New Game Wizard now relies on "Unity 2D" as the default 2D mode
    • Fixed: Inventory items not being translated in-game
    • Fixed: Better French translation for 3D Demo
    • Fixed: Touch Screen input registering a continuous touch over Menus as multiple touches
    • Fixed: Narrator audio files not playing - will either play from the Player, or the scene's Default Sound Prefab if set
    • Fixed: NPCs not always starting in "Idle" state by default
    • Fixed: Last Action in an ActionList wrongly connecting itself to an inserted Action when using ActionList Editor
    • Fixed: Crafting recipes sometimes being ignored
    • Fixed: PlayMaker integration errors in Version 1.33
    • Fixed: Android/ iOS keyboards not showing for Touch Screen input method
    • Fixed: Issues with FollowSortingMap sprite children not following original offsets
    • Fixed: Menus being clickable during Cutscenes
    • Fixed: Issues with using Touch Screen input with Choose Hotspot Then Interaction mode
    • Fixed: Menus of position type "On Hotspot" not positioning correctly over Inventory Items
    • Fixed: Legacy animations on a Character's Base layer not always skipping correctly
    • Fixed: GameCamera2D's not keeping up with target when moved far enough
    A final note about compatibility: Unity 4.5 reportedly causes a few problems with AC.  Since this 1.34 update is a big one, I'm keeping this 4.4 compatible, and will look into an official support for Unity 4.5 with the 1.35 update.
  • edited June 2014
    Great Chris, as always! 

    One question: exept for the Main Cursor and Portrait, there are other things to pay attention, like variables? I do not upgrade from 1.33 to 1.33b because it worked perfect for me after the manual modification of the global variables. If I upgrade from 1.33 "base"?

    This evening i'll try (after a backup of all, sure! ^_^).

    Double tx for all!
  • edited June 2014
    Every seems fine after the update in the game preview window when I test it, but when I actually build it and run it, the hotspots and menus all disappear.

    EDIT: No, the menus/cursors seem to randomly show depending what scene's on. I'll revert back to 1.33 for now as that worked fine :)
  • Awesome update! I'm noticing a difference in performance for sure. But I'm still receiving this error when interacting with a hotspot after a scene change. All hotspots work if loaded from start.

    NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object
    AC.PlayerInteraction+<UseObject>c__Iterator6.MoveNext () (at Assets/AdventureCreator/Scripts/Controls/PlayerInteraction.cs:738)
  • Any clarification on what sort of problems there are between AC and Unity 4.5 - is it serious enough that I need to downgrade my Unity until AC1.35 or can they be worked around in the meantime?
  • Hi Chris,
    Great update, however I'm experiencing a slight problem with using UFPS. The WSAD is working well, but mouse look isn't working. Console says:

    UnityException: Input Axis Mouse X is not setup.
    To change the input settings use: Edit -> Project Settings -> Input
    vp_Input.DoGetAxisRaw (System.String axis) (at Assets/UFPS/Base/Scripts/Core/Utility/vp_Input.cs:411)
    vp_Input.GetAxisRaw (System.String axis) (at Assets/UFPS/Base/Scripts/Core/Utility/vp_Input.cs:388)
    vp_FPCamera.UpdateMouseLook () (at Assets/UFPS/Base/Scripts/Gameplay/Player/Local/vp_FPCamera.cs:494)
    vp_FPCamera.Update () (at Assets/UFPS/Base/Scripts/Gameplay/Player/Local/vp_FPCamera.cs:303)

    I tried to rename CursorHorizontal into Input Axis Mouse X, but it didn't help. How can I make my mouse work properly?
  • I'm on a fresh install with 1.34 and I'm stuck at the starting line. Using the new game wizard, when I click 'finish' I get:

    Could not create Manager. Does the subdirectory AdventureCreator/Managers exist?

    Help...?
  • I'm having the same issue Vadbag.
  • @TayannaStudios: Did you check to see if PlayerMenus was on the PersistentEngine prefab (it moved from the GameEngine prefab in 1.33)?  That may account for missing menus.

    @EBlomquist: I'll look into it, but is there any other info that you can share, so far as recreating this goes?  Does it occur only when inventory items have been used, etc?

    @DieHappyGames: That was one of the reported problems with using AC with 4.5.  With something as large as AC I really can't say so far as workarounds go, but compatibility is my next priority.

    @Vadbag & @thejerenator: The input axis you want is "Mouse X", not "Input Axis Mouse X".  The integration does assume you have a working install of UFPS, before attempting a merge with AC.
  • edited June 2014
    @ChrisIceBox - it happens regardless of items being used or not. When I make the switch to another scene and interact with any hotspot this occurs. (and freezes the game)
  • Big problem here... when i upgrade to 1.34 from 1.33a, it works fine.
    Then I exit Unity.
    When I reload it, it says "Failed to load windows layout".
    If I click on Load default layout, Unity starts but no AC tab. I go search for it and there isn't anywhere! O_O!
    How could it be?
  • What version of Unity are you using?  And is there more to it in the Console log?

    A few random errors cropping up with this one (the bigger the update..) so 1.34a is now out, to fix the ones I've been able to sort out so far:
    • Fixed: Menus not loading after changing scene
    • Fixed: Occasional interaction errors after changing scene
    • Fixed: Not being able to change scene-based Actions in ActionListEditor
    • Fixed: ActionList assets called from the Engine: Run ActionList Action not always pausing the Action
    • Fixed: Instances of Actions disabled in Actions Manager being reset when loaded in the Inspector
    • Fixed: "Jump" axis not being recognised by Touch Screen input
  • EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! 


    :D
  • edited June 2014
    Unity version 4.3.4f
    image

    Other problem in that everytime I start my Unity scene it gives me an error it can't create temp dir. I click on retry and it start.
    This happens only on the updated project and ALSO on my backupped project that has 1.33a... don't know why! So now i'm freeze...... Tryed to open a 1 month ago scene with 1.32 and it works fine without any problems... but it's a very old version.
    :(
    PS: already tryed to uninstall and reinstall Unity... without success... 
    PS2: reimporting AC don't fix the issue, no AC windows is created.

    Edit: I found a threat on the Unity forum, if can help (he talks about syntax errors in his code):
  • edited June 2014
    I just updated to 1.34a and the inventory section of the game editor freezes up the editor every time.

    To clarify, it's fine when the demo asset manager is loaded, but when I reload my custom managers from what I was working on, it freezes. I have to reset my editor views.
  • edited June 2014
    Update: a strange thing happened, i discovered why my backup was also compromised but i don't know the cause. When problems descripted above was shown, I open my 1st backup copy to see everything goes, and it was ok. I close it without save and when i reopen it, the same problem was shown!
    So I used my 2nd backup copy: without open it, I made a 3rd copy of it and opened this 3rd copy without any problems. Closed without saving, reopened and same problem, Failed to load windows layout.... 
    So the problem came out "only" when i open my working scene and close it... i'm going crazy... what happen?
    I tryed this operation on 2 different computer, so I think isn't Unity the problem. When this problems is shown, i noticed a fast "Hold on" message while Unity loads my scene, displaying "Compiling scrips" for 2 seconds.

    Maybe some conflicts with some of other asset? I'm the only one with this problem?
  • @2finger: If you have other assets loaded, the first thing you try is seeing if AC works without them!  With the number of bugfixes that Unity 4.5 brings, perhaps this error will go once AC has 4.5 support (shouldn't be long now).

    @joshuabogart: Do any error messages appear in the console?  I'm not able to re-create this error with the test managers I use while developing.
  • I've fixed the issue with using the New Game Wizard in Unity 4.5, so I'll be pushing a minor 1.34b update shortly.

    If there are any other issues related to 4.5, please report them and I'll deal with them next week.
  • edited June 2014
    @ChrisIceBox my characters seem to not want to face the direction of the markers (with copy rotation on)

    I'm also receiving this message at start on any scene.

    NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object
    AC.DetectHotspots.OnTriggerExit (UnityEngine.Collider other) (at Assets/AdventureCreator/Scripts/Object/DetectHotspots.cs:128)

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