This update comes with an engine upgrade, moving platforms for Condos, and a ton of bug fixes! The engine upgrade will also include a fix for an issue with SSL that affected certain generations of Intel CPU users loading canvases.
Engine Upgrade
We’ve updated our engine version from 4.21 to 4.22. This has been a long time coming, and aside from additional features for us on the dev side, it also includes some performance increases, bug fixes, and as noted above, a fix for the SSL bug that affected some users and caused issues with web media (i.e. canvas, media players, etc).
We posted a more extensive list of changes that will come from this engine upgrade in our March 2024 Dev Update here: https://forums.pixeltailgames.com/t/march-2024-dev-update/50013
Please keep in mind, because of the engine upgrade, this update will be a large download.
Votemap Fixes
We've made improvements to the votemap for the workshop SDK maps. Maps now show their upvotes so you can make a better decision on what map you'd like. Maps that players have voted on now show up above the list you are looking through. We also fixed a crash relating to the votemap system.
Condo IO Improvements
New items such as the Location Volume, which lets you define an area and certain permissions such as voice chat, PVP damage, and more.
There is also a new IO Debugger tool which will let you simulate Inputs and Outputs directly on an item (without having to place down buttons).
Mover Modules
Moving platforms are now in Condos. You can set an object or group of objects to move back and forth and watch them go! You can also use this tool to add spline paths for the mover to follow, allowing them to move in arbitrary directions.
There are several options for how the platform moves, including following the direction of the path, banking as the path curves and so on.
We have 4 different mover types:
- Mover Simple - A simple mover that moves items in a direction, with spin & rotation modes
- Mover Path - A mover that moves across a path, with spin & rotation modes
- Mover Train - A mover that moves like a train / roller coaster. This has acceleration/deceleration built in. You can adjust cruising speed and stop at points (stations). Comes with different carts types (and option to use a custom one). You can also optionally have it generate a track for it. This is the same train that we use in Dark Voyage, Monorail, and Poseidon.
- Mover Player Slider - Creates a water slide that players can slide down.
Movers come with rotation settings such as Direction (which will rotate the items towards the direction of the spline), Spin, and Rotate Towards Item (which will face a selected item as it goes across the spline).
Movers work with grouped items, so you can group items together and attach them to a Mover module and move the entire group.
Movers can move pretty much every type of item, such as chairs, lights, sounds, doors, etc.
You can adjust how movers loop, with No Loop (just move an object from one place to another), Back and Forth (move to location, then back to the starting position over and over). Stop And Loop (move to location, stop for X seconds, then back to the starting position).
You can pause movers at any time to adjust items and hook them up to IO to control them with Play, Stop, Pause, Resume, Reverse, etc.
We’ll also be able to use the spline tool for other features we’ve had in the works like spline rails, fences, cables, and so on.
We have a full guide on how to use Movers on our forums here: https://forums.pixeltailgames.com/t/movers-guide/50045
Particle FX Tool
A new Particle FX item was added to D.I.Y.! This Particle FX item comes with dozens of new particle effects, ranging from explosions, waterfalls, fountain effects, trails, impacts, spells, and more. The Particle FX item also comes with IO inputs for Playing and Stopping particles on demand.
Libretro New Cores & Save Data Updates
Libretro cores have been updated to the February 2024 versions! This comes with fixes to the PPSSPP core which now has working audio. We've also added 5 new cores: Mednafen Lynx, Wednafen WSwan, Same CDI, Mednafen PC-FX, and Parallel 64.
Libretro save state system also got an update. The automatic save state when closing emulation is now a different save state from the manually created save state from the menu, preventing your save state from being overridden by opening/closing emulation.
Save states now save per core to avoid cores getting confused loading save states from the wrong type of game.
Changes
- Updated to Unreal 4.22
- Improved Plaza server startup times, so Plaza servers will reboot faster after a maintenance restart
- Game World - Votemap: Increased Game World votemap time from 15 seconds to 25 seconds
- Game World - Votemap: Maps that were voted for now show up above the vote map list, allowing you to scroll through the map list and still know what is being voted on
- Game World - Votemap: Added vote counts to workshop maps on vote map UI, letting players know which map has been upvoted when deciding on what to vote on
- Minigolf - Haven: Added a sign to bounce off on Hole 13 to make it less annoying
- Plaza/Condo: Added Voice Muffle setting to the sound settings. This setting brings back muffling voices behind walls as an option
- Added "Hide My Own Supporter Tags" setting, which will allow you to hide your supporter tags (backer, patron, supporter) from other players, if you'd like to
- Added 2 new items to the Supporter Pack: Supporter Catsack Plushy and Supporter Hat. All current Supporters will get these items on game boot
- Added Particle FX item to D.I.Y. store. This item has dozens of different particle effects with IO inputs for Playing and Stopping particle effects. Effects include explosions, natural effects, waterfall effects, fountain effects, trails, impacts, sparkles, spells, etc.
- Plaza: Improved slide animations and added some splash effects
- Main Menu: New Appearance Menu background
- Trivia: Reduced screen brightness
- Trivia: Disabled certain distracting weapons
- SDNL: Plushy Nade now explodes faster (was 2.15 now 1.5 seconds)
- SDNL: Minigun now deals more damage per bullet (was 15 now 20)
Condo Changes
- Media Player: Added Media Admin Only option to media players, allowing condo owners to disable the ability of non-media admins from queuing up videos on individual media player items
- Media Player: webms/HTML no longer can be added to media players without the media player admin permission
- Condo - Resort: Built-in Theater screens now support playlists and settings can now be edited
- Condo - Theater: Built-in Theater screens settings can now be edited
- Condo/SDK: Added "Delete" key support when selecting items (works with box select, group, single items)
- Condo: VCR item now functions. You can connect it to a media player and insert physical media into the VCR to queue up videos to the connected media player
- Condo: Bru Ray Player item now functions. You can connect it to a media player and throw media into it to queue up videos to the connected media player
- Condo: Added visual camera guide mesh for NPC and Dialogue Volumes
Condo IO Changes
- Condo IO: Added Location Volume - Customizable location volume with several permissions and adjustable label for scoreboard/HUD
- Condo IO/SDK: Added Mover Simple Module - Moves items from one place to another, with options to loop, spin, and more
- Condo IO/SDK: Added Mover Path Module - Moves items across a path, with options to loop, spin, and more
- Condo IO/SDK: Added Mover Train Module - Moves items across a path but acceleration/deceleration with hills for rollercoaster/train movement
- Condo IO/SDK: Added Mover Player Slide Module - Slide a player down a path
- Condo IO: Random Module now has a No Repeats option. This option will randomly pick a value once, without repeating that value again. The module now has an IO output for when all values have been picked (OnAllPicked), and an input to clear the picked values (ClearPicked)
- Condo IO/SDK: Improved persistent connection tool. Now it will only connect with compatible persistent connection items, so you can't mix and match video and MIDI devices by mistake. You also cannot connect items to themselves anymore
- Condo IO: Added Player Event module - This module listens to certain player events such as OnPlayerSpawned, OnPlayerKilled, OnPlayerJoined, and OnPlayerLeft
- Condo IO: Added IO Debugger which lets you simulate Inputs and Outputs directly on an item to see how the IO events play out without having to place down buttons
- Condo IO: Added "Eject" input to seats
- Condo IO: Added "SetAnimation" input to NPC
- Condo IO: Added "Goto" button below the actor you are calling a function on in the connections tab. This Goto button will take you to the connections of that actor, allowing you to quickly go to the next set of outputs
- Condo IO: Added "Filter Movers" filter to filter Trigger Volume events from items being moved by movers
- Condo IO: Added Dialogue Volume, which is a hidden placeable interactable dialogue box (similar to NPC item)
- Condo IO/SDK: Added IO inputs for Playing and Stopping particle effects for all FX items
- Condo IO: Updated various IO icons
- Condo IO: Added "Top Only" setting to Water Volumes to draw only the top part of the water for creating more complex water shapes
Libretro Changes
- Libretro: Updated cores to Feb. 2024 versions
- Libretro: PPSSPP audio now works
- Libretro: Updated Play to support CHD format
- Libretro: Added support for new cores - Mednafen Lynx, Mednafen WSwan
- Libretro: Added support for new cores - Same CDI, Mednafen PC-FX, Parallel 64
- Libretro: Improved save state system, now organizes into folders per core (has backwards compatibility with the previous save states)
- Libretro: Updated save state system. The automatic save state when closing emulation is now a different save state from the manually created save state from the menu, preventing your save state from being overridden by opening/closing emulation
Bug Fixes
- Fixed Canvas loading issues (https) for 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th+ gen Intel CPUs
- Game World - Votemap: Fixed votemap random selection not working properly in Workshop maps
- Workshop Browser: Fixed icons not loading properly for Workshop maps
- Plaza: Fixed various holes
- Plaza: Fixed bouncy ball placements in the Arcade
- Plaza: Fixed various misplaced pieces of grass
- Plaza: Removed some invisible chairs in the Casino
- Plaza: Fixed various sounds so they respect volume levels
- Plaza: Fixed slides not always ejecting players out of them
- Minigolf - Haven: Fixed cameras colliding into invisible walls on Hole 17
- Minigolf - Haven: Attempted to make HIO 8 more failsafe
- Minigolf - Haven: Fixed some misaligned holes
- Minigolf - Haven: Attempted to make Hole 17 ramp more failsafe, added signs to make sure players went the right way
- Minigolf - Waterhole: Hopefully finally fixed desync on Hole 18
- Minigolf - Alpine: Fixed hole 15 desync issues
- Condo: Fixed Day/Night animation toggle not always working
- Condo: Fixed Automatic Turret item aiming being offset
- Condo - House: Fixed broken lighting on fence
- Condo - Suite: Fixed broken lighting on fences
- Condo - Theater: Fixed door sounds being very loud
- Virus - Desertion: Gameplay fixes
- Virus: Fixed survivor take damage sounds playing on all players
- Little Crusaders: Fixed button presses being valid from long distances
- SDNL - Frostbite: Various optimisations
- Fixed store NPCs overlapping with vehicles and slowing them down
- Fixed max player count for Condo workshop maps being locked to 10 - now can be up to 64 again
- Condo IO: Fixed setting profiles on Player Movement Volume not updating the UI properly with the new set values
- Condo IO: Fixed selected profile overriding customizations on Condo load for Player Movement Volume
- Condo IO: Fixed Water Type not being networked properly to clients when they first join
- Condo IO: Fixed Counter issues from previous update where counters wouldn't update if called immediately at once
- Condo IO: Fixed Lever color inputs not working
- Condo IO: Fixed "OnTalkedTo" output not working for NPC
- Condo/SDK: Fixed Custom Spawn Points not spawning hosts at the custom spawn point on first load
- Condo/SDK: Fixed Custom Spawn Points not checking if they are inside a Blocking Volume, causing soft locks
- Condo: Fixed Spot Light and Stage Spot Light cone angle setting not working
- SDK: Disabled auto saving while in play testing mode, fixing save corruption issues
- SDK: Fixed workshop spawn points not spawning players in properly during waiting/idle states, causing players to fall through the maps
- Fixed voice volume not adjusting while in a vehicle such as the Ball Race Orb
- Fixed Ball Race Orb not hiding when a player is blocked
- Fixed some AGC crashes
- Trivia: Fixed seats not registering players properly & not clearing the ready to answer state
- Trivia: Fixed podium ceiling stage lights not functioning properly
- Plaza: Fixed vending machines having scarfs still
- Plaza - Casino: Fixed Casino HUD actions showing at the top of the screen
- Condo: Fixed Workshop Physics Item mass being set to 0 and ignoring mass setting (fixes workshop physics being ejected into space when players interact with them)
- Condo: Fixed Colorful Metal Railing not networking properly to clients
- Condo/SDK: Fixed Sky Volume not syncing properly with clients sometimes
- Condo/SDK: Fixed Sky Volume not restoring back to map defaults in certain cases
- Condo/SDK: Fixed Sky Volume sky light value not applying properly in certain cases
- Condo/SDK: Fixed Sky Volume fog settings not applying properly on respawn if using global mode
- SDNL: Fixed SDK maps causing the host to freeze/lag horribly during intermission state
- Plaza: Fixed chat location labels not showing up if players are far away from you - now chat location labels will work properly
Join our Discord for development updates and community fun!
https://discord.gg/pixeltail
We love awesome people like you!
Follow our developments on our Trello in near real-time:
https://trello.com/b/6BwRMiPw/tower-unite-roadmap
If you like our game and want to support development, please consider getting a Supporter Pack: Tower Unite - Supporter Pack
Take a peek at what's being worked on every week in our weekly dev logs! There's bound to be something interesting every week!
http://forums.pixeltailgames.com/c/devupdates/weekly-dev-logs
Please report bugs & submit suggestions on our forums. We're active everyday & here to help.
For bug reports: https://forums.pixeltailgames.com/c/bug-report/18
For suggestions: https://forums.pixeltailgames.com/c/suggestions/7
<3 PixelTail Games