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Version 1.53 - Editor improvements, 5.4 compatibility and licensing changes (important!)

edited August 2016 in Official news
It's that time again!  Hot on the heels of Unity 5.4 comes AC v1.53, which focuses on stability and user-friendliness.

However, this update also sees the change of AC's category in the Asset Store from Complete Project to Game Toolkit, which brings some benefits to the install and upgrade processes - but also requires a change in the licensing terms.  While this change won't affect many, it's still important for everyone to be clear on what this entails:

AC is now listed under 'Editor Extensions / Game Toolkits'
While this is indeed better describes AC, Unity's Asset Store requires that it now falls under the "one license per seat" rule in the Asset Store Provider Agreement.  Please be assured that the one-license-per-seat rule will not apply to existing customers.

(Edited: This post previously stated that new projects from existing customers would also require multiple licenses)

On the plus side, this now means that you no longer have to worry about Project Settings when importing or updating AC.  Previously it was important to manage these, as AC requires that certain Inputs and Layers be defined in order to run.  Now, however, AC will auto-detect these missing settings, and will prompt you to allow it to make the necessary changes for you.
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  • edited August 2016
    And the changelog proper:

    Upgrade notes
    • Adventure Creator’s Asset Store category and licensing terms have changed - please
      see the FAQ page for more details
    • All Limit Visibility components must be upgraded by viewing their Inspectors and saving the scene
    • InventoryBox elements that use AC as a Source will require their “When slots is empty” property changed to “Clear Content” to revert to previous functionality
    • The StopSpeaking function in Char.cs has been renamed to StopSpeakingAnimation to better reflect its purpose
    Editor
    • Added: AC will now auto-detect the presence of required Inputs / Layers, and can make the necessary changes automatically
    • Added: Upon completion of the New Game Wizard, the main Game Editor window will now open if it is not already
    • Changed: Loading the 2D or 3D Demo Managers from the top toolbar will now cause a
      prompt to open the relevant demo scene (Unity 5 only)
    • Changed: Improved “About” window, which now provides links to the Manual and other resources
    • Changed: Minor cosmetic improvements to Game Editor window
    • Fixed: Error when using Action List Editor window if no Settings Manager is assigned
    API
    • Added: Public functions to Dialog.cs to end Speech lines
    • Changed: The StopSpeaking function in Char.cs has been renamed to StopSpeakingAnimation to better reflect its purpose
    Interactions
    • Added: Option to Cursor Manager to only animate cursor icons when over a
      Hotspot, if the Interaction method is Choose Interaction Then Hotspot
    • Fixed: Various issues with the use of Interaction menus on Inventory items
    Menus
    • Added: Options to Menu Manager if Input method is Keyboard Or Controller to
      allow the use of the cursor when the game is paused or a Conversation is
      active
    • Added: Option to Touch Screen input for pause Menus to respond to touch releases, rather than touch presses
    • Added: Ability to not update Menu elements if the Menu is fading out
    • Fixed: Unity UIs with an Appear type on Mouse Over not working for all Render Modes
    Hotspots
    • Added: Ability to duplicate Menus set to appear “On Hotspot” for each Hotspot, unless Interaction menus are used
    • Fixed: Minor Hotspot label issues
    Inventory
    • Added: InventoryBox menu elements can now limit display to multiple inventory item categories, as opposed to just one
    • Added: Ability to remove unused inventory item slots from a AC-Sourced InventoryBox menu element, as opposed to just cleared
    • Added: Overriding an Inventory’s “use” syntax with a space ( ) character
      removes it from the Hotspot label without removing the item’s name
    • Fixed: Inventory Menu crashing if “Pass Hotspot as GameObject parameter?” is
      checked without an unhandled “Use” Interaction defined
    • Fixed: Minor issue with unhandled Inventory item interactions
    Characters
    • Added: Warning message if a sprite-based character with a Rigidbody2D component attempts to move in 3D space
    • Fixed: Conflict between 2D characters that use Rigidbody2D components and the “Only move when sprite changes?” feature
    • Fixed: Issue with applying custom motion controllers to 2D characters
    Translations
    • Added: Improved error messages if importing a translation file fails
    • Changed: When gathering text in the Speech Manager, ID numbers are no longer re-used
    Speech
    • Added: Conversation dialogue option labels now support variable tokens
    • Added: Ability to not display subtitle Menus if a specific character is speaking
    • Fixed: The OnStartSpeechScroll and OnStopSpeechScroll events are now called more reliably
    • Fixed: Wait tokens tokens in scrolling speech text causing text to display longer than intended
    • Fixed: Subtitle Menus set to display for Specific Characters Only also showing for narration lines
    • Fixed: Animated character portraits no longer working in Unity UI
    Other
    • Added: The “Variable: Copy” Action can now be used to convert Variables from one type to another
    • Added: The “Object: Transform” Action now allows independent transformations to occur at the same time
    • Added: The “Object: Send message” Action accepts parameters for the message and integer to send
    • Changed: The Limit Visibility component can now limit a renderer’s display to multiple GameCameras
    • Fixed: GameObject parameters not being set correctly when using the “ActionList: Set parameter” Action to affect an ActionList
    • Fixed: Issue with the display of loading scenes that contain a GameEngine prefab
    • Fixed: Issue with Straight To Cursor movement
    • Fixed: Unity 5.4 beta compatibility issues
    • Fixed: Minor Cursor issues
    And in non-AC news, I somehow made a mobile game!  It's called Dodgy Tunnel, and it's out for both iOS and Android.  Anyone able to reach the bottom?
  • Wow, what a superb update! lots of stuff I wanted are now available! :D ah, but, now that I see "Ability to not update Menu elements if the Menu is fading out", is there a built in way to reset a Unity UI prefab when you close it? (when AC disables it). I've noticed uGUI prefabs retain their last selected items and stuff when you disable them, so when AC enables them back you sometimes end up with the previous selections already highlighted plus the new selections, both at the same time. 

    By the way, that games looks really great! The way you manipulate the character's face depending on the situations is really cool! and the gameplay is super imaginative, I love how he can lose if the cord is cut, lol.
  • Thanks @Alverik!  Yeah, the face idea came together pretty late in development, but it's definitely my favourite thing about it.

    The option you mention is there to basically stop things like Hotspot labels changing their text when fading out, and while this option should apply to both AC and Unity UI Menus, it will only affect the elements within it.  Could you provide screens and a more detail description in a new thread?
  • Time to dodgy!
  • Ha! I love the balloon's facial expressions on Dodgy Tunnel.

    Back in AC land, what cursor issues have been fixed?

  • edited August 2016
    Chris ,Maybe it's foolish question but did you have any plan for do complete separate AC from Unity ? And use only Unity compiler for export platforms. My mean is AC as stand alone engine.

    Please see AGE (Adventure Game Engine ) . It's a freeware cool engine that add Unity compiler in itself and use it for all export platform.I work with it at the moment .Main link :

    http://age.seccia.com/

    Desire is made with this engine
  • I don't really see the point when it works absolutely fine as it is?
  • @Deckard_89: Minor issues related to animated cursor and interactions.  Can't recall the specifics.

    @Mehrdad: AC isn't a graphics tool, and leverages the rendering, UI and input systems that Unity provides.  A standalone AC would be nice, but it's not something I'm planning.
  • Hi Chris, 
    I think is really great the change from complete project to game toolkit. Want to test it as soon as I can. This changes makes the framework more robust and are things very valuable (at least IMHO)

    Best
  • edited August 2016
    Umm.. I also, think there's not much of a point in making an AC stand alone. The power you get with unity to customize your game beyond the norm is not something you could easily achieve with a platform like AGS, Visionaire or other similar engines. The more you try to design a game which is unique the more it will hurt you to use a strict engine with limited customization options...

    Ah, Chris, about making the thread about uGUI menu's retaining their highlighted states when they hide/get disabled, I'll make it later. I've recently updated unity and also some plugins so I'm doing some fixes. Not to mention I'm currently a little swamped fixing/replacing a shader (unfortunately it was based on the standard shader and with the changes in the new version it went kaput, but as I'm working for mobile I guess it was wiser to replace it with a custom one anyways, seeing how the standard shader is heavier...).
  • edited August 2016
    @kici: I've hidden some surprises for those who persist..

    @carlosrovira: Thank you, I agree.  The way it'll better behave with other assets now was one of the biggest factors for changing it.

    @Alverik: Exactly - AC has long since taken the approach of providing a solid foundation for traditional adventures, while allowing extensions through the API to cover anything else (within reason).
  • Whoo-hoo!  Thanks for the update, and I love the change of category to "Game Toolkit", that simplifies the update process for sure!  It obsoletes part of my how-to-update video, which makes me consider deleting it, but it still may have some helpful tips for backups and such, so I'll go tack a note on there to disregard the project settings section (yay)!

    Even the small UI enhancements and reorganizations in the scene editor are very helpful, my brain is very visual oriented, so those tiny things really will help with productivity... :)

    Plus, your mobile game looks fantastic!  Love the spacial aware facial expressions!  :)
  • Thank you @zeek!  I was aware that it would affect your update video, so I'm glad you're OK with it.
  • Believe me, that short video was so much less effort to make than your version updates!  And your updates always improve things for the better...

    I actually used the video myself this time too, since I had forgotten a few things while updating, it was still helpful, and I dropped a note in there about the changes, no big deal... :)  Any A/C videos I make are to supplement the experience, not the other way around, so if they ever become obsolete to the point of no longer being useful, I'd just delete and move on with my life, no big deal.

    The farther I get into game development with Adventure Creator, the more I love it.  I'm currently in the inventory/ menu design phase, I may make another video in the fall.  But, it's so easy to use, that probably won't be necessary.  Love it, thanks.   :)
  • Congrats on your game Chris! Looks so good! The facial expressions!!!
  • Question - We want to update our AC scripts for 5.4, but we've edited a lot of the existing scripts. What would be the best method to do this since you've changed the way AC seats work?

    Normally we would just open the scripts separately and merge them.
  • @EBlomquist: How do you mean?  If by seats you're referring to the licensing change, there's nothing different so far as the contents of the asset go.  Unless I'm missing something, there shouldn't be anything preventing your existing workflow.

    Version 1.53a
    • Added: The “Sound: Play music” Action now accepts parameters
    • Added: Ability to define parameters for Interactions
    • Added: If a Hotspot Button calls an ActionList or Interaction with a GameObject parameter, the Hotspot can be set as that parameter’s value
    • Added: The “On” and “Off” labels in Toggle menu elements are now editable and translatable
    • Added: The “Camera lock snap” Direct-movement feature is now also available for Touch Screen input
    • Added: Ability to link a Cycle menu element to a Unity UI Dropdown
    • Added: If a Cutscene or Interaction relies on an Asset File as its source, and the file uses parameters, a local set of values can be set for those parameters
    • Added: Asset-based “Engine: Play movie clip” Actions can now reference scene-based AudioSources
    • Changed: When Rogo Digital’s LipSync is used for lip syncing, all Lipsync components on a Character are affected when speaking
    • Changed: NavMeshes no longer enforce the “Receive Shadows” option when shown via the Scene Manager
    • Fixed: Hover and click AudioClips in Unity UI-based Menu Elements not being assigned correctly
    • Fixed: Hotspot Detectors sometimes detecting Hotspots that are disabled
    • Fixed: Ordering issue when deleting the first Action in an ActionList
    • Fixed: Issue with shifting Unity UI-based Conversations
    • Fixed: Issues with Interaction Menus that are set to pause the game
    • Fixed: “Tag filter” option showing in Speech Manager when not currently listing Speech
    • Fixed: Walking animation issue when clicking on Hotspots with Sprites Unity Complex-animated characters
    • Fixed: Issues with “Cycling Menu And Clicking Hotspot” interaction mode when under keyboard control
    • Fixed: Issue when saving game when no player is present in the scene
    • Fixed: Inventory items no longer being translated in v1.53
  • Regarding the licensing changes, I just have to say per-seat licenses is the thing I hate most about Unity.  It forces me to make these sorts of decisions:  "Well, it's going to cost me an extra $1500+$each plugin for every person with editor access, so I guess my audio outsourcer won't be getting to mix in-engine.  Short term 2D artist wants to see their work in editor?  Nope. =\"  I'm sure these are trivial costs for profitable studios, but as I always end up shipping games at cost (or at a loss), I end up making these trade offs that worsen product quality because it doesn't make financial sense for people to be working in-editor.  

    This isn't so much a flaw with AC itself, so much as it is a very frustrating pain point with Unity's business model that's now spread into AC.
  • edited August 2016
    @Sim9: The licensing change was a knock-on effect of AC's change in asset category - asset providers can't change the licensing independently.  AC was moved to the Game Toolkits category primarily because it allows for nicer installation and compatibility with other packages, and is also a better fit descriptively.  While the "cost benefit" to me running a business is another factor, it was actually a difficult decision to make as customer satisfaction is a major priority.

    To re-iterate: Unity have assured me that existing customers working on existing projects will not be affected.  And while I apologise for and sympathise with your frustration, I hope you agree that AC is still fairly-priced given its (ever-expanding) feature set.
  • Thanks for all the hard work maintaining the "Complete Project Toolkit!"  Has anyone noticed these problems?: had AC 1.53 in my Unity 5.34 installation and no problems.  I installed Unity5.4 and now my characters flicker constantly (I tried it with TinPot and he flickers too), and the cursor won't reach parts of my menu and the menu location as well is screwed up.  I re-installed AC but same thing.  

    I only upgraded because I wanted access to some great new free assets, so I went back to my Unity 5.34 version and all is well.  But would like to use the assets.  Any suggestions for resolving these problems?
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