Dawnsbury Days 4.24 (performance update)

This update makes a number of deeper changes to the rules engine and some core game systems, including multithreading.

The purpose of these updates is to improve performance. On my computer, the update reduces the "time to main menu" significantly (base game 3,4s -> 2.3s; heavily modded 8,1s -> 5,2s).

The update also improves performance in-game which should be especially visible when using group movement on larger maps such as those in the Good Little Children Never Grow Up expansion. You should no longer notice any stutter or have any need to wait during any such movement if you speed through it.

However, it's possible these optimizations introduce issues. If you notice any new bug, please report it, either here, or using any normal channel (bug report thread, dawnsbury@gmail.com, Discord, ...)!

Most likely, this update doesn't actually mean much for you because if you have a strong computer, Dawnsbury Days probably already ran at 60 FPS constantly for you and so you might not even notice, but I have recently been inspired by a YouTube video and wanted to see if I could do some performance improvements for the sake of the craft ❤️.

There is still more to be done, of course, and I'll try to keep performance in mind a bit more going forward.

Full patch notes follow.

Character content:

• New items: elven branched spear

Steam:

• RemovedAchievementsRemoved the achievements "Save or suck" and "Wait a moment while I get ready...". (Reasoning: You collected these achievements if you inflicted three or more debuffs on an enemy, or three or more buffs on yourself. The achievements were originally created for a much smaller Dawnsbury Days when it came out two years ago. Since then, many new effects have been added and have not always been properly categorized as buffs or debuffs. Further, the fact that the game checked you inflicted a debuff or granted a buff for whether the achievement conditions might not be met had an impact on performance. Given the low importance of these two achievements, I decided to retire them instead of categorizing the newer effects and optimizing performance of this check.)
• RemovedAchievementsRemoved the achievement "Mid-combat surprise round." (Reasoning: For most players, the achievement triggered accidentally in special encounters where, e.g. there are momentarily no enemies on the battlefield. Also, the achievement requires the player to take actions specifically for the purpose of triggering the achievements, which don't make all that much sense to do otherwise. Finally, there are now very many other achievements available, and there will be more still with the Four-Leaf Clover so a weaker achievement such as this can be removed.)

Performance:

• AdjustedPerformanceGreatly improved performance of the rules engine (average execution time per turn 26,8ms -> 13,8ms, per encounter 1068ms->577ms).
• AdjustedPerformanceGreatly reduced time until first draw for modded games (1,1s -> 0,7s).
• AdjustedPerformanceGreatly reduced startup time until main menu (base game 3,4s -> 2.3s; heavily modded 8,1s -> 5,2s).
• AdjustedPerformanceGreatly reduced the momentary stutter when you first click "Story mode" from the main menu.

• Audio: Dawnsbury Days now loads each sound effect only once instead of reloading it from hard disk each time it needs to be played. This eliminates the small gap between trigger and the time sound effect starts to play.

Performance optimization details:

• Performance (+1,2% performance boost to average low-level gameplay): Retired the achievements "Save or suck" and "Wait a moment while I get ready..."

• AddedPerformance (+16,7% performance boost to average low-level gameplay)A creature's actual reach is now cached until the creature wields a new weapon, stops wielding an existing weapon, until it acquires a new unarmed attack, until its basic unarmed attack changes, until it changes its grip, or until the next state-check or end of state-check, whichever comes the first.

• Performance (+2,9% performance boost to average low-level gameplay): Sound effects now play on a separate thread and don't block the rules engine. Thus, if a sound effect plays in the middle of a complex rules operation (such as opening a door or casting a wide-affecting spell), it will no longer contribute to any stutter during that operation.

• Performance (average execution time per turn 26,8ms -> 13,8ms): Stopped regenerating possibilites for all creatures at state-check. Instead, the OFFENSE stat block is generated from QEffects the first time it's viewed on each state-check. Steam post image

• Performance (modded startup time -406ms): Moved download of Steam dependencies onto a background thread.

• Performance (non-measured boost): Tiles that have never had a TileQEffect are no longer considered during a state-check, so that large empty maps don't cause slowdowns just from being large.

• Performance (startup time -100ms; modded startup time -1540ms): Custom portraits are now cached on disk, so they don't have to be reframed each time. The first load after you subscribe to a portrait mod is now a few milliseconds slower from the disk operations, but all subsequents game loads will be much faster, because the game will be able to load the cached portraits on a separate thread.

• Performance (startup time -1240ms; modded startup time -1960ms): Maps are now loaded more efficiently, such that every map and every tileset is loaded once only. Steam post image

• RemovedPerformance (startup time -30ms)Removed obsolete Newtonsoft.Json initialization.
• RemovedPerformanceRemoved the stutter when you first click Story mode by moving Dawnsbury Days main adventure path initialization into the startup sequence itself.

Rules fidelity:

• FixedClasses (Sorcerer)Fixed that the Infernal and Fire Elemental bloodlines didn't give you bonus fire damage to non-fire granted spells that you cast.

• Spells (Deflect Critical Hit): The spell is now also on the primal spell list. (Reasoning: The spell is reflavoring of Wooden Double, a primal spell. The reflavored spell doesn't really fit in the primal spell list aesthetically, but in this case, I think the ability of players to recreate their tabletop characters trumps the failure of aesthetics in allowing a force field spell on the primal spell list.)

User interface:

• Feats (Shield Block): The rules block for the Shield Block action now tells you what shield that action would raise if you wield two of them.

• AddedItems (aeon stone of cheating death)Now uses new reactions feature.

• Rules (precision damage): Damage blocks will now always display ignored precision damage in case the target has precision damage immunity.

• AddedSpells (Bard's Ode to Ouroboros)Now uses new reactions feature.
• AddedSpells (Blinding Fury)Now uses new reactions feature.
• AddedSpells (Blood Vendetta)Now uses new reactions feature.
• AddedSpells (Breath of Life)Now uses new reactions feature.
• AddedSpells (Shadow Projectile)Now uses new reactions feature.
• AddedSpells (Sorcerer's Arcane Countermeasure)Now uses new reactions feature.
• AddedSpells (Unexpected Transposition)Now uses new reactions feature.
• AddedSpells (domain spell Disperse into Air)Now uses new reactions feature.
• AdjustedTextImproved display in some areas by using crossed-out text, e.g. for replaced spell slots or inactive property runes.
• AddedUser interfaceIn the new reaction popup, if you are able to use a bonus reaction, you will now get that information in the popup.
• AdjustedUser interfaceReduced the amount of superfluous text in the OFFENSE stat block and made it more in line with how the block looks in tabletop rulebooks.

Modding:

• Modding (breaking!): Dawnsbury Days no longer regenerates possibilities at each state-check. Each time you want to make use of possibilities, you must first call [c]Creature.RegeneratePossibilities()[/c] yourself. This was a good idea before anyway, but now it's required.

• AddedModding ( breaking! )Only main-section possibilities are now shown in the OFFENSE block. Actions generated into other sections, such as skill actions and contextual actions, are no longer placed in the OFFENSE block of a statblock, even if they're not Basic. Use the new [c]QEffect.AddToOffenseBlock[/c] instead.
• AddedModding ( reversal! )In the new reaction popup, the method [c].IsReaction()[/c], if it's used after choosing traits, will now also add the text " (using bonus reaction)" as appropriate to the button caption.
• AdjustedArtUpdated the default ring for custom portraits to be a custom-made golden ring instead of the stock ring used before. The new ring is a bit smaller, and fits more of the art.
• AdjustedModdingIncreased the maximum number of Steam mods one can have installed from 150 to 200.
• AddedModdingNew method: [c]Bloodline.WithBloodMagic(string bloodMagicDescription, Action ? onFriendlyRoundEffect, Action ? onEnemyRoundEffect, Action ? onBloodMagicPermanentEffect)[/c] for more complex Sorcerer bloodline blood magic effects.
• AddedModdingNew property: [c]QEffect.AddToDefenseBlock[/c].
• AddedModdingNew property: [c]QEffect.AddToOffenseBlock[/c].
• AddedModdingNew property: [c]QEffect.AfterYouTakeDamageReaction[/c] for collecting reactions in response to a creature having taken damage.
• AddedModdingNew property: [c]QEffect.PreventDeathDueToDyingReaction[/c] for collecting reactions in response to a creature about die.
• AddedModdingNew property: [c]QEffect.YouBeginActionReaction[/c] for collecting reactions in response to an action starting.

• Modding: You may now use [c]{strike}crossed-out text{/strike}[/c] to draw crossed-out text.

• AddedPerformanceAdded an instruction to Steam Workshop Uploaded to ask modders to use Release mode for .dll files. Modders, please consider uploading your .dll files in Release mode from now on to further boost Dawnsbury Days performance, especially for users with heavily modded games.

Bugfixes:

• FixedCharacter libraryFixed that if you imported your characters from a save file, then aborted the game before making any more changes to the character library, the import wouldn't be saved.
• FixedClasses (Kineticist)Fixed that Weapon Infusion still didn't make the elemental blast melee when it's used across two squares diagonally, despite what I claimed in the previous patch notes. (Thank you for reporting this again!)
• FixedClasses (Magus)Fixed that the Sparkling Targe magus didn't prevent extra damage from magical natural weapons such as the lantern archon's light ray.
• FixedClasses (Magus)Fixed that the Starlit Span magus spell Shooting Star didn't reduce cover for the initial Strike, only subsequent Strikes.
• FixedClasses (Oracle)Fixed that the major life curse crashed the rules engine when you cast a spell that cost 2 or more actions.
• FixedClasses (Oracle)Fixed that the major life curse didn't apply to spells with variable number of actions.
• FixedCrashFixed that the game sometimes crashed on startup on operating systems with different locale configurations.
• FixedMap editorFixed that the map editor crashed the game if you navigated to a folder to which you didn't have enough permissions.
• FixedSpells (Black Tentacles)Fixed that Black Tentacles actions sometimes used incorrect spellcasting modifier if you had spells from multiple sources.
• AddedSpells (Spiritual Weapon)Fixed that Spiritual Weapon sometimes added damage from the incorrect spellcasting modifier if you had spells from multiple sources.
• FixedTextFixed issues in some stat blocks and texts.
• FixedUser interfaceFixed that text sometimes overflowed the reaction buttons in the reaction popup on resolutions other than 2560x1440.

• User interface: Nerfed the magical aura around Saffi's mace in the main menu background on resolutions other than 2560x1440 so that it doesn't appear huge.

Four-Leaf Clover:

• FixedEncounters (S10E6)Fixed that there was an apparent extra false door in the irivyrn's room.