Heads-up about next full UOX3 release

[Xuri]

Just a small teaser for what to expect from the next full UOX3 release...
While ramping up towards an new full UOX3 release (coming Soon(TM)), I thought I'd post a small teaser for some of the improvements that have been done since the last one. Some of these changes has been available for a while already in the form of experimental builds, some are more recent and some are brand spanking new (like improved client-support, player movement, npc pathfinding, line of sight, boat-stuff)!

Here follows a quick and sloppy overview of what gifts the next version will bring:

Better UO Client support
Client-support (login, character-creation, regular gameplay) for all 2D ("classic") clients from 4.0.x to 7.0.23.0

Server-support for extended tiledata/multi.mul files
Server-support for reading extended tiledata.mul and multi.mul files - no extra configuration needed. This means support for itemIDs up to 0x9FFF, and support for multis, statics and maps in 7.0.9.0 to 7.0.23.0 clients. Also expanded CLIENTFEATURES and SERVERFEATURES options to allow handling SA and HS client-features better.

Improved player-movement code
Better Z-calculation during player movement (thanks to RunUO/xantier!), eliminates 97.3% of all currently known bugs with player-movement in UOX3.

Improved (Advanced) NPC Pathfinding
Large improvements for Advanced NPC Pathfinding (NPCs no longer stuck in pathfinding loops that make the server come to a complete standstill, better handling of when path-recalculations take place, NPCs can now pathfind around characters)

Improved Line of Sight checking
Large improvements for Line of Sight. Previously LoS-checks in certain directions would always fail. Now it should be a lot more accurate, to the point where NPCs should no longer (ever, in theory) be able to aggro players through walls. This also improves server performance as NPCs will less often try to pathfind to players they might not be able to reach.

Revamped spell-damage and magic-resist systems
Updated code that calculates spell-damage and magic-resist to be more in sync with the rest of the combat code - i.e. implemented after the same principles as magic and combat for regular UO just prior to the release of AoS. Also, more control over how much damage any given spell does by a new tag in SPELLS.DFN that specifies the base-damage of each damaging spell.

Improved collision-checking for boats
Improvements for collision-handling for boats - positively affects both placing of boats and sailing them.

Basic support for Gargoyles
Basic support for creation of Gargoyle-characters (can be disabled through server/client-features). Currently handled mostly the same as regular human characters in code (i.e. no flying, no custom spells/abilities)

A whole bunch of regular old fixes and smaller additions

• Compile-fixes for VS2008+
• Several server-crash fixes
• Stablemaster NPCs added
• LOOT/PACKITEM tag support for containers, to include items in freshly spawned containers
• Fixed bugs with NPCs spawning in invalid/blocked locations
• Fixed bugs with item-decay in houses
• More options to determine how item-decay works
• New NPCWANDER mode (5 - frozen - will never move)
• New NPCAI (7 - passive - will never fight back)
• Additional JS events (onDropItemOnItem, onVirtueGumpPress,
• Fixes for JS File I/O handling
• Ammo (id/color) and missile-effects (id, color, render-mode) customizable for ranged weapons
• Weight-capacities for containers
• Fixes for item-identification skill
• Miscellaneous JS/DFN (items, npcs, lootlists, regions, teleport-locations) fixes and additions
• Lots of other small fixes and improvements!

[dragon slayer]

wooot wooot I can't wait. High Seas and SA makes my hole day just spin

Awesome Job UOX3

[lustrianna]

How long about do we have to wait? And will we have access to Ilshenar/Malas/Tokeno and beyond?

[Xuri]

Access to Ilshenar/Malas/Tokuno is already in - should be accessible through public moongates (or any other teleporter with script 5011 assigned to them - /setscptrig 5011). The access to each of these lands can be enabled/disabled in JS/ITEM/moongate.js.

As for an ETA on the release; I hope to get the release out sometime this weekend (doubtful) or next (more likely). All the things mentioned in this topic are already done, I basically just have to clean stuff up (boring, and takes time) and do a couple other minor fixes, then pack it all up into a release.

[Blue Dragon]

Very good Xuri, great!

You worked and devoted himself to the emulator. You are fantastic!

I'll be missing, but I leave here my congratulations for the excellent work he has performed.

Hugs

[Xuri]

Here is a preview of the Changelog to come. Just tidying up some lose ends and adding in some of the stuff from the submissions forum, and then it's release time (so either tomorrow, or the day after - unless something goes horribly, horribly wrong)!

Edit: Oops, forgot to metnion in the changelog that world loading/saving-times will be faster as well. Around ~40% faster loading, and 30-35% faster saving.

[Mindless Automaton]

Just a small teaser for what to expect from the next full UOX3 release...

Sweet! Is it almost April 1 already? ;P

[Xuri]

Almost, but not quite

What is really annoying, though - is the fact that I was/am planning to make a release out of this in the next coming day(s), and it would've meant support up to the latest client version. BUT! As of today, UO released a new patch to their TC which basically messes with various files in the UO folder, including the map#.mul files and mapdif#.mul files, causing new issues altogether Assuming they'll patch it out to the live product soon, if the clients aren't being updated already.

[stranf]

Really looking forward to this release. Most excited for pathfinding (we do a lot of NPC-PC party questing), LOS, and spell damage.

So here is my Newb question, since it has been forever since I've played with the code, magic has since been 100% exported to JS/DFN or a combination of both, right?

As mentioned in my now un-stickied post, we've been quite happy with the balancing on my shard, but magic could use an overhaul. I'm wondering if it is now easier since the 'ol 2007 days!

Thanks again dev-crew for your hard work and looking forward to putting the new version through its paces.

[Xuri]

The changes to magic are unfortunately mostly hardcoded still. What I have done is basically add a way to tweak the damage each spell potentially does through a BASEDMG tag to each damaging spell in spells.dfn and tweak the magic damage/magic resistance calculations so the results match up more closely to spells in UO just pre-AoS (in other words, trying to match it better to the rest of the combat code, which is also from the same era).

[stranf]

The changes to magic are unfortunately mostly hardcoded still. What I have done is basically add a way to tweak the damage each spell potentially does through a BASEDMG tag to each damaging spell in spells.dfn and tweak the magic damage/magic resistance calculations so the results match up more closely to spells in UO just pre-AoS (in other words, trying to match it better to the rest of the combat code, which is also from the same era).

That would be just fine. Non-damage spells work great, editing base damage is plenty for balancing reasons. Thanks again.