Patch Merging Part 12

Dev-Com

Welcome, members of the Accord!

Patch Merging Part 12 brings the largest QoL improvements we have made to PRAWIA, together with the introduction of the new CODEX system and a considerable amount of work done behind the scenes.

One of the biggest problems with PRAWIA was how difficult it could be for a new player to learn how to use it. Remembering every command, argument, target, item name, and the correct order in which everything needs to be written can become overwhelming.

Unfortunately, Unreal Engine's standard widget system was not really designed for what we wanted to achieve here, so we had to create our own addition to it. Thanks to that, the PRAWIA Code Writing Window has been drastically improved.

From now on, the moment the player starts typing, PRAWIA will automatically display possible commands and variables below the code line. The more the player writes, the more specific the suggestions become.

For example, after writing:

loot

PRAWIA will immediately display an example of the full >loot command and explain what argument should be written next. Depending on the currently written variable, the system can also display all valid options available for it. Pressing TAB will automatically insert the selected option directly into the code line.

The system also understands individual code chunks and color-codes them based on their structure, making longer programs significantly easier to read. More importantly, it can now recognize certain problems inside the written code before the program is even executed.

For example, some commands can prevent anything placed after them from ever being reached. PRAWIA can now recognize situations like this and gray out the unreachable part of the code, immediately showing the player that something is not going to work as expected.

This is only the beginning of what we want this system to do, but it already makes writing and understanding PRAWIA programs considerably easier.

We have also added several new code chunks:

drop use extract check time

For the moment, >check and >time are specifically used as part of the extended >follow system.

follow, received a major improvement.

Existing >follow programs will continue to work unchanged, but the command can now use an "until" condition.

For example:

follow(target)(500) until { >check(self)(energy)(less)(20%) }

This allows the bot to continue following its target until the specified condition becomes true. Or it can even become players personal medic, with the use of the >use code chunk.

Together with the other PRAWIA improvements, this means an M.P.B. can now perform an entire growbed farming cycle through code just like it could work through ore refinery loop. It can plant mushrooms, harvest them, extract seeds, and repeat the process without requiring the player to manually intervene between individual stages.

We also expanded the >harvest and >plant commands.

harvest can now accept "All" and "Any" as its slot argument instead of always requiring a specific growbed slot.

plant can now use "Any" as its slot argument and has also been changed to work directly with items registered inside the CODEX. Because of this change, some older >plant programs will need to be readjusted.

Another major addition in Part 12 is the CODEX.

The CODEX is a new system that stores information about items and buildings discovered by the player using the M.P.S. From now on, when the player scans an item or building that has not been scanned before, the information will be transmitted directly to the CODEX, that information can also be used directly by PRAWIA.

For example, while writing something similar to:

loot(Y319)(Container)()

the moment the player reaches the item argument, PRAWIA will communicate with the CODEX and check which items have already been discovered during that playthrough. After typing the first two letters of an item name, a list of matching discovered items will appear. The more letters the player writes, the more accurate the list becomes. Pressing TAB will then automatically insert the selected item into the code.

If you scanned it, CODEX will help PRAWIA find it.

We have also added a lot of items but, I do have to admit that many of those are not completely new items. They are adjusted versions of existing ones, created to properly support the new PRAWIA sub-systems and make their use more consistent and easier for the player to understand. Because of that I will only list the completely new items below and not the copy of the previous one that had a minor change, just to adjust to the CODEX system.

• Bio-Powder Metos
• Bio-Powder Terranid
• Bio-Powder Odo
• Bio-Powder Gorecoil
• Bio-Powder Quru
• Bio-Powder Dynka

Metos Abdomen, Terranid Abdomen, Gorecoil Coil Chunk, and Dynka can now be processed inside the Biomass Powder Processor into their respective Bio-Powders. It is not the most exciting type of content addition, but it was necessary groundwork for the new systems.

Bot navigation accuracy has also been improved once again.

Initial testing is showing better results, especially when bots are attempting to reach more precise positions, but this still requires considerably more testing before I am comfortable calling it completely solved.

And finally, there is one change that is much less visible, but personally very important to me. I made a major improvement to how Penkura allocates, keeps, loads, and removes data from memory.

This does not necessarily increase raw framerate, but it improves loading times, saving times, and most importantly removes a number of smaller hitches that could occur while the game was allocating or cleaning larger amounts of data.

These hitches were usually not a major problem on stronger machines, but they could become much more noticeable on systems with less available memory. On heavily played saves we are now able to stay below approximately 2 GB of RAM usage.

With RAM becoming more expensive, I am looking for more places where Penkura can lower its memory consumption without sacrificing what is happening inside the world. And as a small bonus, there should now be a little more RAM available for the important things, like keeping a web browser open with far too many tabs while watching your favorite video on the second monitor as an additional distraction. Hah.

Not exactly a revolutionary Penkura feature, but an important improvement for me nevertheless.

There are also a number of smaller improvements throughout the game:

• RTS Mode now makes shortages easier to notice, with negative Energy and Hydrogel values turning red and the flow information displayed on selected buildings being easier to read. The CCC received the same negative Energy and Hydrogel indication.

• Inventory and Storage dragging now shows exactly how many items are being moved, including changes caused by holding Shift or Ctrl.

• Several lamps received considerably increased light ranges, while older variants will now provide only 50% of the light output.

-Growbeds received additional optimization to reduce their tick cost during large-scale farming, and we changed the way environmental Humidity is calculated, which should improve the output calculations of Atmospheric Vaporators.

I also want to thank Kiernnan, one of our community members, who gave me some inspiration for improving the PRAWIA Code Writing Window, especially the addition of code colors and the instant help system.

Thank you.

There is still a lot I want to improve in PRAWIA, and some parts of these new systems will undoubtedly need adjustments once more players start experimenting with them, but Part 12 should make one of Penkura's most complicated systems considerably easier to learn, considerably easier to debug, and much more pleasant to use.

** As always, for more information regarding the latest technical support, patches, and updates, please join our Discord Community.**

LINK ----> https://discord.gg/2ukYHQm

Till the next Dev-Com over and out.

Penkura Main Branch Adjustment

---

⊞ Bugs/Errors ⊞

◈ All creature deaths should now properly trigger ragdoll.

◈ Fixed a rare issue where Atmospheric Vaporators could become stuck in a Hydrogel recalculation loop, preventing them from adding Hydrogel to base storage.

◈ Fixed an issue with some items not properly falling to the ground when removed from the inventory.

◈ Fixed an issue preventing some items from being held up in the air.

◈ Fixed an issue with the achievement related to the Temple Encounter.

---

⊞ Improvements / changes / additions ⊞

◈ Added the CODEX System to the game.

◈ Added the new PRAWIA Code Writing Window.

◈ Added new functionality to the M.P.S. From now on, when the player scans an Item or Building that has never been scanned before, its information will be transmitted to the CODEX.

◈ PRAWIA code inside the Code Writing Window will now change color based on its structure.

◈ While typing inside the PRAWIA Code Writing Window, a hint related to the currently written code will be displayed below.

◈ While typing inside the PRAWIA Code Writing Window, the system will display all possible options for the currently written variable. Pressing TAB will automatically insert the selected option into the code line.

◈ When the next PRAWIA variable requires an Item or Building, the system will display possible entries registered inside the CODEX after the first two letters are typed. Pressing TAB will insert the selected entry into the variable.

◈ Players are now able to select text inside the PRAWIA Code Writing Window.

◈ Added new PRAWIA code chunks:

drop use extract check - currently used specifically with >follow time - currently used specifically with >follow

◈ Added 6 new items:

• Bio-Powder Metos
• Bio-Powder Terranid
• Bio-Powder Odo
• Bio-Powder Gorecoil
• Bio-Powder Quru
• Bio-Powder Dynka

◈ Metos Abdomen, Terranid Abdomen, Gorecoil Coil Chunk, and Dynka can now produce their specific Bio-Powders inside the Biomass Powder Processor.

◈ The >harvest code chunk can now accept All and Any as the slot argument instead of requiring only a specific slot number.

◈ The >plant code chunk can now accept Any as the slot argument.

◈ The >plant code chunk has been changed to accept Items registered inside the CODEX. Older PRAWIA programs using >plant may need to be readjusted.

◈ The >Inline code chunk will now display a warning message when the requested code cannot be found.

◈ Major changes have been made to the >follow command. Existing >follow programs will continue to work unchanged, but the system has been extended with the new until functionality.

Example:

follow(bot)(500) until { >check(self)(energy)(less)(20%) }

◈ Extended the PRAWIA Help Window with information about the new code chunks and functionality.

◈ Drastically improved memory allocation and cleaning, reducing RAM usage.

◈ Reduced a number of memory-related hitches during gameplay.

◈ Improved loading and saving times as a result of the memory-management changes.

◈ In RTS Mode, when selecting a building, its Power and Hydrogel flow text is now 20% larger.

◈ In RTS Mode, Energy and Hydrogel status will now turn red when their values become negative.

◈ When dragging an Item inside the Inventory or Storage, the player will now see the amount currently being dragged. The displayed amount will automatically readjust when Shift or Ctrl changes the selected quantity.

◈ On the CCC Base Status screen, Energy and Hydrogel status will now turn red when their values become negative.

◈ Increased Path Lamp light range by 200%.

◈ Increased Post Light light range by 230%.

◈ Increased Path Light (Wide) light range by 210%.

◈ Old variants of these lamps will now provide 50% of their normal light output.

◈ Optimized how Growbeds calculate growth rate, reducing their tick cost during large-scale farming.

◈ Changed how environmental Humidity is calculated, which should improve Atmospheric Vaporator output calculations.

◈ In the Additional Options menu, Harvest Seeds has been renamed to Extract Seeds to keep its terminology consistent with the PRAWIA language.