RPG in a Box News

New Features/Changes:

• Added initial background map implementation for menu-driven turn-based battles (assigned in Combat Editor, party members spawn starting at center of map going eastward)
  
• Added "Object enters tile", "Object stops on tile", and "Object exits tile" trigger events for tiles for use with pushable objects ($object variable contains object)
  
• Added "On Equip Script" and "On Unequip Script" settings to the Item Editor for equippable items, which get triggered when the item is equipped/unequipped (self is character, $item is item)
  
• Added "Random Speaking Pitch" character setting to the Voxel Editor which will randomize the pitch of a character's voice as they speak
  
• Added "Scroll Wheel Grid Controls" editor setting for the Map Editor to turn off Shift/Ctrl + Scroll Wheel grid level controls
  
• Added confirmation dialog to the Script Editor when pressing ESC or clicking the cancel button and the Bauxite source code field has been edited
  
• Updated "Duplicate Frame" functionality in the Voxel Editor to copy any voxel groups to the newly created frame
  
• Updated menu-driven turn-based battles to play death animations for enemies when applicable instead of immediately removing them from the map
  
• Updated "Replace Navigation" scripting function to force the player to release a pushable object if navigation was removed between them and the object
  
• Updated "Set Entity Model" scripting function to only replace the model when different than the current model in use
  
• Updated Bauxite syntax highlighting to include "map" as a built-name variable name (e.g. when used with "map.name" or "map.groups")
  

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed roguelike issue where mouse movement was inadvertently being allowed even when disabled by interacting with something from a distance
  
• Fixed issue in the Voxel Editor with the option to automatically attach an object in-game not working properly
  
• Fixed issue where voxel groups were not being updated when using the arrow buttons or the move tool to move grouped voxels
  
• Fixed issue in the Map Editor where the scale of the pending character/object couldn't be adjusted with Shift + Scroll Wheel if the grid level was locked
  
• Fixed issue where the new tile's collision override was not being applied when replacing a tile's model with "Set Entity Model"
  
• Fixed issue with navigation paths not being properly updated in some scenarios when the player would push an object to a new tile
  
• Fixed issue with "Duplicate" functionality not working properly when attempting to duplicate an effect from the Game Explorer
  
• Fixed issue with "Reset Entity Rotation" function not properly resetting the character's direction after being rotated with "Rotate Entity Towards"
  
• Fixed issue with "mp" and "max_mp" stats not working properly in-game when attempting to access or modify their values
  
• Fixed issue with "quests" and "skills" character properties not being accepted as valid syntax when used in a "for" expression (e.g. for $quest_id in player.quests)
  
• Fixed issue with the Asset Library where the OK and Cancel buttons were outside of the dialog box when using the Russian localization
  
• Fixed "nonexistent signal" error that would display in the console window when opening an item container
  

Documentation:

• Updated "Map Editor" built-in docs to include info about pressing Delete in Connect/Navigation mode to remove all navigation paths to a tile
  
• Updated "Map Editor" built-in docs to include info about Ctrl and Alt modifiers for picking a resource and/or grid level while in place mode
  
• Updated "Character" built-in docs to include info about "name" property and "portrait" property
  

New Features/Changes:

• Added initial implementation of the Effect Editor for creating particle effects (e.g. flames, fountains, weather, environmental effects, visual status indicators, etc.)
  
• Added "Attach Effect" scripting function for attaching a particle effect to an entity's attach point (e.g. attach_effect("flame", entity["xyz"], "attach_id"))
  
• Added "Detach Effect" scripting function for detaching a particle effect from an entity (e.g. detach_effect(entity["xyz"], "attach_id"))
  
• Added "Add Effect" scripting function for adding a particle effect at a coordinate, with optional entity ID (e.g. add_effect("rain", coord[0, 0, 100], "rain_id"))
  
• Added "Disable Effect" scripting function for disabling the emission of particles for an effect (e.g. disable_effect(entity["rain"]))
  
• Added "Enable Effect" scripting function for enabling the emission of particles for an effect (e.g. enable_effect(entity["rain"]))
  
• Added "Add Item To Tile" visual script node to the Script Editor for placing an item drop onto a tile that the player can pick up
  
• Added "Delete Data" visual script node to the Script Editor for deleting a custom data file that was previously saved to disk via the "Save Data" function
  
• Added "Delete Save" visual script node to the Script Editor for deleting a saved game ("savegame01" if no filename is specified)
  
• Added "Give Loot" visual script node to the Script Editor for generating items for a loot drop then giving them to a specified character
  
• Added "Give Skill" visual script node to the Script Editor for giving a skill to a character (defaults to the main player character)
  
• Added "Remove Skill" visual script node to the Script Editor for removing a skill from a character (defaults to the main player character)
  
• Added "Use Skill" visual script node to the Script Editor for triggering the usage of a skill for a character (defaults to the main player character)
  
• Added "Cooldown (Roguelike)" to the Stats Editor for configuring the cooldown of a skill when used in roguelike mode (measured in actions)
  
• Added two new status effect types to the Stats Editor, "Healing Over Time" and "Damage Over Time" for applying healing/damage at intervals
  
• Added ability to specify both real-time and roguelike interval for status effects in the Stats Editor (measured on seconds and actions, respectively)
  
• Added support for global functions that can be called from any script (configured from the "Global Functions" tab in the Game Configuration dialog)
  
• Added "Footstep Sound" and "Footstep Rate" settings to the Voxel Editor for characters (sounds are played positionally, rate is in footsteps per second)
  
• Added ability to freely rotate objects in the Map Editor from the Entity Properties panel (instead of being locked to 90-degree increments)
  
• Added "Display Image" scripting function for displaying an image to the player (usage: display_image(, , , ))
  
• Added image stretch mode constants for scripting (STRETCH_X, where X is either SCALE, TILE, KEEP, KEEP_CENTERED, KEEP_ASPECT, KEEP_ASPECT_CENTERED, or KEEP_ASPECT_COVERED)
  
• Added "Play Video" scripting function for playing video files (supported formats are WEBM and OGV, can be imported by dragging and dropping onto application)
  
• Added "Open Container" scripting function for manually triggering the opening of an item container within the current map
  
• Added "quests" syntax to the Bauxite language for getting an array of quest IDs for a character (e.g. player.quests)
  
• Added "global.theme" scripting variable for changing the current UI theme (e.g. global.theme = "My Theme")
  
• Added "system.time" scripting variable for getting current time from the OS (returns a codex with "hour", "minute", and "second" values)
  
• Added Bauxite scripting syntax for getting an effect attached to an attach point (e.g. entity["xyz"].effect["attach_id"])
  
• Added "EFFECT" scripting constant for checking if an entity is an effect (similar to TILE, OBJECT, and CHARACTER, e.g. if entity["xyz"] == EFFECT)
  
• Added "substr" scripting function for getting part of a string (usage: substr(, , ) - length parameter is optional)
  
• Added "len" scripting function for getting the length of a string, size of an array, or number of keys in a codex (e.g. len($my_array))
  
• Added "quest[$quest_id]" syntax for getting quest properties based on ID (specifically name, description, or tags, e.g. quest["QUEST_0001"].name)
  
• Added "portrait" property for characters to Bauxite scripting syntax (e.g. player.portrait to get or change the portrait, null will clear the portrait)
  
• Added "Two-Dimensional" setting for objects in the Voxel Editor in order to prevent the rotation of vehicle objects when needed
  
• Added entity script setting to disable the automatic playing of the initiating character's "interact" animation
  
• Added "default" and "move" directional animation names for use by vehicles with the "Two-Dimensional" setting enabled (e.g. "default_west" or "move_north")
  
• Added Effect Editor as a "Default Tab" option on the Editor Settings dialog to have it active by default on application startup
  
• Added two new project templates to the Game Manager, "Mini Caves of ZZT" and "Kenney Tiny Dungeon (2D)", and added their associated assets to the Asset Library
  
• Added assets previously exclusive to the Patreon to the built-in Asset Library (147 tiles, 55 objects, and 8 characters)
  
• Added several music tracks by Aleix Ramon to the Asset Library, including "The Adventure Begins" (official RPG in a Box theme song)
  
• Added "shore_corners" (water with shore at two opposite corners) to the Asset Library for use in the default example game
  
• Added Italian translations for the editor interface and in-game text (selected from the "General" section of the Editor Settings dialog)
  
• Updated roguelike mode to also consider interacting with objects and characters as an action (e.g. opening a door, pulling a lever, etc.)
  
• Updated "Controls" section in the Game Configuration dialog to split out the movement and interaction options
  
• Updated description field in the Quest Editor to be a multi-line text field instead of being limited to one line
  
• Updated color data type to support optional alpha value (e.g. color[0, 255, 0, 128] is green with 50% transparency level)
  
• Updated error message for the "Equip Item" scripting function to be more descriptive (e.g. character needs item in inventory, slot doesn't exist, etc.)
  
• Update "Enable Container" and "Disable Container" functions to allow direct entity references instead of only an entity ID
  
• Updated coordinate values in visual scripts nodes (e.g. the "Move Camera" function) to allow decimals for more precise positioning
  
• Updated "str" scripting function to return "null" when the value is null instead of throwing an error to the debug console
  
• Updated "Request Coordinate" and "Request Entity" functionality to disable mouse input for widgets while requesting a value
  
• Updated Bauxite scripting syntax to support Korean characters when used inside of text strings
  
• Updated "Default Example Game" project template to include an auto-tile configuration for the grass and water tiles
  
• Updated filtering functionality in the Asset Library to no longer be case-sensitive when searching for tags
  
• Updated Patreon credits in the About dialog to only reflect the patrons who are currently active for each tier
  

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed issue with transparent surfaces of models showing through billboard sprite characters and objects
  
• Fixed issue with death animations not properly triggering for billboard sprite characters when defeated
  
• Fixed issue with camera positioning that could occur when loading a map and the camera had been previously locked
  
• Fixed issue with setting a image element's image on a widget to null not properly clearing the image
  
• Fixed issue that could occur when adding quest-related visual script nodes to a script without having any quests defined
  
• Fixed issue with $item_id in item's script being null when using a consumable item from a quick slot via number hotkey
  
• Fixed issue with the "Pass Mouse Input" widget setting not properly passing mouse input through the widget in some cases
  
• Fixed issue with the positioning of objects when attached to other objects that were themselves also attached to an entity
  
• Fixed issue where "interact" animations would keep playing even if a character started walking after interaction
  
• Fixed issue with character's level not being saved when saving a game (only XP value was saved, not level itself)
  
• Fixed issue with the player's party members not being properly restored when saving then loading a game
  
• Fixed issue with scale not being applied to an object in the Map Editor if selecting another entity without focusing on another field first
  
• Fixed issue where cursor was not being automatically updated if over an item container while a script enabled or disabled it
  
• Fixed issue with duplicate play buttons showing next to music items in the Game Explorer after importing songs from the Asset Library
  
• Fixed issue where attach point cubes were displaying after capturing a thumbnail for a model even if they weren't previously enabled
  
• Fixed issue where the skill bar widget was incorrectly showing in the viewport of the Screen Editor
  
• Fixed issue with Themes tab in the UI Editor incorrectly showing as "Theme" instead of "Themes" in some scenarios
  
• Fixed issue with Item Editor and Quest Editor incorrectly showing the item/quest details area before a project was opened when set as the default tab
  
• Fixed issue with "Recent Files" box not displaying dialogues when "All Types" was checked
  
• Fixed issue where semi-transparent colors in PNGs were being ignored when importing them into the Voxel Editor
  
• Fixed error that could occur when using "Capture Portrait" tool in the Voxel Editor multiple times in a row
  
• Fixed issue with control variable in the "For Loop" visual script node not being validated correctly
  
• Fixed console errors when giving a quest to the player then subsequently moving the player character
  
• Fixed crash that can occur when using "return" without a return value in the Script Editor and Quick Script Builder
  
• Fixed issue with some of the default example tiles in the Asset Library causing clipping when walked over by a billboard sprite character
  
• Fixed some errors that that would display in the external console window when opening the Asset Library dialog
  
• Fixed issue with "Enter name to filter by" placeholder text on the asset tabs not being properly translated to the current language
  
• Fixed issue with missing localization for "LOOT_DROP_ALREADY_EXISTS" text when attempting to create a loot drop with a name that already existed
  

Documentation:

• Updated "Tutorials" built-in-docs to include YouTube links for Stumpy's "How to Make a Game" series and Sarah's tutorial series
  
• Updated "Character" built-in docs to include convenience variables which get tiles relative to a character ("front_tile", "north_tile", etc.)
  
• Updated "Codex" built-in docs to include an example of how to modify an existing value within a codex
  
• Updated "Climbing" built-in docs to fix an issue with the "Known Issue" text being cut off
  

Hello! I'm Stumpy the Squirrel. Let's make a game with RPG in a Box! In this tutorial, we'll create a sign that the player can interact with. As part of this, you'll get some more practice with voxel modelling and scripting!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

New Features/Changes:

• Added top-down orthogonal camera mode to the Map Editor for easier 2D/overhead map creation (located next to the isometric camera button)
  
• Added "Panorama Sky" background option to the Map Properties panel of the Map Editor (image needs to be an equirectangular sky map)
  
• Added new option to the "Reaction to Obstacle" NPC behavior setting for running a custom script upon encountering an obstacle
  
• Added ability to control pushable objects using the mouse by clicking on a valid tile in front of the object or behind the player character
  
• Added ability to release a pushable object currently held by the player character by clicking on it (in addition to the G key)
  
• Added "Object is Grabbed" and "Object is Released" global event scripts ("self" contains object, "initiator" contains character)
  
• Added "Object is Pushed" global event script ("self" contains object, "initiator" contains character, tiles are stored in $previous_tile and $target_tile variables)
  
• Added ability to scale objects and characters being placed into a map (Shift + Scroll Wheel scales by 0.05, Ctrl + Scroll Wheel scales by 0.1)
  
• Added "Copy Settings" and "Paste Settings" buttons to the Model Properties panel for copying the offset/scale/rotation values between attach points
  
• Added ability to separately scale the X, Y, and Z values of attach points in the Voxel Editor from the Model Properties panel
  
• Added setting to the Widget Properties panel which, when enabled, will pass mouse input through areas of the widget not occupied by elements
  
• Added "on close" script setting to the Widget Properties panel that gets triggered when the widget's "X" close button is pressed ("self" contains widget)
  
• Added "UI Scale" option to the Editor Settings dialog so that the interface can be scaled for high DPI displays
  
• Added "Free Movement" experimental setting to the Game Configuration dialog (only basic movement/interaction supported, full gameplay not yet possible)
  
• Increased maximum in-game zoom distance to 300 (adjustable from the Gameplay section of the Game Configuration dialog)
  
• Updated eyedropper tool in the Map Editor (Alt + Left-Click) to also get the scale of the selected object or character
  
• Updated "Predefined Animation Names" dialog in the Voxel Editor to include directional animation names ("idle_north", "walk_north", etc.)
  
• Updated character animation functionality to auto-trigger corresponding walk/idle/attack animations on any attached objects when played
  
• Updated About dialog to include credit to andysphinx for the "Box of Colors" default Voxel Editor palette
  

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed several in-game issues with the pushable object functionality when used with the first-person camera
  
• Fixed issue with the player being able to release a pushable object in the middle of two tiles while pushing it
  
• Fixed issue with default scale not being properly applied when the player character was configured as a billboard sprite
  
• Fixed issue with characters configured as "Two-Dimensional" being incorrectly rotated upon reacting to an obstacle (via behavior setting)
  
• Fixed issue with holding Ctrl + Middle Mouse Button and dragging up/down to zoom not working properly in the Map Editor when isometric camera was enabled
  
• Fixed issue with Voxel Editor being marked as having changes when pressing ESC to deselect all selected voxels
  
• Fixed issue where "Request Coordinate" and "Request Entity" scripting functions could be triggered even when one was already being requested
  
• Fixed issue where the "type" built-in property was not being accepted as valid syntax when used with a variable (e.g. $my_entity.type)
  
• Fixed issue with using compound operators (+=, -=, etc.) to modify stat values via scripts not working correctly (literal value would be assigned to the stat)
  
• Fixed error that could occur when using "Capture to Image" in the Voxel Editor then later switching to the "Mesh Preview" mode
  

Documentation:

• Updated "Map Editor" built-in docs to include info about additional camera controls (holding C and moving mouse to edge of view)