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WhatsNewInMscape25
What's New in Mscape 2.5
OpenStreetMap Map Service
OpenStreetMap is a collaborative project to create a free editable map of the world, rather like a wikipedia for maps. Anyone can sign up and create their own maps using a simple GPS device (no PDA required) and OpenStreetMap's online tools. What is amazing about the project is the quality and coverage of the map data, in places it is actually more detailed and more up-to-date than the data used by Google or Yahoo. See
this blog post on mscapers.com for an example.
In mscape 2.5 we have extended the existing mscape map service to include OpenStreetMap data - simply click the new 'Choose Map Provider' button to select between Decarta - the map supplier for mscape 2.0 and above - and OpenStreetMap.
Multi-Language Mscape Player
Mscape Player has been translated into six additional languages - French, German, Italian, Netherlands, Polish and Spanish. Follow the simple instructions below to install additional language support into your copy of mscape player.
How to: Install Additional Languages
Communicating With The Outside World
Mediascapes can now communicate with the outside world!
Communicate with online web services, send messages to each other, download data, images, and audio from online sites, and create complex multi-platform multi-user experiences.
There are two new objects which make all this possible.
- HttpServer - allows your mobile device to act as a web server, so other web servers and other mediascapes can send and request data.
- HttpRequester - allows your mobile device to get data from the web, or from another mediascape running the HttpServer? object.
How to: Communicate with the Outside World
The New StateMachine Object
Many mediascape designs incorporate distinct stages in the flow of the intended experience. For example, a game might have an introduction phase, several levels of game play and a post-game summary, and a dramatic mediascape might involve several scenes.
The State Machine object radically simplifies the code you need to write in order to build complex experiences.
How to: Use the State Machine Object
The New StateList Object
StateList is an object that helps fairly advanced mediascape authors work with lists of items, where the numbers of items are not known at the time you design your mediascape. There are two main uses:
- In your mediascape you can use an StateList to keep track of a dynamic number of author-defined items. For example, in a game you may have a variable number of enemies each with X, Y, and type properties.
- Using the WebServices system, you can use StateLists to help you download data from a web service to be used in your mediascape.
Using the StateList Object
The New Functions Object
Do you find yourself copying and pasting identical pieces of event code into multiple regions (or other resources)? This works fine until you realise you've made a mistake in that code, because then you need to go through each and every copy you've made to fix it..
The Functions object in mscape allows you to to write the functionality you need once, and then simply call it from each of the places in your mediascape where it is needed. This way if you want to change the way your piece of functionality works, perhaps to play a different sound, or to award more points, you need only make the change in a single place.
Using Functions
Mscape Maker Improved User Interface
Spending ages scrolling up and down in your large mediascape to find the object you want? Simply type the first few characters into the search box and it will autocomplete the name, then hit enter to select it.
A newer, smoother look to the events window. The number of parameters to an event are now shown - click to get a list, hover over to read the description, and click to insert directly into your code.
Many new icons have been added courtesy of
famfamfam
Bugfixes
This is a list of some of the issues fixed in this release.
Installation
- 698 - Player now installs on iPAQ 210 as well as many other security-enabled devices.
- 587 - Player Installer: Works more reliably when switching devices.
Mscape Maker
- 745 - Added a link to the online help on the autogenerated help pages
- 765 - Link to What's New and Online Documentation from Help menu
- 404 - The "not saved" star comes up when you try to save a mediascape
- 746 - Improve affordance of 'search' box in mscape maker
- 663 - Region events and properties inconsistent when region moved onto user
- 669 - mscape maker: Fixed issue where Script Errors dialog always says 'OnEnter' of object MyRegion
Mscape Tester
- 742 - Name of mediascape is now shown on the titlebar
- 662 - GPS HasFix property has wrong value during OnGotFix and OnLostFix events
Mscape Library
- 704 - Refresh button added mscape library to reload current mediascapes available
- 625 - Mscape library thinks mscape player is installed even after manual uninstallation
- 732 - If an SD card containing mediascape is removed while library is running, and when that mediascape is selected, application error occurs
Mscape Player
- 654 - Locking buttons prevents the cursor keys from working.
- 650 - Device settings screen on the player is shown much more quickly.
- 726 - Flash Movies object accumulates memory on the device while playing flash movies in Mediascape. Fixed.
Maplib Maker
- 666 - Create Maplib from Image: When I don't care about coordinates is used, resulting map covers a huge area Map Service
- 556 - Map Service: Many imported maps have black borders
- 631 - Display ""No map image available at this zoom level"" messages in preview page"
