Reality Factory 0.76 Release

[QuestOfDreams]

Finally out! Version 0.76 of Reality Factory comes with many new and improved features:

Bug Fixes
-Staying on MovingPlatform
-Decals sticking to world models
-Restore music volume setting
-Language menu text disappearing
-gifx, gify, giffile numbers in MenuReply method
-SetScale low level method
-Loading TGAs from VFS
-Screen coordinates in script commands
-Resizing main window when picking driver at runtime


New Features
-WindGenerator entity (+ related script commands, see below)
-Vector-Gravity (+ related script commands, see below)
-Dropping Weapons
-Extended character set in bitmap fonts
-Attaching Actors that blend with the motions of the Actor they are attached to (script commands see below)
-Separate highlight images for the arrows in the inventory
-Upper and lower case characters in Player Name selection menu

Script Methods
-LeftCopy & RightCopy method: removed char# limit
-AttachAccessory(string SlaveName);
Attach the accessory defined in Pawn.ini as SlaveName to the Pawn.
-AttachAccessory(string SlaveName, string MasterName);
Attach the accessory defined in Pawn.ini as SlaveName to the actor of the entity MasterName.
-AttachBlendActor(string SlaveName);
Attach the actor of the entity SlaveName to the Pawn.
-AttachBlendActor(string SlaveName, string MasterName);
Attach the actor of the entity SlaveName to the actor of the entity MasterName.
-DetachAccessory(string SlaveName);
Detach the accessory defined in Pawn.ini as SlaveName from the Pawn.
-DetachAccessory(string SlaveName, string MasterName);
Detach the accessory defined in Pawn.ini as SlaveName from the actor of the entity MasterName.
-DetachBlendActor(string SlaveName);
Detach the actor of the entity SlaveName from the Pawn.
-DetachBlendActor(string SlaveName, string MasterName);
Detach the actor of the entity SlaveName from the actor of the entity MasterName.
-EndScript();
Stop execution of the script without removing the Pawn's actor.
-GetGravityX(); Get Gravity X component.
-GetGravityY(); Get Gravity Y component.
-GetGravityZ(); Get Gravity Z component.
-GetLiquid();
Returns the name of the Liquid the Pawn is in.
-GetWindBaseX(); Returns the X component of the Wind base value.
-GetWindBaseY(); Returns the Y component of the Wind base value.
-GetWindBaseZ(); Returns the Z component of the Wind base value.
-GetWindX(); Returns the X component of the Wind.
-GetWindY(); Returns the Y component of the Wind.
-GetWindZ(); Returns the Z component of the Wind.
-IsInLiquid(); Returns true if the Pawn is inside a Liquid.
-SetTargetPoint(float X, float Y, float Z, bool Offset);
Sets a specified point in space as the current Target Point. Offset determines wheter X,Y,Z are absolute or relative coordinates.
-SetWind(float X, float Y, float Z);
Set the Wind that influences particles.
-SetWindBase(float X, float Y, float Z);
Set the base value of the WindGenerator entity.
-SetWindGenerator(bool Flag);
Enable/Disable the WindGenerator entity.

Source Code
-Comments in Javadoc style for automatic generation of source code documentation via doxygen
-Improved const correctness
-All pawn commands added to hash table for faster access
-Updated FreeImage Library to v3.9.3
-Updated Simkin to v2.23


Tools
-Updated RFScriptEdit
-Updated tga2gebmp
-Updated IniEditor (removed MFC dependency)
-Updated VideoSetup (removed MFC dependency)
-ttf2font exporting extended character set (32-255 instead of 32-127); removed MFC dependency
-Updated ActView.exe (making Viewer.exe obsolete (which is good since we don't have the source code))
-Updated GameBuilder
-Equity 4.2.1

Improved Manual

[Jay]

You did that...in the middle of the night ?

That looks like a cool release to me... What's the difference between a accesory and a BlendActor?

EDIT: Ah ok i get it. A BlendActor is an already existing entity, a Accesory is defined in Pawn.ini.

[Juutis]

Awesome! Thanks, QoD, once again!

I have to go back to the army soon so I'm afraid I can't test this release yet but I'll get home again next weekend. So I'll be waiting for Friday more than ever.

[scott]

This is all cool and im greatful for all of this but what happend to the dx9 driver?

this was what i was looking forward to the most.

[Jue]

The powerful RF takes a new step further.

Long live RF



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http://www.iris3d.net

[Jay]

This is all cool and im greatful for all of this but what happend to the dx9 driver?

this was what i was looking forward to the most.

The d3d7xdrv.dll has changed i think, but i must still see if its faster that the previous...

EDIT: No. Not faster... (at least not much) Well, it does not matter that much anymore for me, i am going for the Zelda: Ocarina of Time method of having secluded rooms (It works like a dream, once the room is completely secluded the engine cuts all other thinghs away, but it only works if it is completely 'closed') and i am trying a way to render outdoors more efficiently too. Wish me luck.

EDIT2: It's nice that you compiled the docs to a chm file, but now i can no longer search easily for a specific word, for example when i want to search for a specific script command. With the html version this is possible due to internet explorer.

[QuestOfDreams]

This is all cool and im greatful for all of this but what happend to the dx9 driver?
this was what i was looking forward to the most.

There wasn't much progress in the last months due to lack of time and motivation, sorry.

[QuestOfDreams]

EDIT2: It's nice that you compiled the docs to a chm file, but now i can no longer search easily for a specific word, for example when i want to search for a specific script command. With the html version this is possible due to internet explorer.

You can still use the search function of the compiled help and it will highlight the word(s). Regarding script commands: the ScriptEditor supports auto-completion and call tips now ...

[kiliman]

¿¿And the NGD from Federico??

[Danimita92]

It's a real shame there's no physics incorporated yet.

[QuestOfDreams]

I did not integrate Newton Game Dynamics in this release cause I don't want to force the Newton license on all RF users, even the ones that don't want to use physics at all.

[Danimita92]

Someone could eventually make a patch with it, for this version right? Becuase most of the spanish community will have to stay with 0.75 because of the physics

[kiliman]

The Traybar dont work fine for me, and yours??

[Jue]

I did not integrate Newton Game Dynamics in this release cause I don't want to force the Newton license on all RF users, even the ones that don't want to use physics at all.

That strikes me as correct, not to be subject to the license Ngd, but it would be great to be established as an optional patch, on the other hand I think you've done what is necessary to update and this and other changes will come soon.


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[Jay]

The patches ARE the problem. Since Qod decided to not put physics in, this leaves us in a situation that requires a patch for every new version of RF.

Both releases change the source code heavily, but are not based on each other. It took very much work already to make the April 2008 community release (RF+NGD+first community release), and i didn't even implement all new features of the former community release.

The branching is horrible. It demotivates a programmer if they see that their work is for nothing.

We must make a final decision, and then go with it, or we will soon write patch after patch. And maybe even patches for patches.

The best thing may be to implement kind of a 'switch' so that you can turn on/off the physics engine (like usephysics=true in in RealityFactory.ini) and then use it or not - or does that clash with the NGD license - does only including the physics engine include the license too? Or does it stem from the use of the engine?