Stable build 42 - The answer to the Ultimate Question?

Cervator

Org Co-Founder & Project Lead
Contributor
Design
Logistics
SpecOps
This is a nice and big release, first normal one after our server apocalypse. Incidentally that should all be done and over with so if you find any outdated links or problems anywhere still do let us know :)

Notes!
  • Not backwards compatible! First stable build after the big chunk/world overhaul. If you have an existing install with data from older builds you'll have to find and delete it (usually under your user directory somewhere sensible). If you're using the launcher it can tell you where this is.
  • Some world stuff isn't fully back up to date yet. Perlin temporarily isn't as pretty as it used to be and some trees may still get cut at chunk boundaries (not fully updated yet)
  • New modules:
    • BlockPicker - enable then use 'b' for an infinite inventory. Can filter and search but is currently case sensitive (likely to change)
    • CustomOreGen - contains the algorithms from @JRoush's COG mod for MC, used with his permission
    • OreGeneration - an actual implementation for Terasology that allows you to easily register a world for various ore deposits at different locations
    • Caves - a clever use of COG to make "air" veins a.k.a. caves. Can be enabled for some worlds like Perlin and then configured further
  • Full changelist
  • Known issue: Game may not shut down fully if the Pathfinding module is active (thread-pool disposal issue), part of Light & Shadow. Should be fixed soon in a dev build.
Major changes:
  • Huge performance fixes by reworking the chunk system. Main worlds are running much better. Throughout the Ages has complicated world gen and still crunches hard during generation
  • Vertically stacked chunks - infinite height support! Bring on the sky islands! Seriously. Somebody bring them on. We need sky islands. Which incidentally will only shade a certain distance below them then sunlight "regenerates" and solves infinite height shadows.
  • New world generation framework! Naturally supporting infinite height in various ways. Multi-thread enhancements plus ability to deal with cross-chunk features. Needs more doc + tutorial
  • Customizable world generation. Increase quantity, size, and other settings per configurable feature, including modules that can be enabled per world (like Caves)
    • Try out Perlin with steep mountains turned way up. Despite not being adjusted yet for infinite height you can still find mountains 300, 400, 500+ blocks tall!
  • Biomes are now supported per block, and no fewer than 65k of them. This opens a lot of possibilities for secondary data per block, even for stuff you might not immediately think of, like aquifers, or flagging caves as caves then switching them back to "outside" if the ceiling is knocked out (can persist biome changes now). Memory usage barely changed thanks to compression, this even optimizes parts of the game!
  • Better gameplay selection for Create Game, auto-selects modules and correct world (can still customize further) - very nice usability tweak!
Other changes:
  • Launcher should work on Macs again (dialog boxes to pick paths didn't pop up)
  • Initial Java 8 compatibility. Check it out and let us know if you hit any issues running on Java 8
  • Various game disposal issues and memory leaks fixed
  • Assorted new debug options available, including ability to tweak models in-game (related to synopia's work on the DangerMod showcasing some initial OreSpawn support work). F1 now also shows a debug pane (only show stuff if anything is configured to use it - see DebugPropertiesSystem for details).
  • Player spawning should be better, no more spawning in water. You may still end up spawning down canyons or other odd spots ;)
  • New "flight" mode offers basic flight without the "ghosting" that allows you to go through blocks
  • Headless server is getting better, can save the world on shutdown now ("shutdownServer" in console on client)! Loading the world - mostly there ;) But not quite (block textures go funny). Assorted network fixes as well.
  • Frame limiter, resolution scaling, and other new options available under Video Settings
  • Block sounds are no longer hard coded and can be defined easily (with a PlaySoundAction Component referencing "sounds")
  • You can now shift-click stacks in an inventory to make it auto-transfer to another relevant inventory. Related "generic interaction" logic allows better interaction support with a specific other object (like being engaged with an NPC in dialogue)
  • Assorted new run configurations for devs using IntelliJ (run game headless, with or without CrashReporter, load directly to last used world skipping menu, run second client in its own dir)
  • New API features to support programmatically generated meshes and animations (like how creature models in OreSpawn work)
Upcoming:
  • Launcher v2.0 is almost here, and beyond that work is starting on module management
  • Auto-save is finally getting some action, yay!
  • Rails is getting fancy full-sized rails (and trains, of course!)
  • Lots of activity over in the TerraTech module, getting all kinds of fancy!
  • Behavior trees are getting an overhaul to provide better and faster AI support
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