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Release 0.8.1

Version 8 Development

March 27, 2021

Foundry Virtual Tabletop - Version 0.8.1 Update Notes

Release Notes for the Foundry Virtual Tabletop 0.8.1 version
Welcome to the Foundry Virtual Tabletop update notes for Release version 0.8.1.

Hello everyone, I am excited to introduce the next alpha channel release of the new 0.8.x series of development for Foundry Virtual Tabletop. This update brings a wide variety of changes to the audio and dice systems and I am very pleased with its current state. I am confident that the community will enjoy the new audio features and that the development community will be pleased with the changes to the Dice API.

WARNING: Updates on the alpha channel involve major new features which are likely to introduce unforeseen bugs, breakages to existing game systems or modules, or other problems which will be disruptive to the usage of the software. Do not install this update unless you are doing so for the specific purposes of testing. The purpose of Alpha channel builds are to allow new experimental features to be tested and to help developers to begin the process of updating packages which are impacted by these changes. If you chose to update to this version you expose yourself to serious risk of having a bad experience. Please take this warning to heart.

If you choose to install the Alpha 0.8.1 update - and are currently using 0.7.9 or earlier - you must perform a fresh installation of the software. Because of some of the infrastructure changes it is only possible to update to this version from within the Foundry VTT application if you are already using 0.8.0. As always, before any significant update:

Be certain to carefully back up any critical user data before installing this update.

This update focuses on major improvements to the audio system in Foundry Virtual Tabletop, one of the three major themes of the 0.8.x update sequence. This update completely redesigns the way Foundry handles audio playlists and ambient audio sources on the canvas, bringing many new and exciting features to those systems including: setting fade durations, an enhanced control interface for audio, bulk audio importing, the ability to temporarily disable ambient audio sources, a new way of defining ambient audio (and also ambient lighting) to only be active between certain darkness levels, and a new audio API that is much more robust.

In addition to big changes for audio, this update also includes some pretty major improvements to the data structures underlying the Dice rolling system. The parsing logic for translating dice equations into executable rolls has been redesigned using a more comprehensive and reliable approach which will enable system and module developers to carry their dice rolling automation to even greater heights. Additionally, this update adds the opportunity to support asynchronous dice rolling, allowing Foundry VTT to integrate with external dice rolling services or hardware devices.

Update Overview

The major themes which are central to this update version are briefly summarized as follows:

  1. The audio library previously used by Foundry VTT (Howler) has been replaced in favor of a newly developed custom implementation relying directly upon the Web Audio API (https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Audio_API). This new approach solves a variety of audio-related issues while providing the opportunity to add many new improvements.
  2. The dice parser previously used by Foundry VTT had several edge-case issues which resulted in a less than stellar user experience for some users. It has now been refactored in a much more elegant way and should no longer have these issues.
  3. In addition to the new dice parser, support has been brought in for asynchronous dice rolling, allowing developers to wait for input from outside sources in order to deliver dice results. This feature will replace the current synchronous rolling system over the course of the next major version (0.9.x), so developers are encouraged to migrate to it over time.
  4. As part of the Ambient audio overhaul changes, Ambient light sources can now also be set up to only activate during certain darkness levels, allowing audio sources and lights to only turn on when it is bright, dark, or anywhere in between.
  5. The audio playlist sidebar tab has undergone significant UI enhancements and now supports folders for better organization. It has also been significantly de-cluttered for a better overall appearance.
  6. A new UI feature brings "Currently Playing" to the sidebar tab, keeping all tracks you might have playing or paused at the top of the sidebar for convenient handling.

Breaking Changes

Documents and Data

The Game Canvas

Interface and Applications

Dice System

Other Changes

New Features

Architecture and Infrastructure

Documents and Data

The Game Canvas

Interface and Applications

Dice System

Documentation

Other Features

API Improvements

Documents and Data

Interface and Applications

Dice System

Documentation

Localization Improvements

Bug Fixes

Documents and Data

The Game Canvas

Interface and Applications

Dice System

Documentation

Other Fixes