0. - Surprise Intermission: The future of Chronos Builder
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chronos-builder/chronos-builder-wishing-well
Introducing the first Chronos Builder expansion: Wishing Well.
This is a project that we've had in the works for a long time and we're really excited to finally unveil it!!
Wishing Well will bring new exclusive asset packs alongside software updates for base Chronos Builder that will help you reach new heights with your map making (in more ways than one😉).
Make sure to click follow on the Kickstarter page so you'll be notified once it finally goes live!
On that note, lets get back to the regularly scheduled programming... lets see what version 1.3.0 brings!!
1. - New Eastern Setting assets in version 1.3.0!
The new Eastern setting assets have arrived!
This one was the last stretch goal unlocked but we decided to give it a bump in priority and finish it ahead of the rest because we were super excited to see how the Community would mix and match it with other settings.
2. - Item editing 2.0 is here!
The new item editing system lets you Rotate, Scale and Move items all in one click without the need to switch between modes. It feels far more intuitive and responsive to use.
To rotate an asset, simply click and drag the rotation gizmo. The asset will rotate proportionally to the movement of your mouse around the selection in set radial increments . It will replicate both the direction and the angles moved by your mouse.
The scaling action is also easy to get around. You'll see new bounding gizmos now show up around your selected assets. Hold and drag them outwards to increase in scale or inwards to reduce it.
As always, you can hold down the Shift key to freely rotate or scale without constraints.
The movement iself hasnt changed much, you may click and drag an asset to place it wherever you wish. However there are some added quality of life changes related to movement, such as restoring the original position if you cancel the movement action by pressing the Esc key or by dragging it outside the grid bounds.
Here at the studio we've been tooling with the new Item Editing tools for some time now and its a night and day comparison when put next to the old system! Im sure you'll agree 😀.
The second big update to editing is: Multi-Item Tweaks configuration!
This one has also been a long time coming and will be a life saver for all those of you who love to add multiple levels to your maps. Not much to explain, just select multiple assets and adjust their configuration on the Tweaks Panel on the left side of the screen!
OH! And there's also one final thing:
While spawning structural assets, you may now draw a selection of grids and you'll spawn said asset across all of them! This feature is similar to the Advanced Autobuilder feature that lets you spawn only floors, walls, etc. More convenient within the Structural Tool, dont you think! Currently only enabled for 1x1walls, windows, doors and floor tiles.
3. - Water? Inside my grid?? New Terraforming features
You read that right!
I bet this one is a bit of a surprise as we didnt talk about it in the latest update!! Those who have been more tuned to our socials got to see a preview a few days ago and probably saw it coming 😉.
This feature is coming hot right off the oven as its not something we originally planned for this patch...Well nevermind that! The stars have aligned in such way that we managed to get it to a stable-enough state for release.
Chances or some weird bug breaking the terrain system: critically low (and yet, you always manage to amaze us with your game breaking skills so we'll see 🤣).
Either way, the leap in map making is so big with this feature that we didnt want to have you wait another extra month to get it. You can see for yourself:
Happy Terraforming!
But that's not all, we've got many more things regarding the Terrain Tool:
New Liquid Options:
You can now choose to have either Acid or Magma in your map! Perfect for those planning a dangerous encounter for their players 😈.
Sliders on brush configurations:
The artists at our studio kept begging for these and they were right! Sliders feel far more intuitive that using "+/-" buttons to change the scale of your brush.
Paint Bucket feature:
You may also use this new button to paint your entire terrain in a single texture at once!
4. - Community update! Edit options and more!!
The online features are receiving a lot of quality of life changes in this new patch too alongside other features that have been asked by a lot of people!
We'll start with the big one:
Editable/Non editable options:
As a map creator in our community, you may now choose if you want others to be able to edit your map! Alternatively, you can just upload it as non-editable content in you want to show off and still give people the option to export your map for a roleplaying session. Reminder that either way, people who download your map won't be able to upload it again to the community.
Sorting options:
We couldn't decide on the right way to organise maps on the community menu so we'll instead let you choose! You can now sort by Trending, Recent, Most Subscriptions and Best Valued maps!
New Quality of life features:
Among other things, you can now drop your map from the Steam workshop directly without the need to open it first. Additionally, you'll see new icons on your map library to let you know whether they've been downloaded or uploaded to the workshop by yourself.
5. - Autobuilder update! New Layout and configurations!
The Autobuilder menu has been expanded to allow for a more structured props and Advanced Options menu (new juicy options we'll get to in a bit).
The "Build" button will now show up only when it needs to, on top of the selected grids too!
New Advanced options:
We are giving you more control over the algorithm. You can now control the ratio of doors and windows spawned per grid. Additionally, you can choose if you want a morre structured or random prop placement. With the Structured option making it so that items are more coherent between each other, for example by spawning only a type of chair or table.
New Quality of life features (because everything is getting these now haha):
A new warning animation will let you know if you havent configured your Autobuilder options before spawning a new room. Additionally, you may now click outside the grid bounds or select the "Esc" key to clear your grid selection.
6. - Export update
Last but not least important!
Foundry mp4 export:
You can now choose if you want to export to Foundry using mp4 or webm video formats.
Menus will collapse whenever you open te export menu:
Both the library and tweaks menu will close down so that you get a better view of what you are about to export, They'll resume their previous state once you close the menu.
Better quality on webm export:
You were loud and clear about this on the last patch and we've listened!
7. - What's next?
Currently, Wishing Well is the biggest project we have in mind in regards to Chronos Builder. We envision an expansion that will bring new content to everyone, even those who choose to remain only with Chronos Builder.
Once again, we'd love for you to sign up to the Kickstarter site!
In the meantime, what's our more direct roadmap?
We acknowledge there's still work to do if we truly want to make Chronos Builder the best map making tool but you cant say we arent putting in the work towards changing that. 😉
Full-on Autobuilder Rework:
As Chronos Builder has grown, we've realized that our algorithm for procedural building wasnt good enough and the time investment in training it grew exponentially the more assets we introduced to the point were we decided to pursue other solutions. For some time now we've been planning a rework for the system. We have a dedicated programmer working full time on updating it an we hope to have ressults by the next time there's an update!
Multi item editing fixes:
There's one final thing we need to take care of before we are done with the item editing tool! Currently, the multi-selection doesnt always work as intended and will sometimes missalign assets to their grids, even if the user isnt using the gridless mode. This is something we hope we can change in the next patch!
Alien Environment:
This one is a big fan favourite and we're putting some extra love in it with very creative assets that out art team has been making! Here's a sneak peak 👀:
Camera Tool:
The camera system is the last item in the toolbar that needs to be implemented. We plan to have a menu that will allow you to store camera positions and toggle between them at any moment. Coupled with a more free-form first person mode, it'll be perfect for VTT players!
8.- Patch Notes
Ver 1.3.0
Additions:
• Added new “Eastern” Setting Assets and folder!
• Item Editing Additions:
◦ Added New Item Editing gizmos. Rotate, Scale and move items all in one click without the need to switch between modes.
◦ Original Item position is now reset if a given item is dragged and dropped outside the grid bounds.
◦ Original Item position is now reset if movement action is cancelled via “Esc” key.
◦ You can now drag structural assets during spawn actions to create multiple of them. Currently only enabled for 1x1 walls, windows, doors and floor tiles.
• Tweaks Editor Additions:
◦ Multiple items can now be modified at the same time. Position, rotation and scale changes affects the entire selection of items instead of only the first one picked.
◦ Rotation buttons have been enabled for all three axis, and should work without much problem.
• Terraforming Additions:
◦ Added Magma and Acid liquid options and liquid selection menu.
◦ New Terraforming mask feature:
▪ You can now change the terrain elevation and paint liquid within grids as long as they aren’t occupied by assets!
▪ Version 1.2.0 maps and earlier will be adapted to the new system whenever the map is loaded.
◦ Added UI sliders to brush configuration menu.
◦ Added UI button that lets the user paint the entire terrain in a single texture.
• Autobuilder Additions:
◦ Percentage of doors and windows can now be set in the Advanced Autobuilder options, and the default percentage was modified for better generation.
◦ Added a command to clear current grid selection in the Autobuilder tool whenever the user clicks outside of the grid bounds or by pressing the “Esc” key.
◦ Updated Autobuilder UI.
◦ New warning animation whenever the user doesn’t have any selected Autobuilder configuration.
◦ Additional randomness introduced. Items should now spawn throughout the entire room instead of focusing around one corner.
• Taskbar Additions:
◦ Added “Select all light sources” command.
◦ Added “Reset terrain” command.
• Community Additions:
◦ Restricted uploads of unnamed maps, maps with very few assets and maps with short names.
◦ Added options for private and non editable maps.
◦ Added sorting options to the community library: Trending, Recent, Most Subscriptions and Best Valued.
◦ Added icons to Load Map Menu for uploaded and downloaded maps from the Workshop.
◦ Added an option to drop maps directly from the Community Menu.
• Updated sliders in sound configuration menu.
• Added Foundry video export with mp4.
Fixes:
• Fixed the desktop application logo.
• Improved overall performance.
• Improved Terrain tool performance.
• Updated UI graphics for multiple menus.
• Fixed an error that would freeze the program if an item was selected upon switching to the Autobuilder tool.
• Fixed an error that would cause the Tweaks menu to work in unexpected ways if an item is edited right after being placed.
• Fixed an error that would cause the Tweaks menu to edit multiple items at once even if they were not selected.
• Fixed multi selection not working if the selected grids included unwanted assets.
• Fixed text on some Autobuilder menus that read “Null” instead of “None”.
• Fixed text size of map tags within the global configuration menu.
• Added tooltips to map tags within the global configuration menu.
• Fixed the color of multiple UI elements to resemble that of the Chronos Builder logo.
• Fixed an error that prevented q/e commands from rotating placed assets while using the movement action.
• Fixed an error that allowed the user to select map items while the map was loading.
• Fixed an error that would prevent grid size text from resetting after it had been changed in the Global Options menu.
• Added a button that lets you load maps direction from their thumbnail in the Load menu.
• Fixed an error that prevented grouped and custom assets from being copy-pasted.
• Added tooltips to explain Steam’s Rating system.
• Community search bar is now reset after opening and closing the menu.
• Fixed an error that prevented light toggle option from working correctly when multiple assets where selected at once.
• Fixed an error that prevented Rain and Dust Storm weather effects from being visible in tabletop camera modes.
• Fixed Chronos Builder logo displayed in the credits.
• Changed webm export codec to VP9 for better video quality.
• Fixed VTT screenshot algorithm so it does not rely on resolution changes.
• Fixed new maps generating a local file before saving them for the first time.
• Fixed multi selection not selecting all assets form the selected tiles.
• Fixed asset library returning to Props after closing any menu.
• Fixed Load Map menu slot not loading the correct preview image from downloaded maps.
• Fixed maps names allowing illegal characters.
• Fixed preview images not getting deleted alongside their map files.
• Fixed library menu not collapsing when the export menu is opened.
• Fixed some dropdown menus not updating after changing the game language.
• Fixed Delete File Window texts not fitting inside the menu.
• Fixed Autobuilder deleting walls and floors at moments it wasn’t supposed to.
• Fixed an error that prevented tweaks position input from correctly updating its Y axis.
• Fixed an error that caused tweaks input actions to interact with Quick Palette commands.
• Fixed an error that prevented the user from dragging assets from the library into the map if there was a multi selection active at the moment.
• Fixed an error that didn’t trigger the Item Editing mode after spawning an item from the Quick Palette by using its assigned number.
• Fixed a bug that prevented click drag from working with structural assets in the Quick Palette.
• The system will remember the last folder selected and restore it whenever the library is opened.
• Added commands to open the Chronos Builder Tool and the Effects Tool.
• Multiple other minor bugfixes.
