v1.1.0 Release

It's been around 3 weeks since v1.0.8. It looks like I've got a semi-consistent schedule! Here's hoping I can maintain it.

New in this update:

New Features

This is the part to get excited about.

• Card Actions have been entirely overhauled

I've replaced the old method of using notetags for Card Actions with a new system that works more like Yanfly's Action Sequences. This format allows you to specify the order in which Card Actions are executed:

<Card Actions>
Discard 3
Shuffle Deck
Draw 5
</Card Actions>

The old method will still work for current Card Actions, but it's been removed from v1.1's help document and future Card Actions will not be able to use that method. This means you don't have to go in and redo all your skills in order to update to v1.1, but you should use the new system going forward.

Note: Someone has confirmed with me that the old method no longer works with YEP_BattleEngineCore. Users of that plugin will need to update their notetags after all.

• Card Passives

Remember last update when I added the <Remove this> notetag? It's not exactly a Card Action. Instead, it's a new category of notetags called Card Passives. They can be implemented exactly the same way as Actions:

<Card Passives>
Remove this
Start in Hand
</Card Passives>

So let's take a look at the Passives I have implemented:

• Remove This - works exactly the same as the old notetag, but now it's classified properly
• Discard If Unplayed - This card will be discarded at the end of the user's turn if it's in their hand.
• Remove if Unplayed - This card will be removed from play at the end of the user's turn if it's in their hand.
• Start in Hand - This card will be in the user's hand at the start of battle, before the Battle Start Actions execute.
• Require [expression] - This one requires some explanation.

Everything after the word "Require" will be evaluated as code, and return either true or false. It must evaluate to true for the card to be playable - otherwise the Card Highlight Sprite will not be visible around that card and it cannot be played, the same as if the user can't pay for the card's cost.

The "Require" passive comes with a variable "user" which refers to the actor using the card. So you can do:

Require user.handSize > 2

To make the card playable only if the actor's hand contains 3 or more cards.

It's worth noting a card can have multiple Require passives at once.

• added the removedCards variable for damage formulas

This variable increments whenever the actor removes a card.

And that's it for this update's new features! Which brings me to...

What to look forward to:

The next update will be v1.1.1, and it will contain any bug fixes that get reported. The restructuring of Card Actions initially broke compatibility with YEP_BattleEngineCore, which I largely fixed before release, but if there are any other plugin compatibilities that have been broken please let me know and I'll fix them whenever I can.

On to what new features will be added in the next update!

Game Variables in Card Actions

Though the exact format isn't currently set in stone, I think it would make sense to use the same system RPG Maker uses for the variable macro in its text editor.

Draw \V[x]
Discard \V[x]

This would allow for cards whose actual behavior changes based on external conditions.

Eval Card Action

This would be a Card Action that executes a piece of code. Used in conjunction with the Game Variables update, it can make cards extremely versatile:

Eval $gameVariables.setValue(6, user.handSize)
Discard Until 0
Draw \V[6]

This would allow for a skill or item to discard the entire hand, then draw the amount of cards discarded.

Final Thoughts

This was a big structural change to the plugin. I have no doubt there's a whole host of new bugs I haven't been able to catch, but it's also made the plugin easier to add things to.

A lot of people have asked for certain features in the store page's comments, and our team has generally responded with something to the effect of "the plan is to do this in the future," but the future is a pretty nebulous thing. So we've decided to create a roadmap Trello and make it publicly available. Understand that nothing is set in stone especially not deadlines and some things may shift around, stuff will be added between major updates that push them back, and stuff like that. But I think it's good to establish the general priority of added features we have planned.

We'll update the Trello board if our plans change - and things will be set in stone once I confirm them in a devlog.

-Isiah (@IsiahGames)  
MythAtelier