Caïssa Board
Database update
To achieve this, I've introduced a version number which is zero now and will start at 1 as of the next update. By going from 0 to 1, your game data will be converted. Unfortunately, if your data is very old (if you've let several versions of Caissa Board go by without updating it) the conversion will fail.
You therefore have two solutions: the first is to delete all your old games from the Documents/My Games/Caïssa Board folder, and the second is to update Caïssa Board now and launch it. After the next update, it will be too late and you'll have to delete your old games.
From now on, all game databases will have a version number, and this situation should not happen again.
The Database Update is on the unstable Channel
Although this update shouldn't set your game databases on fire, I'd still recommend making a backup of your data before proceeding (the folder is in Documents/My Games/Caïssa Board).
Stability Update
Fixed an issue where Lichess games were not opened automatically.
Improvements for the challenges screen.
Update Notes and Games In Progress
The games in progress are now displayed correctly.
The chess engines are now displayed with their name and level.
Players List Update
When a variant is changed, the players list is now reset and the engines that cannot play that variant are removed.
Dedicated Servers, New Positions and Chess Engine Settings
Stockfish 16.1 has been added to the chess engines.
Current positions have been added to the database. Endgame and other positions have been added, so you can now practice knight and bishop checkmate or Philidor's position!
You'll only be able to benefit from these by default if you reset your database. It's easy enough: just delete the caissa-board.sqlite file from your "Documents/My Games/Caïssa Board/Game Files" folder, then relaunch Caïssa Board. However, if you do so, you'll lose the game databases you've created. You can recover them by recreating them again, as long as the corresponding files still exist in the folder (you can also save them, recreate them and copy them later). In the future I'll provide options for an easier recovery.
In the version created with Unity, it was possible to set chess engine parameters. This is now also possible in this version. Settings are sent to the chess engine at the start of the game. It's not yet possible to reset them, so be careful if you're not familiar with them. Some parameters, such as "Protocol", should never be changed.
If you're only looking to modify the parameters to set the chess engine's strength, you can do so with a separate option (bottom of image). It has been initialized for UCI engines and is quite simple to use: just indicate the Elo level you want.
Fixed an issue where the chessboard was not reset after a game and when switching to analysis.
With this update, I'm continuing to consolidate the single player mode, before returning to the development of the multiplayer mode.
Stability Update
Made takeback moves unavailable on Lichess, they were meaningless and would only display an incorrect position.
F5 key can now hide UI (as per the Unity version)
Camera Fix
Bug fixes
The Play Online option has been removed as it could cause confusion.
3 Years Anniversary Update
In this release I have focused on the User Interface and the Multiplayer Mode. You can now host games online and even launch a dedicated server built for Windows or Linux!
User Interface
The User Interface needed some work, so I went and redesigned most of it. The menus are now easier to understand.
Multiplayer
As I was ahead of my schedule, I've spent a couple weeks to see if I could make Linux and the multiplayer mode work. After much struggle I could finally succeed with both! This version is very basic, you can pick a side, choose a chess variant and start a game. The bells and whistles will come later.
While the dedicated servers are ready on my side, there is an issue with Steam which makes them unavailable right now. I'm working with them to fix it and in the meantime you can still host multiplayer games from your computer.
Linux
I have successfully packaged Caïssa Board for Linux! What's left to do are minor details such as installing the right chess engines. The dedicated server works already for Linux and will be available as soon as Steam unlocks it.
Bugs
Unfortunately, in order to make the multiplayer work, I had to break about everything in the game. While I have fixed the most obvious errors, you might see the game crashing on less used features. Don't hesitate to tell me if you experience any bug or crash.
Future
Before going further with the multiplayer mode, I want to stabilize the single player mode a bit more. Once done I can work on the Linux version and then expand the multiplayer mode.