Decker 1.66 is a maintenance release that unlocks new horizons for making games with Decker.

Fixes (Web):

• Locking a deck on the fly will hide the toolbars if they were already open.

Fixes (Web and Native):

• Improved performance of event handlers in decks with a very large number of cards or on cards with a very large number of widgets (or both).

New Features:

• The image.outline[] function now optionally accepts its argument as a list of pattern indices, applying each in turn. Specifying pattern index 0 will now "erode" the edges of an image. Alternating between adding and eroding borders is not necessarily a reversible operation; it can be useful for closing up small holes in images or smoothing their contours.
• The new app.cursor attribute allows scripts to override the appearance of Decker's mouse cursor to one of eight styles. This makes it possible for "blocking" scripts and contraptions to more convincingly imitate the behavior of default widgets, and also makes it possible to hide the mouse cursor entirely when desired.
• The new gamepad interface allows scripts to monitor a simple virtual game controller with a directional pad and two action buttons. Decker will map keyboard input (if available) as well as input from a physical game controller (if available) to this abstraction. The gamepad interface automatically updates at 60hz, so it can be used to drive games and applications even within "blocking" scripts. See the gamepad tester and the updated Decker Sokoban for examples:

• Dialogizer has been updated to v1.8, taking advantage of app.cursor for the aesthetics of dd.ask[] and incorporating support for gamepad and keyboard input. Pressing space on the keyboard (or any of the other aliases) or pressing the gamepad "action" button will advance dialog, and cursor keys or the gamepad directional input can cycle between choices for dd.ask[]. Hopefully these additions will improve the comfort and clarity of visual novels built with Dialogizer!

Please keep in mind that touch-based devices may not display a "mouse cursor", and may not have a physical keyboard or gamepad controls available. Using "app.cursor" or the gamepad interface may make your decks unusable or degraded on those devices if you don't offer alternative input methods and informational affordances!

With this release I'm also experimenting with offering a native Apple Silicon build of Decker (arm64) alongside the MacOS Intel build (i386), as Apple has announced an end-of-life for Rosetta 2 in the near future. For the time being I intend to continue making MacOS Intel releases available, but this is subject to both user demand and my old hardware holding out. Please report any issues with the new builds promptly.

Elsewhere in the Deckerverse:

WigglyPaint 1.6 features a variety of subtle usability improvements and handy new tools. Why not have a quick doodle?

In Millie's Hybrid Decker Zine Jam, we're creating decks using a template that makes it possible to print them out and fold them into pocket-size booklets. Lots of zines have been submitted already- check them out!

Meanwhile, the Houdini crew have kicked off the Decker App Jam, which is all about making tools and utilities with Decker. How can Decker make your life easier?