[vassalengine-announce] VASSAL 3.2.15 Released

SourceForge Headquarters 1320 Columbia Street Suite 310 San Diego, CA 92101 +1 (858) 422-6466

The VASSAL Team is happy to announce the release of VASSAL 3.2.15, which
which fixes several problems found in earlier versions.

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IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT
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* If you save a module, game, or log in VASSAL 3.2, you will NOT be able
  to open it afterwards with VASSAL 3.1. We recommend keeping a backup
  copy of any pre-3.2 files you plan to modify in 3.2 until you've
  verified that everything works to your satisfaction.

* If you found it necessary to set a very large maximum heap (> 512MB)
  for a module with VASSAL 3.1, it should now be possible with VASSAL 3.2
  to set a much lower maximum heap and achieve similar or better display
  performance. 512MB should now be adequate for most modules.

* VASL 6 is compatible with VASSAL 3.2. VASL users, please upgrade!

* If some images display with incorrect colors, clear your tile cache (under
  Tools > Clear Tile Cache in the Module Manager) and reload the module. If
  the images still display with incorrect colors, PLEASE contact us
  indicating with which module you're seeing a problem.

* If you are using MacOS X 10.8.3 or later, you may see the message
  "VASSAL-3.2.15.app is damaged and can’t be opened. You should move it to
  the Trash." The problem is NOT that your download was corrupt, but rather
  that MacOS is preventing you from running VASSAL. To start VASSAL, control-
  click or right-click the app bundle's icon and select Open from the menu.
  You'll see a dialog asking whether you want to open VASSAL. Select "Open".
  Thereafter, you should be able to start VASSAL normally.

* Oracle's Java 7 and 8 have very poor rendering performance on some MacOS X
  systems, particularly Yosemite. If you are experiencing this, please use
  Apple's Java 6 instead.

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IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT
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Download
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For Linux:

  http://downloads.sourceforge.net/vassalengine/VASSAL-3.2.15-linux.tar.bz2

For Mac OS X:

  http://downloads.sourceforge.net/vassalengine/VASSAL-3.2.15-macosx.dmg

For Windows:

  http://downloads.sourceforge.net/vassalengine/VASSAL-3.2.15-windows.exe

For other operating systems:

  http://downloads.sourceforge.net/vassalengine/VASSAL-3.2.15-other.zip

Source code:

  http://downloads.sourceforge.net/vassalengine/VASSAL-3.2.15-src.zip

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Recent Changes
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The following bugs in 3.2.14 are fixed in 3.2.15:

* 11864: Relative $INSTALL_DIR in VASSAL.sh breaks paths for documentation 
* 11769: NPE in Deck.getState()

The following bugs in 3.2.13 are fixed in 3.2.14:

* 11667: Changing directory to $INSTALL_DIR before launching java breaks
   relative paths for VASSAL.sh
* 11631: Text in SVG is not rendered by Java 6 on Mac OS X Yosemite
* 11404: Some uses of the PRNG introduce a minuscule amount of modulo bias
* 11281: ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException in PieceDefiner$11.actionPerformed()
* 11275: Warn user when module contains incompatible class files
*  2505: NPE in javax.swing.JEditorPane.registerEditorKitForContentType()

For changes prior to 3.2.14, see the change log.

Please report all bugs in 3.2.15 even if they are bugs which you've already
reported against other versions. We take your bug reports seriously---they're
the reason we've been able to fix so many bugs.

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New Features in 3.2
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* Levels within a Layer can be moved up or down the level list using
  buttons. [RFE 1919]

* Mass Piece Loader activated by 'Add Multiple Pieces' and 'Add Multiple
  Cards' options in right-click menu in Editor. Specify a folder of
  images, specify a counter template and Vassal will automatically load
  the images and generate units. [RFE 1927]

* Description field added to Toolbar Menu and Multi-Action button
  components. [RFE 1885]

* Specify Keystrokes by name - Key Commands can be entered as single Key
  Strokes as in earlier versions of Vassal, or can be given a 2 or more
  character names. Named Key Strokes are essentially 'invisible' to
  users. Vassal guarantees that a unique real keyStroke will be
  allocated to each uniquely named Keystroke. [RFE 1928]

* Decks can specify by Property Expression which pieces are allowed to
  be dropped onto them. Pieces which may not be added are returned to
  where the drag started. [RFE 1935]

* Decks can now specify a Hotkey for the Reverse and FaceUp/Down command
  and can customize the Reverse and Re-shuffle menu command names.
  [RFE 1938]

* Counters now support the DeckPosition property. If a piece is not in a
  Deck, 0 is returned. If a piece is in a Deck, then the position of the
  piece relative to the top of the Deck is returned. The top piece
  returns 1, the next piece down returns 2 etc. [RFE 1937]

* Support for MP3 sound files. [RFE 1934]

* Fix Display/Color handling for Grids and Numberings. Allow Numbering
  to be visible when grid not visible in Zones. [RFE 1917]

* Implementation of BeanShell allowing arbitrarily complex Java
  expressions to be used in Property Match Expressions, In-line Java
  expressions and new Calculated Property trait. [RFE 1801]

* Display the Log File Comments in the Chat Window when a log file is
  opened or continued. [RFE 1939]

* Global Key Commands created on a Map now have an option to affect
  counters on all Maps, not just the Map they are created on.
  [RFE 1902]

* Traits that move a counter (Send To Location, Return to Deck, Moved
  Fixed Distance, Pivot) now update the same location Oldxxxxxx
  properties that Drag and Drop movement does. [RFE 1792]

* Added repeat (loop) option to Trigger Action and Multi-action button.
  [RFE 1876]

* Ensure all commands generated by a single user action are undone by a
  single click of the undo action. [RFE 2816016]

* Option to allow non-owning players to move Restricted Access pieces.
  [RFE 1789]

* Add 'Snap to Grid?' option to HexGrid and SquareGrid, defaulting to
  Yes. Allows Grid Snapping to be turned off for the whole grid.
  [RFE 2842811]

* Streamlined room creation: automatic synchronization on room entry
  [RFE 1784]

* New scenario updater [RFE 1899]

* Allow Dynamic Property Select Value list to be dynamic [RFE 1926]

* All scaling is now high-quality. Low-quality scaling (in hardware)
  caused too many graphics glitches on Windows.

* The Invisible trait now supports adjustable transparency.

* Map images are tiled the first time modules are loaded, to create an
  image cache. This should dramatically reduce the amount of memory
  needed to run modules.

* Improved display of properties in the Editor [RFE 4323]:

  - Display all available properties from all components structured in the
    same way as the components of the module are built instead of all the
    global properties being dumped in one menu.
  - Available Global properties now appear without having to start a game.
    Previously, globals like Deck and Zone properties where not available
    unless you had started a game.
  - Property and component names are sorted, except for the Piece Property
    menu where the traits are displayed in the same order they exist in the
    counter.
  - If a menu has too many options to fit on the screen, it is now
    scrollable, instead of stretching off the screen and leaving some
    properties inaccessible.

* Improvements to Layer trait [RFE 4717]:
  - Follow Property name may be a BeanShell expression.
  - Improved layout for Layer dialog in Editor.

* Notify user when image loading fails [RFE 1887]

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Minimum Requirements
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VASSAL 3.2 requires the Java Runtime Envrionment to run.

Linux: Java 6 or later is required for using VASSAL on Linux.

MacOS X: The recommended minimum Java version for using VASSAL on MacOS
X is 1.5.0_08 (a.k.a. Java 5 Update 8) for Macs where Java 6 is
unavailable, and Java 6 or later for Macs where Java 6 is available.

Windows: The recommended minimum Java version for Windows is 1.6.0_45
(a.k.a. Java 6 Update 45). Windows users installing VASSAL with the
Windows installer will be prompted to update Java if what they have is
older than 1.6.0_45. After upgrading Java on Windows, you must restart
your computer in order for Java programs to work properly.

If you've installed Java 7 on Windows and thereafter VASSAL fails to
launch: The Java 7 installer does not uninstall Java 6, and having both
installed simultaneously prevents both from working properly. Therefore,
check whether you also still have Java 6 installed. If so, removing Java
6 and rebooting will most likely solve your problem.

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Help us test
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Should you find any problems/oddities/bugs, please tell us so that we can
fix them for a future release of VASSAL.

Report bugs here in the Technical Support & Bugs category at the VASSAL
forums:

http://www.vassalengine.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=3

or by email to bu...@va....

Cheers,

The VASSAL Team
-- 
J.