So long 2.1, 3.0 delta!

Mudlet 3.0 is the culmination of 4 years of hard work and replaces Mudlet 2.1 as the latest version of Mudlet: it’s the recommended upgrade if you’re on 2.1 or any of the 3.0 previews (3.0.0-delta, 3.0.0-epsilon).

This release adds many new features to 2.1 and fixes a lot of the issues that have been present in preview versions of 3.0 – big thanks to everyone involved!

Big features

There has been a ton of improvements in Mudlet, so included below a quick summary of the big features.

Variables view

You can now view and edit your Lua variables from within Mudlet! No longer are they things that are just “there”.

Additionally, you can now get Mudlet to save your variables by ticking them in the list.

Windows sound fixes

Mudlet can now play sound again on Windows!

HTTPS downloads

Mudlet can now download over https:// links! This means that Mudlet packages can now be installed and/or self-updated from secure websites like Github.

As a bonus tip, if you’re a package author, check this out for an easy way to install your package.

Double-click word selection

You can now double-click in the main window or a miniconsole to select a word:

You’ve also got the option of choosing what characters will the selection stop on – in case you don’t want to select quotes and such.

Mudlet is now skinnable

You can create and apply skins to Mudlet!

Check this out for a demo you can try yourself.

Mapper API improvements

A lot of work went into the mapper. Mudlet can now perform automatic quality checks on your map, a lot of the right-click windows in the mapper have been improved, custom exit lines creation has been streamlined, and pathfinding performance across large maps and distances has been improved. For coders, a lot of new functionality has been introduced – check out the API changelog.

Script loss issues

Development preview versions of Mudlet have had issues where they’d lose your scripts – this is no more and all such problems have been ironed out in the 3.0 final.

A ton of db: fixes

Mudlet’s database interface has received a lot of attention and improvements, with a lot of functions getting fixes to work – work better, faster, stronger. If you’ve got a patched copy of the db: interface in your scripts, try running them without the local fixes so you can enjoy the new functionality.

macOS improvements

A lot of improvements have gone into the macOS version of Mudlet: the toolbar no longer goes black when you open the mapper, Mudlet no longer randomly resizes, tab completion works, and the new installer is really good-looking:

MSDP support

Mudlet now includes native support for MSDP! Protocol description available here, and as always, Mudlet allows you to add support for your own subchannel protocol.

Miscellaneous improvements

Below is a highlight of some other improvements over 2.1:

• GMCP data overflow on IRE MUDs fixed
• Mudlet now detects infinite loops in aliases between the pattern and the substitution field
• Strike-out text support has been added
• nil and boolean can now be used with raiseEvent()
• Geyser now supports flyout labels. You can build menus using them in a manner similar to insertPopup().
• Buttons creation has been fixed

See here for the list of API changes.

Work that went into 3.0

Mudlet is an open project: anyone can contribute to the community, wiki, or even Mudlet’s code. Release 3.0 was 4 years in making: 650+ commits, 18 authors, thousands of users (65,000 downloads on 2.1 alone).

Mudlet is a much different project compared to 2.1. Internally, we’ve upgraded from Qt4 to Qt5, all development is done on Github, modern C++11 is in use, and quite importantly, a very streamlined development workflow. Sounds interesting? Join us!

Looking forward

Mudlet 1.0 was about getting a super-fast, open-source and free client for Windows, macOS and Linux. Mudlet 2.0 was about getting that client an awesome 2D and 3D mapper. Mudlet 3.0 is a culmination of efforts of improvements to all around functionality of the client.

Mudlet 4.0 will be about taking on the world and making Mudlet international. We aim to make Mudlet enjoyed by MUD players all around the world  – everywhere from Spanish to Chinese MUDs.

Credits

This project would not be possible without the passion and free time contributed by many of individuals. We owe big thanks to:

Ahmed Charles
Chris Mitchell
Stephen Lyons
Christer Oscarsson
Colton Rasbury
Damian Monogue
Eric Wallace
Florian Scheel
Heiko Koehn
Ian Adkins
Jor’Mox
Michael Hupp
Nyyrazzilyss
Owen Davison
phasma
Phoenix
stratumnine
Vadim Peretokin

Discord

And, one last thing, Mudlet now has a Discord server! Join up.