Changelog 2019-03-12: New npcs, better AI, modded items

Hey folks!

The new update is finally available! First of all, thank you very much for your patience!

This update introduces a lot of new features and changes, but our main focus was on reworking the NPC behaviour as well as adding new hostile NPCs. You will now find small groups of bandits roaming the forests during night, and underground dungeons are now populated with skeletons. In addition to that, spiders spawn randomly in deep caves.

When fighting with bandits or skeletons, you can use your sword to block their attacks (so you take less or even no damage, but keep an eye on your stamina). Obviously this only applies to melee attacks - so watch out for enemies equipped with bows and arrows!

Of course you can disable any NPC you want, and you can also change the spawn rates for both animals and enemies. So if you don't want to deal with bandits or monsters, you can simply turn them off.

But when talking about NPC related things, that doesn't mean that this update is only about enemies. We improved the NPC AI and collision detection with this update, so NPCs should no longer be able to walk through walls, fall through the ground or warp to the roof of your building. In case you still experience any of these issues, please let us know!

We also reworked the spawn behaviour of NPCs: they are able to respawn in chunks which haven't been modified, and animals mostly spawn in herds now. Alerting one herd animal also alerts all other herd animals.

There is also another important feature in this update: it's now possible to load custom items (e.g. tools or weapons) through the plugin API. This makes modding a lot easier. We will update the plugin API and also release a few example plugins in the next few days.

Apart from that, we implemented several other new features and changes. Blueprints can now store terrain data and water, there are some new items (weed whacker and venison), we added several new music tracks, we reworked the screenshot feature (it's much more powerful now) and last but not least we've fixed a lot of bugs. Check out the changelog to get an overview of all changes.

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Changelog 2019-03-12 (0.9.5):

• [New] New NPCs: bandits and skeletons with various equipment and outfits
• [New] Bandits spawn randomly in forests (during night), while skeletons spawn randomly in dungeons
• [New] Animals / NPCs can now respawn after a given amount of time
• [New] Animals usually spawn in small herds now
• [New] When a herd animal is alerted, other herd animals are also alerted
• [New] Spiders and rats spawn randomly in caves and abandoned cabins
• [New] When creating a new world, you can select a starting biome / area now
• [New] Custom / modded items can now be added via API
• [New] New tool: weed whacker
• [New] Added 7 new music tracks
• [New] Added settings for screenshots (resolution, quality, hud etc)
• [New] Added settings to change the animal and enemy spawn rate
• [New] Added venison, which is obtainable from wild animals
• [New] Terrain can now also be stored in blueprints
• [New] Added "Toggle Crouch" and "Toggle Walk" key bindings
• [New] Added gloss effect / environment mapping for some clothes (e.g. armor)
• [New] Added settings for grass view distance
• [New] Added support for DNS SRV Records (Multiplayer/"Connect to IP")
• [New] Added "continuous editing" for creative terrain tools (keep mouse button pressed to edit the terrain)
• [New] Creative mode terrain tools now have "water" as textur (i.e. the paint [3] and area tool [4] can now be used for water)
• [New] Added proper headshot detection for other players
• [New] Added new filter to server list to hide password-protected servers
• [New] Added command "disablenpc" to permanently disable an npc for the current world
• [New] Implemented GPU skinning to improve the performance regarding animations
• [Change] Player no longer gets "stuck" on walls when walking against walls
• [Change] Projectiles / Arrows despawn now after a given amount of time
• [Change] NPCs now also take damage from traps (with a few exceptions)
• [Change] Increased range for picking up items
• [Change] Increased range for "editconstruction" command
• [Change] Reduced height of player while riding a horse or donkey
• [Change] There is a small cooldown now when using tools by clicking the mouse button rapidly
• [Change] Deleting a custom image now removes all instances in the world
• [Change] Toggle aiming with a weapon is now disabled by default (can be changed in settings)
• [Change] Grenade / TNT cooking is now possible
• [Change] Water is now correctly rendered in front of a blueprint preview if it is opaque (press Return-key)
• [Change] The "flatten tool" in creative mode terrain tools (F5, press Return-key) now shows the current elevation
• [Change] Blueprints can now still be loaded if they were accidentally unzipped after downloading them
• [Change] Chainsaw is slightly more efficient now
• [Change] Reworked sword animations
• [Change] Player no longer takes damage from projectiles / arrows in creative mode
• [Change] Arrows and firework rockets can no longer be abused to climb walls (removed collision)
• [Change] If fly mode is disabled, double tapping F2 no longer teleports you to the surface
• [Change] Improved some sound effects
• [Change] Removed CPU load diagram, since it was causing performance issues on some operating systems
• [Change] Removed some unnecessary debug outputs from log
• [Bugfix] Fixed issue that chunks sometimes became invisible while editing them
• [Bugfix] Fixed issues with "undoblueprint" command (need feedback)
• [Bugfix] Fixed issues with modular construction element placement (need feedback)
• [Bugfix] Fixed random native crash (need feedback)
• [Bugfix] Fixed issue that some objects became unusable sometimes for no reason
• [Bugfix] Fixed item stacks disappearing sometimes when moving them from chests to inventory
• [Bugfix] Fixed issues when placing blocks or construction elements (weird collision behaviour)
• [Bugfix] Fixed issues when posters were referring to an already deleted custom image
• [Bugfix] Fixed issues with projectile collision detection when standing close to a wall
• [Bugfix] Fixed extreme "z-fighting" (flickering) when walking against walls
• [Bugfix] Fixed wrong animation of dead animal corpses in some situations
• [Bugfix] If "Keep Inventory" is enabled, you no longer lose your inventory when quitting the game without respawning
• [Bugfix] Player should no longer fall through the ground in certain cases when teleporting (need feedback)
• [Bugfix] Fixed problem that sometimes teleported the player to sky when using the "gotospawn" command
• [Bugfix] Headgear of dead players is no longer in the wrong position
• [Bugfix] Fixed wrong custom journal element position if "pivot=center" was set
• [Bugfix] Fixed memoryleak related to gun sounds
• [Bugfix] Fixed issue with picking up items

Changelog 2019-03-12 (0.9.5.1):

• [Bugfix] Removed red debug square
• [Bugfix] Fixed crash related to plugins which modify npc positions

Changelog 2019-03-13 (0.9.5.2):

• [New] Command "givenpcitem" to give an item to an npc
• [New] You can now also get venison from giraffes
• [New] Stamina can now also be disabled server side
• [New] Added spawn protection setting to config.properties file (for SP)
• [New] Added separate "fly" permission for creative mode (to disable fly mode)
• [Change] Reduced respawn rate for npcs
• [Change] Blueprints no longer include air when placing terrain (can be changed in config)
• [Bugfix] Fixed wrong spawn position when creating a new world
• [Bugfix] Fixed yellowish glow of items and player in inventory
• [Bugfix] Fixed a bug which was responsible for certain performance issue
• [Bugfix] Fixed water not being visible if placed via blueprint
• [Bugfix] Fixed issues with grinder and spinning wheel

Changelog 2019-03-14 (0.9.5.3):

• [New] New item: Club, which is craftable from the very beginning
• [New] Added command "deleteallnpc" to remove all npcs from the world
• [Change] Furnaces now provide warmth to the player if he is nearby
• [Change] Changed mining drill sounds
• [Bugfix] Fixed performance issues related to npcs (need feedback)

Changelog 2019-03-18 (0.9.5.4):

• [New] NPCs won't see you if you sneak up on them from behind
• [New] Added setting to enable bandits to spawn during the day
• [New] Command "deleteallnpcs" now optionally accepts a type and range constraint
• [Change] Added separate spawn settings for bandits and skeletons
• [Change] Weed whacker now has a RMB functionality (cuts the grass half length)
• [Change] Weed whacker can no longer destroy trees
• [Change] Bandits have slightly more health points now
• [Change] Reduced run speed of bandits and skeletons
• [Change] Stamina is now only reduced when running forward
• [Change] Added new mining drill sounds for various materials
• [Change] Increased placement range for construction elements
• [Change] Terrain area tool (F5-4) only affects water if water material is selected
• [Change] Increased speed of most tools
• [Bugfix] Fixed horse sounds
• [Bugfix] Fixed bug which mixed up horse inventories with existing chests
• [Bugfix] Fixed hitbox of small animals
• [Bugfix] Fixed players not being able to damage other players in mp
• [Bugfix] Arrows shot by npcs now also cause damage if pvp is disabled
• [Bugfix] Fixed wrong scaffolding placement positions

Changelog 2019-03-25 (0.9.5.5):

• [New] Added console command "cleanup images" to delete all unused images
• [New] Added console command "enablenpc" to re-enable an npc to spawn in the world that has been disabled before
• [New] Added small icons to indicate if grid, modular snapping or manual positioning is active
• [New] Added permission "placeterrain" (blueprints) to enable/disable placement of terrain via blueprints
• [Change] Removed unnecessary debug output
• [Bugfix] Fixed command "debugplayerbody" (for API)
• [Bugfix] Fixed crash related to custom items
• [Bugfix] Fixed issues when moving items from inventory to chest and vice versa (need feedback)
• [Bugfix] Fixed npc collision issues if multiple construction elements are placed in a row
• [Bugfix] Boats no longer move if the player is freezed (e.g. when outrunning world generation)

Changelog 2019-03-26:

• [Bugfix] Fixed npcs sometimes being invisible in multiplayer
• [Bugfix] Fixed "goto" command
• [Bugfix] Fixed sitting position on some seats

Changelog 2019-03-31:

• [Bugfix] Fixed disabled npcs not working properly
• [Bugfix] Fixed some smaller issues related to custom items

Changelog 2019-04-04 (0.9.5.6):

• [New] Snow, coal and hellstone is now available as block texture
• [New] Added setting to config file to disable "grain" on block textures
• [Change] "Grain" is disabled automatically for natural block textures (dirt, sand etc)
• [Bugfix] Fixed inventory not being saved properly if it contained too many items
• [Bugfix] Players no longer spawn up in the sky when respawning after quitting the game

Changelog 2019-04-16 (0.9.5.7):

• [Bugfix] Fixed player inventory not always being saved correctly when disconnecting from a server
• [Bugfix] Fixed some desync issues with npcs in multiplayer
• [Bugfix] Fixed "black flicker" on dirt blocks

Quote from Juggernaut

Client and server updated. Server crashes upon join, the server title and graphic displays, the server crashes during loading at 0%.
Inspected the log and it appears to be an issue with ABM (Animal Breed Mod)? Log attached:

Thanks for the log! This issue is indeed related to ABM... hmm... I've implemented a small workaround, it should be available now. Please let me know if you still experience this issue

Quote from yahwho

Game Over

Thanks for your kind words and the feedback!

Quote from yahwho

Question on the animal re-spawning: Am I right to believe that the animal NPCs will spawn in any unmodified chunk (on some random basis) and there is no configuration required (so long as we want to keep the default re-spawn rate)?

Yes that's true If an unmodified chunk is requested by the client, the server checks if there are any animals which could (re)spawn there. There is a cooldown for respawns, by default it's every 5 minutes, but it can be changed in the server.properties file (setting settings_npc_respawn_cooldown).

Quote from yahwho

Also, would it be possible to get the bandits to spawn during the day too? If this isn't yet possible, what time frame is considered nighttime?

Unfortunately this cannot be configured in the server.properties file... maybe we will add this setting later. Nighttime is between 10 pm and 7 am btw

Quote from Juggernaut

Reinstalled ABM and people are now able to join again. thanks!!

Thanks for letting me know, I'm glad to hear it works now

Quote from Juggernaut

One minor issue I notice thus far, horses can now walk through steel doors (lost its collisions, however i cannot walk through doors).

Probably it was an "open" door? E.g. a double door? I've just released a mini-hotfix which should fix this issue^^

Quote from botchikii

some good loots in bandits (but nothing for skeletons ?)

Unfortunately you can't get any loot from skeletons, basically the idea is that they guard the loot in the dungeons But probably we will change that so they will at least drop 1 or 2 items.

Quote from botchikii

no collision between Npc ? I saw a bear run into bandits like they don't exist

That's strange, basically npcs are supposed to collide with each other... but collision isn't 100% accurate, so it's possible that some npc still "overlap"

Quote from botchikii

think the agro distance has been increased (bears don't let us run away, they chase us longer)

Yes that's true, but this still needs more fine tuning

Quote from ArcticuKitsu

2) Random red square floating.

Oops, that was a debug square that was used for pathfinding Will be fixed shortly!

Quote from ArcticuKitsu

3) General lag with the terrain when moving & on mount.

Unfortunately npc spawn has an impact on the performance... but it's getting better once the first wave of npcs is spawned in new chunks.

Quote from ArcticuKitsu

New error putting on Iron armour to remove the desert clothing.

I've released a small hotfix which fixes this issue

Quote from sharkbitefischer

It says my server is running but it will not show in the game list

Can you tell me the IP + port of your server?

Quote from sharkbitefischer

this is the server address.

Thanks for the IP! I can confirm that the server is actually offline (that's why it doesn't show up in the server list).

Quote from sharkbitefischer

I also had a fatal error trying to start a single player game.

Thanks for the log! This is the ABM related issue mentioned by @Juggernaut, please make sure to download the latest server to fix this issue