fabula - 0.8.3

Fabula is an Open Source Python Game Engine suitable for adventure, role-playing and strategy games and digital interactive storytelling.

Fabula can be used as a library to develop your own games. As an alternative, you can use the Pygame-based graphical editor and the default game engine that come with fabula.

Features:

• client-server architecture
• event-based protocol
• multiplayer and networking capabilites
• multi-threaded server
• abstract, visualisation-agnostic model of a game world
• asset manager
• plugin system
• recording and playback of gameplay
• well-documented code
• runs on Linux and MS Windows (it should work on OS X, too, but this has not yet been tested)

Fabula uses the clickndrag library under the hood for sprites, items, tiles and the GUI.

All 0.8.x releases of Fabula are alpha versions. They may not install cleanly, lack features, crash or set your pet on fire. Use at your own risk!

Please note that fabula needs Python 3 to run.

"Fabula" used to be called "Shard" before being released to the public in 2011.

There are a lot of changes in this release.

fabula.interfaces is now a package. Added module interfaces.replay, containing PythonReplayInterface, and the script 'run_pygame_replay.py' which replays Fabula game logs.

The classes Event, Message, Entity and Tile now have a JSON representation. Added fabula.interfaces.json_rpc which implements a JSON-RPC server interface. Added a JSON-RPC doctest.

Removed mouse-based scrolling in PygameUserInterface. Insted the screen will scroll when the player has moved one Tile away from the window border.

PygameUserInterface now uses the surfacecatcher module for screen capturing. Press 'F2' to start capturing, and check with 'F1' whether the recorder runs.

'clickndrag', the graphics engine behind Fabula, has been renamed to 'planes'. Fabula now uses a new 'planes' version which allows for slick GUI elements with bitmap backgrounds. They are used in all GUI elements in the game now, while the editor keeps the old style.

Fabula will now display SaysEvents longer that 10 characters at the bottom of the screen, preparing for a style known from other RPG and adventure games..

The Fabula server can now be run without Pygame installed.

Lots of fixes, improvements, and a documentation update.