X-Wing Vassal module 8.8.9 (Events Calendar, autospawn additions, Aces High marker)

Usual links

X-Wing guide to installing and playing:  xwvassal.info/guide

Module github download (fast) page: https://github.com/Mu0n/XWVassal/releases/

X-Wing Vassal league (new website!) (season 9 has ended) hub: 
https://listfortress.com/league

Vassalengine.org download page (1-2 day delay): http://www.vassalengine.org/wiki/Module:Star_Wars:_X-Wing_Miniatures_Game

Found a bug? Missing art? Please report it here or see if someone did already: https://github.com/Mu0n/XWVassal/issues

Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/mu0n

Paypal Tip jar: http://paypal.me/mu0n

Is it important to update to v8.8.9 or can I stick with v8.8.1 bottom line:

• Always update. You know that by now.

Cliffsnotes of this update?

• New chat window button [Events Calendar] leading to a community-driven Google Calendar of Vassal X-Wing events
• New chat window [Help] button leading to the guide at http://xwvassal.info/guide
• Autospawn now correctly spawns charge tokens on pilots as well as force charge token increases from upgrade cards with force
• Aces High marker is in the Pieces window
• 12 Environment cards are in the Pieces window
• Blinded Pilot damage card text is fixed and uses printed version now
• Player 7 and 8 can now roll the dice and play!

Aces High playable

This token was highly requested over the last few months.

You can’t underestimate its importance, as this casual play mode is perfect for teaching new players the vassal module, as well as the game itself if need be. And there seems to be a high uptick of new players on the platform. Welcome them in and consider using that token.

It can be found in the Pieces window, SecondEdition page, Token2e tab.

Google Events Calendar

A new [Events Calendar] button in the main window button bar leads to this popup.

By clicking the link, you can open up a browser page to a community driven Google Calendar. As a player, you’ll have access to the date of many events in the community which are based on Vassal. Signup start/end dates as well as the event’s own participate start/end date will be shown there. Ideally, this will make players avoid to scour the whole of the internet, forums, facebook groups to hunt down new events to participate in. Click on any single event and you’ll be provided with the necessary info and link to sign up or follow up.

As an interested player, once you load up the Calendar, you can then click on the [+]Google Calendar button located at the bottom right corner of the page:

This will integrate the content of the Vassal X-wing Events to your own personal Google Calendar. Any new event that gets added there will be browsable from your personal account. You can, at any time, toggle on and off any individual Calendar when you view them in your Google account.

If you’re a tournment organizer reading this, please do contact me so I can give you a Google Forms to fill in so that the Calendar gets populated with your event!

Streamlined button bar for the main window

It now looks like this:

There are 4 changes:

• Removal of the [How To & Shortcuts] button which was deprecated (too tied to the first edition)
• Removal of the [X-Wing Ref Cards] button, for the same reason
• New [Help] button, opening a popup shown below
• New [Events Calendar] button, opening a popup shown above

This is what the [Help] window looks like; by clicking the links, you get to the Vassal website and guide that have been up for years now, but have very recently been revamped fully to the latest of Second Edition.

AutoSpawn additions

Charge tokens now appear besides pilot cards. Force charge tokens from upgrades now correctly increases the amount of tokens by the pilot card instead of just spawning a token in the common token pool above:

Also, every list has recently been spawning ion and strain tokens, in case you get the Disabled Power Regulator critical damage card or got it from a gas cloud obstacle. This was added without a line of code or needing a new module version, thanks to a web repo checked by the vassal module that deals with tokens that should be loaded with specific actions, pilots, upgrades or ships.

There are a few missing tokens (ie Deuterium Power Cells) which are well on their way to appear, pending a very soon to come update on the community driven xwing-data2 maintained by Legend Guido Kessels and collaborators.

Environment cards

If you were hankering to get some variety in the obstacle placement phase, you are now served with these in the Pieces Window, SecondEdition page, Environment tab:

Player 7 and 8 can now play!

For some reason, since 2014, no one has bothered to use those player slots. With Aces High and Hotac modes being played a lot since the confinements orders worldwide, people have started reporting that these player slots can’t roll the dice or participate much in the game. This has been fixed!

Patch notes:

@Mu0n:

Chat window (main window) buttons:

• The [How-To and Shortcuts] Button is removed (it was severely outdated and related mostly to first edition)
• The [Ref Cards] Button is removed for the same reason
• A new [Help] button leads to a window linking to the X-Wing Vassal website and its guide
• A new [Events Calendar] leads to a window explaining about the brand new Google Calendar with automatically fed events from community organizers.

Events Calendar

• If you are a player, this Calendar can be integrated to your Google Account. It will list event signup with dates and web link for information. It will list the event actual start and end dates with web link for information.
• These events will be submitted automatically to this Calendar, from a curated list of community organizers that contact Mu0n and possibly future co-admins.
• If you are such an organizer, by making your case, you will be granted a Google Form that you fill in once for signups and second time for the event itself.

New elements in the Pieces Window:

• Added the Environment cards from the “Never Tell me the Odds” pack. They can be found, dragged and dropped away from the Pieces window, SecondEdition tab, Environment tab.
• Hyperspace Marker (used in an Aces High scenario, for example). They can be found, dragged and dropped away from the Pieces window, SecondEdition tab, Tokens2e tab.

New tokens taken care of by Autospawn:

• Pilots with charge tokens will now spawn a charge token by their pilot cards (new lines of code were needed)
• Pilots with upgrades that grant force (or extra force) will now spawn force tokens by their pilot cards instead of the generic token pool.
• Some upgrade cards which grant the Lock action will now spawn a target lock token if it was not already the case, such as Targeting Computer, Passive Sensors (online edit of a web text file, if you find any more of them, please report)
• Strain and ion tokens will now be spawned with every list in case anyone uses a gas cloud for strain or if someone gets the Disabled Power Regulator critical damage card (online edit of a web text file, basically all pilots that either have Focus or Calculate actions, which means 100% of pilots) get these tokens)

Player 7 and 8 feature complete

• These player spots can now roll the dice in the dice window
• These player spots can now interact with the turn tracker window

Bug Squashing:

• The text for the damage card ‘Blinded Pilot’ was fixed from “While attacking, you can modify your dice only by spending a force for its standard effect.” to “While you perform an attack, you can modify your dice only by spending force for their default effect.”