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[AceSV]

So I've got a bunch of new things I want to try modding (like Furry Fortress 2: Bigger and Badger) but I'm hesitant to commit because I feel like the next version of Dwarf Fortress could be released any day now.  I get the sense from Toady's updates that he's gotten a lot done and isn't running into any unexpected delays, but I don't have a sense of how close he is to making the next release.  I don't know if he's going to tie up some loose ends and push the new release next week or get started on embark scenarios and have it done next year.  I'm really excited about taverns, temples, libraries and repaired sieges, so a big part of me wants to wait and play with the new stuff, but if the wait's going to be a long long time, I might as well have fun modding while I wait. 

I'm fairly confident that Inorganics, Plants, Armor and Weapons won't go through any major changes so I don't mind modding those. 

Creatures might get a few new tokens to deal with drunkedness, social/religious needs, but these things might work with the existing personality traits.  However, messing around with playable creatures strikes me as the hardest part to mod and the part I'd least like to redo. 

I feel like Entity tokens will surely change.  It's not a huge deal to rewrite an entity, but hopefully I'll have a lot of them. 



Do you guys have a sense of what will change and when? 

[Putnam]

yes

update will probably be save-breaking raw-wise, but:

1. drunkenness is almost surely a syndrome thing
2. updating creatures will be MAYBE one or two minor token changes
3. entity tokens will probably not require a rewrite, just maybe minor token additions

[Meph]

I agree. It's never worth it to wait.

[Chevaleresse]

I made a mod for 34.11 and all I had to do was add my changes to the new creature_standard and entity_default files. Updates aren't always a big deal for raw-based mods.

[madk]

If you were to create your mod using PyDwarf, which is for the greater part version-agnostic, then the update would have a minimal impact on your mod.

[milo christiansen]

Same deal with Rubble I do most of the work required for updates, mods just become magically compatible.

[Vattic]

I use WinMerge to compare the raws between versions when I update my personal mod. Endlessly meaning to try Rubble or PyDwarf.

[darkflagrance]

I just released the latest version of Fortress Defense, so I guess I have to say it was worth modding? We'll see how close to the new release Toady really is.

[AceSV]

Thanks everybody, you've definitely inspired me to go for it. 

But besides to mod or not to mod, I'm just really excited to try the new version's features.  I really wish I had a sense of how close Toady is to being finished, like if he's just finalizing the last couple features or if he's going to add a whole new arc afterward. 

[scamtank]

It's the former, but don't hold your breath. The new version is always about 5 weeks away.

[ImagoDeo]

Thanks everybody, you've definitely inspired me to go for it. 

But besides to mod or not to mod, I'm just really excited to try the new version's features.  I really wish I had a sense of how close Toady is to being finished, like if he's just finalizing the last couple features or if he's going to add a whole new arc afterward.

The release cycle seems to be about 2 years long, so I wouldn't be expecting anything new until fall/winter 2016. That does depend, of course, on what Toady's goals are and how close he is to completing them, but there's always more he can do between releases.

Once a release cycle comes to a close and a new version hits, there's turmoil for several months while he gets everything bug-swatted to the best of his ability, and finally a stable release (0.34.11, 0.40.24, etc.) will stick around for 20+ months until the next major update.

[Urist Tilaturist]

Toady may be releasing updates faster now, so there may be a release by the end of this year, but we can never be sure.

[vjmdhzgr]

From his devlog, I've gotten the impression that the next release will be any day now.

[Jay]

The devlog talks of finalizing bits and pieces of the code, to the best of my comprehension. Most recently, the integration of libraries into dwarf mode.
Doesn't lend itself to an impending release, just to an impending shift in focus. That may well be towards more concrete bugfixing for release, but even in that case there could be any amount of time before.
My personal estimate puts the next release a bare minimum of a month out, still.

[Dirst]

The devlog talks of finalizing bits and pieces of the code, to the best of my comprehension. Most recently, the integration of libraries into dwarf mode.
Doesn't lend itself to an impending release, just to an impending shift in focus. That may well be towards more concrete bugfixing for release, but even in that case there could be any amount of time before.
My personal estimate puts the next release a bare minimum of a month out, still.

My personal estimate is a little different.

F5 F5 F5 F5 F5 F5 F5 ...

Just kidding.  It's worth modding now because even after the new release, this will still be the "stable" version for the foreseeable future.  And what you learn fiddling with this version will be mostly transferable to the next.