PuzzleScript Next

PuzzleScript Next is your next version of PuzzleScript, 100% upwardly compatible and with all the latest features needed by more advanced developers. The stable release is here and the dev version is here.

The full merged documentation is here. For the first time ever, all the features contributed by original PuzzleScript, PuzzleScriptPlus and Pattern:Script can be found in this one place.

PuzzleScript Next is a combination of the work of many authors:

• the original fantastic Puzzlescript by Increpare
• the great features added in Puzzlescript Plus by Auroriax
• more great features added in Pattern:Script
• a few contributions from my own PuzzleFAB
• the vector feature created by hfmanson
• and ongoing development work inspired by its many users (like you).

New Features and Fixes

The latest version is Release v-24j02. Please try the gallery and examples, and notify any bugs.

Recent fixes/updates:

• Fix canvas: transform: rot: regression (#109).
• Fix GOSUB interactions with late rules (#107).
• Add verbose logging of GOSUB/return.
• Add new Show All Objects (checkerboard on toolbar) - for beta testing

Older fixes/updates:

• Fix transform numeric tags and mapping (#105)
• Fix transform numeric parsing
• Fix error message and line number for when object already defined
• Fix verbose logging
• Fix handling of tags and mappings in sprite building (#102 #103)
• Fixed parsing of SOUNDS line to detect bad characters in a seed (#101).
• The 'show layers' button now provides help about using PgUp/PgDn, and shows the level number (#93).
• Gallery programs have been filtered, keeping only those that work with this release, and have a 'hack' link.
• Fixed compiler errors for tween_snap and sprite colours with no space, like #111#111, in gallery programs (#).
• Editor hint prompting for colours is fixed, and a few of the newer prelude settings have been added (#87).
• Documentation has been updated for: more than 10 sprite colours, metadata twiddling, tween_length, nokeyboard (#78, #91).
• Level select keyboard scrolling now works for multiple pages (#94).
• The demo program 'Black Box' now ignores the keyboard and has level select (#96). It still has an outstanding display bug (#97).
• Includes a beta release of canvas sprites based on canvas API calls. See Objects.
• A canvas: sprite is now drawn to align with the bottom left corner, the same as for regular sprites. This will break some existing games. The fix is to move the sprite offset using translate:.
• The flip: shorthands "-" and "|" are now compatible with Pattern:Script (see Tapaban) (#83).
• Problems with the level editor mouse position and behaviour have been corrected (#85).
• Sample programs wriggle and abracadabra have been updated.
• Upper case filename abracadabra.txt has been replaced by lower case.
• Fix sokolink game so player does not disappear.
• Fix level select screen to start by selecting current level (#80).
• More fixes to stop compile errors from causing exceptions and crashes.
• Gallery updated to include canvas: games as well as all PS and PS plus (175 total).
• Level edit reverted to ignore zoomscreen etc (#76).
• Two canvas games have been added to the editor Examples dropdown.
• A missing target for a sprite copy: no longer crashes, but falls back to a default blank icon.
• Various combinations of errors that could cause a TypeError exception will now terminate the compile with 'Too Many Errors' instead.
• The title screen and level select menus now work correctly with mouse and on mobile.
• runtime_metadata_twiddling with a level of more than 1024 cells no longer triggers an error on undo.
• Metadata twiddle values are now saved and restored by a checkpoint.
• The editor no longer crashes when source code changes make the code invalid.
• The level editor no longer crashes when a new program is loaded.
• Title screen treats as continue if set checkpoint before winning first level.
• Highlight of selected level now less intrusive.
• skip_title_screen is now working.
• Solve symbol default now "X" in code and docs (#89).
• Fix parsing of non-alpha transform args.
• Fix menu click on level 1 to not go to title.
• Fix crash on menu click on non-menu lines.
• The display of upper case text: sprites has been corrected.
• Deleting and replacing a script in the editor by cut and paste no longer causes a crash.

Older fixes/updates:

• Editing objects that contain tags in the LEGEND and elsewhere no longer causes a crash.
• The ordering of expanding relative directions (<>^v) has been corrected (Pattern:Script compatibility).
• Using rot: or other transforms with no or bad arguments no longer causes a crash.
• Ctrl+X and Ctrl+B are no longer used as shortcuts but are passed through to the editor. The ctrl+shift+R shortcut for 'replace all' now works correctly in the editor. See Keyboard Shortcuts.
• Keys used by the game but discarded are no longer passed through to the editor.
• Escape to pause in a message now works correctly.
• Gosub now works correctly when a return lands on another return.
• The editor now correctly loads the last saved file on start up.
• The documentation for directions has been improved. See Directions.
• Checkpoints are no longer lost when the program is interrupted or restarted at the title menu. Note: this behaviour is widely expected, but is not documented.
• A child object that defines no sprite and/or colour inherits them from its parent (hat tricks).
• The share link now targets the correct URL wherever it is hosted.
• Two text objects with the same content no longer get the same colour.

Recent new features include the following. For detail see the documentation.

• Level branching based on a LINK command, and a test program showing how it can be used.
• A new debugging command log, which writes a message to the console.
• The menus now more distinctively identify this as PuzzleScript Next.

Several other bugs have already been fixed.

• Inline expansion of rules referring to the absence of an object by a relative reference now works correctly. For example: late [ wall no wall:>:quarterTiles ] -> [ wall wall:>:fill ]
• No longer crashes on resizing the browser window.
• Setting sound volume has been fixed to be compatible with Pattern:Script.
• Undo across a link now works correctly.
• An object that has a copy: referring to an implied TAG object now resolves correctly.
• A TAG object with a sprite that is redefined uses the second sprite instead of appending it.
• MESSAGE or other justified text no longer crashes if it contains consecutive newlines: \n\n.
• Some minor issues with menu wording have been corrected.
• Debug visualisation now works correctly from one level to another.
• The pause screen now works on mobile and tablet devices.

Also some new documentation:

• Tags and Mappings.
• Tips and Tricks.
• Level Branching.