CRM64Pro v0.80.0: A major milestone on the road to v1.0.0
CRM64Pro GDK v0.80.0 is now available. This release marks an important milestone for us: all the modules planned for the first stable release are now implemented, working and validated.
In our June 2016 post, “CRM64Pro current state”, we wrote about the work needed to build a project like this. Ten years later, including some long periods with little activity, we have reached that goal. We are very proud of the work and of what our creation has become.
In that post, we shared a commit timeline showing the work and the quieter periods. Here is the updated picture, from the first commits in 2013 to v0.80.0.
EditorC64 has also grown into a much more capable tool and barely resembles its early versions. We have adapted and polished the tutorials, improved the documentation, and prepared installers that make it easier for new developers to get started.
The 2016 post also set out plans to migrate TitanBomber and return to HX. Today, Pac-Man Evolution and TitanBomber have been migrated to this version and improved. Their website releases will be updated soon. The HX project is also being migrated to v0.80.0 so its development can continue.
This release also brings practical improvements to the engine and EditorC64, here are the main changes in v0.80.0:
A more useful console
The embedded console now provides contextual auto-completion, quoted arguments, scrollback and command history. Commands and help are consistent across modules, making it easier to inspect engine state and find the tools you need while an application is running.
Safer networking
In authoritative mode, every user packet passes through the configured server callback. The callback now receives a sender index supplied by the server, so applications can identify the sending connection without relying on identity fields supplied by a client.
Server callbacks must be configured before the server starts and remain fixed while it is running. Remote shutdown requests are no longer supported. Login validation and simulated round-trip latency have also been improved.
Better sprite tools in EditorC64
Sprite animations can now be previewed with playback controls. New body, edge and center alignment modes help position frames consistently, with Resize and Best fit options. Sprite sheet compaction removes unused borders with configurable margins, and the last alignment or compaction operation can be undone.
Frame durations can be applied across the selected animation. This release also fixes resource image replacement and Scene controls that could remain disabled after selecting a light or particle.
These tools build on EditorC64’s existing asset workflow: particle-effect authoring, Scene particle placement, direct object editing and map movement, Universal VTT import, animated tileset import, GUI panel editing and CDC archive management.
Tutorials and documentation
The web tutorials now cover every CRM64Pro module through explanations and code examples. Together with the API reference and platform installers, they provide a clearer path from setting up a project to using the engine’s graphics, media, networking and Scene systems.
Other improvements
This release adds optional smooth font position interpolation, custom setup checkboxes with saved values, and sprite sheet replacement that preserves animation settings. GUI keyboard shortcuts now trigger once per press and release cycle. CDC archives open read-only by default, with write access available when needed.
We have added focused unit tests across the engine modules, updated the third-party libraries, moved version control from SVN to Git, and introduced new CRM64Pro and EditorC64 logos.
Existing projects may need small updates for the archive, networking, font and configuration API changes. See the changelog for the full list of changes and compatibility details.
The road to v1.0.0
The API is now nearly stable, although minor changes may still happen before v1.0.0. Our next step is to test Pac-Man Evolution, TitanBomber and HX thoroughly, along with other games we are developing, to further validate CRM64Pro’s stability in real projects.
Once that work is complete, we plan to release v1.0.0 and publish the full source code, including on GitHub. Further roadmap improvements, such as Spine2D and Lua support, will follow gradually.