Usurper Reborn v0.17.0-alpha - "FOSSIL Support"

Highlights

This release adds FOSSIL/serial port support for improved BBS compatibility, consolidates the news system, and fixes several NPC state tracking bugs.

New Features

FOSSIL/Serial Port Support

• Added full FOSSIL driver support for BBS systems that use COM port communication

• New command line options:

  • --fossil <port> - Force FOSSIL/serial mode on specified COM port (e.g., COM1)
  • --com <port> - Alias for --fossil

• Example for EleBBS and similar systems:
  UsurperReborn --doorsys door.sys --fossil COM1

• New files: SerialTerminal.cs, ITerminalIO.cs

• Updated: BBSTerminalAdapter.cs, DoorMode.cs, DropFileParser.cs

Player Notification System

• Important game events now show a prominent "IMPORTANT NEWS" popup when entering locations
• Teammates leaving your team now trigger direct notifications instead of just news entries
• Implemented via GameEngine.PendingNotifications queue

Consolidated News System

• Simplified news from 5 separate categories (Daily, Royal, Marriage, Birth, Holy) to one unified feed
• News board now shows all events in chronological order with color-coding by type
• Removed complex menu system - just view all news in one screen
• Much cleaner codebase (~330 lines vs ~575 lines)

Quick Commands Improvements

• Typing / alone now shows the help screen (same as /help)
• Unknown commands now pause with "Press any key" so errors are readable
• Removed /t (turns) and /m (map) commands as they weren't useful
• /g (gold) and /hp (health) commands now pause for readability

Bug Fixes

NPC State Tracking (Critical)

• Dead NPCs wandering town: GetNPCByName() now filters out dead NPCs by default
• Can't resurrect partner: ResurrectAlly() now properly checks IsDead flag instead of just IsAlive (HP > 0)
• Teammates vanishing silently: Player now receives direct notifications when team members leave

Navigation

• Team Area access: Removed [Z] Team Area from Main Street menu - now only accessible through the Inn

Null Safety

• Fixed 18+ nullable reference warnings across combat, quest, NPC brain, and monster generation systems

Technical Changes

• Added System.IO.Ports NuGet package for serial communication
• Added ComPort field to BBSSessionInfo for FOSSIL support
• BBSTerminalAdapter now supports both SocketTerminal and SerialTerminal
• New UIHelper class for standardized box drawing utilities
• Session summary statistics on logout

Files Changed

• New Files: SerialTerminal.cs, ITerminalIO.cs, UIHelper.cs, HintSystem.cs
• Major Changes: NewsSystem.cs, NewsLocation.cs, BaseLocation.cs, DoorMode.cs, BBSTerminalAdapter.cs
• Bug Fixes: NPCSpawnSystem.cs, HomeLocation.cs, WorldSimulator.cs, NPCMaintenanceEngine.cs

BBS Sysop Notes

For FOSSIL-based BBS systems (EleBBS, etc.):
UsurperReborn --doorsys %f --fossil COM1

For Synchronet (Standard I/O mode):
UsurperReborn --door32 %f --stdio

For Synchronet (Socket I/O mode):
UsurperReborn --door %f

The --fossil flag forces serial mode on the specified COM port, which should match your FOSSIL driver's virtual port.