Developer News - Jan. 2023
Hey there!
As I mentioned in the last Developer News post, I wasn't happy with the initial version of the custom map listing and loading.
It used unnecessary amounts of memory and it listed the maps way to slow.
[h2]Improved map listing[/h2]
Over the last couple of weeks I have been working on this issue, I even livestreamed twice.
As always, really cozy and chill livestreams, so thanks to the ones that had time to join :)
I got the map listing working much better now by using the meta about the custom mod maps from mod.io instead of the mod file. I'll spare you the technical details, you will have to watch the livestreams if you wanna know more.
The short version is - it lists maps a lot faster now!
[h2]Automatic mod updating[/h2]
Automatic updates of mods should really have been a thing from when I added the workshop initially - or so I thought. Turned out it only worked when you were logged into mod.io in the workshop.
However, while fixing the above listing of maps, I was dancing around in the mod.io v1 SDK and found some methods I could use to actually look for and update mods that the player have installed.
This means mods are now checked for updates and they are downloaded if any is found.
This should be the end of having to "resub" to mods to get the latest version - really nice!
[h2]When can I get this?[/h2]
As of writing (2023-01-22) v2023.1.4 that contain these changes are pushed to the Experimental beta of the game for players to test out.
The testing is going really great, so I hope to be able to push this version to everyone over the coming days - unless some unforeseen issues shows up.
[h2]Optimizing the workshop UI[/h2]
I also mentioned in the last Developer News, that I wanted to optimize and update the workshop UI, however I will have to put that part on pause.
The reason is, that before I found the before mentioned methods to update mods automatically, I was under the impression that I needed to upgrade to the mod.io v2 SDK to get that fixed, which would also update the workshop UI and a lot of other things under the hood.
However, as automatic update now works, I have decided we can live with the workshop UI for a while anyway, as that free time for me to look at other and more important things - like multiplayer!
[h2]Status on multiplayer[/h2]
As always when talking about multiplayer and Fireworks Mania - lets start with a disclaimer.
Adding multiplayer to Fireworks Mania is a very requested feature and something I really want to add to the game. However, multiplayer is a very complex task all by itself. On top of that, I have to add it to an existing single player game that support mods. If its even possible it can easily be a 1-2 years project!
Therefore, I'm always making it clear that multiplayer is something I want to add, but I cannot promise it will ever be a thing.
With the disclaimer out of the way - I plan to start on it very soon and do some initial tests etc.
I hope to be able to give a bit more insight in next Developer News post sometimes late February 2023.
Fingers crossed :)
YouTube | Twitter | Discord
- Enjoy!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1079260/Fireworks_Mania__An_Explosive_Simulator/
As I mentioned in the last Developer News post, I wasn't happy with the initial version of the custom map listing and loading.
It used unnecessary amounts of memory and it listed the maps way to slow.
[h2]Improved map listing[/h2]
Over the last couple of weeks I have been working on this issue, I even livestreamed twice.
As always, really cozy and chill livestreams, so thanks to the ones that had time to join :)
I got the map listing working much better now by using the meta about the custom mod maps from mod.io instead of the mod file. I'll spare you the technical details, you will have to watch the livestreams if you wanna know more.
The short version is - it lists maps a lot faster now!
[h2]Automatic mod updating[/h2]
Automatic updates of mods should really have been a thing from when I added the workshop initially - or so I thought. Turned out it only worked when you were logged into mod.io in the workshop.
However, while fixing the above listing of maps, I was dancing around in the mod.io v1 SDK and found some methods I could use to actually look for and update mods that the player have installed.
This means mods are now checked for updates and they are downloaded if any is found.
This should be the end of having to "resub" to mods to get the latest version - really nice!
[h2]When can I get this?[/h2]
As of writing (2023-01-22) v2023.1.4 that contain these changes are pushed to the Experimental beta of the game for players to test out.
The testing is going really great, so I hope to be able to push this version to everyone over the coming days - unless some unforeseen issues shows up.
[h2]Optimizing the workshop UI[/h2]
I also mentioned in the last Developer News, that I wanted to optimize and update the workshop UI, however I will have to put that part on pause.
The reason is, that before I found the before mentioned methods to update mods automatically, I was under the impression that I needed to upgrade to the mod.io v2 SDK to get that fixed, which would also update the workshop UI and a lot of other things under the hood.
However, as automatic update now works, I have decided we can live with the workshop UI for a while anyway, as that free time for me to look at other and more important things - like multiplayer!
[h2]Status on multiplayer[/h2]
As always when talking about multiplayer and Fireworks Mania - lets start with a disclaimer.
Adding multiplayer to Fireworks Mania is a very requested feature and something I really want to add to the game. However, multiplayer is a very complex task all by itself. On top of that, I have to add it to an existing single player game that support mods. If its even possible it can easily be a 1-2 years project!
Therefore, I'm always making it clear that multiplayer is something I want to add, but I cannot promise it will ever be a thing.
With the disclaimer out of the way - I plan to start on it very soon and do some initial tests etc.
I hope to be able to give a bit more insight in next Developer News post sometimes late February 2023.
Fingers crossed :)
YouTube | Twitter | Discord
- Enjoy!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1079260/Fireworks_Mania__An_Explosive_Simulator/