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Release Notes

This page details changes made to Village applications since the Shoemaker Village Beta program was instituted.  Sometimes, upcoming changes to an application will be posted here before its release to notify users of upcoming changes.

If a version is a release version, all users will be asked to upgrade automatically when the program is run.  Placing an empty "beta.txt" file in the installation directory will allow upgrading to beta versions.

Demeter 1.30 build 30 (4/10/04) beta

  • This version of Demeter uses the SDK for Activeworlds 3.4, upgraded from the 3.3 version the previous Demeters used.
  • This version includes Visual Basic 6 Service Pack 6 runtime files, upgraded from the Service Pack 5 files in the previous Demeter.
  • Added new "Language Files" feature. The "Language" tab in the World Options will allow users to specify the language file they would like to use. Language files can be loaded on the fly by clicking the "Apply" button. Use the "Browse..." button to select an INI file that has the format of a Language File.
  • Use the "english.ini" file as a template for creating your own langauge files. Comments are included in the file. Note that language files will not change the language of the server interface; they will only change the errors and messages Demeter sends to users.
  • Please share your language files with the community so that others can run Demeter in the same language!
  • This version is not available thorugh the upgrade system, because of the number of files required for replacement.

Ultimate Paintball 4.04 build 31 release

  • This release resolves bugs 52 and 53.

Demeter 1.29 build 29 (7/03/03) final beta release

  • Added "flood control" features to address a problem in AWTeen where users would attempt to disable Demeter by flooding it with excess "begin," "end," and "seed" commands.  Users who attempt to send an inordinate amount of traffic to Demeter will now be ejected from the world.
  • The "Flood Eject Duration" option on the Restrictions tab of the World Options describes the duration for which violators will be ejected.
  • The "Flood Commands" option on the same tab describes how many commands are necessary within a ten-second interval for a user to be ejected for flooding.
  • This update resolves bug 51.
  • In the past, the "hide ed all" command was unpredictable.  Because it was not listed as a valid command, this behavior wasn't a bug; however, the command will now function similarly to "hide all ed."
  • This version is a final beta version, meaning that if no significant bugs are found in this version, it will be released shortly to all users.

Demeter 1.28 build 28 (6/29/03) final beta

  • When users click on visible terrain objects, Demeter will now hide them.  This command will allow more precise command over the visibility of terrain objects than is currently available with the "hide" command.

Demeter 1.27 build 27 (6/28/03) final beta

  • This update resolves bugs 49 and 50.

Demeter 1.26 build 26 (6/22/03) beta

  • This update resolves bug 48.

Demeter 1.25 build 25 (6/22/03) beta

  • This update resolves bug 47.

Demeter 1.24 build 24 (6/21/03) beta

  • New commands to manipulate the terrain of individual users are now available:
  • "d:[show/hide/delete] [citizen number] [all]" will apply a command to all terrain within 25 meters or to all terrain in an entire world owned by a certain citizen number.
  • "d:[show/hide/delete] '[citizen name]' [all]" will apply a command to all terrain with 25 meters or to all terrain in an entire world owned by a certain citizen name. 

Demeter 1.23 build 23 (3/12/03) final beta release

  • This update resolves bug 46.

Demeter 1.22 build 22 (2/18/03)  release

  • The position of the columns in the Activity Log is now saved in addition to their width.
  • This version is a release version because it appears that all known crash bugs have now been resolved.

Demeter 1.21 build 21 (2/7/03) beta

  • Bug 45 is finally resolved in this release.  Apparently, it hadn't been fixed in the last release completely; it just occurred less frequently.  Hopefully, the "invalid procedure call or argument" bug that seems to have no cause will also be resolved; more information on this is needed if it is still present.
  • The width of the columns (wish 8) is now saved between runs of the application.

Demeter 1.20 build 20 (1/23/03) beta

  • A box to explicitly set the default terrain texture has been added to the World Options.  In previous releases, the default terrain texture was automatically set to the value specified as the minimum terrain texture.
  • Bug 45 is resolved in this release.
  • The user interface has been overhauled.  A new font is now used, and a tabbed dialog is now implemented to use in the future when language and similar options are available.

Demeter 1.19 build 19 (1/11/03) release

  • Bug 43 is resolved in this version.  Thanks to Lord Perception for spotting this issue quickly!
  • Bug 44 is resolved, which was discovered during testing of bug 43.

Demeter 1.18 build 18 (1/08/03) release

  • Bug 40 is resolved in this version.  In the future, it might make more sense to add a "default terrain texture setting" instead of correcting markers to the minimum texture.
  • Bug 42 is also resolved, which was reintroduced when attempting to correct the Query on Login function.
  • The Query on Login feature has been removed due to user request.

Demeter 1.17 build 17 (1/07/03) final beta

  • This update resolves bug 39, and bug 41, which was discovered during testing.

Demeter 1.16 build 16 (1/06/03) final beta

  • This update resolves bugs 37 and 38.

Demeter 1.15 build 15 (1/06/03) final beta

  • Bug 27 is now finally resolved, and it looks like the resolution of this bug will produce more reliable querying altogether using less bandwidth.  In addition, Demeter should no longer "freeze" while querying the world for the first time, and the "Max queries" setting should have more of an effect on how Demeter queries the world.  In previous versions, setting the "Max queries" to anything above 5 seemed to have no effect, but the setting should be of more value now.
  • Bugs 32, 34, and 35 are resolved.
  • Bug 33 is resolved by merging the "Date" and "Time" columns of the Activity log into one column.  The output in this column should depend on your Windows localization settings.

Demeter 1.14 build 14 (1/04/03) final beta

  • At the request of Andras Sarkozy, this release includes a "Log to File" option.  This should make it easier for world owners to determine what's going on in their worlds.  After a crash, the log file can also be posted now to determine exactly what was happening at the time of the crash.  Use the "Browse" button first before checking the box or you might be inundated with errors :)
  • This completes the Activity Log renovations and resolves all known bugs with the exception the irreproducible bug 27.

Demeter 1.13 build 13 (1/03/03) final beta

  • Resolved bug 28 by adding a new type of list box that replaces the former activity log.  The new list box has scrollbars and organizes its data into easy-to-read columns.  Messages have also been made shorter where possible to make reading easier.
  • Hopefully resolved bug 30 by adding two new fields to the World Options frame, the "Max Commands" setting and the "Max Queries" setting.  Max Commands specifies how quickly Demeter processes commands such as show, hide, and delete, while Max Queries specifies how quickly Demeter attempts to query a world.  The previous default values for these fields were 15, but upon further experimentation, values above 5 (the new default) seem to have little improvement on performance except on extremely fast computers.  Try experimenting with these fields to see what works best for your world.  If they are too low, querying and command processing will progress slowly, but if they're too high, then Demeter will be disconnected repeatedly from the world server, which believes it is flooding.  Exceedingly high values may also cause Demeter to crash.
  • Resolved bug 31.
  • Changed around the loading code for the World and Login options.  The new code should prevent miscellaneous errors from occurring when upgrading to a new version that attempts to search the demeter.ini file for an entry that doesn't exist.
  • Bug 27 is still outstanding until this version of Demeter is running for more than two days in AWTeen and the bug can be reproduced.
  • Removed some debug code that was no longer needed that could have allowed Grimble (or anyone who takes the name "Grimble" in the future) to instruct Demeter to exit.  No other actions were able to be performed, and no property was ever at risk.

Activeworlds Utility 1.11 build 9 (12/31/02) final beta (release - 1/1/03)

  • This version of the Utility adds some of the changes made to the splash screen in the other programs being tested.  A "skip" button is now available, and beta testers can be notified of beta upgrades by placing the "beta.txt" file in the installation directory.
  • This version is a final beta, meaning that no new features will be added to this series of builds.  If no serious bugs are found in this version, it will be released shortly to all users.

Ultimate Paintball 4.03 build 30 (12/28/02) release

  • This version resolves bug 25.  As a result of this change, users will unfortunately be required to recreate any bot files that were created with versions 4.00-4.02.

Demeter 1.12 build 12 (12/28/02) final beta

  • Added the "show all ed" and "hide all ed" commands, accessible by persons with the right of eminent domain.  These commands, as one would suspect, cause all of the terrain objects in the entire world to be shown or hidden.
  • Bugs 23, 24, and 26 are resolved.
  • Added the "delete" and "delete all" commands, which delete all of your terrain objects within a certain area, or within the entire world.
  • Added the "delete ed" and "delete all ed" commands, which are similar to their show/hide equivalents.  Be careful when using these commands, as they allow the deletion of many terrain objects if someone with eminent domain has destructive intentions (although these commands could easily be carried out anyway by using the AW browser to simply delete the terrain objects themselves).
  • The Activity Log has been updated with the new commands and now logs more actions than before, including the issuance of show, hide, and delete commands.
  • This version is a final beta, meaning that no new features will be added to this series of builds.  If no serious bugs are found in this version, it will be released shortly to all users.

Demeter 1.11 build 11 (12/27/02) beta

  • Because of the seriousness of bug 22, this version was released immediately after build 10 to correct the problem.

Ultimate Paintball 4.02 build 29 release

  • Fixed a few minor interface problems in the Login screen.
  • Added a "skip" button to the splash screen in case shoemakervillage.org can't be contacted.
  • A full list of what's new can be found on the What's new page.

Demeter 1.10 build 10 (12/27/02) beta

  • Added the 'd:help' command. This command allows any user in the world to be directed to the Demeter help files.
  • Users can now be notified of beta upgrades by creating a dummy file named 'beta.txt' in the installation directory.  The file can contain any text or no text at all - the program only checks for its existence.  Testers, please create this file before upgrading (i.e. now) so that it will take effect upon upgrade to version 1.11.
  • The online/offline notification messages have been changed to allow a quicker start for new users.
  • Bug 21 has been resolved.
  • Bug 20 has been resolved.
  • Programmed a queue for show and hide requests.  The cell queries had already used a queue in previous versions, but show and hide commands were sent out synchronously.  This change will have the following effects:
    -Demeter won't disconnect from a world when a 'hide all' or 'show all' command is issued that has an inordinate number of objects.  This would occur because the world server would react to what it considered flooding and force a disconnection.
    -Terrain objects won't be duplicated in both "hidden" and "shown" states when the show/hide command is used simultaneously by many people as has been reported in AWTeen.  In previous builds, the only solution for this problem was to force re-querying of the duplicated cells by restarting Demeter.
    -A message will be sent to the user upon the completion of a show/hide request.  This allows a person issuing a large show all/hide all command to know when the operation has completed.
    -Demeter can now block multiple show/hide requests by the same citizen simultaneously, which could have unpredictable results.  When another show/hide operation is in progress, the user will be notified of the number of objects remaining to be shown/hidden.
  • While it might not seem as if many changes have been made since the last beta version, almost 30% of the entire Demeter code has been rewritten.  The intent of this rewrite was to resolve the issue with weird CellZ SDK values (see the beta newsgroup).  While it has (hopefully) resolved that problem, the rewrite should also make Demeter more reliable in extreme cases (such as long-term hosting), when disconnections, flooding, and security problems can be a threat.

Demeter 1.09 build 9 (12/13/02) beta

  • Added the Auto Login checkbox to the World Options.  This box, when checked and the apply button pushed, will cause Demeter to minimize itself to the system tray and log into the world immediately upon startup.
  • In the event that an error occurs during the auto-login process, Demeter will restore itself and disable the auto-login feature.
  • Added the Query on startup option to the Login Options.  This checkbox tells Demeter to queue all of the cells in the world for querying immediately upon login.  This feature is most useful in small worlds.  In large worlds, this operation may take far too long to be of any use.  After the query completes, Demeter will be aware of all objects in the world, which allows for complete use of the "show all" and "hide all" commands by all users.
  • Added two new labels to the program screen: "Cells in world" and "Percentage queried."  The "Cells in world" option displays the total number of cells in the current world.  The "percentage queried" is the number of those cells that have already been queried by Demeter, whether through a startup query or by normal "d:begin" querying.
  • The "stats" verbal command has been expanded to include the percentage of objects queried.
  • When the "query on startup" option is checked, terrain sessions are enabled at all times for all users, so the "d:begin" and "d:end" commands are no longer necessary in those worlds.
  • If an error occurs while attempting to contact the upgrade server, a "skip" button is now available to continue using Demeter.

Demeter 1.08 build 8 (12/8/02) release

  • This version resolves bug 19.
  • Before bug 19 was reported, a minimize to tray feature had already been implemented (by popular request).  It was decided to release this function as well, even though the original plan was to wait until many features were complete before releasing them.

Ultimate Paintball 4.01 build 28 (12/7/02)

  • This version resolves bugs 2, 4, 5, 7, and 18.

Demeter 1.07 build 7 (12/5/02) release

  • Bug 16 is fixed in this release.
  • Bug 17 is resolved with the addition of the "version" command, which allows users to determine what version of Demeter is running in any world.
  • The numbering system for builds has changed to be more consistent.  All beta releases will be numbered sequentially along with release versions from now on.
  • This version is the first public release of Demeter.  Ultimate Paintball 4 will now be concentrated on for beta testing.

Demeter build 6 (12/3/02) final beta

  • Bug 15 is resolved in this version.
  • The "World Size" field is redundant and has been eliminated.  Demeter now queries the world server for the size of the world upon login.  This eliminates potential problems caused by users entering incorrect size values.
  • This version is a final beta, meaning that if no further significant bugs are found, it will be released shortly to all users.

Demeter build 5 (12/2/02) final beta

  • This version fixes a serious bug where terrain building didn't work in worlds where build rights were listed as "*" (bug 13).
  • This version resolves bug 14.
  • Added two new commands required for security in worlds: "show ed" and "hide ed."  These commands perform identically to the "show" and "hide" commands, except that they show or hide ALL terrain objects within 2 cells, regardless of citizen number.  You must have eminent domain in the current world to access these commands.
  • This version is a final beta, meaning that if no further significant bugs are found, it will be released shortly to all users.

Demeter build 4 (12/2/02)

  • This version resolves bug 12.
  • Bug 11 is resolved by changing the procedure for dealing with users who do not have build rights in a world.  Demeter will not console message, nor reply to, any user who does not possess build rights.  Thus, Demeter can be used in a world (such as an RPG world) where not all users need to be aware of what's going on behind the scenes.

Demeter build 3 (12/1/02)

  • This version resolves bugs 6, 8, 9, and 10.
  • Two checkboxes have been added: "allow tourist use" and "allow bot use."  These boxes replace the default code handling tourists and bots that was unreliable and malfunctioned after a disconnection.
  • Before upgrading to this version, delete the demeter.ini file from the installation directory to prevent a "type mismatch" crash upon restart.
  • If you were encountering problems with the upgrade utility, this bug is also fixed; redownload the application from the website.

Demeter build 2 (11/30/02)

  • This version resolves the issue where terrain markers were deleted immediately after being added (bug 2).
  • The "d:seed" command now works properly.
  • The connection state now displays the proper state, instead of remaining offline until a disconnection and reconnection occurred.