Author: E.J.

The port to libGDX is working rather well now.  I am getting the hang of it too!  Most of the auxiliary screens are on the new system and it runs so smooth.  I am currently working on getting the main game screen to use the new graphics and input system.

Major Changes:

• New file system.
  • The game kind of “installs” itself now, so it should be distributed as a single ‘.jar’ now.
  • Game options are saved in a preferences (xml) file.   On Windows:  C:\Users\[UserName]\.prefs\Fief_Options.xml
  • Game data files are saved in a user accessible directory.  On Windows:  C:\User\[UserName]\Fief
  • This change primarily allows data accessibility for a possible Android version of the game.
• Packaged textures!
  • The ruleset images now reside in different directories that are packaged into a texture atlas for each category.
  • This will greatly reduce texture binding calls on the GPU as each texture page is bound only once for all its draw actions on each render cycle.

The long and laborious process of switching Fief to use libGDX is underway.  I keep telling myself that in the long run it will be worth it.  I find that the change in rendering isn’t the difficult part, but rather the change in file access between android and desktop versions.  I am currently streamlining things so that both versions will be smooth and unnoticed.  Most of my files need to be split into “assets” and “data”, with assets being untouchable files packed into the android apk.  This will be little of the files in Fief, since I want it to be easy to modify things as before.  But I will probably have to package all my data into the assets, have it dynamically copy to the external folder, and read from there.  This will also make it easy to reset your Fief ruleset if you end up making a fatal error modifying the native ruleset.

This process was significantly slowed by my short dance with death last week.  A fateful sandwich I procured from the Atlanta airport gave me food poisoning Sunday night.  It gave me ceaseless vomiting and a constant spinning sensation like I was strapped to a merry-go-round going at break-neck speed.  I ended up in the emergency room on Tuesday for extreme dehydration and nausea.  I’ve recovered my stomach now, but unfortunately the vertigo hasn’t gone away yet, but at least the magnitude of the spinning has been reduced to a small aftereffect following head movements.  I at least look hilarious trying to walk as if I am wearing drunk goggles.

New version available: 0.3.148

• – Added: maximum time to recipes for crafting.
• – Added: stress factor determining stamina reduction during crafting.
• – Added: Skill GUI panel to show skills levels for both industrial and combat skills.
• – Added: Sleeping causes 1/4 reduction of Thirst/Hunger.
• – Added: Sleeping action stops when person is well-rested.
• – Updated: Recipes have proper maximum times and stress factors.
• – Adjusted:  Food values.

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New version available: 0.3.146

• – Fixed GUI bug when trying to start a new manor without creating a map.
• – Fixed a Farming->Sheafing bug.
• – Added randomly spawned creatures (some friendly, some not so much).

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Started work for the next release of Fief.  Including fixing some of the bugs that people have already found.  I’m feeling a bit hesitant about the switch to libGDX, but I will get to it eventually.  At the moment, I have been working on running rivers on the maps.  The brooks will be a great source of water and add some beauty to the map design.    After 4 days I finally found a nice modified A* algorithm that will run rivers, but it is a bit slow, so I am working on some approximations to speed it up.

Also on my radar is adding random spawn events for creatures with the biome probabilities determining the types of creatures that spawn in.  This will greatly add to the available resources in the early game, particularly to address the general lack of food.

After some serious discussion, I have decided to try and port Fief into libgdx. The wonderful library will solve many of the graphical issues I’ve come across. It should also help speed up development afterwards since I’ll no longer be bogged down by low-level issues. I will be releasing the alpha version of Fief prior to the switch, so at first you’ll be able to explore the (poorly executed) Java2D version of the game. Fingers-crossed.