5.0.22 out now

ADRIFT 5 release 22 is now available for download.

The main highlights in this release are Sound (MP3, WAV and MID at the moment - OGG to follow in a future release), Object Oriented Syntax (e.g. Player.Held.Count), and embedded Expressions.

The full list of changes is:

Enhancements

• Logic flow(ID 18340)
• Event location defaults(ID 17906)
• Record time(ID 15134)
• PropertyValue simplification(ID 10142)
• IF Statement should work in descriptions(ID 8102)
• Add in Action Play Sound(ID 1164)
• Object weight and size(ID 617)
• ValueList property type(ID 330)
• Unlock but no lock!(ID 188)

Bug Fixes

• Events and Turn Counting (ID 18373)
• Setting a character's position to Standing on the Floor teleports them to the player's location.(ID 18367)
• TODO - Function "Any Character sitting on object" still has to be completed.(ID 18366)
• Player Perspective Issue(ID 18361)
• set (text) property to (text) variable uses key not value(ID 18356)
• Date Storage in Modules(ID 18355)
• Save as EXE Broken(ID 18353)
• NPC Visibility(ID 18350)
• Location Must Not Have Been Seen not Resetting on Undo(ID 18346)
• Position of Dynamic Objects Displayed On-Screen(ID 18336)
• Text After Ellipsis AutoCaps(ID 18334)
• %UCase[ + or $ or ^ ]% hangs Adrift runner(ID 18324)
• Undeletable letters on fresh runner open(ID 18099)
• Can’t rearrange subevents(ID 17904)
• Set Property to Unselected returns error(ID 17793)
• Restrictions on Double Reference Tasks Broken(ID 17576)
• Map bug(ID 16328)
• Right Clicking In Empty Tab Area Crashes Developer(ID 16318)
• Character not reset when restoring saved game.(ID 16245)
• > and >= are reversed(ID 15846)
• System Task trigger(ID 15668)
• Character/Location/Object List property exception(ID 15244)
• PropertyValue function not working for location properties(ID 9884)
• When I reopen System Tasks in the Developer they revert to Immediately(ID 4432)
• Text variables(ID 907)

5.0.21 out now

ADRIFT 5 release 21 is now available for download. This release was mostly focused around WebRunner, which is now up and running at http://play.adrift.org.uk. There are also lots of fixes for playing v4 games within v5, off the back of some issues with the IF Comp entries. Please let me know if you spot any further compatability issues playing v4 games on v5.

The full list of changes is:

Enhancements

• Map navigation (ID 14721)
• Greater/ Less than comparisons for integer properties. (ID 4480)
• Browser Runner (ID 8580)

Bug Fixes

• Task priority logic (ID 14377)
• "X ME" for 3.90 games broken on Adrift 5? (ID 10669)
• Event inconsistencies (ID 13791)
• Events misfiring on initial running of game (ID 603)
• Referenced Object in Specific Tasks (ID 10007)
• Location Group Restriction gives error (ID 10046)
• Cannot select Ref Obj with some properties. (ID 10024)
• Alternate Texts in Restrictions and Text Overrides (ID 10309)
• Text Overrides AutoCap (ID 10308)
• Runner crashes if restriction in "when obj listed in location" (ID 10382)
• Closing Forms using [x] (ID 9836)
• Crashes when undocking, maximizing map (ID 8595)
• Extracted encrypted TAFs (ID 13241)
• Variables set by System Task not reset on Restore (ID 11862)
• Spaces in object names (ID 13166)
• Char is here always displays (ID 11159)
• Fonts bug (ID 11157)

ADRIFT Online

It's still very early days, but I have started working on a web version of Runner.  This should make it possible to play ADRIFT games online.  The user experience will not be as good as using the native app (for example, I doubt that I will be able to get the map to work in a browser), but it will mean casual players will be able to try out games online to see if they are worth downloading.

5.0.20 out now

Version 5.0.20 is now out. This has a fair few enhancements and bug fixes in it. The main enhancements of note are version 3.90 support, text colour support in Runner, and suspension of text when it fully fills the screen. The full list of changes is as follows:

Enhancements

• Encrypt v5 TAFs (ID 8543)
• Add adventure versioning (ID 8528)
• Conversation node with matching most keywords (ID 8489)
• Implementation of %turns% variable (ID 8372)
• v3.90 support (ID 8347)
• Name the Alternate Description tabs (ID 8072)
• Change colours (ID 8298)
• New Restriction: Ref Character must/must not be Character (ID 1504)
• Option to clear Recent Document History? (ID 4499)
• Ability to turn off auto complete for specific commands/objects (ID 6623)
• Display images in v4 games (ID 8214)
• Text break (ID 523)
• Add [more] to Runner. (ID 4517)
• Ctrl+S to Save in Developer (ID 5149)
• Giving worn objects (ID 5524)
• First/Second/Third person perspective (ID 5310)

Bug Fixes

• Game crash when restart running an .exe file (ID 8381)
• Entire contents of map page jumps to page 1 (ID 8208)
• Search/Replace excludes simple text (ID 8330)
• Runner - Examine me (ID 596)
• Ribbon doesn’t remember if it’s minimised upon close/open (ID 969)
• Tasks, Objects, Events, etc. Numbers not updating (ID 987)
• Text Overrides Do Not Work On Bottom Bar (ID 7538)
• Text Override Last Updated Not Updating (ID 7908)
• Switching Characters (ID 8122)
• Deleting graphics once added to game (ID 8124)
• Examining characters (ID 605)
• Characters starting on Characters (ID 8154)
• Items Not Closing On Opening (ID 8213)
• Setting Character Property values in actions is ad-hoc and not quite right (ID 7313)
• Cutting a folder causes popup and leaves the folder in sidebar but not in any displayed folders (ID 946)
• Objects part of character disappear when character or player is on another object (ID 7289)
• Darkness When On Objects Fails (ID 8173)
• Double Spaces in Alternate Texts. (ID 4051)
• Dropping Characters (ID 6389)
• Asking/telling conversation system (ID 7663)
• Objects part of character (ID 7478)
• NPC’s handling objects (ID 3383)
• PUT ALL in container - BUG (ID 4192)
• Move Character to Parent Location... (ID 6391)
• Again (g) Command Not Working as Expected (ID 7937)
• Dragging folders doesn’t update tree (ID 7955)
• Drag folder onto subfolder of itself (ID 7952)

Release 19 out now - (the Free one)

I have just uploaded ADRIFT 5.0.19.  This is the first version of Developer to be released (since 3.9.20 anyway) to have no registration restricting the use of the software.

There aren't a huge number of changes in this release as a large chunk (sorry!) of my time has been spent getting Blorbs working.  This now means images can be packaged along with the adventure into a single file, and run directly.

The full list of changes in this version is:

Enhancements

• Add Blorb support (ID 6170)
• Make Developer free (ID 7380)
• Set full screen view as default in runner (ID 6995)

Bug Fixes

• Runner Crash - Char on Himself (ID 6392)
• Retroactive Property Assignment/Edits (ID 952)
• Characters No Longer Listed By Default (ID 6390)
• Spaces in variable names (ID 6162)
• password system failure (ID 6322)
• Change & Use of the Character Name Property (ID 7539)
• Debugger does not list failed restrictions (ID 6329)
• Disambiguation broken (ID 7308)
• Conversation Keyword / Uppercase (ID 7128)
• Error when detaching map and creating new folder (ID 6236)
• Arranging non-existing windows (ID 5893)

New Website

I have just launched a new ADRIFT website at http://www.adrift.co.  The old site should now redirect to this site.

The layout is based on the old site, but has many improvements including:

• Single Login - all authentication on site uses the forum logins.
• Profiles - every user has a profile, showing uploaded adventures and any reviews they have created.
• Searchable adventures - you can now filter on title and description.
• Page per adventure - each adventure now has it's own page showing the most useful reviews.
• Cover art - can be assigned to each adventure
• Amazon style ratings - Ratings can be rated, meaning the most useful ones are displayed first.
• Integrated blog - the blogger ADRIFT blog is now the News page.
• New post highlight - If new posts have been added to the Forum, the link will become highlighted.
• Facebook LIKE button - Each game now has a like button, allowing people to promote their own games.
• Latest forum posts - This mini-list is now properly tied into the permissions of the user.
• Self Reviews - It is no longer possible (without creating a separate account) to review your own games.

There is still a little tidying up to do, so please let me know if you find any problems.

At what cost?

I have decided to take the plunge, and offer ADRIFT 5 for free.

There are several reasons for doing this. These include the release of Inform 7, which is easier to use than it's predecessor (although still not a patch on ADRIFT!) and makes it simpler for non-programmers to get started with. Also with Quest becoming free it increases the number of no-pay alternatives, making the decision of which system to use somewhat more difficult. In addition, a large proportion of the ADRIFT user-base are minors who do not have easy access to online payments.

I really think ADRIFT 5 has the potential to become a major player in the IF world - but only at the right price. It is by far the easiest system to use, and has been for some time. Now at least, that ease of use will be open to everyone.

The first free version will be 5.0.19. I don't anticipate this will be ready for release for a good few weeks yet however.

Linux version now available

I've uploaded a Linux version of Runner to the ADRIFT website. This makes use of the Mono Framework.

The software is still pretty buggy, especially the Mono version which is not 100% compatible with Windows, but it should be possible to run games reasonably well.

I'm obviously new at creating Linux distributions, so if anyone has any suggestions of improvements, please let me know.

I also introduced a couple of major bugs in 5.0.18, so I have fixed these, and the versions on the website are now 5.0.18.2.

5.0.18 out now

I have just uploaded 5.0.18 to the ADRIFT website. Along with the usual load of bug fixes, there are some nice enhancements such as improved flexibility of specific task overrides and Undo. The full list is as follows:

Enhancements

• Bracket Check For Restrictions. (ID 4610)
• wait and again (ID 5560)
• Improve Intellisense (ID 4619)
• Run sub task Instead of/Before/After parent task (ID 5503)
• Saved game file option (ID 5525)
• Linux Runner (ID 4558)
• Undo (ID 4792)
• Room Names (ID 58)

Bug Fixes

• Restore Error from Start Location (ID 5167)
• Syntax Highlighting Minor Issue (ID 5403)
• Runner not to close when quitting game (ID 5492)
• Map Tools|Add Location ribbon button is non-functional (ID 5521)
• Move Character To Parent Location (ID 5602)
• Conversation not counting as task output (ID 2694)
• Map - Deleting Links (ID 2664)
• Developer memory leak (ID 5526)
• Properties scrollbar (ID 5634)
• Adding Properties (ID 3048)
• Reordering Restrictions (ID 4569)
• Command color in the transcript inconsistent? (ID 4437)
• Starting Character On Objects - Runner Crash (ID 5454)
• Alternate text tab re-ordering (ID 5510)
• Alternate Descriptions in Properties. (ID 5449)
• Alternate Descriptions in Text Properties (ID 5007)
• Objects in worn or held containers considered worn or held (ID 4229)
• Moving folders (ID 5381)
• Unregistered version not saving modules of any size (ID 5380)
• Object Recognition Using %Objects% (ID 5130)
• Error when saving game (ID 5277)
• Runner Crash - PC in Same Location as Any Object (ID 4736)
• Character Sub Object Error (ID 4759)
• Prevent Task From Being Inherited (ID 4656)
• LongLocationDescription property isn’t working (ID 4565)
• Unselecting Selection Only Properties in Actions (ID 4414)
• Problem loading/saving files on different regional settings (ID 4346)

Linux Runner

I've been working on a Linux version of ADRIFT 5 Runner, which runs using the Mono Framework. This has required a few tweaks around Window-isms and stripping out the third party libraries, but it is looking quite promising so far, and I don't anticipate any major problems.

All being well I will be releasing this shortly after the next Windows release.

5.0.17 out now

5.0.17 is now available for download from the ADRIFT website. There are quite a few enhancements in this release, many of which are revolved around beefing up the flexibility of task actions. The list of changes is as follows:

Enhancements

• Allow LocationOf function to accept objects as key (ID 4281)
• New Event Control "Event should start off when you enter Location:" (ID 3327)
• Special group properties (ID 3269)
• Task shortcuts for characters (ID 4200)
• System task triggers (ID 4130)
• Initialise multiple array elements (ID 4167)
• Modify walk step order (ID 4193)
• Drag variables (ID 4189)
• Auto-backups (ID 4188)
• Enable default fonts (ID 4151)
• Location Groups (ID 556)
• Scatter objects througout a location group - Updated (ID 1194)
• Loop through objects in actions (ID 1366)
• Action - Move Character [Group] (ID 1445)
• Moving Objects (ID 451)
• Actions Enhancements (ID 608)
• Move All Objects Somewhere to Somewhere (ID 1365)
• Move Objects in or out of an object group (ID 1215)
• Climb Objects (ID 2908)

Bug Fixes

• Character comes across in walk doesn’t work (ID 4232)
• Player Character Properties - Cannot Assign in Actions. (ID 4152)
• Renaming Folders (ID 3049)
• nested functions (ID 3916)
• Critical Error on New Object Creation (ID 4006)
• integers positive only (ID 4171)
• Save game not working in command window (ID 2666)
• Copy character - shared noun (ID 3053)
• Player inside Any Object Restriction Crash (ID 1413)
• Runner State or PropertyTest (ID 3892)
• Integer Properties Not Working (ID 1217)
• Task shortcuts specific ordering (ID 4201)
• Changing Specifics always applies (ID 4199)
• Library - Put Objects in Others (ID 3038)
• Editing Properties In Actions. (ID 2873)
• Map ribbon selects on app focus (ID 3279)
• Characters Location Hidden or Nowhere? (ID 530)
• %CharacterDescriptor[key]% does not work. (ID 818)
• %Character1% gives error in runner. (ID 2769)
• Move Character to Nowhere Causes Runner Crash (ID 1244)
• Presentation Bug with Move Character in Direction Action (ID 1537)
• Object Groups Properties (ID 851)
• Event - Unset task (ID 2925)
• Can’t set dictionary location using browser (ID 2874)
• Command Line Failure in Runner (ID 1367)
• Randomness (ID 2660)

Action Power!

One of my main objectives for the next release is to boost the power of task actions. Up until now, it has only been possible to move specific objects, all held or all worn objects like so:

I have now added more options, so you can now move specific objects, everything at a location, everything held or worn by a player, everything in or on an object, everything in a group, or everything with a particular property, like so:

As well as just being able to move objects, you can add and remove them from groups:

Characters have been improved in much the same way, and I have introduced a Locations tab to move locations in and out of groups.

I realise this will require an extra couple of selections from the dropdown, but I think the additional time taken to select the options will be worth the additional power and flexibility.

I just need to do a little work on Properties and Variables to finish it off.

ADRIFT 5 goes Beta

I have now released ADRIFT 5.0.16, which is the first version to go Beta.  I think ADRIFT has now come to a point where I believe it is capable of creating full adventures with a certain amount of reliability.  There is still a long way to go, lots of bugs to fix, and many more enhancements to go in, but I think it's been long enough in development (about 6 years!) that it's about time it was opened to a larger audience.

Anyway, the changes in this version are as follows:

Enhancements

• Allow variables in macros (ID 2611)
• Auto centre the map axis (ID 2557)
• Endings (ID 610)
• Fixing the END game option in tasks (ID 1211)
• Shortcuts (ID 134)
• Registration (ID 2539)
• Commands with three or more references (ID 971)

Bug Fixes

• Problem saving anchor points (ID 2628)
• Specifics not matching References (ID 2613)
• Sequential references (ID 966)
• Loading previous saved game (ID 2065)
• Task priorities (ID 762)
• Short Room Descriptions (ID 1830)
• Center Doesn’t Continue Past Newline (ID 1368)
• Put Object In Object always fails. (ID 2570)
• Reference options not updating immediately (ID 2559)
• Character Groups show no characters. (ID 1405)
• Exporting as a module changes name of .taf (ID 1666)
• Game title / Author name won’t save (ID 1714)
• Text in Hints Doesn’t Save (ID 1544)
• Cannot Delete Hints, Properties, or Text Overrides (ID 1545)
• Location Properties - Unable to Select in Restrictions (ID 1560)
• Working with multiple items (ID 1416)
• Put Unknown Object In Object - Runner Crash (ID 1727)
• Error after maximising map and clicking folder in tree structure (ID 1600)
• Show exit from locations along with descriptions does not stay ticked (ID 2380)
• Problem Using Delete Key in Find Box (ID 2277)
• CopyStream error (ID 2463)
• Randomness not completely random in tasks. (ID 1563)
• When the object is listed in location, display this. (ID 920)
• Randomness Not Random (ID 1264)
• Can’t Select Characters in Specific Tasks (ID 1834)
• Seen Locations - Menu Items Missing (ID 1835)
• Events - Copy and Paste Issue (ID 1913)
• General Task Involving 2 Characters (ID 1869)
• Double Brackets do not work in alternate task restrictions (ID 1471)
• Deleting Text Overides does not work. (ID 1503)

5.0.15 out now

5.0.15 is now available.  The biggest enhancement in this release is the ability to delete items without resorting to exporting as a module, removing text and re-importing.  Here is the full list of changes:

Enhancements

• Short room descriptions (ID 540)
• Changing character properties (ID 116)
• Character on character missing restriction (ID 782)
• Folders do not show or allow sort by task priority (ID 992)
• Properties for Locations (ID 941)
• Referenced Direction as a restriction (ID 990)
• Deleting (ID 54)

Bug Fixes

• Renaming system tasks (ID 1258)
• Map is closed but cannot open it because "Map" button is disabled (as if the map was open) (ID 1314)
• Moving Alt Texts Can Cause Crash (ID 1142)
• Missing restriction option (ID 690)
• Drop items into descriptions has broken (ID 701)
• Listobjectsonandin - bad function error (ID 827)
• Wildcards Crash Search (ID 951)
• Put Container in itself causes runner error (ID 529)
• Object Properties of type object list (ID 994)
• Secondary location picture (ID 1035)
• Alternate descriptions for object descriptions (ID 877)
• Runner crashes when moving character to nowhere (ID 1118)
• Error when deleting a created property (ID 174)
• Object Statelists and spaces (ID 861)
• Event - Display Message When at this location (ID 923)
• Modules not working. (ID 1041)
• Cannot CUT locations (ID 997)
• Dropping when inside objects (ID 678)
• Worn objects fail visibility test when on an object (ID 1040)
• Crash when map is in it’s own window (ID 1011)