This is just the start of the integration. We believe that community-run repositories are critical to the longevity of projects like TaleSpire, and, as such, we aim to make a specification so that anyone can make their mod repository browseable natively inside TaleSpire if they so choose.
We'll keep you posted as that develops.
Next up on the road to modding: Creatures!
Have fun folks.
TaleSpire Patch Release - Linux out of box experience
We have had Linux support via Proton for a long time, and it's been almost ideal. The one problem has been that talespire:// URLs did not work unless you did a bunch of hackery to set them up yourselves[0].
This release fixes that.
While testing on all distros and window-manager combinations is not practical, we have done basic testing on Gnome, KDE, and Cinnamon desktop environments across Ubuntu, an Ubuntu derivative, Fedora, and Manjaro.
If you are installing for the first time, the URLs should now just work. For those who are updating an existing install of TaleSpire, you may need to "verify files" for the fix to apply.
If you still have issues after this patch, please file a ticket on our bug report page, and we'll see what can be done.
Cross-platform play is something we love. We are delighted to be knocking down one more barrier that was getting between you and your games.
Next stop, the slab-browser release!
See you then.
[0] The Linux bods out there are probably saying, "You just need a .desktop file," and yes, that was part of it. But some edge cases introduced by wine/photon make it a little less trivial.
Early Access Content Pack 26: Guns, Glass, and Gas
Hello again from the TaleSpire team!
This week, we have a new offering for you. Whether you're gearing up for a night on the town or coming home to refuel on some home-cooked meals, this pack has you covered.
Expansions to the Facility set: Weapon Racks: Kitchen Appliances:
This pack contains:
5 Facility Expansion tiles (including two sliding doors)
4 Locker types (all openable)
2 Wall Shelves
3 Weapon Racks
Astronaut helmet prop
Astronaut boots prop
5 Kitchen appliance props (Fridge opens)
Thank you so much for your continued support of the project!
BUILD-ID: 12427900 - Download Size: Win 50.2 MB / Mac OS 53.4 MB
Scheduling TaleSpire downtime for maintenance
Hi folks.
Tomorrow at 11:15 a.m. UTC, we will be performing a database migration for which we are scheduling two hours of maintenance.
We've been improving many things in the backend, and it's time for the database to get similar attention. This will set us up nicely for the improvements we have planned going forward.
Thanks everyone!
In-game Slab-Browser is now in Beta
With the Symbiotes feature, we added the community mod browser. Today, we extend it to enable not only finding and importing slabs but also publishing them to the world directly from inside TaleSpire.
Be sure to read the “Critical Warnings” section before joining the Beta.
Finding and spawning slabs
Simply open up the community mod browser, pick the slabs category, and click on any slab you like. There isn’t much there yet, but that will change pretty soon!
Publishing slabs
And the reason it’s going to change pretty soon is that it is now even easier to share your creations. All you need is an account with mod.io
In this one-minute video, you can see the whole process, from selecting the slab, publishing it, and finally controlling its visibility via the edit tool. Please see the guide, as it has instructions on how to authenticate TaleSpire with our official repository so you can start uploading.
Another little addition
Also, in this Beta, you can now hover over entries in the mod browser to see a little more info. This hover pane is something we are trying out here but would like to use in more places (the unique creature panel feels like a great place to experiment).
And next, more modding!
We are very excited to be making slabs more accessible in TaleSpire. We expect the Beta to run for one week, at which point it will ship to everyone.
As with each new part of TaleSpire, this is a foundation. As of today, we only have the official slab repository browsable in-game. But making this has given us a clear view of what we need to do to let community slab sites hook in and be browsable in-game, too.
As we have just mentioned the community mod sites, it feels like a good time to state that we do not see our slab repository as any kind of replacement for the work that the folks at talestavern, talesbazaar, and others have done. We believe that community-run repositories are critical to the longevity of projects like TaleSpire, and, as outlined above, we want to make a specification so that anyone can make their mod repository browseable natively inside TaleSpire if they so choose.
Between HeroForge, Symbiotes, and slabs, we are ready to apply all this experience to our next big modding milestone: creature mods.
We hope you enjoy the Beta. We’ll see you in the bug reports!
Early Access Content Pack 25: Grim Decor
Hello again!
While we're still working on the next two Content Packs (MegaDungeon and Modern/Sci-fi), we wanted to put something together for our annual Spooky-themed content pack for October. This year, we're offering something folks have requested: Splatters and Bodies!
This content pack contains a variety of splattery goodness you can decorate those haunted houses, messy laboratories, or deathtrap dungeons with.
Along with some new props for those who've met an unfortunate end while delving too deep into dangerous places!
Content Pack Contains:
6 bodies
18 splats & pools of varied colors
Thank you all for your continued support - stay tuned for the next Content Packs coming soon!
BUILD-ID: 12366326 - Download Size: Win 49.7 MB / Mac OS 52.9 MB
Input patch
This patch provides a proper fix for the input issue we bodged a fix for the other week.
It's not much of a release, but keep an eye out. We have a beta for in-game slab publishing coming in the next few days!
Temporary bug workaround patch
We have put out a temporary workaround to a bug that we strongly believe is in the Unity input system.
The way it manifests is that specific overlapping keyboard shortcuts are triggering at the wrong time. For example, we use "x" as the modifier to start a box selection, and we use "Ctrl-x" for the "cut" action. Due to the bug, performing a cut causes the selection tool to get stuck enabled.
Ironically, the feature that causes the issue is the switch in Unity's input system that was meant to prevent conflicts with overlapping key bindings.
This patch temporarily turns off that feature on Windows to give us a little time to make a proper fix. We've left it on for Mac users as there it is required to get the correct behavior for the standard Mac undo/redo shortcuts.
Back soon with more
Our thoughts on the Unity Runtime Fee
On the 12th of September, Unity (the engine we use to make TaleSpire) announced that they'd soon be taking a fee from developers for every copy of the game installed over a certain threshold - regardless of how that copy was obtained, and despite them having no reliable way to ascertain the number of installs. This is our response to that announcement.
Like so many of you, we have been watching the Unity "Runtime Fee" situation unfold with confusion, disappointment, and disgust.
To be clear, we are not immediately affected, and TaleSpire is not going anywhere. However, this is not why we, like many in the community, are angry.
As others have perfectly elucidated, the fact that Unity would even attempt this makes them an actor that, as it stands, cannot be trusted.
We sincerely hope that Unity, at a bare minimum, rolls back these changes and puts TOS protections in place. However, it remains hard to see how the community can move forward without Unity removing the people who championed this debacle.
Despite us having used Unity since 2009, we will be keeping an eye on alternate technologies to ensure our longer-term future. In the short term, we are treating code that ties us closer to Unity as a potential risk and will manage that risk accordingly.
This is the second time this year that a massive player in our space has attempted to wield legal changes to bring a thriving community to heel. It is tough to see how divorced the heads of these behemoths have become from the simple joys of making and storytelling that their companies were ostensibly born to facilitate.
It serves us all to remind them that the systems serve the people, not the other way around.
