• Support "server self-resync", a mitigation technique for desync loops
  • May cause issues with plugins, but hasn't in testing. the server will log whenever it happens so we can track down issues if they crop up
  • Automatic when lots of resyncing happens, or manually triggered by admin
• Fix chat channels sometimes not appearing
• Object lists can no longer contain duplicates (hopefully fixes desyncs or emergent scheduler issues).
• Fix room score on islands and balconies
• Improve roof rendering (diagonals and floor tile cuts)
• Fix base game floor tile strings.
• Lot thumb content less likely to crash game.
• Stop using memory for palette data outside of volcanic.
• Some final fixes for blackjack and roulette

The developers have pushed a huge update today that includes many bug fixes, a completely revamped chat system and two new objects! Find all the details below:

Chat

• A huge makeover! The chat window is now a lot more colourful and easy to read.
• CHAT CHANNELS: A new way to host events, coordinate pizza/code/band, and much more.
• By default, all lots will simply contain one default channel. This cannot be modified, and behaves as before.
• Lot owners have the chance to add additional channels to the chat at their property. These appear at the top of chat history.
• You can switch the channel you send messages to using the new channel bar. To hide messages from certain channels, click them again when they're your active channel. (useful for hiding pizza messages!)
• You can manage who is able to view and send messages to channels separately. For example, for speeches at an event you can have a channel only roommates can write to, but everyone can see. Everyone else will still be able to talk in the default chat.
• Each channel has a few options: chat color, whether the channel is visible by default, and text-to-speech.
• The channel bar is not present when only the default channel exists.
• NOW SUPPORTS EMOJI! Type a colon to begin your emoji-in-a-2003-game experience. : ok_hand :
• Supported in property chat, private messages and email. Even has emoji search and autocomplete!
• Chat can be RESIZED by dragging the bottom or right sides of the window, or the corner. CTRL+ and CTRLstill change text size. Thanks Rhys!
• You can now change your chat text colour. Also applies to private messages.
• Chat history is now visible by default.

Text-To-Speech

• Text-to-speech is now enableable in game via the new Chat Settings. By default it is set to "allow", which allows text to speech messages from channels with it enabled.
• You can still disable text to speech entirely, or enable it for ALL channels (including default!)
• You can now change the pitch of your avatar's text-to-speech voice. Now you can remake steamed hams but in the Sims, or other stupid things that might involve people with different voices.
• Text to speech has been completely refactored to play sounds through monogame rather than through Windows, preventing the game from freezing or crashing when too many things are being said at once.

Text

• UITextEdit and TextRenderer now support BBCode, though currently users are not allowed to use this directly in any textboxes ingame.
• [color], [s] (shadow), [emoji] (for emoji codes)

Improvements (EXPERIMENTAL)

• Lot synchronisation has been entirely reworked. Instead of serializing state every time someone joins, new joiners reuse state from other users that joined in the last 30 seconds, and recieve a batch of events that happened since that state was serialized.
• Basically, should prevent the start of the Awards Ceremony happening again (lots of people joining at once freezes everything)
• Lot thumbnails are now loaded via HTTP rather than the data service. They are now cloudflare cached with a 1 hour TTL. They also have smarter memory management, so you can look at the entire city without running out of memory and crashing.
• Data service now only loads avatar relationships/jobs/bookmarks when they are requested. Greatly reduces data service load when looking at lists of avatars.
• API performance improvements.

Bug Fixes

• Added failsafe to move inactive pets crates out of world near the mailbox.
• Filling your entire first floor no longer causes the game to crash rendering thumbnails.
• Carpool no longer allows intersection. Should stop it flying to weird locations. Thanks Rhys!
• On islands, the carpool will appear
• Large scale refactor and engine improvements for Simitone.
• Lighting tweaks to improve colour blending.
• Walls cutaway in 3D is less buggy.
• Floods no longer clean up as a single object now they clean up one by one.
• Race condition fixes for asynchronous lot state save.
• Fixed a crash when selecting text.
• Misc. volcanic fixes
• UIAlert button spacing improved for 3 button alerts.
• Changing lot skill mode no longer resets your lot category timer.
• Instant updates for lot thumbnail changes you cause.

EOD Changes

• Updated a few UIEODs to allow any literal strings to be translated. They are pulled from .cst files f110 to f112
  • UIGameCompDrawACardPluginEOD
  • UIRouletteEOD
  • UISlotsEOD
  • UIBlackjackEOD
  • UIWarGameEOD
  • UIManageEODObjectPanel

Slot Machines

• Slot machines 1-4 have added sound effects of putting a coin in and pulling the handle.
• Slot machine 1 now has a winning and losing sound effect.
• Slot machine 5 now utilizes more "antique" sound effects.
• Made consistent some .piff files to be treated as "Content" and always copied, like the rest.
• Minor text change in Slots UI for future translations to have more room.
• Slot machines 1-5 strings updated for FreeSO.

Roulette Table

• Literal strings updated to be in .cst file for translation.
• Players now cleanly exit the table upon: closing UI, no longer having $ to meet the MinBet, on table closure due to table balance being below required minimum.
• Two race conditions fixed that could throw null exceptions in player client's UI.
• Two new sound effects, one for bets placed and one for round win.
• New Croupier .iff by Raeven allows diversified Croupier Avatar.
• Roulette Learn To Use strings updated for FreeSO. (e.g. remove mention of debt)

Blackjack Table

• Bug fixes due to 2 race conditions
• Players now cleanly exit upon table closing
• Players now cleanly exit with a message that they don't have enough Simoleons to play.
• Dealer NPC now faces players properly (thx Raeven)
• Table sprites for chips and cards now 100% functional (thx Raeven)
• All literal strings now found in f110 & f111 .cst files
• Removed redundant function from UI
• Added failsafe events to clear ID attributes from table if no player is present
• Removed half-implemented animations for when players "push" with dealer
• 4 New Attributes added to blackjack.iff (& .str.iff)

New Objects

• Relive the FreeSO Awards Ceremony with a huge decorative picture frame object. Find it in the Decorative catalog.
• New floor drain object - keep your bathroom floors dry. Find it in the Miscellaneous catalog. Thanks to Raeven and Alex.