Even though pedants will tell you it isn't fall till next week, they're full of crap. It's after Labor Day, and therefore it's fall. Also I couldn't think of a better title for this week's post.

A new release went up on Wednesday, but it came with a few unexpected bugs--even as it set out to fix others. That's why there's another new release out today, which fixes them. Most of the issues were in Dream Seeker, but Kidpaddle45 reported an issue with .gif files that apparently goes back all the way to when we first implemented them. Seems that several of the frame disposal instructions weren't being handled correctly, which meant that optimized .gifs didn't load right at all. That bug can impact any server-side icon operations and also Dream Maker (and tangentially, the webclient as well), so that's why there's a server update with this release.

There are also a couple of experimental changes to the gamepad code that should hopefully eliminate the inexplicable sluggishness some users have reported in 511--all of them not using gamepads. My theory is that the constant reacquisition process was causing some trouble, so now that's throttled to only happen every so many ticks. Also there were some debug messages being sent to nowhere, and maybe the system was trying to record them somewhere; those have been cut from release mode as well.

Gamepad support on the webclient is still high on the list, as is proper splash screen support. And there's still apparently a lingering issue with parallel animations in the webclient that I haven't gotten a test case for yet, but if I get a chance I'll quash that too. Hopefully Dream Seeker is out of the woods now as far as 511 is concerned.

This is a great time to get started on a game for Halloween. You have just over six weeks to get ready! In the meantime, don't forget to save the change from your donuts and cider and become a BYOND Member; your support is appreciated. And thanks again to all who contribute positively to the community in one way or another, and especially those who do both. You know who you are.

Monday is Talk Like a Pirate Day. Brush up on your lingo.