It’s been a while since the last official release.
The were a few reasons for the delay. The two major ones were internal changes to how GameScape works. The first is a technical detail regarding how the UI outside the drawing surface was shown / controlled – such as the toolbar and token box (they now use a virtual dom). This was done in anticipation of more dynamic UI for the image uploading feature.
The other major change was a reworking of the accounts model. GameScape no longer requires an invite to join. Additionally, it now only requires an account (with email) for the creator / GM of the maps. Players can follow the map URL to join as a player anonymously without an account. (Players can still make an account if they want, it will keep track of all joined maps and has a few other benefits - but it’s no longer required)
Some other features / changes:
- There is now a demo map and hand-drawn tutorial added to every account - I’m particularly interested to know if the tutorial helps
- Accounts now required a verified email address - legacy accounts without email addresses may stop working at some point
- Token “trails” make seeing total distance moved for a token easier
- Usernames and map names no longer make friendly URLs for maps - with the anonymous account / map behavior - a unique ID is less likely to be stumbled on by the curious
- The community forum now links to GameScape accounts via SSO
- Some more details on what GameScape costs in the community forum
As always, looking for feedback.