VCMI 0.94 released!

International board News and announcements
#1

Hello,
we are proudly releasing VCMI 0.94. It features a brand new part of our project — a dedicated Launcher, capable of mod management. It is finally possible to download, enable and disable mods without manual file jugglery or resorting to editing configuration files. Additionally, the Launcher provides a capability to customize some options that were unavailable in the GUI.

There are also numerous improvements in the various parts of the engine. Mods can now package their contents into a ZIP archive. Battle AI has been improved and the quick combat has been implemented. The instructions on how to update mods for VCMI 0.94 and leverage the new possibilities are available on the wiki page.

And finally, we did our best to fix the numerous bugs that were found in 0.93 release, especially in battles and AI stability. The job is not done, yet we believe the progress is really noticeable. Almost 90 bugreports have been resolved, please check the bugtracker changelog.

Check items implementation status for the full information about which spells, artifacts and campaign features are supported.

[size=117]Download Links:[/size]

Installation:
Extract the package into your main Heroes folder. If you have older version of VCMI, delete it first.
VCMI works with SoD, WoG 3.58f and ERA installations. We recommend using English version, though VCMI should also work with other language versions. If you want to make your H3 installation English, extract this package into Data/ subfolder.

Save format has been changed, savegames from previous versions won’t work with 0.94.

VCMI supports 800x600, 1024x600, 1024x768, 1280x800, 1280x960, 1280x1024, 1366x768, 1440x900, 1600x1200, 1680x1080 and 1920x1080 screen resolutions. To switch default resolution in system settings window click “HIGH” button and select resolution (available only in game). As for now custom resolution is only applied when the map is started.

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.

For bug reports, we have deployed separate bugtracker. Please report bugs using this form. Check this page for the 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 under 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
0.93 -> 0.94 (Oct 01 2013)
GENERAL:

  • New Launcher application, see
  • Filesystem now supports zip archives. They can be loaded similarly to other archives in filesystem.json. Mods can use Content.zip instead of Content/ directory.
  • fixed “get txt” console command
  • command “extract” to extract file by name
  • command “def2bmp” to convert def into set of frames.
  • fixed crash related to cammander’s SPELL_AFTER_ATTACK spell id not initialized properly (text id was resolved on copy of bonus)
  • fixed duels, added no-GUI mode for automatic AI testing
  • Sir Mullich is available at the start of the game
  • Upgrade cost will never be negative.
  • support for Chinese fonts (GBK 2-byte encoding)

ADVENTURE MAP

  • if Quick Combat option is turned on, battles will be resolved by AI
  • first hero is awakened on new turn
  • fixed 3000 gems reward in shipwreck

BATTLES:

  • autofight implemented
  • most of the animations is time-based
  • simplified postioning of units in battle, should fix remaining issues with unit positioning
  • synchronized attack/defence animation
  • spell animation speed uses game settings
  • fixed disrupting ray duration
  • added logging domain for battle animations
  • Fixed crashes on Land Mines / Fire Wall casting.
  • UI will be correctly greyed-out during opponent turn
  • fixed remaining issues with blit order
  • Catapult attacks should be identical to H3. Catapult may miss and attack another part of wall instead (this is how it works in H3)
  • Fixed Remove Obstacle.
    *defeating hero will yield 500 XP
  • Added lots of missing spell immunities from Strategija
  • Added stone gaze immunity for Troglodytes (did you know about it?)
  • damage done by turrets is properly increased by built buildings
  • Wyverns will cast Poison instead of Stone Gaze.

TOWN:

  • Fixed issue that allowed to build multiple boats in town.
  • fix for lookout tower

Full changelog is available here.

VCMI Team

#2

Great release! You have done a lot in the last couple of days, Tow. Now you can sit back :slight_smile:

As always I forgot to update the RPM spec before the next tag :frowning:

I will upload RPM builds (x64, x86) today evening. RPM packages are built with Fedora 19 and Boost 1.53.

#3

Tow, can you upload RPMs from wiki page to vcmi.eu ?

#4

Thanks. Still, I can’t rest. Too many bugs remain. :wink:

Done.
Thank you for preparing the packages! :slight_smile:

#5

How did you find out that troglodytes have stone gaze immunity?

Where can I use commands “extract” and “deftobmp”?

What do you mean by duels?

#6

Strategija says so.

#7

Hi Tow. It would be very desirable to see intelligence strengthenings. And that to play not so interestingly, only testing in an automatic mode. At least to teach him to press “wait” in fights. And it is better to count some rounds forward. I already said that would be super if there was an odds option for the computer. It would be much more interesting to play.
Whether it is planned to do it for version 0,95? Or all forces and time will be thrown for correction of the current bugs?

(sry my engleash, translate, the sense can be distorted)

#8

Hi,
frankly speaking: no. I have hardly time to do necessary bugfixes, they are #1 priority for me at the moment. There are also several engine issues that are simply more urgent than improving AI. Now at the top of my backlog are: working in the “program files” location without admin privilages on windows, Visual Studio 2013 migration and ffmpeg, proper smart pointers serialization. If I happen to have a bigger chunk of free time I would really want to implement cheat-proof MP mode. These are blockers for many other features.

It is possible that in the meantime I will do some minor improvements for AI but I don’t want to give you any false hopes.

Battle AI has been receiving improvements and shouldn’t be that bad now. I certainly have taught it to “wait” and do some basic planning. Are you observing this issue in 0.94?

#9

Then it is necessary to wait only. And to wait apparently very long. It is a pity that you one are engaged in this area.

No, I didn’t see. To tell the truth I didn’t play still manually fights on 0,94. It is so easy to compete with the computer at this stage that I simply don’t play. But only I look for accidents by means of autoskip on autofight.
By the way as far as there is a lot of accidents that I expect to see 0,94а, whether and I think there is a sense to look for them further. Maybe it is the same mistake repeats so often. It is a pity that I had no opportunity to play on versions 0,93d and 0,93е. So it would be possible to eliminate them much more.

#10

Likely. I’ve already a fixed two crashbugs from 0.94, both occurring when heroes use Subterranean Gate or Monolith (teleport).
I guess you should be able to filter some duplicates if you use “vcmieagles” cheat to reveal all the map and then observe AI heroes. If game crashes when AI hero enters gate/monolith it is most likely already fixed.

#11

I while will suspend similar reports with departures. Let’s look at number of duplicates. It is difficult to me to sort them and to distinguish from each other. I will wait 0,94а.

Into “wait” account. I played a little. The computer as didn’t press “wait”, doesn’t use it now.
I saw such in fight with the enemy hero. I saw such in the dwelling of dragons. Stupidly flies forward.

youtube.com/watch?v=vC9OkZShyX8

As well as earlier, aggressively behaves on groups which are more to the left of everything. Despite that that there is on 1 being.
I suggest to make so that he paid attention:
1 . or on shooters,
2 . or on a stack at which most of all health,
3 . or on high-level armies. (the 7th level for example), but only under a condition if it is able to kill them.

#12

Just ended playing “Thousand lakes” map.

  1. AI now is not good with water, seems, it cannot buy boats or summon them, only use already placed
  2. It’s some sort of visual bug (don’t break game) - when stack attacks enemy creature, first it’s counter changes, and only later stack attack enemy creature.
    Counter must be changed after attack animation?
  3. One time crashed on Seer Hut
  4. I made some artefacts, which icons are holded in ART.def and called through ART.def:. In game icons are messed up - some of them are from ART.def, but not right, some are from standard artifact icons. This Is bug.
  5. I have some creatures with spell attacks (made on my early stages of VCMIing), where spell levels are pointed like 10 (they can be 0, 1-3). Battle stops after these creatures cast spells. It’s curable (I change JSON, load save game, play again), but maybe if only 3 levels of spell exist, treat values above limitation as 0, 3 levels?
  6. I took AI’s Cove town. AI bought all buldings except third grade for pirates (id=46).
    Maybe AI looks only to 0-43 buildings and don’t know about higher numbers?
#13

  1. Whether and it is possible to update game from under a launcher? From under Windows? And last fixed. Would be very coolly. It is real?
    for example due to the connected .dll

  2. onlyAI mode. How in this mode to remain? to make bag save? It isn’t obligatory to me to see computer turn, and here save it is often necessary to put with a departure very much even.