Hello and welcome to the 7th Update since Early Access release, and the 3rd Minor Update.
Finally, after what feels like many aeons has past, I hunted down the source of the previously known "Out of Bounds Array" bug, and now it lays smote in the game code ...
I had previously fixed the crash that this bug had caused way back in Regular Update 1, however the exact cause of the bug remained illusive ...
- They seek it here,
- They seek it there,
- This poor frazzled dev seeks it everywhere,
- Is it in Cpp or is it in script?
- That damed elusive - no wait it's a sfxEmitter!
I should have known, if in doubt, blame sfxEmitters ...
When a lot of "stuff" was happening on screen, and it's a game where a lot of "stuff" is supposed to be happening, and the player inserted coins to open a parcel and buy SWAG, the audio effects for spawning the new SWAG could get out of order when ghosting to the client. A simple pause of a few milliseconds helps to prevent this, allowing every other FX to play in order without fighting each other for spawning and then deletion. Boy did the cause of this take some hunting down ...
This was not the only audio issues which I had previously discovered, upon Early Access release I had opted for a workaround of increasing audio distance to prevent the player object and the player camera (which is offset high above) from fighting for who was receiving the audio, which on a desynch could cause the audio to warble. This has now been correctly rectified in the code with the audio listener coming from the client's player object but using the screen rotation from the client's camera camera.
So, here, in no particular order, is the full changelog for this update.
- Minor Update to version 1.5.8.3
- Fix: Finally found the source of the Out Of Bounds Index Array when buying swag. If in doubt blame SFXemitters ... Swag/parcel buying audio now schedules off after 500ms. Crash for this issue had already been fixed in Regular Update 1, but the bug itself remained.
- Fix: Audio listener now references the position of the player object but uses the camera/screen rotation.
- Fix: Audio descriptions for area/radius of sounds are back to normal and workaround for audio issues based on camera position have been removed.
- Change: Removed distance checks for Exit Node placement from Preload Group which was introduced to workaround the original audio listener bug which I initially mistook for something else and is now fixed.
- New: Level 4 Enemy Boss Monster portraits for level, loading and saved game have been added. Thick thighs save lives.
And here is a little sneak peak of the next Regular Update, which will include a whole new level, new monsters, and a new Boss Monster to defeat. Level 6 is the "The Takiyasha Ornamental Water Garden" featuring an army of Stone Golems under the command of "Kaeru The Horticulturist" and her monstrous champion.
Level 6, gameplay test.