This update marks a new step towards Layout management as we have envisioned.

Layout Browser now displays previews of layouts which makes layout management much more pleasant and allows to see what is going to be grown without exiting the window.

It works by Layout Window requesting for previews of displayed layouts and the Layout Preview Generator either provides existing layouts or queues a request to render a preview for layout. Then Siphos are spawned in the background to have their layout image taken. Selected layouts take priority and no longer displayed layouts without previews have their requests automatically retracted. Large siphos grow over several frames to not resource hog the game, so some may take several frames to render a preview. If you have a very low memory machine you can reduce the number of cached layouts in options menu.

Descriptions can now be added to saved layouts in Layout Browser, allowing to describe lore or intended strategy of the layout. Descriptions are included in exported layout data.

We now also track kills of the layout in Campaign mode. It should be an interesting trivia to look after at some time - who is your greatest nemesis?

In the future, we hope to speed up Layout preview generation process by saving generated previews as files on disk, so they don't have to be regenerated every time the game is opened. This would also allow us to embed layouts in images and allow sharing images instead of just layout text.

We have made some notable mechanical changes:

• Projectiles now have their "age" reset after being bounced-off a surface. This mainly happens in Cra'Than zones and could make some interesting interactions by using walls to reach enemies further away or around corner
  
• Flail base now has smaller collider than its "head" - this means that now Flail zooid, when retracted, fully blocks attacks from the front. It is, however, still susceptible to poison or flanking attacks, but it should have some interesting defensive properties now.
  
• Speaking of Flails, a new movement type has been introduced called "Twin Stick Spin" - it allows having a free spinning Sipho, which allows "windmilling" with multiple flails. Holding Right/Left buttons makes Sipho spin clockwise or counterclockwise, Forward/Backward buttons move it to or from where the mouse is pointing at.
  

Time to tidy up all those autosaved layouts and take a Flail for a spin!

Version 0.8.3f3

• Clone Advena boss 3 layouts properly
  
• Include Warden of The Depths in Layout Browser
  
• Fix exceptions if game is exited while previews are being generated
  
• Update Unity packages
  

Version 0.8.3f2

• Tweak Layout browser spacing
  
• Select neighbor Layout Browser entry if selected one disappears
  
• Fix Layout Browser search getting defocused when it filters new Layout results
  
• Tone down description colors in Layout browser
  
• Lock input when editing Layout description
  

Version 0.8.3f1

• Layout browser size tweaks
  
• Show more statistics and description of Layout in Layout Browser
  
• Layout Browser improvements
  
• Better way of detecting if renderer cloner can be moved or will it be destroyed
  
• Update engine to 2021.3.0f1
  
• Fix copy-paste typo in handling Sipho change of Campaign Logic
  

Version 0.8.3a3

• Update Unity version to 2020.3.33f1
  

Version 0.8.3a2

• Update Steamworks.NET to 20.1.0 Package
  
• Fix null ref exception in zooid graphics initialize if no Camera Follow is existing
  
• Make Flail base collider much smaller so the Ball part covers it completely from projectiles
  
• More refactoring to support separate Zooid Physical and logical radii
  
• Handle player death Layout kill tracking when there's no killer
  
• Separate Zooid Radius from Physical Radius to support arbitrarily sized Zooid colliders
  
• Reset projectile age if it bounces or slips off a surface
  
• Fix Cra'Than Environment Holes bugging out if spawned in zero timescale
  
• Fix weird built-in layouts
  
• Basic kill/deaths info in Layout selection
  
• Include layout name in Sipho death logs
  
• Put UI icons to an atlas
  
• Add Skull icon
  
• Track layouts that are killed by player and which ones kill the player
  
• Track all Layout Guids in Layout Database
  
• Add compressed layout format for exporting Layout strings
  
• Fix Layout browser selection scrolling
  
• Add Global Unique Identifier to Layouts
  
• Tweak how Layout Browser looks
  
• Make current Sipho Layout information panel buttons selectable only in Growth mode
  
• Fix keyboard/controller navigation in Layout Browser not selecting layout type toggles
  
• Use Linear color space for rendering Layout Previews
  
• Show player's layout evolution when player dies
  
• Invoke Zooid kill callback before zooid is removed from its Sipho
  
• - Layout saving refactor
  
• Add Realtime Preview generation priority which renders preview while gameplay is unpaused
  
• Track player's Layout evolution throughout Campaign play session. Does not persist through restarts yet
  
• Add more layout hash tests
  
• Approximate Layout hashes are order-independent
  
• Add OnKilledSipho callback for Siphos
  
• Disable Random Motor Speed component when pooling
  
• Cleanup tutorial code which used old ways of updating Layouts
  
• Try rendering High Priority Layout previews as soon as possible
  
• Add Approximate Hash calculation for Layouts
  
• Clean up several built-in layouts
  
• Block Tooltip raycasts below Layout Browser
  
• Sort layouts consistently
  

Version 0.8.3a1

• Automatically determine Layout Preview resoltion
  
• Add Layout Preview Cache Size and Resolution settings to Graphics Options Menu
  
• Cull Layout browser elements according to their visibility in viewport. Prioritize preview for selected Layout
  
• Use rigid mode for preview generator Siphos
  
• Grow layout preview Siphos over time instead of stalling to grow whole layout instantly
  
• Generated Layout previews are transparent
  
• Add Layout generator which generates Layout previews for Layout browser while the game is paused
  
• Add Twin Stick Spin movement type convenient for round Siphos
  
• Menu Stacks are local