3.17.9.0 Update Notes

Update Notes:

Additions:

• Added rewritten/upgraded landscape system, new tools and holes support.
  
• Added Devtest4 map.
  
• Added basic type browser/content browser.
  
• Added terrain quality graphics option.

Improvements:

• Improved snow and ice to glitter in the sunlight and added option to disable.
  
• Improved landscape and nature objects to use triplanar mapping and added option to disable.
  
• Improved rain puddles not to form under main sea level.

Tweaks:

• Tweaked snowflake particle lighting to be more visible.
  
• Tweaked traps not to count as PvP deaths.

Fixes:

• Fixed server incorrectly rejecting bayonet hits.
  
• Fixed to prevent specular highlights on foliage and terrain aside from rain.
  
• Fixed standing inside door while closing to use it as an elevator.
  
• Fixed new item format not loading name, fixed crafting search on items without names.
  
• Fixed (re-exported) note assetbundles to update materials.
  
• Fixed Stockpile button linking to New section when there aren't new items.
  
• Fixed left-handed driving viewmodel.
  
• Fixed clouds to render a bit further away.
  
• Cleaned up devkit layout loading/saving.
  
• Cleaned up devkit window inheritance chain.

Landscape:

This week I completely rewrote the landscape features as the first half of a big improvement to the terrain systems/visuals - the next half (foliage/trees) hopefully being ready to go next week. I've put together a little demo on the Devtest4 map if you'd like to check some of these improvements out:

Terrains can have caves/holes in them now by creating a LandscapeHoleVolume from the type browser. Previously underground areas on maps were large pits in the ground covered by meshes, so I'm really excited for the potential to create metro systems that connect multiple cities, underground cave networks, sewers, etc! This feature works with the old non-devkit terrains as well, so you don't need to upgrade your map to take advantage of it.

Landscapes are composed of tiles which can be expanded in any direction, so your map doesn't have to be square and if you have an idea for a new location you can just extend your map. Tiles can also be deleted.

Each tile can have up to 8 different terrain materials instead of the global 8 material limit previously, so a map can have many different biomes with different textures for mountains, swamps, flatlands, etc. Materials are added automatically when painting, but if you hit the 8 material limit you can select the tile and remove one to free up a slot.

I've also really improved the sculpting/painting tools and they have a few features I haven't seen in any other terrain editors like eyedropping materials. If you want to try your hand at landscape creation open a map in the devkit, add a Landscape from the type browser, open the Landscape Tool from the window list and click in an empty space to add a new tile, or just open the Devtest4 map.

Automatically converting old non-devkit terrains to the new system is supported in the tile menu, but although your material placement is preserved it can't automatically link the material assets. I need to improve and add some more features to the inspector before this becomes easy, so I'd recommend on holding off upgrading your existing maps until I upgrade the official ones.

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