PA Modding Changes - Gamma Build 63234

This thread will keep track of any changes in the PA Alpha (and later) builds that affect modders by introducing or changing features, file locations etc.

PA Gamma Build 63234
Folder Changes

• ui/alpha renamed ui/main
• Except for the _i18n, shared and atlas folders (cursor_atlas, icon_atlas and special_icon_atlas), all folders moved within a sub-folder game.
• The three icon folders moved to a new atlas folder under ui/main.
• New structure:
  • main
    • _i18n
    • atlas
      • cursor_atlas
      • icon_atlas
      • special_icon_atlas
    • game
      • <remaining existing folders>
    • shared
    • main.css
    • main.html
    • main.js
• New scene: blank. This is a template scene that can be used as a starting point for custom scenes.

PA Beta Build
Modding System
Location and method of adding mods has changed - see this thread: https://forums.uberent.com/threads/beta-mod-changes.51520/

Unit Blueprints:
New attribute: "factory_cooldown_time"

PA Alpha Build 52973 / 53072
Unit Blueprints:
New attribute: "spawn_layers"
Removed attribute: "physics" -> "layer"
Changes to values for "unit_types" attribute:

• Added: "UNITTYPE_Basic"
• Added: "UNITTYPE_Advanced"
  
• Removed: "UNITTYPE_Tech1"
• Removed: "UNITTYPE_Tech2"

PA Alpha Build 52512
Unit Blueprints:
Removed attribute: "footprint"
New attribute group: "influence"

Code:

  "influence": {
    "range": 50,
    "values": {
      "Economy": 5
    }
  }, 

Ammo Blueprints:
New attributes: "min_firing_velocity", "max_firing_velocity"


PA Alpha Build 51531
AI
There is now some AI functionality exposed in PA\media\pa\ai.

PA Alpha Build 51464
Directory Changes

• Special Icon Atlas moved up to main Alpha UI folder (From PA\media\ui\alpha\icon_atlas to PA\media\ui\alpha\special_icon_atlas)
• JQuery, Moustrap and DataTables js files moved into a "thirdparty" folder within the PA\media\ui\alpha\shared\js folder.
• Several shared js files moved into the "api" folder within the PA\media\ui\alpha\shared\js folder.
• "_alpha" removed from the filenames of many UI files.

UI Modding
A readme file has been added that explains the new UI modding system: PA\media\ui\mods\readme.txt

Audio:
Additional Cue: "SE\UI\UI_Command_Build_secondary"
Additional Cue: "SE\UI\UI_Command_Move_secondary"

PA Alpha Build 51118
Unit Blueprints:
New values for "unit_types":

• UNITTYPE_Economy
• UNITTYPE_Recon

Tool Blueprints:
New attribute: "idle_aim_delay"

Audio:
Additional Cue: "SE\Construction\Factory_construction_loop_orb_launcher"
Additional Cue: "SE\Weapons\orb\orb_laser_fire"

PA Alpha Build 50742
Tool Blueprints:
New attribute: "spread_fire"

PA Alpha Build 50355
Unit Blueprints:
New attribute: "feature_requirements" (allowed values = "metal_spot")

Audio:
Additional Music: "Music\Music_Launch_Commander"

PA Alpha Build 50240 / 50256
Unit Blueprints:
New attribute: "recon" -> "observable" -> "show_ghost"

Audio:
Additional Cue: "SE\Weapons\commander\Commander_gun_fire"
Additional Cue: "SE\Weapons\commander\Commander_uber_wait"

PA Alpha Build 50083
There are now separate 32 and 64 bit versions of papatran.exe and papadump.exe (See [REFERENCE] papadump.exe & papatran.exe)

PA Alpha Build 50000

Unit Blueprints:
New attribute: "physics" -> "alllow_pushing"
New attribute: "placement_size"

Effect Blueprints:
Attribute Changed: "retains_visible" - renamed "retain_visible"

Shaders:
Secondary Team colour now passed to the strategic Icon shader.

Audio:
Additional Cue: "SE\Movement\sea\nuclear_sub_loop Copy"
Additional Cue: "SE\UI\UI_commander_low_health"
Additional Cue: "SE\UI\UI_under_attack"
Additional Cue: "SE\UI\UI_Unit_Select_engineer"
Additional Cue: "SE\UI\UI_Unit_Select_commander"

PA Alpha Build 49900

Unit Blueprints:
New attribute: "si_name"
Removed attribute: "strategic_icons_index"
New attribute: Recon "items" attribute now enclosed in an "observer" attribute:

Code:

  "recon": {
    "observer": {
      "items": [
        {
          "channel": "sight",
          "layer": "surface_and_air",
          "radius": 100,
          "shape": "capsule"
        }
      ]
    }
  }, 

Unit Icons:
Strategic icon location & structure has changed
Icons now stored in: PA\media\ui\alpha\icon_atlas\img\strategic_icons
Icons now defined in: PA\media\ui\alpha\icon_atlas\icon_atlas.js

(also see PA\media\ui\alpha\icon_atlas\img\icons and PA\media\ui\alpha\icon_atlas\special_icon_atlas.js for special icons such as move, attack etc.)

PA Alpha Build 49789

This build includes papadump.exe and papatran.exe (see [REFERENCE] papadump.exe & papatran.exe).

<reserved>

64390 introduced a mysterious unused file api, along with some additional camera methods for roll, pan and zoom.

Code:

    api.file = {
        mountMemoryFiles: function (files) { engine.call("file.mountMemoryFiles", JSON.stringify(files)); },
        unmountAllMemoryFiles: function () { engine.call("file.unmountAllMemoryFiles"); }
    };

hm, that looks interesting.

The camera API changes were something @PRoeleert and I had been asking for. It comes with a warning from Uber: The reason camera control has been handled natively is because they don't want to deal with the latency you get through Javascript. We're free to experiment with that, but we probably shouldn't be using it for cases where we are trying to convert user input directly into api requests. (Pre-set cinematic spectator cameras are ok, re-binding arrow keys will probably have issues.)