Hello, everybody.
And welcome back, after a non-eventful 2 months of waiting.

Apologies for my sudden disappearance (again), I’ve had real life stuff get in the way of doing updates on this program in any capacity for a few months now, but I have returned, and with several new features. Here is a summarised list for anyone who wants to get a tl;dr:

Features:

  • Complete overhaul of the console, including a new context menu option and non-erasable text.
  • Added a new custom dialogue feature, which allows for colour variants and different text types.
  • Added a “Hide character” function for ease of use.
  • Added a new “Delete” and more context options for individual commands in the easyCase console pipeline.
  • Added a new debug window for troubleshooting while using easyCase.
  • Finished the 7Z and ZIP options to export, as well as EXE.
  • Changed the layout of the main screen to be more compact, and allow for more features to be added later.

Bug Fixes/Quality of Life

  • Integrated the DLL dependencies into the program executable, so they no longer have to be included with the program.
  • Fixed a bug where you were unable to continue a court case after opening a saved project.
  • Changed the window elements so they will scale properly on large monitors.
  • Options for text alignment, color, and shaking/flashing.
  • Fixed an error where the first item in a court scene would not be blocked out correctly.
  • Added a loading bar to exported executables.
  • Migrated the court location changer into a combo box to avoid needless spaghetti code.
  • Changed the court location selector to not allow you to go to the same location twice.
  • Updated some developer-only flags and functions pertaining to the court movement system.
  • Swapped the “version” text on the about screen to “build” text for reduced clutter.
  • Fixed a bug where a gavel hit would not register after first starting a court scene.

Here’s a quick overview of some of the new features in action!
First, the brand new command menu, which lets you delete and fine tune your earlier code without having to restart, which is a feature I was really relieved to finally push.

https://i.imgur.com/V0f6vJg.png
https://i.imgur.com/LxMSkZx.png

As you can see, commands can now be individually selected, and commands inserted before/after that point. They can also be deleted via. the context menu, regardless of where you are in the editor. The custom dialogue option has also now been finished, so you can select the colour of text, the type, and more when creating a message.

https://i.imgur.com/2MVKBud.png

This allows for a wide variety of new message options, including “typewriter text” for entrances into new scenes. Text alignment may be added in a future update, but for now, manual spacing is required. A new debugging window has been added now, as mentioned, and can be used to look at the raw AHLSL generated from easyCase, for bug hunting purposes and in case you’re curious what it looks like. Here’s a screenshot of it in action:

https://i.imgur.com/O1bTSXT.png

You can now also export in 7Z (7Zip) format, as well as standard Windows .ZIP files, through the default “Export” tab, under “File”.

https://i.imgur.com/pzR63bP.png

So, now you can easily package your project without being forced to use an executable format, or copy it directly out of the project directory with unnecessary easyCase-only dependency files included. That’s pretty much all there is to showcase for this update without spoiling it too much, and a larger update will be coming soon that introduces a graphics system for storing images in easyCase to use for courtroom overviews and eventually… custom characters.

That’s all for now though, so have a good one.
Adios.