Hi folks! Finally the new update is available! We're sorry that the update took so long. As explained in our previous announcement, there were some factors that caused this huge delay. We decided to split the update, this means it does not contain all features, and some features are not polished yet. Nevertheless, this is still a big update: First of all, this update introduces new player models, including a male and female character. It's customizable and clothes can be changed. Of course this introduces completely new animations as well.

We also reworked nearly all items. Most models were made from scratch. Although this still needs some works (some items are missing or broken), this provides a new feeling when playing the game.
We did not only rework the existing items, we also added a bunch of new items. An important new feature: ranged weapons, or more precisely, a crossbow, a musket and a repeating rifle.

Unfortunately some items are still not ready, for example the bow or the chainsaw. They will be added in one of the next updates. There are also some animations which aren't fully ready yet and need some rework, as well as issues with the sync in multiplayer and visual issues with the different clothes. We're confident that all these issues will be sorted out within the next few weeks.
Please note: Due to the excessive changes to the game, we want to make sure to not break any existing save games. We are currently uploading the game as public nightly/beta to Steam (it will be ready in a few minutes), so we can fix at least severe bugs. You can get the update by rightclicking on Rising World in your Steam lib -> Properties -> Betas -> Select "0.9 - preview". Probably this update goes live in a few hours, your game will update automatically then.

Changelog:

• [New] Added several new items:
  • Ranged weapons: Crossbow, musket and repeater and related ammunition
  • New electric tool: Miningdrill
  • New pickaxes and axes (iron and steel version)
  • New primitive stone axe
  • Two new compasses and clocks (modern/old version)
  • Two new swords
  • Properly animated canteen/waterskin
• [New] New character models, including male and female character
• [New] Character customization which allows you to change haircut, beard, skin color, hair color, eye color (main menu -> profile)
• [New] New animations for nearly all items and movements (still work in progress)
• [New] Finally visible hands for first-person view (can be disabled in config file)
• [New] Over 80 different clothes (all clothes are available for men and women), most of them can be combined with each other
• [New] New variations for bear, goat and cow
• [New] New object: primitive smelting furnace
• [New] New statue (decoration) of the old player model
• [New] Added different moon phases
• [New] Added detection for speed hacks (multiplayer only)
• [New] Added removal tools for plants, constructions and objects in creative mode
• [New] All crafting recipes are now always accessible in creative mode (inventory -> crafting)
• [New] Added infos about grinder, paper press, spinning wheel and tanning rack to the journal
• [New] A marker will be created on your map upon death (showing the location of your dead body)
• [New] A preview will now be visible when placing dirt, sand etc.
• [New] Added command "size" to set the size of a construction element manually
• [New] When placing a construction element you'll see the texture id of the element you're currently looking at
• [New] When placing a poster you'll see the image id and name of the poster you're currently looking at
• [New] Added command "reloadjournal" to reload the custom journal while the server is running (MP)
• [New] Added API support for custom sounds (see API changelog)
• [Change] Other players (multiplayer) hold items correctly now (still need to fix some items)
• [Change] Improved world generation speed, especially in cases where lots of lights were used
• [Change] Hopefully fixed the lighting errors (sharp edges, wrongly lit underground) (need feedback)
• [Change] Increased walk and sprint speed
• [Change] Reduced memory consumption
• [Change] Backside of images is now flipped horizontally
• [Change] Elements can now be placed on other objects (e.g. furniture)
• [Change] Changed male sounds and added new female sounds
• [Change] You can see your character now when opening the inventory
• [Change] Flymode is now disabled by default in survival mode (can be changed in the settings)
• [Change] Reduced 10 seconds cooldown between placement of two blueprints to 2 seconds
• [Change] Multiplayer servers automatically get re-added to the server list if the master server was offline temporarily
• [Change] Increased minimum spawn rate of acacia saplings
• [Change] Animals now run away from nearby gunshots or explosions
• [Change] You can now also place ores in the furnace by holding your mouse button (faster loading)
• [Change] You can also keep your interaction key pressed to pickup items from a furnace (faster unloading)
• [Change] Placement collision detection improved when placing ores in the furnace
• [Change] Ore orientation has small variation now when placing in furnace
• [Change] "Armor" slots in inventory were replaced by "Ammo" slots
• [Change] Ingame time will be updated during the loading process now, avoids "bright flashes" when spawning
• [Change] A proper message will be shown now if the Steam API could not be initialized
• [Change] Slightly increased transparency of rain
• [Change] If the inventory data gets corrupted, players can still join the server/load the world now
• [Change] Added detection for outdated Intel HD Graphics driver
• [Change] Changed fullscreen/display mode handling, hopefully this fixes fullscreen issues on Linux (need feedback)
• [Bugfix] Saloon doors finally work properly now
• [Bugfix] Animals can no longer run on water surfaces
• [Bugfix] Fixed broken position of dead player bodies
• [Bugfix] Fixed broken hitbox of other players
• [Bugfix] Grid (G) is now displayed correctly on construction elements
• [Bugfix] Fixed fly permission not being set correctly in singleplayer sometimes
• [Bugfix] Fixed wrong image position when placing a poster on a table
• [Bugfix] Fixed overlapping text in journal/blueprints-section
• [Bugfix] Fixed "chatnamecolor" in permissions
• [Bugfix] Objects can now also be placed on the small garden table
• [Bugfix] Fixed issue with granting/revoking admin rights from other players in multiplayer
• [Bugfix] Fixed plugins not being loaded properly in rare cases
• [Bugfix] Fixed issue on mp servers when "settings_admins_allpermissions" was set to false