S2ENGINE HD News

Hi to all,

Today we have released the version 2020.4 of S2ENGINE HD.

[h2]WHAT'S NEW[/h2]
In this version we have started to speed-up the code.
In particular we have increased the string to string comparison.

The strings are used in almost all parts of the engine, when you get a model node, when you get an object, when youo send a message or an event, when you set a parameter, all is done with strings.

Comparing 2 strings, for example, for making a search or for retrieving an object from a table, is an important operation.
Usually this operation is very computationally expensive.

We have increased the speed of string comparison of a factor between 4x and 16x, this reflected on the general velocity of the overall engine and in particular when many characters, using gameMachines for logic, are on screen.
The only drawback is that, now, all strings are NOT case-sensitive, this means that a node called "ROOT" is the same as "Root" and the same as "root", or an event called "START" is the same as "Start" or "start", etc...

In the following video test there are many zombies, every zombi has 3 different gameMachines.
The framerate is stable upon 30 FPS on an AMD radeon RX 550. With 2020.3 version (the previous version) the framerate of this test scene dropped to 14 FPS when all zombies were on screen:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Another relevant change is about the editor interface:
We have replaced the "freeze/unfreeze" button with "enable/disable" simulation button.
This means that now, during the editing, the objects are freezed (not simulating) by default, you must push a button to enable simulation during editing.
Of course you can change the start state (enabled or disabled) of the button into the preferences of the editor.

Many bugfixes have been made as usual as well as other minor improvements:

[h2]RELEASE NOTES[/h2]

[h3]CORE[/h3]

• [IMPROVEMENT] Now the game simulation is freezed at start, and freeze button has been replaced by simulation button.
  
• [BUGFIX] When inserting a GUIObject from Create frame and a GUI is already in the scene, the Create frame GUIObject selection isn't erased.
  
• [BUGFIX] Fsm and FSMparams parameters are still in the parameters of the GUIObject.
  
• [IMPROVEMENT] Added Cube and Sphere models inside the Default folders of the basic packages.
  
• [NEW] Added parameter simulationAtStart in Editor preferences
  
• [NEW] Added SetObjectNodeScale action in GameMachine
  
• [BUGFIX] Events of gamemachines on top of the first are not displayed on class panel.
  
• [NEW] Added GetSourceModelNodeFromTarget action in GameMachine
  
• [NEW] Added AlignObjectToDirection action in GameMachine
  
• [BUGFIX] Wrong Scatter Color list in Material Props containing duplicated elements.
  
• [BUGFIX] Events from animation keys are not sent to gamemachines after the first.
  
• [BUGFIX] Animation keys aren't sorted when they are moved along the timeline.
  
• [BUGFIX] If an asset is duplicated, without being renamed, more than one time, the new asset isn't referenced into the resource file table.
  
• [BUGFIX] GameMachine Hitinfo and event stack aren't cleared when re-spawning an Object
  
• [IMPROVEMENT] Speed up Culling thread synchronization when many objects move
  
• [NEW] Added PhyRagdollToCharacter GameMachine action, for passing from ragdoll to character animations
  
• [IMPROVEMENT] Speed up message Dequeuing
  
• [BUGFIX] VoxelLightmap creation dialog wrong dimension.
  
• [BUGFIX] Film grain post processing FX not visible
  
• [BUGFIX] Sometime system crashes when duplicating a gameMachine state
  
• [IMPROVEMENT] Added parameter "local" to Teleport trigger object class
  
• [IMPROVEMENT] Added parameter "channel" to "SetSourcePitch" action in GameMachine
  
• [IMPROVEMENT] Added parameter "channel" to "SetSourceVolume" action in GameMachine
  
• [BUGFIX] When sending an event to a gameMachine owner, the event is sent only to the first gameMachine of the object
  
• [BUGFIX] When an animation finished the event ANIMATION_FINISHED is sent only to the first GameMachine of the owner object
  
• [IMPROVEMENT] Now switches send events (OPENING and CLOSING) respectively when they start to open and when they start to close.
  
• [NEW] Added "WaterCausticsOfs" scene parameter for controlling ocean caustics height.
  
• [NEW] Added "borderless" window mode as alternative to fullscreen for runtime applications.
  

[h3]EGP[/h3]

• [NEW] Added "Locked" and "lockedText" parameters to ItemTAG class Object.
  
• [BUGFIX] ItemObject "fsm" and "fsmParams" already visible.
  

[h2]FINAL THOUGHTS[/h2]
THIS IS ONLY A SMALL IMPROVEMENT, but it gives an idea about how much large is the room for optimize the engine.
In the next months we will be mainly focused on HELLSEED game and on optimizing the rendering engine.

Enjoy and Stay tuned!
Profenix Studio

Hi to all,

Today we have released the version 2020.3 of S2ENGINE HD.

As anticipated in this version there is an important new feature that will be one of the biggest assets in the future:
The support for multiple gameMachine in a single object.

Starting from this version you will be able to attach more than one gameMachine to an object.
This will allow you to compose behaviours putting together multiple simple logics as showed into the following gif:


The great thing about this approach is that these small logics can be shared among different objects with different combinations of them that generates different behaviours saving a lot of time and simplify things a lot.
We have planned to produce many small gameMachines to be combined together in the near future, some of them will be published on the upcoming Marketplace, some of them will grouped in new DLCs, some of them will be introduced into EasyGamePack DLC or Basic Engine installation.

We have also updated the new Manual with new information about GameMachine:
S2ENGINE HD 2020 manual BETA - Using Game Machine

This could be the beginning of a new era in the evolution of s2engine :D.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As always we have fIxed other bugs and added some minor features.

Following is the complete RELEASE NOTES list:
[h2]CORE[/h2]

• [NEW] Added "Copy Layer" and "Paste Layer" options in GameMachine
  
• [IMPROVEMENT] Now, additional physics shapes don't modify the total mass of the rigidbody.
  
• [IMPROVEMENT] Added possibility to set parameter "targets" of the spawnObjects GameMachine action using a variable.
  
• [BUGFIX] When setting a source skeleton into the model editor retarget tool the controllers table isn't updated.
  
• [NEW] Added SetMaterialSingleLayerAlpha action in GameMachine
  
• [NEW] Added GetFreeGlobalAudioChannel action in GameMachine
  
• [NEW] Added GetFreeMusicChannel action in GameMachine
  
• [NEW] Added parameter "sleepWhenDie" to Trigger object classes
  
• [NEW] Added parameter "sleepWhenDie" to Switch object classes
  
• [IMPROVEMENT] Added possibility to set parameter "maxDistance" of the "ObjectIsVisible" GameMachine action using a variable.
  
• [IMPROVEMENT] Now AwakeObjects action can be used also to sleep the gameMachine onwer.
  
• [IMPROVEMENT] Added possibility to set parameters "channel","music",and "fadeTime" of the "CrossFadeMusic" GameMachine action using a variable.
  
• [IMPROVEMENT] Improved terrain brush elevation painting.
  
• [IMPROVEMENT] Improved terrain brush color painting.
  
• [IMPROVEMENT] Added shortkey for resizing terrain brush.
  
• [IMPROVEMENT] Now you can highlight submesh of an object clicking on one of materials in the material list of the object. It is useful to recognize what part of the object is assigned a given material.
  
• [BUGFIX] Some Terrain configurations do not appears into dynamic reflection cubemap.
  
• [NEW] Added Parameters "LayerID" and "ColGroupID" in Terrain properties
  
• [NEW] Added Parameter "Origin" in Terrain props
  
• [NEW] Multiple GameMachwingle object
  
• [BUGFIX] Sometime engine crashes when creating new road points from segments having sides.
  
• [BUGFIX] When you create an awakeswitch from scratch the value of the open_Sleep and close_Sleep parameters are undefined.
  

[h2]EGP[/h2]

• [NEW] Added "receivers" and "event" parameters to ItemTAG object class.
  
• [NEW] Added "receivers" and "event" parameters to DocumentTAG object class.
  

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IF YOU WANT TO REVERT TO PREVIOUS VERSION
simply choose the beta: S2ENGINE HD 2020.2.3 beta
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enjoy and Stay Tuned
PROFENIX STUDIO

• [BUGFIX] If autosave folder doesn't exists it isn't created
  
• [NEW] Added AutosaveFolderPath parameter into editor preferences
  
• [NEW] Added Comment action in GameMachine
  
• [NEW] Added parameter "High Quality Atmosphere" in Configuration dialog.
  

Enjoy,
PROFENIX STUDIO

[h3]CORE[/h3]

• [NEW] Added "leftHanded mouse" option on engine configuration.
  
• [BUGFIX] Graphics Gitches on some INTEL integrated cards.
  
• [BUGFIX] GetEventInfo action sometines gives wrong information about event sender.
  

Enjoy
PROFENIX STUDIO

Hi guys,

We have just discorvered that the files of the ZombiesForS2Engine DLC aren't correctly uploaded since 2020.1 update.
We apologize for the inconvenience and today we have fixed the problem.
Now the Zombie pack should be imported correctly into your newly created project.

[h2]RELEASE NOTES[/h2]

[h3]CORE[/h3]

• [BUGFIX] ZombiesForS2Engine DLC directory is missing (all files of the pack are exposed)
  
• [BUGFIX] AngularSmooth and LinearSmooth parameters of AISetCharacterMaxSpeed action don't work correctly
  
• [BUGFIX] In PrefabViewport collision meshes aren't scaled with the object
  
• [IMPROVEMENT] In FirstPerson basic package the EmptyPlayer now can interact also by sending ACTION event
  
• [IMPROVEMENT] When inserting the first key in a track of a cutscene Now another key is automatically inserted at the end of the track for avoiding interpolation problems.
  

Enjoy and Stay tuned,
PROFENIX STUDIO