Daggerfall Unity Test Build

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Sometime in the next 7-10 days, I will release a test build of Daggerfall Unity as part of my lead-up to first release. Everyone is welcome to try to the test build, but testers should be comfortable with editing INI files as this build will not include a launcher. I’m hoping to get valuable feedback and squash as many bugs as possible prior to first release. Test build will be available for Windows and Linux.

The first release of Daggerfall Unity will carry the moniker “Outer Loop” as this best describes the work so far. The outer loop is that essential framework of game startup, character creation, free roam, save/load, basic combat resolution, resting, and player death. With this framework out of the way, I can start work on individual systems that exist inside of the outer loop. For example, quests, inventory, and loot tables are systems that will be incrementally added over time. Systems with a high number of dependencies (e.g. quests rely on many other systems) will arrive later than more atomic systems with a lower number of dependencies.

Once the first release is available, I’m hoping to set a release schedule of every 4-6 weeks at most. I’m planning out the work in small dependency-aware chunks that should be achievable in those time-frames. This means releases will generally pendulum back and forth between small features and large features.

I have tried my best to create a versioning save/load system so that your saves from older releases can be loaded by newer releases, but it may become necessary at some point to set a minimum supported version for saves. I will mention this in the release notes if and when it happens.

As always, life has a habit of getting in the way despite best intentions. I will let you know whenever there will be delays due to personal issues or scheduled leave time.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement so far. I look forward to hearing your feedback if you decide to play with the upcoming test build.

Posted in Daggerfall Unity, Workshop News.

9 Comments

  2. Good news, Interkarma! Is there any preferrable pattern for feedback? What should one include in the report?

  3. At this early stage, I’m mainly looking for crashes and other serious ill-behaviour, but I will gratefully take any feedback you guys can offer.

    I’ll outline things in a bit more detail with the test release, including where to find logs, INI files, and save games. In theory, you should be able to send me a save game close to the problem so I can isolate it faster.

  5. This is fantabulous!

    Will this allow easy modding of textures? I.e. Will the textures be in readable format/editable? Or is it possible to have the engine read common file types as an override (if the original BSA is utilized by the engine for assets)?

  6. Modding is very important to me but it’s currently secondary to getting the primary game systems up and working. My Mission Statement has a little more detail.
    http://forums.dfworkshop.net/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=104

    The good news is that straight texture swaps will be one of the first modding features added. I’ve kept this process in mind throughout development, and it shouldn’t be too hard to get working when the time comes.

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