VCMI 0.85 released!

International board News and announcements
#1

Hello,
it’s time to release VCMI 0.85. The main new feature of this build is stack experience support. It’s fully functional, though not all creature abilities gained from exp are supported. Together with it VCMI offers a new creature window, that can be used to check unit experience status and current abilities. The interesting feature is the window presents not only “native” creature abilities but also the inherited ones (from hero, artifacts, and so on).

If you don’t like the new creature window, the old one is still here. The config/settings.txt file has been extended with a new option, for deciding whether to use the new window or the classical one (the “classicCreatureWindow” entry). This setting can also be switched during the game by typing into console “switchCreWin” (case matters!).

This build brings also many minor features and improvements. From now, all town structures are supperted. That’s third milestone we reached, after supporting all map objects and secondary skills. In the upcoming months adventure AI development is planned, so one of the most important missing game pieces is coming soon.

We have done a number of bugfixes - about 55 issues have been resolved. Please check the changelog below and bugtracker for the list.

Check items implementation status for the full information about which map objects, town structures, skills, spells, artifacts, creature abilities and victory conditions are supported.

Download link: forum.vcmi.eu/dload.php?action=download&id=21 (4.8MB, ZIP Archive)

Installation:
Extract the package into your main Heroes folder.
WoG 3.58f is required. We recommend using English version.
If your game is in another language, you can extract this package into Data/ subfolder - that will make your H3 installation English.
If you have older version of VCMI, you have to overwrite it.

Save format has been changed, savegames from previous versions won’t work with 0.85.

VCMI supports 800x600, 1024x600, 1024x768, 1280x960, 1280x1024, 1440x900, 1600x1200, 1366x768, 1680x1080 and 1920x1080 (new!) screen resolutions. To use custom resolution, type (before starting the actual game!) in the console “resolution” (or just ‘r’ letter) and pick appropriate one. Alternatively, you can change default resolution by the editing config/settings.txt file.

Acknowledgements:
Many thanks for all testers and developers who contributed to this build.

For the general information about our project look here. Our project isn’t really playable now, but it gives you an idea of progress we have made so far. We’re hoping that you’ll like it.

Since VCMI 0.74 we have deployed separate bugtracker. Please report bugs using this form. Check this page for list of known bugs and details.

We hope you’ll help us develop the project - details are available here. VCMI is an open source project licensed on GNU GPL 2.0 or higher. Our SVN repository with all the sources is available here.
You can look for help in building and developing VCMI sources in the development board.

CHANGELOG
0.84 -> 0.85 (Jun 01 2011)
GENERAL:

  • Support for stack experience
  • Implemented original campaign selection screens
  • New artifacts supported:
  • Statesman’s Medal
  • Diplomat’s Ring
  • Ambassador’s Sash

TOWNS:

  • Implemented animation for new town buildings
  • It’s possible to sell artifacts at Artifact Merchants

BATTLES:

  • Neutral monsters will be split into multiple stacks
  • Hero can surrender battle to keep army
  • Support for Death Stare, Support for Poison, Age, Disease, Acid Breath, Fire / Water / Earth / Air immunities and Receptiveness
  • Partial support for Stone Gaze, Paralyze, Mana drain

Full changelog is available here.

VCMI Team

#2

Are you going to be putting the number of creatures in the new Creature Window? In the earlier 0.84 development versions and the full 0.85 you can’t tell how many creatures are in the stack unless you go back to the standard window. Number of creatures in a stack is very important information when deciding what to do with it, especially when battle creature numbers can overlap each other.

Best regards,
Steven.

#3

^ Reported as #740. As said in the report, this is particularly annoying in combination with #37. I was hoping it will be fixed by 0.85 (maybe I should have given #740 a higher priority in Mantis :p). Preferably now, is to get it fixed by the next release at least, as it’s pretty annoying in battles sometimes, when there’s no way of telling the number of creatures in stack w/o switching back to the old creature card. I’ll also try to make time to think of another layout for the creature card. What I noticed that it’s particularly annoying, is the fact that the Upgrade button is not in the same place as the H3 creature card. I didn’t know I was using that button so often until now. After 12 years of H3, it seems I cannot beat the reflex of going in a certain area of that card looking for the button, even after 30-40 times of opening the new card for upgrading (during my tests few days ago).

Other than that, seems like a pretty stable release (though I didn’t get far with the testing yet). Congrats on the progress and thanks! :wink:

#4

Yes, you’re right, that is absolutely needed. You can always tell VCMI to use classic creature card by editing config/settings.txt.

Good idea. The new creature window brings some really interesting features but the graphic design needs IMHO improvement.
I’d still consider resigning from skill pictures, they’re main space-consumer there. They main space-consumer in the window. Without them we could build more compact design (using eg. some kind of bullet point list). On the other hand pictures can make recognizing skills easier (don’t have to read the list of skills, you just see them). Not so easy trade-off.
But I guess that’s for another discussion.

Surprising, considering the hurry I was in when making fixes before release. :wink:

#5

Yes, it is “absolutely needed”. IMO button should be on the bottom of window.
And ESC should be also used to close the window.

BTW: In VCMI you cannot buy non-upgraded units (if you already have upgraded dwelling in town).

#6

well, I have failed to register to bugtracket, so I’ll report here (tested on windows version):

  1. after trading creatures between heroes the infobox on the lower right corner isn’t updated

  2. after opening creature information window in combat the mouse cursor doesn’t change to default one

  3. sometimes while ending turn I am getting identified as different player. (happens on first turns of the game)