Release 11.299

Necessary for improvements to our compendium packs and future stability and architecture improvements, Version 11 introduces LevelDB as a replacement for our previous NeDB database engine. LevelDB uses a similar data infrastructure as our previous database engine, making it easy to slot in as a replacement without requiring our development community to adapt in drastic ways. LevelDB Database files are also binary encoded, allowing for a much more robust data storage method with less likelihood of issues caused by manual editing. Overall, the new Database engine provides:

• Improved performance and stability for data storage operations.
• Ability to make specific granular changes without the need to rewrite an entire entry.
• Increased speed of bulk database operations.
• Capability to selectively update "grandchild" embedded documents.
• Enhanced search features thanks to improved compendium indexing.
• More room for future improvements in database performance and architecture.

Reworking the database engine also provided some great opportunities for us to refactor some of our more complicated architecture- specifically with regard to Synthetic (unlinked) Tokens. We're pleased to say that thanks to this refactor, operations which alter Synthetic Tokens are much more standardized and in line with data handling for linked Tokens. Long-running issues which made working with unlinked tokens tricky for our development community should now be a thing of the past!

For our users which require ability to directly edit entries in these database files, we are in process of creating a new suite of command-line tools to allow for unpacking, editing, and repacking existing database files.

Version 11 brings the first steps in an overhaul of the user interface. We've revitalized our main setup menu and world launch views to provide a more sleek appearance, with streamlined options allowing users to see their worlds, game systems, and add-on modules in a variety of different ways. The new setup menu supports ability to swap between a few new themes we have provided, allowing users to customize the way their setup screen looks. In addition, users can pin their favourite packages to the top of the list for quick and convenient access.

We've improved the UI inside launched worlds: using the tooltips framework we first established in Version 10, we've added helpful instructional videos we're calling "Toolclips" to the canvas tools, allowing users to easily see small tutorials on how to use those tools.

Last but not least, we touched on a lot of different parts of the in-world UX and UI experience bringing some notable changes: The rich text editor now supports a GUI option to add tables to your Journal entries, and we've added a feature which uses the improved indexing and search features provided by our new database engine to quickly search for selected text, offering related Documents that match so you can quickly link to them when using rich text fields.

For this version, our Patreon subscribers voted that we should prioritize Compendium pack updates. One of our most anticipated and requested features, our publishing partners will be pleased to know that we now support deeper organization of compendia using folders, allowing documents and folders of documents to be dragged and dropped between the sidebar and compendium packs.

We've also standardized the UI of the compendium sidebar tab, extending folder support and adding new options for filtering, as well as a clean new UI that adds an image background to each compendium. Users can not only set up folders for their compendiums now, but can also change how their compendiums are sorted. In addition, new options for filtering and managing visibility allow GMs to have a more granular amount of control over which compendium packs are visible.

In addition to the usual swath of API improvements and changes that come with every version, we brushed up the tools for our development community during the V11 development cycle, adding some very key new features. The handling of package relationships saw some improvements related to both installation and management of dependencies, we extended the canvas API granting access to a lot of canvas options (such as Pointsource elevation levels) and Modules may now define subtypes of Documents.

Additionally, we've made some improvements for module creators in terms of tooling- the new HotReload feature allows you to work on your content without having to constantly reload to see changes. Modules may now define a "persistent storage" folder which will not be erased when the module is updated. We've also extended adventure compendium tooling to allow for users to easily configure granular imports, and the new Module Maker is designed to help addon creators more easily package their modules for distribution.

We've made a lot of more subtle improvements to scene features and the canvas that might be easy to miss. In some cases these are simple quality-of-life improvements- for example: resizing a scene now also attempts to re-position any Tokens, Templates, Tiles, Light Sources, Walls, Sounds, Notes, and any other canvas objects that have been placed.

There've also been some significant optimizations for our canvas. As part of efforts to improve the way the canvas is rendered, we're now using PIXI 7, which has made it possible in conjunction with our new database engine to optimize our fog of war handling even further. Between that and the introduction of Webworkers for some canvas rendering uses, we're proud to say that your scenes should be running faster and smoother than ever before. These improvements benefit not only top-shelf computers, but also those users whose machines are a little more modest.

We also introduced a few little perks that people might like; Doors can now have a sound set associated with them, which changes the sound which occurs when they're opened, closed, or locked. In addition, we added new light source animation options:

• Siren - A light designed to mimic the rapid rotation of emergency lights, with ability to adjust its angle.
• Rotation - a tight 180-degree light source created to provide a feeling like the slower rotating of a particular alarm light.

Last, but certainly not least, Version 11 allows us to introduce Proximity Walls- a new wall type which can only be seen through when a token is within a certain range of it. These may also be inverted to allow for walls that can only be seen through if a token is not within that radius. Proximity walls provide a great way to represent windows, small ledges, pits or cover. We feel that this feature really rounds out the existing options for walls, and we hope everyone enjoys making use of them in their games!