Modding functionality allowing scripts to be uploaded and played worldwide in cloud games (in a secure fashion).(while still keeping classic modes intact) New online-centric play mode with secure cloud based servers, squads, matchmaking, ranked multiplayer, etc.Significant progress has already been made on some of these goals (cloud server code, net play code) but it has been set aside for the moment in the interest of getting 1.5 out the door. Once 1.9 has stabilized, the focus will shift to 2.0, which introduces big user-facing changes built on this new foundation. Any modders holding off on upgrading from 1.4 might find this to be a good time to jump in whole-heartedly. In general, the API should be decently stabilized for modding purposes at this point.Miscellaneous other API cleanup and simplification.Hopefully a proper UI API (classes instead of giant ugly monolithic functions).Finish adding type safety to the places where it is still missing, including node attributes, custom mini-game classes, game configs, custom player data, resources, etc.Finish separating the ba and bastd packages to give modders a much cleaner, more organized system to work with.This version can complete much of the modernization work started in 1.5 in order to stabilize the APIs and prepare for the 2.0 release.
to the game for a while to keep the install size small, but this will no longer be an issue after this release as things can be downloaded dynamically. I've been somewhat avoiding adding new maps/characters/etc.
These accounts include much better security and a new option to create an account using an email and password which can be used on all platforms.
V2 Accounts was necessary in order to implement Workspaces, which was needed to replace user-storage-based modding in Android which has become largely impossible in recent versions of Android due to increased security. Originally this version was intended to include the new dependency system, but along the way I have been adding V2 Accounts (originally slated for 1.9/2.0) and Workspaces and I think it makes sense to cut a specific release containing just those changes.
This is intended to replace the 'Google Play' connection option which was recently discontinued and should allow friends to easily play together online while 2.0 is still in development.
You are also more than welcome to port your mods to work with 1.5, though I expect that APIs will still be shifting around significantly until 1.8, so you need to be prepared for this if you choose to do start porting now. Note that if you are a mod developer, you may want to instruct your players to freeze their installations and avoid updating to 1.5 for now so that your mods continue to work. Later versions (namely 1.8) will focus on the remaining script layer reorganization. Though some of the script layer refactoring is still incomplete and there are a number of rough edges, things should be 'frozen' for now and made shippable, simply to remove the ongoing burden of maintaining parallel 1.4 and 1.5 branches.Transitioning all existing BombSquad 1.4 functionality to the Ballistica codebase, and squishing the inevitable resulting bugs.Note: versions listed here are for the Ballistica engine, but there will be corresponding BombSquad releases for each.