Changelog 2018-03-22: Bows, armors, chainsaw and dummy NPCs

Hey folks! A new update is now available which introduces some new content.

First of all, bows are finally available now. We added three different bows, one of them is only obtainable from dungeons. Currently bows use the same arrows as the crossbow, but maybe this will change in the future.
We also added a chainsaw, so we have a high-tier wood cutting complement to the mining drill.

Apart from that, we have two stylish knights armors in the game now (and three associated helmets). Armors now actually protect you.

Another interesting feature is the ability to spawn human "dummy NPCs". Even though this is a very early and limited feature, it's an important step towards having real NPCs in the game. Unfortunately you cannot really interact with them yet, but nevertheless, they still turn your world into a much livelier place.
In order to spawn them, you can use the "spawnnpc dummy" console command. If you don't want the NPC to wander around, you can lock/freeze it by typing "locknpc" into console. If you don't want your NPC to take any damage, you can use the command "setnpcinvincible". You can also change the appearance of the NPC by using the new "setnpcskin" command. Of course there will be better solutions for NPC handling in the medium run.

Last but not least we reworked the server browser, it no longer uses the Steam masterserver for the time being. This means all servers should be visible in the server list again.

Stay tuned for the next update, which will finally introduce mounts!

Changelog:

• [New] New weapons: three different bows
• [New] New tool: chainsaw
• [New] Added dummy human NPC, which can be spawned via command "spawnnpc dummy"
• [New] Added two knights armors and three associated helmets
• [New] New clothing item for Easter: bunny mask
• [New] Added "locknpc" command to lock/freeze certain NPCs
• [New] Added "setnpcinvincible" command to make certain NPCs invincible
• [New] Added "setnpcskin" command to change skin of certain NPCs
• [New] Added setting (config.properties) to turn off the map grid
• [New] Armor actually protects you now
• [New] Light items float in water now
• [Change] Crosshair is now visible for crossbow and bows
• [Change] Updated dungeon loot
• [Change] Changed visualization of player groups/parties (now uses 3D marker to show members)
• [Change] Server browser no longer uses Steam Masterserver (so you will be able to find all servers now)
• [Change] When spawning an NPC, it now looks into your direction by default
• [Change] Miningdrill sounds are now properly synced in multiplayer
• [Change] Blood effect (when hitting NPCs/animals) slightly changed
• [Bugfix] Fixed new player bans not working properly in multiplayer
• [Bugfix] Fixed adding/removing favorite servers in server browser
• [Bugfix] Fixed some syncing issues in multiplayer
• [Bugfix] Fixed error in source query protocol which returned a wrong challenge-response

Hotfix 2018-03-22:

• [Change] Command "setnpcskin" no longer overrides parameters which are not set
• [Bugfix] Fixed favorite servers in ingame server list

Hotfix 2018-03-25 (0.9.2.6):

• [New] You can assign names to NPCs now
• [New] Added GUI to change name and appearance of dummy NPCs (type "editnpc" into console)
• [Change] Tweaked some sounds
• [Change] NPCs should no longer fall through the ground (need feedback)
• [Change] Updated aiming position of bows
• [Change] Dummy NPCs no longer sleep during night
• [Change] Steel hoe can now also be used to craft "farmland blocks"
• [Bugfix] Fixed death animation of npcs getting stuck in endless loop
• [Bugfix] Fixed flickering clothing and items
• [Bugfix] Player no longer falls through ground if it's made out of construction elements and not fully loaded yet
• [Bugfix] Fixed pain and death sounds of female dummy npc
• [Bugfix] Fixed crash when debug console was active

Hotfix 2018-03-29 (0.9.2.7):

• [New] Group members are now visible on the ingame map (M)
• [New] Added setting "game_bows_hide_crosshair" to config to disable crosshair for bows
• [Change] Improved sync of other players chainsaw sound (in multiplayer)
• [Change] Dummy NPCs no longer get scared by gunshots
• [Change] Reduced max view distance of NPC nametags
• [Change] NPC nametags are no longer visible through walls
• [Change] Command "editnpc" is now also available for animals (only for changing animal name)
• [Change] Color codes ("[#RRGGBB]") work properly for NPC names now (allows you to change NPC nametag color)
• [Bugfix] Fixed sitting and laying positions of other players in multiplayer
• [Bugfix] Fixed missing sitting animation
• [Bugfix] Fixed custom color fields in NPC edit window (small gear wheel icon)
• [Bugfix] Fixed broken 3D markers for group members (multiplayer)
• [Bugfix] 3D markers of other group members will be removed now when the player disconnects (multiplayer)
• [Bugfix] Fixed bug which caused the player to get stuck in the loading screen ("Connecting...")
• [Bugfix] Fixed missing debug texts (F3) when playing via P2P
• [Bugfix] Hopefully fixed issue with pitch black clothes and skin (need feedback)
• [Bugfix] Fixed "offlineban" command

Quote from Avanar

i have tested on single player like this:

Hehe, it sounds strange, but this is actually intended The setnpcskin command works like this:
setnpcskin [gender (male/female)][haircut (id)][beard (id)][haircolor (rgb)][eyecolor (rgb)][skincolor (rgb)], for example setnpcskin female 2 -1 0xAA0000 0x11AAFF 0xCCCCCC.
You just set a very dark skin color (black), and since there are no limitations (you could even give her blue or red skin color), you get this result However, the parameters are optional, so if you only want to change the gender, for example, you can simply type setnpcskin female

Quote from Trillnar

The poor things are cold. Since we have clothes , why cant we dress them ?

When spawning the NPC, they automatically use the same clothes you're currently wearing^^ In one of the next updates we will also add a separate command to change the clothes at any time

Quote from Avanar

though then its a bug that when i enter simply "setnpcskin female (or male)" that it sets back to a "normal" skin colour?

Ah, well, not exactly, if no parameters are set, it just uses the player skin... however, I guess that's not a good solution, we will change that with the next hotfix/update

Quote from sharkbitefischer

if we kill them do we get to claim the clothes and weapons please?

Once they have weapons in the future, they will be lootable from their dead bodies Can't say much about the clothes yet, but I guess we will add this feature as well

Quote from ArcticuKitsu

1) A GUI (PNB style) to allow us to cycle through making an NPC by selecting their gender, clothing types, and etc. Both a Creative mode & survival form would be handy where in survival you could just swap out their inventory. (May be more of a plugin thing).

Oh yes, a GUI would be really helpful. I'll put that on our list

Quote from ArcticuKitsu

2) Have Dummy NPCs seek out a bed, or assign a bed for them to seek. They're sleeping on the floor like hobos.
2.5) Would be neat if you could make them sit on a nearby chair, or assign furniture for them to interact with. I'm aware they're dummy npcs while seeking a more "immersive" way to go about this. Sorry.

I also put that on our list. Assigning a task like "sit on the nearest chair" or "sleep in the nearest bed" should be possible. I'm curious how even some more complex stuff like "play the nearest piano" will turn out

Quote from ArcticuKitsu

3) One of my test Knights drowned himself at my port to then get stuck in a repetitive death cycle of painfully falling to his death....

Apparently there is still an issue with the death animation... they're based on the regular player model, and they also get stuck in a broken death pose sometimes. We still have to find out what's causing this

Quote from ArcticuKitsu

4) NPCs need a 'patrol' route that they should follow. I'll use the lock command, yet they need to be able to also follow a "patrol" route you can set (even at random).

Can't say much about that yet. I mean, at least once the adventure mode is in place, we definitely need something like that.

Quote from ArcticuKitsu

4.1) A follow command would be handy so you can set them up where you want them.

On our list

Quote from ArcticuKitsu

Can we even have decorative knight armour and cape?

At least a decorative knights armor (which can be placed in the world) is planned.

Quote from ArcticuKitsu

Wish we could customize our knight armour using dyes....

Well, coloring clothes (or armor) is planned anyway, but somehow this was pushed back now due to the other stuff that's in the pipeline Let's see when we get some time to focus on that^^

Quote from ArcticuKitsu

Now curious if NPCs can hold onto items, or if that needs to be enabled in their hand. If they can hold onto weapons that be awesome

We made some preparations for that (since all future NPCs will be based on the dummy). So yes, with one of the next updates, this option certainly becomes available

Quote from zitubia

im not sure if this is only on multiplayer servers. but sometimes when somone is using chainsaw the stump dissapears and leaves the rest of tree midair (still solid) you can crouch under them. I dont know if they give resources if we cut them down. did not try.

Hmm... not sure if this is a server side or client side issue... what happens if you leave the area and come back (or alternatively reconnect to the server), is the tree still broken?
Once this issue occurs, is the tree also broken for other players?