Hi everyone!
Here's an update on the development status of Dreamcast Conversion and other related projects of mine.
Starting today I'm taking a break from hacking SADX. I'm pausing work on Dreamcast Conversion, Dreamcast DLCs, Sound Overhaul 2 and HD GUI 2, and putting these and other projects on hold for an indeterminate period of time. There are several reasons I decided to stop working on mods:
1) The mods are pretty much complete within the current limits of my knowledge and modding skills;
2) The mods have come to the point where their further updates depend on further development of other people's work;
3) I am about to get rid of my main computer - in about a month from now I won't have a proper computer for a while and I don't feel like making mods on my tablet;
4) Finally, I feel like I have exhausted my interest in SADX modding and it's about time I either find another hobby or at least take a long break.
This doesn't mean the projects are completely abandoned, however. The support infrastructure (online updates, issue tracker, SADX Mod Installer etc.) will remain functional. There are also a few things I feel I should add to these projects before I can leave them, so I will be watching the SADX hacking scene for a while to see if these updates are possible. Here's a list of things that will likely prompt me to update the mods:
- DC Conversion: when the SL lighting system is understood well enough to enable its use in the Lantern Engine mod, I will update DC Conversion to ensure the lighting on all SL objects is accurate. I may also update PL Tool with SL file support.
- DC Conversion: when the SADX D3D11 mod is complete and Lantern Engine is updated to support it, I will update DC Conversion to take advantage of proper order-independent transparency and enable things that were previously difficult to do (metal struts in Sky Deck etc.).
- DC Conversion: Exant and I have come quite close to loading converted SA1 Chao models and animations in SADX, but the models are still not in the original SA1 format, and at the moment the game crashes after using them after a while. If further progress is made in this regard, I will update DC Conversion accordingly and/or make it work together with the Chao World Extended mod, and possibly restore more Chao stuff.
- HD GUI 2: when the Mod Loader is updated to scale anything from the "unsupported assets" list here, I will update HD GUI 2 to add new assets for Chao, Game Gear menus etc.
- Sound Overhaul 2: if a better way to rip SA1 sounds is found (for example, when audio emulation in the redream emulator gets accurate enough, or when the HighlyTheoretical plugin gets an update resolving its current problems with SA1 sounds), I will start work on Sound Overhaul 3, which will be even more accurate to the original game.
- All projects: if a critical bug is found (triggering crashes, major inaccuracies, game-breaking bugs etc.), I will push a hotfix when I can.
Thank you for following me and playing SADX with my mods all this time. It's been two exciting years and I hope I will be able to make more cool SADX mods in the future. Until then, have fun playing DC Conversion and other mods, and stay tuned for updates, which I'm sure will arrive eventually.
All the best,
PkR
