0.4.9 release

[Bertram25]

This version is aiming at providing a basic yet functional game with a few things to do, at least:

General:

• The game is stable and doesn't crash at exit.
• The game does use threads only when needed. (Through sf::Thread)
• The code has been reviewed, is following conventions and doesn't use not GPL'ed code.
  (Still a few files to review.) Review the code for the main conventions #91
• The license of every files is clear and defined in the https://github.com/OpenDungeons/OpenDungeons/blob/development/CREDITS file. Complete the CREDITS file #93
• Fix CMake basic invocation flags handling - Done: Fix definition of the CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS + linux fixes #97 Make sure the CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS are actually defined in CMakeLists.txt #42 Linux: Drop the ".bin" binary suffix (i.e. encode the data path into the binary?) #57 Make OD system-wide installable on Linux #58

General game logic added and free of main bugs:

• Spawn pools. Each faction has got his/her own configurable set of spawnable creatures.
• Optimize pickup/dig mouse handling speed Speed up server acknowledge when player ask pickup/drop creature or mark tiles #103
• Fix crash when a level creature has the same name of a later created one: Exception when the creature names in a level matches the game's naming engine #98
• Possible crash on missile spawn? Crash on missile spawn. #120
• Ghost tile due to a bug in tile fullness server messages? Some dirt block remain after they have been dug #51
• Double-click pick/drop makes the game crash Crash when double-click on a creature (and maybe drop it.) #122
• The creature stats format upgrade Creature stats format upgrade #151
• No more lacking creatures stats Add lacking creatures stats #152 Creatures stored in level file have missing parameters #245
• Creatures are spawned based on the available rooms and their active spots number and it is configurable. Creature spawning conditions support #257
• Better balancing through the use of a global balance sheet Create a creature sheet with all the stats so we can start balancing creatures as a whole. #153 (Sheet done, balancing is left to be done once @Danimal696 has got a rolling release with those features in.)

Basic rooms added and functional

• Treasure room
  • New Ground texture
  • New Gold stacks
• Portal (Lacks new model?) -> Let's not wait for this. @Danimal696 will come with something in time.
• Temple (Lacks new model?) -> Let's not wait for this.
• Training Room
  • Class & file rename (RoomDojo -> RoomTrainingHall) Rename training room and dormitory files #83
  • Better training dummy model
• Dormitory
  • The bed room objects shouldn't be deleted and recreated each time the room is changed.
  • Afterward, check that when a creature dies, its bed is removed.
  • Class & file rename (RoomQuarters -> RoomDormitory) Rename training room and dormitory files #83
• Hatchery & food system Hunger system #13
  • All models integrated and the room can placed in game. Add the chicken coop in the hatchery #106
  • The room spawns chickens wandering within the room limits.
  • Creatures can eat them visually and calm their hunger.
• Forge (Not actually useful for the next release)
• Library (Not actually useful for the next release)
• First treasury tile owned should cost 0 to avoid being stuck - Makes the first treasury tile cost 0, so players/AI can't get stuck without means to store their gold. #87
• The rooms active spots aren't always complete The rooms active spots aren't always complete #141
• Add support to destroy a room using a new button. Destroying a room gives back half the tile price. Add support to destroy a room using a new button. #108
• Add support to disable a room for a specific player in a specific level Add room availability level parameter support (boolean) #86

Functional creature behavior:

• Creature hunger system Hunger system #13
• Creature behaving correctly in narrow passages (1-tile wide). Part of Creature behaviour enhancement. #4
• Separate water/lava and flying collision handling. Water and lava should be set passable/impassable independently for creatures #101
• Fix creature behavior broken because of the maneuver action spam Creatures stop moving after a while - problem with action list #104
• Better creature fighting behaviour Combat behaviour upgrade #154
• Make workers flee on first enemy blow. Make workers flee only when receiving first enemy blow. #90

Basic Menus functional:

• Game mode and editor mode functional.
• Minimap functional.
• The basic menus are functional and look definite. Main menu : Make it look more definite #6
• The remote clients shouldn't have to select a level. In multiplayer games, the clients should not choose the map. The server should tell them #70
• Show room pricing - First part of Add a tooltip showing the price of a room tile/trap when hovering its icon #89
• Add a button to grab workers and fighters easily in the menu Add a button to grab workers easily in the menu #84 Add a button to grab fighters easily in the menu #85

Basic AI: See #15

• The AI can build every useful room.
• The AI takes care of building rooms to get the maximum "active spots" (represented by room models).
• The AI can drop fighters near-by other enemy creatures to trigger some fun.
• AI should take care of having at least one treasury tile before searching for gold: After Makes the first treasury tile cost 0, so players/AI can't get stuck without means to store their gold. #87 is done.

Graphics & content:

• All models are displayed fine even if not yet using normals. Done: Missing model files on the main repository? #76 Add the new slime creature #100 Add fixed training dummy and new training dummy #129
• Missing music/sounds: Addition of a few better sounds and musics. #95 Music handling enhancement #23

Content Bonus done:

• Lan support
• Fixed and configurable alliances per level support.
• Factions (Keeper/Hero) and AI / Human player are configurable in a lobby before playing!!
• Improved GUI, graphics, models. New beds! ;)
• 3 functional traps that can be fought. Ranged traps now deal damage when they hit, not when they shoot at target.
• Functional editor with a loading menu
• Creatures can drop gold when digging it if they have already too much of it and no treasury room is reachable. Dug gold can be collected and put back to the treasury by either a worker or the Keeper itself when it is on a claimed tile.
• Creature definitions are overrideable in levels to create special creatures, or bosses.
• The equipment definition is now defined in the config/equipment.cfg file.
• Creatures can spawn with default equipment.
• Rooms and traps behaviour are now defined in config/rooms.cfg and config/traps.cfg files.
• Replay mode! You can watch your previous games. Still mainly aimed at developers, you'll be warned.
• Creatures can be slapped to death. And more importantly, those creepy chickens can be slapped while on a claimed tile

[hwoarangmy]

Spawn pools. Each team has got a configurable set of creature spawnable.

The spawn pool is now linked to the seat which is unique per player. That means that 2 players in the same team can have different spawn pools.

[Bertram25]

I'll update the line. :)

[Bertram25]

According to this last bullet:

• Workers searching successfully for far away ground tile, walls to claim, gold or dirt to dig once their near-by counterparts are done. (Still depends on other improvement effects.)

@hwoarangmy Since you remade something like 70% of the pathfinding algorithm, do you know whether workers are now able to seek far away gold tiles to dig?
(I know that they are still restrained to what they see when no gold is marked)

@ everyone:
Do you think we could/should add support to make them seek for far away claimable tiles when they are idle for too long?

[hwoarangmy]

No, they only work where they see. Pathfinding works now and they would be able to go anywhere accessible if asked.
FYI, I've tried lately to run the 2v2 small map doing nothing for something like 2 hours. When I came back, all the gold in the map was mined. The AI ally had even dug my walls to get the gold near my dungeon temple ^^
All the tiles in the map were claimed.

Do you think we could/should add support to make them seek for far away claimable tiles when they are idle for too long?

I think that's the kind of thing that can be done later, when we will have a real game :)

[Bertram25]

I think that's the kind of thing that can be done later, when we will have a real game :)

Ok. I'll open an issue for later. In the meanwhile, it's already quite fine. :)

[akien-mga]

Wow we're really close to the 0.4.9 release :-)

[Bertram25]

Yeah, the main thing left now CMake stuff is mostly done is the creature def format. :)

(Disclaimer for below: This is not a complain, in fact, I'm quite happy about it.)
Note that @hwoarangmy is in Chuck Norris mode and he is already working on 0.6.3. ;)

[hwoarangmy]

^^
Indeed, I've prepared a huge PR for you to review :)
Many (too many ?) fixes. I had no time yesterday to do a PR as my ill younger daughter did not let me. The good point is that I had time to test and, so far, it seems pretty stable. I know that release time is not the best to do such a PR but I think it is worth it. And I'm sure our crazy tester @akien-mga will make sure I've not forgotten anything ^^

[Bertram25]

Arf, don't even think you have the right to apologize for accelerating the development pace of this project by ten. ;P

And I'm sure our crazy tester @akien-mga will make sure I've not forgotten anything ^^

Yeah, your foolish efforts to make Akien the Archlich kneel before the testing charge are worthless, for he'll wipe all your patches with effortless testing reports. ;)

I also hope your daughter is feeling better, and that is wasn't that bad.

[hwoarangmy]

I also hope your daughter is feeling better, and that is wasn't that bad.

We will see tonight if she can sleep :)

[Danimal696]

And the list keeps on growing :) , next 0.4.9 release will be something nice

[Bertram25]

AI apart, we're close! Do you guys want to keep the AI for that release or should we move it out for now? (Seems nobody is convinced by jumping into AI coding, I guess until we have a rock-solid core game experience.)

[akien-mga]

I think the AI could be moved to 0.5.0, it will be a big task, so I think it wouldn't hurt to have a stable release to show to the world before that, and one that is already great for LAN games :-)

[Bertram25]

so I think it wouldn't hurt to have a stable release to show to the world before that

"A release to show to the world". It's always a daunting sentence. O.O' ;)

[hwoarangmy]

Well, if we want to have "A release to show to the world", I think we need to have an AI that at least builds basic rooms and can attack. For now on, if you have no gold into your dungeon temple, it will not even try to reach you...

But in 0.4.9, there is "Add support to disable a room for a specific player in a specific level" which can be set to later IMHO.

[Bertram25]

But in 0.4.9, there is "Add support to disable a room for a specific player in a specific level" which can be set to later IMHO.

Really? I thought we wanted to add that to be able to disable the library and forge building (since they do nothing and cost money) Or maybe you want to be able to show them anyway?

[akien-mga]

Well, if we want to have "A release to show to the world", I think we need to have an AI that at least builds basic rooms and can attack. For now on, if you have no gold into your dungeon temple, it will not even try to reach you...

It's true, but I still think that it would be way better to release 0.4.9 in its current state than to still have 0.4.8 as our latest "showcase" release. We can make it clear that 0.4.9 is not full game, that it's already interesting to try but probably not to spend hours playing it against the AI.

[akien-mga]

Really? I thought we wanted to add that to be able to disable the library and forge building (since they do nothing and cost money) Or maybe you want to be able to show them anyway?

I'd leave them for now, because it's great to see them :-) Maybe we can just add to their price tooltip a mention that those rooms are not useful currently?

[Bertram25]

I'd leave them for now, because it's great to see them :-) Maybe we can just add to their price tooltip a mention that those rooms are not useful currently?

I'd leave a disclaimer in news about the release anyway. :)
Ok, let's put #86 out. :)

[Bertram25]

Btw, thanks to whoever completed the summary. It'll be very useful to create the release news. :)

[hwoarangmy]

Btw, thanks to whoever completed the summary. It'll be very useful to create the release news. :)

I thought it was you ^^

[Bertram25]

Btw, thanks to whoever completed the summary. It'll be very useful to create the release news. :)

I thought it was you ^^

Mostly, but not only. :)

[Bertram25]

So, yes, it would be cool to have 1 or 2 more real maps...

Ok, I've got ideas for a 1vs1 and a 1vs2 map. I'll add them tonight. I will also need a clear consensus about the HLSL shaders and the directX renderer so we can kill all that asap. :)

[akien-mga]

Seems we'll release 0.4.9 two years and a half after its development began: 8e48136
Kudos to @oyvindln for this commit :-P

[hwoarangmy]

HLSL shaders and the directX renderer

Concerning shaders, you know better than me what to do and I will follow your judgement (and try your patch ;) )
Concerning DirectX, as I said in another thread, it can be removed IMHO if there are no regressions for anybody testing (ie @Bertram25 , @Danimal696 and me as I guess we are the only ones concerned)

[akien-mga]

And... 0.4.9 milestone is achieved :-)

[Bertram25]

\O/ I'll merge dev into stable and create a '0.4.9' tag there.
Note to self: Push also to gitorious.org

I'll create a release on github.com and will have a go at doing a win32 zip as well. :)
Once all that is done, it will be time to do some news!! :D

[Danimal696]

About time!

[Bertram25]

RC1 Snapshot out! :)
I'll add the link to the Win32 binary tomorrow. Need some sleep. ;)

[Bertram25]

Once my PR is in, I'll redo the RC1 tag as the fixes are simple yet nice enough to be part of it.

[akien-mga]

@Bertram25 Elvano has set us both as "Developer+" on the sourceforge project so that we can manage the Files section. So feel free to upload your Windows binary there once it's ready.

[Danimal696]

and while you are at it, please update the pic and the video

[akien-mga]

Which video should be used? The boring one I posted on http://forum.freegamedev.net/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=6050 ? :-)

[Danimal696]

any is better than the 3 years old one

[hwoarangmy]

Which video should be used? The boring one I posted

Why don't you cut the boring parts ?

[akien-mga]

Why don't you cut the boring parts ?

Because I'm not good with video editing ;-) I just meant "boring" as "watching Akien play against the IA for 15 minutes is not the most entertaining". We need a real trailer with a good pace, max 3 min or so.

[Bertram25]

For now, I'd say let's upload this one. I wonder whether qubodup would agree making one for us once the release is publicly out? He's usually good at that.
Ah and ChemBroTron made a very good video for VT. Maybe he'll agree to do one for OD?
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDs0Jp8WYKMcPvVcHcYuPsA

[Bertram25]

As the news draft is ready and all that's lacking a website back online, I'll close this issue as I consider the 0.4.9 version ready. If any blocking fixes are to be added, we'll do a 0.4.10. :)

[akien-mga]

@Bertram25 Do you know whether the current Win32 snapshot for 0.4.9 RC1 is the one to use for 0.4.9 final? The only commit that might be lacking in it would be 000453e (I'm not sure whether it's in or not, it probably depends on whether you made the binary from your branch or from the 0.4 branch).

I'll update the source tarball with the latest 0.4 branch too.

Elvano has posted the release announcement: http://opendungeons.sourceforge.net/

[akien-mga]

Actually the PR #391 might be missing too, it was merged afterwards (but maybe you included it yourself in the binary).

[akien-mga]

For now I uploaded the final 0.4.9 source tarball (based on the current 0.4 branch) and renamed the 2014-12-22 Win32 zipfile to say that it's the final 0.4.9 version.

@Bertram25 Can you tag 0.4.9 in github?

[Bertram25]

Hey, :D

It is soo cool to see the release online!

Actually the PR #391 might be missing too, it was merged afterwards (but maybe you included it yourself in the binary).

Yeah, the portal fix was put in as a last minute addition.

For now I uploaded the final 0.4.9 source tarball (based on the current 0.4 branch) and renamed the 2014-12-22 Win32 zipfile to say that it's the final 0.4.9 version.

Thanks, IMHO, there is nothing more to do concerning the Windows version, as no changes is actually needed to enjoy the 0.4.9 experience there.

@Bertram25 Can you tag 0.4.9 in github?

Sure, asap. :)

[Bertram25]

N.B.: The 0.4.9 tag will actually point on the same commit than the 0.4.9-RC1 one.

[akien-mga]

Great. I'm correcting some typos and formatting issues in the release announcement, and will send the diff to Elvano.

[Bertram25]

@akien-mga Ah, just in case, don't forget to tell him to update the windows and linux download links! :)
And sorry for the typos. :S

[Danimal696]

Isnt it time to open a new 0.5 release Issue? ;)

[Bertram25]

Isnt it time to open a new 0.5 release Issue? ;)

It is. I'm on it. :)