"V12.7.0-RC or V12.6.5?"

Started by namida, October 20, 2019, 06:13:56 PM

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namida

This topic is now obsolete, as V12.7.0 has been released. Thus, target V12.7.0 in all cases.




I've seen people ask on a few cases whether they should release their pack for V12.6.5 or V12.7.0-RC. I want to have a clear post on the Levels board that answers this.

Firstly, a couple of things to make clear:
- If you don't expect to release your pack within the next 3 weeks or so, target V12.7.0-RC, because V12.7.0 stable should be released by the time your content is ready.
- I say these things as NL's developer, not as admin of the forums. Not following them could lead to your content being excluded from NL's installer / the included styles download until issues are resolved (I won't do this just to be spiteful, but I will do it to avert compatibility issues), but it will not lead to you facing any sanctions forum-wise.

That aside:
- Content that has been upgraded to V12.7.X is not compatible with V12.6.5, even if it only uses features that exist in V12.6.5
- On the other hand, content that targets V12.6.5 is 100% compatible with V12.7.X, but compatibility will break from V12.10.X onwards
- It is expected, but not completely guaranteed, that nothing further will change about formats between V12.7.0-RC and V12.7.0 stable - further changes would only be to fill in obvious oversights, fix typos, etc

V12.7.0-RC is not quite considered a "stable" version. RC versions should be thought of as "very close to, but not quite, stable". However, the usual advice is to target stable versions. If you release content using V12.6.5 now, it will work on V12.7.0-RC and on V12.7.X stable - it won't break until V12.10.0 (including any V12.10.0-RC builds).

Private releases on the other hand, since these are usually for testing purposes, should target whichever NL version your public release is intended to target (or the closest available version, so if you intend to target V12.7.0-stable, then your test version should target V12.7.0-RC).

Some edge cases:

- You want to release now and provide both a V12.6.5 version and a V12.7.0 version. This does offer a benefit: The V12.6.5 version can be played on a stable version of NL immediately; while the V12.7.0 version is more futureproof so if you were to leave the forums, it's already there and leaves your pack useable for V12.10.X and beyond. However, especially if you update often, I'd say this probably isn't worth the hassle unless you specifically expect to leave the forums in the near future.

- You want to release now, but your content uses features that don't exist in V12.6.5 such as neutral lemmings or antisplat pads. In this case, you really have no choice but to either delay the release, or release it for V12.7.0-RC. If you must do this, please make it very clearly visible in your release topic / post that your content requires V12.7.0-RC. Please also be aware that this would disqualify it from inclusion in the installer's list of downloadable packs (until V12.7.0-stable is released, at which point it can be included again), as the installer installs the latest stable version and any content it installs must be compatible with that.
My projects
2D Lemmings: NeoLemmix (engine) | Lemmings Plus Series (level packs) | Doomsday Lemmings (level pack)
3D Lemmings: Loap (engine) | L3DEdit (level / graphics editor) | L3DUtils (replay / etc utility) | Lemmings Plus 3D (level pack)
Non-Lemmings: Commander Keen: Galaxy Reimagined (a Commander Keen fangame)