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v0.2

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@kefiiiiir kefiiiiir released this 31 Aug 05:22
· 6 commits to main since this release
v0.2
a75d0fe

VNEngine v0.2

For coders

The big fix: saves no longer break when you edit the script

  • Every save now stores a hash of the script plus its position as (nearest label, offset) instead of a raw op index. Insert a line in chapter 1 and existing saves in chapter 3 still resume in the right place.
  • If the hash doesn't match on load, the player gets a "Save may be out of date" dialog (Resume / Restart chapter / Back to title) instead of silently landing mid-sentence in the wrong scene.

Read-tracking cleaned up

  • seen ("have I read this line") moved to its own localStorage key, vnengine_seen, keyed by label+offset. It's no longer cloned into all 30 checkpoints, so it can't blow the storage quota.
  • lsSet now reports failures (quota full) with a toast + console error instead of swallowing them.

Boot-time validator

  • On load, engine.js checks the script and logs a grouped console report:
    • Errors: duplicate labels, unknown jump/choice targets
    • Warnings: unknown characters, unknown sfx names, unreachable code
    • Each entry includes the op index. It never stops the game.
  • jump/if to a missing label is now guarded (was a hard crash).

Rendering / effects

  • renderSprites() diffs by data-id and swaps src in place instead of rebuilding. Fixes sprite pop-in and the sprite "jump" on every expression change (the bob animation no longer restarts).
  • The flash effect is removed on animationend, so it fades fully instead of being cut at 260ms.
  • Character color now actually tints the name box (with an auto light/dark text-contrast pick).

New engine subsystems

  • Rollback (50-entry ring buffer; wheel-up / PageUp / button)
  • A backlog overlay
  • Skip / auto-advance modes

Tooling

  • playtest.py: dev mode sends Cache-Control: no-store (so the ?v= cache-busting trick is gone), packaged-archive assets get a long immutable cache, and it scans for a free port instead of assuming port 8000 is the same game.
  • Fonts are bundled as woff2 in src/fonts/ and @font-face'd — no Google Fonts request, works offline.
  • setup.py now rewrites the title-screen logo and credit line from project.json, so a fresh project doesn't show the engine's branding.
  • audio.js: the dead MARKS map is wired into music() offsets; SFX_NAMES is exported for the validator.

Touched: engine.js (most of it), story.js, audio.js, style.css, index.html, playtest.py, setup.py, VNengine.md, README.md, new src/fonts/. Nothing committed.

For writers

Your saves won't break when you edit your script. Add, move, or rewrite lines freely. Old saves resume in the right spot because they're anchored to the nearest label, not a line count. If a save is from an older draft, the player sees a small "this save may be out of date" prompt instead of getting dumped into the wrong scene.

The console now tells you when you make a mistake. Open the browser console (F12) and the engine lists: typo'd jump/choice targets, duplicate label names, characters or sound names you referenced but didn't define, and unreachable lines — each with its position. It won't stop your game, it just points at the problem.

New things you can write

  • Variables in text. set({ gold: 5 }) then say('ari', 'You have {gold} coins'). Any variable name in {curly braces} gets substituted.
  • Text styling. [b]bold[/b], [i]italic[/i], [c=#ff8ec4]coloured[/c] inside any line.
  • Conditional choices. Give a choice option a show function and it only appears when that's true: 
    { text: 'Hug them', to: 'hug', show: function (s) { return s.vars.warmth > 2; } }
  • Set a number exactly. Normally set({ gold: 5 }) adds 5. Use abs() to assign: set({ gold: abs(0) }) sets it to 0.
  • Voice lines. say('ari', 'Hello.', 'talk', 'ari_hello') — the 4th argument plays a sound file (registered in SFX_FILES) for that line.

New things your players get, for free

  • Rollback — scroll the mouse wheel up, press PageUp, or click the ↶ button to go back a line.
  • Backlog — press L or the ▤ button to see everything said so far.
  • Skip — hold Ctrl (or press Tab) to fast-forward; it stops at every choice.
  • Auto-advance — press A.

Other

  • Character color now tints the name box, not just the placeholder card.
  • Sprites fade in smoothly and no longer jump when they change expression.
  • The flash effect fades instead of cutting off.
  • Fonts are built in, so your game works with no internet.
  • Editing while playtesting: just reload — no more bumping ?v= numbers.
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