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Release 0.8.7

Version 8 Stable

June 15, 2021

Foundry Virtual Tabletop - Version 0.8.7 Update Notes

Release Notes for the Foundry Virtual Tabletop 0.8.7 update version
Welcome to the Foundry Virtual Tabletop update notes for Release version 0.8.7.

Hello Foundry Virtual Tabletop community! We are excited to release Foundry Virtual Tabletop version 0.8.7 as a subsequent stable release in the version 8 series of updates. Our focus in version 0.8.7 was to resolve bugs that have been reported since the 0.8.6 release and to continue polishing the feature set of this major version to be more user friendly.

WARNING: Version 0.8.7 is labeled as a stable release, but there is always the possibility of unexpected bugs or module compatibility issues. We do not recommend updating immediately prior to a game session unless you are confident in your own ability to troubleshoot any issues that arise.

Update Overview

In addition to bug fixes and minor UX improvements, there are two significant features included in this release.

User Passwords

Firstly, in response to well-reasoned feedback provided by the community we have switched from a mechanism of informal "access keys" used to control player access to game sessions to a system of hashed passwords which provide a stronger level of security for allowing players to join an active game. When an existing World is first loaded in 0.8.7, the old player access keys will be replaced with hashed and salted passwords. The base value of that password remains the same, so your old access keys will continue to work unless you choose to change them.

We recognize that this increase in security is offset by some reduction in convenience for Gamemaster users. We will be looking into methods in the future to make it easier for GMs to log in as a player account for testing without needing to provide the User's password as well as a new interface allowing Users to manage their own password without requiring the Gamemaster to set it up on their behalf. These changes were too sweeping to be included in 0.8.7, but will be part of our prioritization for version 9.

Audio/Video Conferencing

Secondly, due to incompatibilities of the EasyRTC library with other key dependencies used by Foundry Virtual Tabletop we have needed to redesign the default Audio/Video chat solution to instead use an alternative WebRTC framework called simple-peer. Like easyrtc before it, simple-peer relies on direct peer-to-peer connections to establish audio and video conferencing, but it does so without the reliance on a built-in signaling server. Instead we re-use the existing web socket infrastructure that Foundry VTT already provides to provide basic signaling services that help you establish A/V connection with your fellow users.

This change restores Audio/Video conferencing to working order and we have seen good performance of this solution in our internal testing. Since this solution uses a new mechanism for managing A/V connectivity there is likely to be a stabilization period during which we will prioritize continued fixes and improvements in response to community feedback. Thanks to bekit#4213 for proposing simple-peer as a potential easyrtc replacement and providing a helpful proof-of-concept to illustrate the design.

Breaking Changes

Architecture & Infrastructure

New Features

Architecture & Infrastructure

Interface and Applications

Dice System

UI and UX

Other Changes

Bug Fixes

Architecture & Infrastructure

Documents and Data

The Game Canvas

Interface and Applications

Dice System

UI and UX

Other Changes

API and Documentation Improvements

Documents and Data

The Game Canvas

Interface and Applications

Documentation