{title:The more things change...}
{date:2014-04-16}
{red}Attention Major Release:{/red}
{ul}
{li}Mana EOL{/li}
{li}Server dependencies{/li}
{li}Script clean-up{/li}
{li}Magic clean-up{/li}
{li}Sprite 1.5 - Npcs As Sprites{/li}
{li}Tilesets{/li}
{li}Travel / Death / Warps{/li}
{li}Client-data clean-up{/li}
{li}Tonori Improvement{/li}
{li}Graveyard Improvement{/li}
{/ul}

Mana EOL:
    With this release, we are finally declaring the
Mana client obsolete. 90% of players are already
using ManaPlus.

Server dependencies:
    The next release of the server code will require
a newer version of GCC: 4.7 instead of 4.6. This is
possible because Ubuntu is releasing a new LTS
so that servers can reasonably be expected to be
able to upgrade.

    GCC 4.7 will be supported for much longer - a
year and a half or two years, until the next Debian
release.

    The next release will also drop the dependency
on Flex and Bison ... which is more significant for
making the build system simpler and the surrounding
code cleaner than for actually being hard to acquire.

Script:
    TMWA increased the level of debugging for
script parsing. The script language no longer
allows default fall throughs or '-' for a
menu option. It now reports Unused & Duplicate
labels The menu fix was added to pave the
development of dynamic menus.
Simply running your script in the server reports
all errors in the scripts.

Magic:
    Magic is now using a new config file format,
which will simplify build dependencies in future.
Anybody with local spells will need to manually
convert them. Although we have some helper
programs (tmwa-spell-convert and tmwa-sexpr),
For support of these ask on IRC
{link:irc://chat.freenode.net/themanaworld}

Sprite 1.5/Npcs As Sprites:
    Sprite directory naming convention cleaned
up. If an NPC wasn't animated it was made into
a player sprite with equipment. Thus anything
you see most the NPCs wearing will/can be
wearable player gear. We fixed and added more
gear than was currently in the main so a bunch
of new items have been added. Additional attack
frames add more weapon varieties and NPC
animations. As since the npcs are a sprite any
action the player sprite can do the NPC could.
It allows us to implement a mobile NPC. Most of
the sprites have dyes now. Including the player
sprite. This will make adding new races easier.

    Making the NPCs player sprites makes it
easier to create them as well. If you can edit
an xml you can create a NPC. This will make it
quicker to start developing. Custom/Special
NPCs still exist, (see GY INN), They need to be
justified as to why they can't be a Doll model.

    Errors in the sprite should now be clearly
visible as we fixed the error image in the
client-data. It will draw an ugly error tile.

Tilesets:
    Naming covention enforced to make dealing
with sets easier. Unused/old or broken sets
fixed or removed from repo except the plain
castle set. The Forrest was removed as it needs
to be properly cut to make it easier to map with.
    Tilesets will begin to be collasped into each
other. As they share a common/similiar theme
and/or style.
    We added animated water to some of the maps.
The tileset will work with all of the maps and
tilesets in game.
    We've begun to fill empty spaces in the tilesets
with a Open/Free marker. These will help us find
maps with errors.

Travel / Death / Warps:
    Plain Hitchiker Towels are now part of the
starting gear. If you lost, sold or don't have a
towel ask the nearest soul menhir for a replacement.
All towel colors are  available and each is set
to a location. Only the plain undyed towel can bind
to a soul menhir. The towels now have to wait to
recharge to be used again.
    Death is no longer travel system. Localized
graveyards keeps you close to the action. This
means shorter walks back from  the graveyard and
illia doesn't reset your savepoint anymore.Using a
towel, a warp or walking is the only way back to a
city.
    Ship Travel does not cost anything anymore. The
ship now moves between the major docks. The ferry
schdules are available by the docks so you know where
it currently is. Once aboard wait for the ship to
come into the location you want and disembark.
    Dyrin's sect of wizards "The Travelers" have
appeared in more locations about the world. speaking
with 2 members of his sect will allow you to move
between them, for a price. Members are located
throughout the world.

Tonori Improvement:
    Added major art map additions to Tulimshar &
surrounding areas. Castle, Noble, Beach Cliffs ,
& etc.
    Starting area clean-up. Quest now uses bitmasking.
Sorfina gives you your first towel. Altered NPCs and
map to make room for Beach Cliffs.
    The children playing hide & seek have been spread
out more to encourage exploring the wider areas
surrounding the city.

Graveyard Improvement:
    Added major art map additions to the Graveyard &
surrounding areas. More maps to grind Xp and to offer
a change of pace. These maps also have 3 new
mini-bosses for 60+ level characters. The Graveyard
reset has been removed.
{author:TMW Team}