There’s a new installer posted in the downloads section. I’ve spent the last several months working on getting the map viewing functionality working, and now I’ve finally got something to show for it. Now when you import a project, it will display the first map of the project in the map window, and the tile palette off to the side. I don’t have the map tree set up yet, so you can’t switch between maps, and there’s no way to select tiles and place them on the map. That’s all coming in the next update. This one has been purely functional: write the code to make a map display properly.
I’ve written this to use the actual TURBU default map engine in the editor window. The same code that will run the game is generating the map for you to scroll around in. It’s controlled with an extra “design interface” layer of code added over the top of it, which allows you to do all the map-editing stuff, but underneath that is the real game engine, which means that when I get a bit more done, designers will be able to test-run the game inside the editor instead of having to launch a separate program.
I’ve also updated the source code repository on Google Code, and the project requirements with it. The new Delphi 2010 version contains some great new features and TURBU is going to make use of a few of them, so you need 2010 to compile it now. It’s a bit on the expensive side, priced out of range of most students and hobbyists, but there’s been a lot of discussion in the Delphi community in the last few weeks about getting a low-cost or even free edition released so more people can use it. I’m advocating and arguing strongly for a free edition on par with Microsoft’s Visual Studio Express. Thankfully, things seem to be heading in the right direction. Michael Rozlog, the Delphi project manager, recently stated that producing a more affordable edition “is a very, and I do mean a very important area of discussion. I FULLY agree with the need for low-cost-point entry products.” So we’ll see what happens.
Another update will be coming soon.