So RTB 3.2 is out and you can grab this off the auto-updater when you start up Blockland. Here’s the list of changes:
Changes:

- RTB Web API now runs faster/uses less memory (speeds up mod manager)

I’m glad to say the release went smoothly and everyone is now enjoying the bug-free RTB 3.2. Comments that suggest otherwise will be deleted.

So, you may have noticed that it’s “just the Mod Manager” that is changed. I also forgot to mention the GUI Downloader which is now working. Anyway, a lot of the development time was spent updating the online Downloads System. I think it’ll take some time before you really appreciate just how much easier the new Mod Manager is to use, it’s faster and more sleek and actually works.

Apart from this, most of the core RTB code has been redone and optimized to work much better. This allows me to push out future updates much faster. The server backend of RTB has also been redone to allow for more scaleability and it uses much less of our server resources which is always a bonus.

On the topic of RTB4, you can expect this much sooner and faster than RTB3 took - I’ll have more information on the development of this system later on. Anyway, try out the new RTB and see how you like it.

RTB3 is finally available. It features a totally overhauled Mod Manager. Instead of me explaining the new features to you it’d be best for you to just go ahead and download it! You can grab it either by starting up Blockland or via the Downloads page of this site.

Enjoy!

So, as you may have noticed - it is August 1st and there is no RTB. How can this be?

Well basically we found a bug during testing that required a nasty C++ fix which has been added into version 13 of Blockland. Sure it’s annoying when I give you guys a release date but these are just estimates. So essentially, We’re going to continue improving RTB3 in beta and maybe adding a few new features that were not going to be in the initial release while we wait for Blockland v13. I am told its not too far away so it may not be such a long wait. There are also a couple more bugs that need a bit more attention and more time than I had planned for. Either way we’re not quite done.

Because of the delay I will be re-opening the RTB3 beta to 30 more people since only half of the beta applicants actually downloaded RTB3. You can apply at http://beta.returntoblockland.com/

Time for a progress update I think. As a couple of you may remember - this Saturday the 25th of July is our RTB3 release date. We’re cutting this pretty close (but not that close considering its a release date I just pulled out of my ass). At the moment the following features have been cut from the initial v3 release to be added in the following weeks:

• Viewing add-ons by user-configured “groups” instead of by add-on category.
• Viewing/submitting comments for add-ons via the Mod Manager.
• Steam-like overlay for ingame toggling

The plan is to integrate each one of these each week after v3. So the following saturday after v3 release we’ll be releasing a bugpatch for any issues found (there will be many) and also the ability to view add-ons by groups. The following week we’ll release another bugpatch followed by comments, then another bugpatch with the steam overlay. (Then more bugpatches) Currently I am re-working the server control to be easier for multiple people to edit, and to fix a nasty bug that limited how many prefs could be set using the server control. It also fixes a number of issues and re-works the basics of the system to allow for later extensions. The final task is making the “Welcome Wagon” which is not actually a wagon at all. When you start up RTB3 for the first time you’ll get a few slides of information (complete with an assortment of gesturing minifigs) explaining changes to RTB, and why you should immediately sync your add-ons (need to make the syncing feature too). Once that’s done - we have RTB3.

And that’s the plan. Oh - the bad news is we’ll probably miss our RTB3 release date by a week. I’ll see if I can get it out on time but it will mean foregoing any testing.

So, The RTB3 Forums & Download System are live and minus numerous small bugs, there have been no system-crippling issues (yet). The RTB Mod Bot has also not hijacked the forums yet so I’d call this release a smooth one. I’ve also noticed there is much confusion over RTB3/RTB2 and all that jazz that I will try and sort out. First off, it was just the RTB3 Forums & Download System that were being released on Saturday - not RTB3 itself. Secondly, the RTB you use on Blockland right now uses the RTB2 downloads system which people have stopped submitting things to, and RTB3 uses the RTB3 downloads system. It makes sense really, but it can be a little confusing.

Anyway obviously this is a bit of an awkward interval between RTB2 and RTB3 since nobody is submitting stuff to the old system (and rightly so, once you go v3 you don’t go back … generally) and honestly, RTB3 won’t be “ready” for a couple of months so here’s the plan:

Despite you guys voting that you wanted a full RTBv3 release I have decided that you really don’t want to wait for it and instead I am going to wrap up everything, get it tested speedily and release it lacking quite a few minor and a couple of major features. Once this is out I will be attempting to add these minor/major features on a weekly basis. That way you can enjoy the new system sooner, and still get everything promised in v3. Feel free to criticise my violation of the system of democracy (like politicans don’t do that every day!) in the comments section or the RTB Development Thread.

Oh and just to put the pressure on, Lets set the RTB3 release date for … July 25th, 2009

Yep, the forums and download system for RTB3 are now open for you to register and upload your add-ons to. Please report all bugs in the Helpdesk forum, and enjoy toying with the new system.

http://forum.returntoblockland.com/

http://mods.returntoblockland.com/

So, the new RTB forums are planned to be released this coming Saturday, thats only two-ish days away now. We’ve been ramping up the testing and found quite a few bugs so far, which have all been fixed.

You may have noticed recent RTB downtime which has been a problem. I investigated this today and discovered a problem with a php5 install we’re using so thats recompiling at the moment, but I also found a serbian IP that was accounting for over 15% of our traffic and I have blocked this from accessing the server now, so maybe things will be a bit more stable.

Anyway, we’re still on target for our saturday release and thats all that matters!

As some of you may know, the RTB Downloads System and our new Forums are going to be opened on Saturday, June 27th. You’ll be able to register a new account on our shiny new forums and more importantly you’ll be able to upload your add-ons to the new Downloads System in preparation for RTB3. I’d like to remind you to resist the urge to “help other people” but submitting their add-ons for them - Initially we won’t be accepting any submissions if the person submitting the add-on did not make it. With regards to the old downloads system, we will be leaving this running until RTB3 is released (and maybe a month beyond to encourage people to move their add-ons to the new system) at which point it will be shut down, destroyed and finally buried at the bottom of the ocean. This gives you plenty of time to download anything you want to keep off the system before it closes.

Finally, if you’ve been keeping up with this blog you’ll know all about the RTB Mod Bot but for those who haven’t, I’ll explain. The RTB Mod Bot is a robot who automatically creates a thread for any add-ons you submit to RTB in a new child board of the Add-Ons forum called “RTB Listings” which will be visible to everyone on Saturday too. The RTB Mod Bot also posts into this thread when you release updates for your add-on, and edits the thread when you change details. Overall she is a very handy robot.

Now, if anything should go wrong on Saturday (errors and such) please report them to support@returntoblockland.com so we can sort them out quick and make sure everything runs smoothly. Feel free to post questions about the system and how to do things in the Helpdesk of our new forum, which will be located at http://forum.returntoblockland.com/

See you guys on Saturday.

Hi.

So, as you know - v12 is out and it is good. It introduces a couple of things that allow RTB to run nice and smooth, namely the ability to tell the game that files exist without having to force the game to re-check the entire Blockland folder for new files. The second is a bug fix for the fileDelete command that actually forces the game to forget the file existed (otherwise things would mess up).

As for progress on RTB, I’m sure you’ve seen a few of the pictures lying around - obviously things are getting done, just not at a very speedy pace. I’m going to just whack out a list of items I have left to complete before we can happily release, the ones with a star mean high priority.

• In-game Comment Submitting/Viewing *
• YourMods “Group View”
• File Update Checking *
• Overhaul RTB Options GUI
• IRC Bugs
• Server Control Bugs/Suggestions *

That is essentially the list of things left, minus a bit of testing here and there. Now given that RTB is taking such a long time, I’ve been considering releasing it with a few features missing (such as IRC Fixes, the YourMods Group View) to speed things along - and these could then be released in a smaller patch along the way. The second thing holding us back is our new forums. I haven’t actually finished the reputation system yet so it’s somewhat broken, but if we were to push for an early release I could disable this and get it working after RTB3 at some point.

Now, incase some of you haven’t seen the new Mod Management view, check it out now:

View of the "Your Mods" category

So what I want to hear from you now is whether you think we should go for an earlier release with a few items cut out (to be added in a patch soon after release), or just keep plugging away at development until it’s good and ready? Let us know either in the comments or in our Development Thread.

Love Ephialtes