PAST v0.10 Released: Feature Complete for 1.0!

Even a month ago, I wasn't entirely convinced that porting PANPC to Starfield would be possible. There were simply too many things we still didn't know about the game, and likely wouldn't know until some time after Bethesda released a Creation Kit for Starfield.

Now, less than three weeks after the crude v0.01 prototype, I can comfortably declare this release - v0.10 - to essentially be a feature complete PANPC port to Starfield.

You can find the latest package in the PAST #releases-latest channel of the GreslinGames Discord, available to Citizen role users. (If you don't currently have Citizen, please read the #read-this-first channel for instructions.) I've also released it here as a convenience for my Patreon subscribers.

The big addition to PAST in this release is PANPC's Real Time Response subsystem. This functionality makes NPCs more aware of events in their environment and gives them the ability to react to those events nearly instantly. This currently includes reaction signals for hit and death warnings, as well as a new feature that allows some NPCs to assume leadership roles in their team and direct other teammates to join them in an enemy ambush.

There are still several PANPC features that are not in PAST. Some may come after v1.0, once I've been able to look at Starfield in CK and get a better idea of how levels are internally designed. Other features (such as NPC cloning) will not be ported, as they were always out of scope in PANPC and in the long term I regretted adding them.  I may release out-of-scope functionality in the future as separate PAST-compatible mods.

Being v1.0 feature complete does not mean we're done for new releases. I plan to continue testing, fixing bugs as I find them, and enhancing the AI as I find opportunities. I may still add the occasional small feature if I find a compelling reason to do so. But virtually all of the core AI functionality of PANPC is now in place and stable in PAST.

If you're playing Starfield with PAST, I'd really appreciate it if you drop by the Discord at some point and let me know how it works for you. Starfield isn't Fallout 4, and I'm really trying to customize the code base to accentuate the feel of this game. So player feedback is not only welcome, but it's critical for getting PAST into a polished state. Thank you so much.

Have fun,

- G.