Incoming update -> Version 1.2.0 has arrived!
about 3 years ago – Thu, Feb 16, 2023 at 05:54:49 AM

Hello there, Time Travellers!

Oh, you say we had a "Valentine's day date" planned????

Well, the God of Time did some tricks on us, but better late than never!

After all, It's only been around 2 weeks since the last update, a 2 day delay isn't much ;)

Without further ado, here's the promised update!! Please, sit back and relax as we go over what's new in Version 1.2.0.

1.- New Medieval Fort & Market Environments!!

The Medieval Fort and Medieval Market environments are finally avaliable! One of the many stretch goals we unlocked thanks to you :)

We can't wait to see what new maps you create with these assets! The best of them will be on our RRSS... because you deserve it! :D

2.- Get ready for video export!

You can finally export your creations to .mp4 and .webm formats.

Additionally, you can choose the webm video option when exporting to Foundry VTT!

3.- UI Overhaul

We've slowly been changing the UI to better fit our new direction in favour of a more user-friendly experience. This update comes fully packed with some very notable changes that we hope you enjoy!

For starters, we changed the "Community" menu and went for a look that's more consistent with the rest of the UI. We removed the "favourite" option to simplify things and changed all mentions of "Subscribe" to "Save" to better explain how the system worked.

You can also load up a map in a single click now, whereas previously you needed to be subscribed first to see the "load" button.

We are planning some more changes for the entire online system but those will have to wait a bit longer. ;)

Outside of that, we changed multiple other things from the in-game UI:

- Smaller Icons and consistant size across all other menus: We feel the "General options" and "Hide menu" buttons were a tad bit too big so we went ahead and changes those to free up some space in your screen. 

- Simplified quick palette: We decided to hide the "Remove item" button from the Quick Palette slots whenever they dont have any item assigned. Simple, right? We did a whole lot more with the Quick Palette, but you'll read about it later!.  

- Folder menu and Custom folders: Custom folders now have a blue tint in their name to stand apart. The "Add folder" and "Remove folder" buttons have also relocated to free up some space and you'll only get to see the "Remove folder" button whenever you have selected a custom folder. Oh! The folder menu has also changed in size to fit 5 entries in view at all times.  

4.- Quality of life changes

Continuing with the changes from the last update, we bring you a lot of features that will make your life simpler! These are the kind of things you don't really notice are there but it truly feels like night and day if you go back to an older version of CB (Errrr...let's not talk about the past tho).

Here's a run-down of some of the most important quality of life changes! 

- You now get to see what you are dragging!: Ok, let me explain! From now on, whenever you drag an item over the ui or outside the grid section, you'll see its icon right under your mouse. This on its own is pretty handy, but wait til you hear about how it interacts with some of the other changes!! 

- Custom folders and custom assets: This is a underutilized feature with a lot of potential and we decided it was probably due to how unintuitive it was. In order to fix this we added tooltips wherever it was possible. There's also a feedback animation to let you know you can drop the asset if you wish to add it to the selected folder. What do you think? 

- Quick Palette: This UI element also makes use of the same feedback animation mentioned above. Lets keep it consistent! 

- Remove Item Button: Both the quick Palette and custom folders will also make use of this greyout highlight to let you know exactly what you are about to delete. 

- Better Tutorials: We updated them to reflect the most recent changes and new tools that have been added since release. This felt like a "Must-have" to help ease new players into map making! We are considering to add video demos showcasing the functionality of each tool but that was outside the scope of this update. Let us know if that's something you'd like to see!

5.- Performance Improvements

As we promised in the last update, we bring you some more performance improvements that will be specially felt when switching from tool menus, specially the props, structure and autobuilder tool.

We also noticed some stutters while going through the tutorials. Those should be gone now.

Hooray for a smoother experience!!!

6.- What's next?

The current plan is to release a big update a month from now, including new environments and some long needed changes, such as: multi-item support in the tweaks menu, the option to allow/block editing of your online maps, autobuilder improvements and more!

A lot of things can happen in a month but worry not, you'll hear from us way before that! We are sticking to our plan to release a status update every 2 weeks, so see you around the end of February for another Kickstarter update where we'll talk more in depth about what's coming!

7.- Shoutout to the community!

At the end of the day, its because of you that we keep going and improving Chronos Builder.

We are incredibly grateful for this community that has been patient and communicative with us!

We know there's still a long road of things we want to change before this becomes the ultimate map maker, but know for certain that we won't let you down! We have come a long way since the release of the project :).

It is because of this that we'd like to take a moment to feature some of our favourite creations from the community!  

These are all incredible!! 

We are always trying to 1up you whenever we prepare new maps for an update but you set the bar so damn high!! You all make us so jealous with your skills!! 

(Oh and...we get it...you all love Cyberpunk and Sci-Fi maps ;P )

Finally, we'd also like to give a big shoutout to the youtube channel "RPG Elite", who has already made quite a few tutorials on Chronos Builder and helped many newcomers learn the ropes.  

 (As a side note, its a bit crazy how this video isn't even a month old and some of the features have changed so much since then. Chronos is growing fast!)

You can check the rest of the CB playlist here : https://tinyurl.com/ChronosBuilderPlaylist

8.- So...about those exclusive asset keys...

Remember those exclusive portrait assets we mentioned in the last update? The ones exclusive to some backers with custom textures? Well, quickly after the last update we started sending out keys to everyone but it seems we made an oopsie and sent wrong keys...

For that, we'd like to apologize. We are still learning the intricacies of Steam and things like this happen. 

But worry not, as we will start sending correct keys as soon as possible!

9.- Patch Notes

Ver 1.2.0

Additions:

• Added “Medieval Fort” and “Medieval Market” environments!
   
• Added tutorial windows for all tools and systems added since release.
   
• The entire Tutorial can be skipped by pressing “Esc”.
   
• Individual tutorial windows can be skipped by pressing “Space”.
   
• Added UI feedback whenever an item is added to the Quick Palette.
   
• Added UI feedback whenever an item is removed from a custom folder or the Quick Palette.
   
• Added multiple tooltips to help explain UI functions.
   
• Added multiple tooltips to help explain saving custom grouped assets.
   
• Item icons are shown as they are being dragged over the UI or outside the grid bounds.
   
• Quick Palette “Delete” buttons will remain invisible while no item has been assigned to said slot.
   
• Custom folders now have their own text color to stand apart from legacy folders.
   
• “Delete custom folder” button is now only visible whenever a custom folder is selected.
   
• “Subscribe” actions in the “Community” section have been renamed to “Save”.
   
• “Open” button is now always visible in the “Community> Map details” menu. If a map is opened before the user decides to save it, the system will automatically save it first.
   
• Added option to export a map to .mp4 and .webm formats.
   
• Added option to record a .webm video instead of an image for Foundry VTT exports.
   
• You can now choose multiple types of floors and walls in Advanced Options of Autobuilder.
   
• Autobuilder function has been improved with new custom settings.
  
       Item density slider – Determines how many items are spawned in the room.
  
       Semi-Structured props – Makes sure some props (Chairs, Stools, etc.) will all be the same in order to give rooms some integrity.
  
       Sequential Structure mode – Floors and walls will be placed in sequential order instead of being randomly placed.

Fixes:

• Fixed an error that would cause the maximum grid size to extend beyond the terrain plane.
   
• Fixed an error that would cause assets to appear on the center of the world for a single frame whenever they are being placed by the user.
   
• Uniform use of the word “Sci-Fi” across the entire game.
   
• Improved performance when switching to Props or Structure tools.
   
• Fixed an error that would cause tutorial windows to be skipped whenever the user pressed any button.
   
• Improved performance during tutorials.
   
• Horizontal menu will remain in collapsed mode during tutorials.
   
• Fixed an error that would show item spawn tooltips and item tweak configurations whenever the horizontal menu was expanded.
   
• Fixed an error that would prevent the tutorial text from fitting inside their respective window.
   
• Taskbar menu will expand to fit the text of each button.
   
• Fixed Quick Palette item slot to be that of the regular library item slot.
   
• Reduced the size of collapse buttons, general buttons, exit buttons for multiple menus and others.
   
• Reduced the vertical size of the taskbar.
   
• Reduced the size of the icons in the item editing menu.
   
• Fixed the text size of custom folders.
   
• Fixed an error that would open the tweaks menu whenever an item spawn was cancelled by dragging it from the library to an area outside the grid bounds.
   
• Fixed an error that wouldn’t refresh the Quick Palette whenever the map starts.
   
• Fixed an error that would cause the “Collapse tweaks” button to require 2 clicks to activate the first time.
   
• Fixed an error that would cause custom folders to open up without their respective indication icon in the “Folders” menu whenever an item is dragged into them.
   
• Fixed an error introduced in the latest version that would prevent undo/redo commands from working in “Change time of day” actions.
   
• Changed the position of “Add custom folder” and “Delete custom folder” buttons.
   
• Increased the size of the “Folders” menu to fit all legacy folders in view by default.
   
• Fixed an error that would cause tooltips to be unintentionally shown whenever an item is being dragged over other UI elements.
   
• Fixed an error that would keep the “Item Tweaks” menu visible after said item was removed.
   
• Fixed an error that would open the item editing menu whenever multiple instances of the same item are being spawned.
   
• Fixed an error that would cause commands to trigger whenever the user was typing the name of a custom folder.
   
• Fixed an error that would cause “Esc” key to reset folder selection.
   
• Fixed an error that would cause “Esc” key to close the search menu.
   
• Fixed an error that would cause problems whenever a group of assets is disbanded.
   
• Fixed an error that would keep the search menu open when the user switches to the props menu.
   
• Fixed an error that would keep the grids highlighted whenever a custom asset was saved.
   
• Fixed an error that would prevent the library menu from refreshing after the search menu was closed.
   
• Changed the visual feedback for item slots being pressed.
   
• Item slots now have a consistent size across all the UI.
   
• Fixed an error that would cause problems if an item is being dragged outside the library but later dropped on top of its own slot icon.
   
• Updated the entire UI for the “Community” menu.
   
• “Favorite” buttons and icons in the online menu has been removed.
   
• Some graphics from the “Community” menu have been updated.
   
• Fixed an error that would cause custom assets to unintentionally use internal names.
   
• Fixed several texts not translated in the export menu.
   
• Fixed glitch where clicking on object to spawn and then clicking the same object to stop spawning generated strange behavior.
   
• Fixed error where Structural assets would appear in the prop section during the initial load.
   
• Fixed custom group assets being generated correctly.
   
• Pressing “Esc” while moving an asset will cause it to restore its original position, on top of cancelling the current selection.
   

Biggest Chronos Builder Update!! YAYYY!!! [Version 1.1.0]
about 3 years ago – Mon, Jan 30, 2023 at 07:33:12 AM

It's that time of the month again, fellow time-travellers!

We are back with our biggest update to this day! This time with lots of quality of life changes, new tools and performance improvements, right on time for you to get back to map making after the holidays!

Make sure to update your game on Steam: version 1.1.0. 

And, meanwhile, how about you sit back and relax as we go through the key features of this new patch?

1.- Nature painting is here!

You can now access the nature painting mode from the Terrain tool! This is the last missing piece, you can finally bring your environments to its final form!!!

Use it to paint nature props such as trees, stones (or mushrooms) across your map. You may select as many of them as you wish to paint them in one go.  Use a bigger radius to make props spawn randomly within the brush or instead go for a smaller one to finely select where you want to place that one pine tree! Brush intensity values also control the rate at which props will be placed.

Just one last thing...we're calling them "nature props" but you can actually be a total meanie and place other things such as trash, fallen papers or debris! 

You remember you asked for it on discord, right? ;)

2.- MacOs version is ready!

Mac users can now download the latest version of the game through Steam.

We apologize for the delay as we had a lot of issues porting the game to this new platform. We have fought against all odds to achieve the quality you deserve. We hope your feedback and that the wait has been worth it.

This version is only compatible with Intel 64 processors, so you may have problems if you are using an older Mac. Those older versions can still run the game but online functionalities will be disabled. Please contact support if you run into any other troubles.

We want to thank the Mac community for being so supportive of us. Thank you very much indeed.

3.- Improved Translations

We heard you loud and clear! It's about time we finally updated some of the text translations.

We worked with professional translators for the French and Deutsch texts! That means no more typos (hopefully....not until our programmers had new text tooltips...)YAY!

4.- Usability and Quality of life changes

Other than adding new features to the game, usability is our top priority right now!

We know Chronos Builder is not as simple to use as we'd like it to be. That's why we worked hard to solve this as soon as possible! Here are some of the changes you'll get to experience with the latest update:

-  Advanced and Simplified autobuilder modes: We added two distinct autobuilder modes to let you choose how in depth you want to go with your procedural building! The simplified mode only asks that you select the setting, environment and type of room you want to create, while the advanced mode is the one you are already familiar with that lets you choose the floor, wall, pillar and room props.

- Autobuilder mode won't override already placed elements (if you so wish): We heard your complaints that in multiple cases you only wanted to generate new floor tiles or walls for your rooms but the tool would override everything already placed within that space. Well, thankfully that is over now :). You may use the advanced autobuilder mode and it will only override that which you ask for it to place. You only want to spawn new floor tiles? Worry not, the already placed props, walls and columns will remain there!

- Command Tips will be displayed on the menu while editing items: We realize some users didn't know the commands to edit items and this was frustrating to them. We hope this is a change for the better and solves the main problems while we address the other issues with the control scheme! The editing controls are still not perfect and we are looking to change the rotation and scaling options but that will take some more time.

 And please don’t hesitate to provide suggestions in our channel in Discord, we’re always listening to improve the system for you, the users!

- Item editing commands have changed so that they don't coincide with camera movement commands: In a previous update we made it so that you could move your camera using the WASD keys and this would interfere with the "W" key that was used to enable to rotation command. This has been fixed now as editing commands have had new keys assigned.

- Tweaks menu won't open up whenver you mouse-over items in the library: Thank the almighty spaghetti monster!! The tweaks menu is big enough for it to constantly pop in and out of existence as you browse through the library. Now we simply display the item name as a tooltip. The entire tweaks menu will still show up whenever you click on the item slot though, in order to let you place it and read its tags.

- You can rotate already placed items using the q/e commands: This was already an option in the item spawning  mode and it didnt feel right that there was a divide between the commands while spawning then commands when editing already placed items.

- Camera movement works while placing items and while browsing the library: Previously it was disabled in both cases and, for example, you could not use WASD to move your camera while the mouse was over the item library. Fixed now.

- You can cancel item spawn mode while dragging it: It's what feels most natural and again, something that was overlooked on our end.

- New loading screen: You'll see we did a bit of a rework to some UI elements (more on that later...)! ! The loading screen is now different. We decided to go for a classic loading bar. It should also provide for a smoother transition whenever you load a new map.

- General performance improvements: The game should run much smoother now whenever you scroll the UI and edit items. Let us know how it feels!

- Added Undo/Redo commands to the Effects tool: This was the last thing missing...nothing escapes Ctrl+Z now!!!! Feel free to change the color of the sun or the time of day as much as you want and then go back and forth between these versions.

4.1- Other planned changes

There are a few other quality of life features that we couldnt get ready on time for this update but will be coming soon too. 

First, we realize a big issue is performance: the project runs slow on some computers and there are stutters and times that cause some frustration. We know what's the source of all this: mainly the huge asset library loading up all of the UI elements at once for you to browse. We will work towards fixing it ASAP, but in the meantime, we advice you to close the props tool if you are not using it or minimize the UI if you simply want to edit already placed items.

Another change is the item editing command scheme, we hear you loud and clear that its not the most intuitive and we will be working towards fixing it soon. With the latest update, the rotation and scaling modes may be the ones that need the most work put into them, but feel free to let us know how you feel about the movement mode and if it's a change in the right direction!

5.- Your photo in the game!!

The portrait assets avaliable to Modern Pledge backers and above have been added to the game...with a cool new twist!!

As we promised during the kickstarter launch, we would add portrait assets using a single photo of your choice...Well, how about we let you edit said photo at any moment??! This feels like a way better deal :)

To do this, just select the Portrait asset and click on the new "Set Photo" button. Simple as that!

6.- Wait, there's a new logo? The future of Chronos Builder and transparency with you, the backers

Your eyes are not lying! We changed our older logo for a modern one that better fits the UI and has a more simplified look to it that will let us adapt to...coming changes heheHEHEHEHE!! 

So, what do you think?

On another note, there's been a lot of discussion in the community about how you wish we were more transparent with you. We're finally addressing that!

For starters, we are planning to update our website with new tutorials and a blog, as well as looking into the possibility of opening an Upvoty site so that you can keep track of coming features and vote for the ones you deem more important!

Additionally, we will stick to releasing at least one game path per month, with a kickstarter update every other 2 weeks to let you know where we are heading :).

7.- That means...We have a Valentine's day date!

That's right!! Two weeks from now is more or less Valentine's Day! We'll be seeing you around ;) Oh and I guess this also makes this an update warning about a coming update...DOUBLE COOL!

On that day we will have some surprises for you and hopefully release the planned performance improvements mentioned in 4.1.

As always, thank you so much for your support. Please, enjoy Chronos Builder... and stay tuned!

Cheers!

8.- Patch Notes

Ver 1.1.0
 Additions:

• Added MacOS support.
   
• Added Advanced and Simplified modes to the Autobuilder tool:
  
                           Simplified mode limits your selection to the setting, environment and room in order to make your experience easier.
  
                           Advanced mode is the one you are already familiar with. It lets you customize every detail before spawning your room.
   
• Added Nature Paint mode to the Terrain tool.
  
                           Use the brush to paint clumps of props such as pine trees, rocks, bushes, dirt...etc.
  
                           Select multiple nature props at once for them to be painted together.
  
                           Nature props will spawn at random locations and rotations within the brush radius.
  
                           Nature props will adapt to the terrain height and can be painted outside the grid bounds.
   
• Added Undo/Redo support to the Effects tool.
   
• Added option to only spawn props using the autobuilder.
   
• Added custom texture assets.
  
                           To add your own texture, select the portrait asset and click on the custom texture button inside the contextual menu.
   
• Command tips will be displayed inside the tweaks menu whenever editing or placing an item.
   
• Added a command to rotate assets using the Q/E keys while moving or placing them.
   
• Camera movement has been enabled while editing an item.
   
• Added an option inside the Chronos Button menu to force an item replacement whenever the algorithm can’t find any coincidence.
   

Fixes:

• French and Deutsch translations have been revised.
   
• Fixed a bug that’d cause the Autobuilder tool to replace already placed assets.
   
• Item editing modes have been assigned to the Z,X,C keys so that they don’t interfere with camera movement commands.
   
• Fixed inconsistent light configurations whenever the map is exported to VTT format.
   
• Fixed a bug that’d change the screen resolution while using the Export menu.
   
• Fixed a bug that would prevent the cancellation of item spawn actions when pressing the ESC key.
   
• Fixed a bug that would close the search menu whenever the ESC key was pressed.
   
• Fixed the preview icons for multiple assets.
   
• Fixed a bug that would cause the contextual menu to move to the corner of the screen after de-selecting an item.
   
• Fixed a bug that would cause asset rotations to work in unintended ways.
   
• Tweaks menu won't open up whenever the mouse is over an asset slot in the library menu.
   
• Asset names will be displayed as a tooltip whenever the mouse is over an asset slot in the library.
   
• Fixed a bug that would reset the light source color whenever the color picker menu was selected.
   
• Fixed a bug that prevented the Smooth terrain mode from correctly working on the edges of the grid.
   
• Fixed a bug that caused terraform actions to be more intense than it was intended.
   
• Fixed a bug that would reset asset scale whenever placing multiple of the same.
   
• Fixed a bug that would stop camera movement whenever the mouse was on top of the UI.
   
• Disabled spawn rotation on all structural assets and all of those with a grid size bigger than 1.
   
• Added feedback sounds to the Effects tool and Terrain tool menus.
   
• Texture painting menu inside the Terrain tool has been re-structured.
   
• Taskbar won't show while holding down the right mouse button (doing item editing or terraform actions).
   
• Terraform menu will be disabled if the terrain isn’t enabled.
   
• Fixed a bug that would cause issues with undo commands executed before Chronos Button commands.
   
• Fixed a bug that would cause errors whenever two distinct items were replaced by the same one after using the Chronos button.
   
• Fixed an error that’d cause problems with Industrial environment assets.
   
• Fixed an error that would cause items to move erratically while dragging them out of their initial position.
   
• Multiple performance improvements.
   
• Quick palette UI has been modified
   
• Main menu logo has been modified
   
• Loading screen has been modified
   
• Export menu has been modified to use the system’s native folder UI.

Christmas Update!
over 3 years ago – Fri, Dec 23, 2022 at 01:12:47 PM

 Hello, fellow time travellers!

On a day like today, the Chronos Builder Kickstarter ended. It's been a year since then, look how far we've come! We are still evolving and we have some big plans for the future!

Meanwhile, care to join us in this new update?

No need to ask, of course you will!

1.- Main features: Export and Terraforming improvements

We promised it in last update and here it is! 

The old export system presented during the beta times has been reworked to reach higher standards. 

The image capture algorithm has been completely remade from scratch, now allowing real high resolution outputs and no more black dots!

 While exporting to a VTT file, now you can select the output quality measured by how many pixels you want each tile to have.  Additionaly, we added the feature to add spacing on the sides of the grid, for those who want to show off their terraforming skills.

Another important change has been the addition of Undo/Redo commands to the Terrain Tool!

This is something that we've been meaning to do for quite some time and was sorely needed...it just wasnt a top priority when compared to some of the bigger bugs we've faced. 

We read your pleas on the forums and we knew exactly how you felt! We too felt silly after trying to Undo some of our own terrain painting...only to then realize it wasnt yet implemented.

Well thankfully we can now put those silly moments behind us!

 Feeling more and more like the god of time now!!

 
    2.- Bugfixing.

    Bugs. There's always more of them!
    Anyways, thanks to your constant feedback and a hammer of colossal proportions, we are crushing them as fast as we can.
    Will the day come when we are free of this plague? It sure will.
    You can read the patch notes at the bottom of this update!

 
    3.- MAC version?

    The MAC version is already a reality and we have been testing it at our studio...but its not ready for the public yet.
    We're currently in the process of dealing with the required paperwork to publish a MAC build of our app. We'll release it as soon as we're allowed to!

 
     4.- LINUX version?

    The Linux version is almost operational at the moment, although it is giving us some performance problems (and some more or less controlled explosions).
    But, have no fear! We will have it as soon as possible... just a little bit more to go!

 
     5.- Stretch Goals!! New environments!!

    As you can see we dont stop!
    While programming is focusing on the polishing phase of developement, our art team has been working on the promised stretch goals!
    With this update you can finally make use of the new Hospital and Fishing Hamlet environments!
Important to note: These arent avaliable yet in the autobuilder tool because we wanted to have them ready for the Christmas update as a little present to you!
    Worry not tho, it'll be there in the next update.

 
    5.- Custom assets

     This is the last reward in place to be delivered (yahoo!).
    The customized assets. We have all the images you gave us and we are finishing the frames but it'll take a little more! We have some plans for this reward... you will have the details after the vacations! ;)

 
    6.- Vacations?

    Yes!
The team is taking some time off from our infested basement for the next two weeks to socialize and do those things that are accepted in society (to a greater or lesser extent). That means Chronos Builder developement will stop until the second week of January.
    Despite that, we'll be operational here on Kickstarter, via e-mail and on Discord... we can't be that long apart from you!
    ----
    Before we run out the door, we wanted to ask for your honest review on Steam. Also, any constructive criticism is always welcome and taken care of to the best of our ability.
    We sincerely hope you have a good end of the year and a better start of the next one. This 2022 has brought us Chronos Builder... what do you expect for 2023? ;)

 
    7.- Patch Notes

Ver 1.0.4.1
Additions:

• Added Fishing Hamlet and Hospital environment assets!
   
• Added spacing option to the VTT export menu to increase the range of the capture beyond the grid size.
   
• Added “F” command to focus the camera on the selected items.
   
• Added “Focus on selection” button to the taskbar.
   
• While spawning an item:
  
     - Q/E commands will rotate the item whenever its on top of the grid.
  
     - Mouse scroll will rotate the item whenever its on top of the grid.
  
     - Camera works normally whenever the item is outside of the grid.
   
• Added “Undo/Redo” commands to Terrain Tool actions, done through “Ctrl+Z” and “Ctrl+y”.
  
     - Compatible with “Enable/Disable” terrain
  
     - Compatible with biome changes.
  
     - Compatible with Texture paint actions.
  
     - Compatible with Terraform (raise, lower, level, smooth) actions.
  
     - Compatible with Liquid paint actions.

Fixes:

• Fixed a bug that’d lock camera zoom commands if an item spawn action was cancelled.
   
• Increased camera movement bounds on low heights.
   
• “S” key will also cause a “pull back” effect on the camera after reaching the bounds. Similar to the zoom back effect.
   
• Fixed a bug that’d rotate the camera 180º on its Y axis at certain points when zooming back at the max height.
   
• Fixed Terraform “Raise” and “Lower” height modes to  that they are smoother.
   
• Fixed terrain covering the floor tiles.
   
• Fixed max view distance on Table top and Cenital views to allow for full map visibility.
   
• Fixed terrain brush not adapting to the terrain height.
   
• Fixed brush scale command interacting with Undo-action. Now brush commands wont trigger while holding the “Shift” key.

1. Fixed Search tool options working correctly on the structure tool.

• Fixed an error that prevented the Autobuilder tool from working correctly in the 1.0.4 version.
   
• Fixed an error that prevented all biomes except “Graslands” from working in the 1.0.4 version.
   
• Camera WASD movement works normally at all times while spawning an item.
  
  
   

New Update
over 3 years ago – Sun, Dec 18, 2022 at 12:23:32 AM

Greetings, fellow time-travellers!

Here we are again! We have some interesting news for this update. We are on fire!!

 1.- Big update: Camera and Performance Improvements!

Taking heed of your feed from the Discord forum and user reviews, we are focusing on the user experience and aiming to improve both system performance and camera controls! 

The new system changes the default rotation so that it pivots around the center of the screen and allows for WASD movement at all times. Additionally, there are now camera bounds and  the zoom in/out will rotate your view and help keep the map in focus! 

We believe that this new control scheme will help you focus on what matters, creating maps, instead of dealing with clunky and ininuitive camera movement (sorry about that...😅). We also hope that it makes the tool more accessible to all people!

All of this control with just your mouse! What do you think?

Wait, but there's more!

Map load times and the terraforming tools have had vast performance improvements!

No more minute long wait times to load a map or using the smaller brush setting to avoid framedrops.

We know the work is still far from over: the UI isn't as intuitive as we'd like and the item selection tool has some weird cases we'd like to iron out ASAP.  We don't intend to stop and hopefully these changes are already a step in the right direction! 

Additionally, this update includes many bugfixes that we'll list at the end on the update.

We hope to hear more from your end once you try this new version. 

Consider leaving a constructive review on Steam  too, It'll help us grow and reach new map creators!

There's always room for improvement 😉.

 2.- VTT Exporting 

Another area where we have seen room for improvement has been in image exports. We have improved the output quality of the maps and solved other various problems. 

Here's the Before and After!

We are working on getting these updates in your hands as soon as its possible but this one needs some extra testing before its ready. Look forward to it in next week's update!

 3.- Exclusive asssets!

And here we deliver yet another reward! For all those with contemporary pledge or higher, here is the exclusive assets package!

Do you want to see them, of course you do!

- Warp gate: 

- Holosystem:

- Decorative and totally NOT cursed statue:

- Futuristic motorcycles that don't belong in any kind of animated film:

All of those eligible will receive a code in their mail in the next 24 hours. You can later exchange it on Steam to get these Exclusive Assets!

 4.- Patch Notes!

Additions:

• New camera controls.

- Movement control with WASD by default as well as keyboard arrows.

- Camera bounds depending on grid size.
  - Camera rotation over screen centre by default.

- Rotation with Q and E keys.
  - Increased distance range on tabletop camera modes.

• New exclusive assets.

Fixes:

• Fixed Chronos button feature saving the map before transforming the map.
• Fixed switch structures feature of Chronos Button not working.
• Fixed Option menu softlocking after saving or closing in the main menu.
• Fixed duplicated maps sharing the same preview image.
• Fixed several load processes in order to reduce map load times.
• Fixed Power Box (Green) material not having any texture.
• Fixed some labels displayed wrong texts and missing the standard font.
• Fixed shadows not casting properly at the bottom of walls and other assets.
• Fixed terrain textures performance.
• Fixed Terraform tool performance.
• Fixed taskbar showing while in the Chronos Button, Effects, Autobuilder, Camera and Terraform tools.
• Fixed minimum possible asset scale value.
• Fixed camera speed values applying even if the changes weren’t saved.
• Changed Terraforming tool commands.
• Fixed asset particles not scaling properly.
• Fixed translations on certain Terraform tooltips.
• Fixed translations on tutorial titles.
• Fixed taskbar showing while panning or rotating the camera.
• Fixed item previews showing while panning or rotating the camera.
  
  
  That's all for today's update! See you next week 😃
   

Hail the update! Hail the release of Chronos Builder!
over 3 years ago – Fri, Dec 02, 2022 at 06:55:07 AM

Hi, fellow time-travellers.

The promised day has arrived (yay!). We're proud to announce the Official Release of Chronos Builder!!

Be sure to download the latest update from Steam! (As Gandalf said: "Fly, you fools!")

Oh and... in case you are still here, we'd like to do a final and more detailed rundown of the project, pledge rewards and stretch goals.

1.- Assets, assets everywhere!

We're proud of what we achieved in the last year of production. We've worked hard and, even tho we've suffered from delays, we'd like to think that we've more than made up for it with the increased asset scope, including over 5 times the ammount of promised assets per setting.

That's right!

While we originally promised 100 assets in each Medieval, Victorian, Scifi and Cyberpunk, some of these environments now have over 700 assets between walls, doors, spike traps, power armor suits, streetlights and other props to bring your maps to life!

No water pools between them tho... oh, shame on us! 

Here is a count... for the moment! :D

- 722 Medieval assets. 

- 482 Victorian assets. 

- 504 Cyberpunk assets. 

- 600 Sci-fi assets. 

Cool, isn't it? :D

2.- Pledges are coming, my friend...

In the coming days we'll release the promised content exclusive to the different pledge levels. Those of you who are electable for these rewards, will receive a code via email that you can later exchange using Steam.

We have some interesting news about it... but we can't say more at this moment, or we'll be damned!

In the mean time, here's a concept art for one of the special assets pertaining to the Contemporary Pledge: a cute statue full of skulls with a maritime motif on its dome... pure poetry!

Now you have no more excuses to give that cozy touch to your cursed mansion... 

3.- Stretch Goals? Now?

We are not stopping, not at all!

Our art team, after a quick and almost non-violent revolution, have understood that we need more assets... many more!

So, they got down to work and they already have part of the Stretch Goals ready.

Are you ready to plan your escape from the haunted hospital? How about an investigation in an old fishing village??

Excuse me, nurse... what are you going to do with that knife? 

4.- New content, irate bugfixing

We know our work is far from over! Your bug reporting on discord is greatly appreciated and we hope this new version reflects some of the changes we made thanks to your feedback.

How about the camera controls now?! (wink, wink)

Here are the patch notes for this release version:

Additions:

• New assets implemented:

- Medieval Castle environment.

- Medieval Town environment.

- Cyberpunk Apartment environment.

- Cyberpunk Industrial environment. 

- Sci-fi Prison environment.

- Sci-fi Hangar environment. 

• Added Kickstarter exclusive assets for special backers. KS exclusive assets also working with procedural rooms.

•  Added new language options: 

- Access via the options menu.

- Spanish, French and Deutsch options.

• Added Community menu and compatibility with Steam Workshop:

- Added upload and drop map options to the Global Settings Menu.

- Added Community Menu access via the Main Menu.

- Added map subscriptions and download options.

- Added vote and favorite options to subscribed maps.

- Added search parameters and filters for community maps.

• Added Terrain tool.

- Added Terrain Paint option.

- Added Raise Terrain option.

- Added Lower Terrain option.

- Added Smooth Terrain option.

- Added Set Height Terrain option.

- Added Liquid Paint option.

- Added options to Enable/Disable terrain.

- Terrain remains flat in the grid area and adapts to grid size changes.

- Added Brush size, density, feather and set height options.

- Added Biome options to access different terrain textures.

• Added staff and backer credits. Access via the main menu.

• Added "fixed" mode to the Taskbar. Prevents it from constantly hiding and showing itself.

• Added new "Effects" tool that gives you access to Rain and Dust Storm weather effects.

• Added the Chronos Button feature and Chronos Button tool menu.

• Added Camera speed  configuration via the Options Menu.

• Added new tags for map classification.

• Added light mode for grid color. You can now toggle between black and white.

Fixes:

• Taskbar has been re-structured.

- Some options have been moved to the "Edit" section.

- The "Tools" section now exclusively activates the different tool modes.

- Removed "Terrain" section.

- Taskbar wont reveal itself when the pointer reacher for the top right corner of the screen.

• Fixed "Select all" command not triggering the Item Selection Tool.

• Fixed "Space Options menu". Moved into the "Effects" tool tab. You can now change the lighting and skybox alongside the weather effects.

• Fixed VTT export system saving walls location in their previous double layer format.

• Fixed VTT export system saving two doors in the exact positions.

•  Improved quality and added procedurally generated room options for the Autobuilder tool.

• Fixed Zoom with the mouse wheel. Zoom distance is now proportional to the distance of the camera away from the way.

• Fixed paste command not spawning assets over floor assets.

• Fixed some tag texts having low quality characters.

• Misc asset fixes.

• Fixed UI:

- New UI Graphics on some elements.

- New gradient folden color for graphic elements.

- Added "Credits" and "Community" buttons to the main menu.

- Consistent text size through all UI menus.

- Added tooltips to many UI elements.

- Added tooltips to tags on the tweaks and search menu.

- Horizontal Menu now restores its previous state after closing the export menu.

- Search Button now enables Item Selection tool.

- Mistwall logo hidden while the "Load Map" menu is open on the main menu.

5.- To-do list...the fight isn't over!

We know that we still have some details to deliver, not to mention those bugs that you may find. We indicate them to you, so you can see that we did not forget!

•  Mac and Linux versions
   

This point is the most urgent. While we are bugfixing any urgent issues, we will devote all our resources to deliver these releases to you as quickly as possible.

It is currently our number 1 priority!

•  Video export
   

On the other hand, we have experienced some difficulties in this area, which we are bribing to leave our basement.

Negotiations are on track, at least until we find the flamethrower.

We will keep you posted!

6.- And now... what?

The day has come and here we are. We recognize that there is still a long way to go, but we have reached an important milestone for our development, it seems incredible that 11 months have passed since we closed our Kickstarter!

Throughout this development, we have pivoted some aspects and improved others, with your advice and constant support. We have always listened to you and delivered as much as possible, you are part of our team!

Keep enjoying Chronos Builder while we keep giving it love and making it a better and better tool.

And now, it's time to ask... what would you like the next steps to be? :D

Thank you!

Cheers!