Crafty Chess interface changes from version 4.0c to 5.00 (release date: 12/1/2009)
* changed Crafty engine from v23.0 to v23.1 !
* slight adjustments to the Tournament mode scoring
* tested program as compatible with “Windows 7”
* further improved Crafty engine (crafty.dll) performance (search speed)
* frequent crash fix when using ‘books.bin’ file and switching between ‘book on’ and ‘book off’
(this was particularly bad for the Tournament mode, as I tested it without ‘books.bin’)
* fixed a rather bad bug, which reduced Crafty's strength after changing skill setting multiple times in one session
* mouse click in empty space of the Tournament window user list triggered crash
* to put “solve for mate” in a checkmate position caused crash
* stalemating Crafty in v4.0c caused program's corruption (inability to play a new game)
* unable to place pieces in ‘position setup’ function while in ‘Crafty-Crafty’ mode
* once more the version won’t inherit settings from any previous Crafty Chess versions (new registry key “Crafty_GUI”)
* slightly better non-standard DPI display setting support
* added progress bar during PGN file loading and thus protection against input during this stage
* fixed a rather frequent crash after inserting FEN code and refreshing board position
* “crafty.dat” will be automatically deleted after parsing, to prevent possible lock-ups with invalid saved games
* changed default wood board to “brd_xl_burlywood.jpg” from sets by Merlijn
* also modified the 'Engine' tab to support alteration of Crafty 23.1 evaluation parameters
* some other small interface adjustments that I think make the program look slightly better
* some updates to the license and help files together with several other small improvements
Crafty Chess interface changes from version 3.0b to 4.0c (release date: 8/4/2009)
* out off beta stages
* added full Crafty evaluation parameter configuration tab ( ‘Crafty Control Panel’ – ‘Engine’ )
* improved the Tournament mode, results are now stored in ciphered file
* PGN library item fields that are not fully visible, will be visible when under mouse cursor (LVS_EX_LABELTIP style)
* fix to prevent occasional termination upon "new game"
* move variation (in PGN) wasn't saved when under "result move" (‘1-0’, ‘0-1’, ‘1/2-1/2’)
* you can now change the default colors of the move markers
* added option for enabling/disabling computer opening book via Crafty control panel
* analysis mode will automatically exit upon closing the "Crafty Window"
* added ability to change proportions between the "move list" and "game information" tab size
* sound effect and move list pencil button becoming red will inform about text annotated move
* reduced move list flicker (by special listview subclass)
* added On-Board turn lights (for indication of side to move)
* improved the position setup function a bit (illegal position detection etc.)
* tested program as fairly functional on ‘Linux Gentoo 2007.0’ (using Wine 0.9.52), also improved Wine support a bit
* tested program on ‘Windows95 OSR2’ and ‘Windows98 SE’
(both required VB6 run-time installation, Win95 required Internet Explorer update)
* further removed any code associated with the Nightmare Online
* lots of clean up and many new options/corrections/improvements
Post-release update (release date: 8/12/2009)
* the relative CPU usage of the Crafty Chess application in idle state should be 0% now
* this (CPU usage) change caused crashes upon program’s exit on Windows Vista (fixed in 4.01c)
* also increased Crafty CPU usage during searches by 12%
Crafty Chess interface changes from version 3.0a to 3.0b (release date: 3/18/2009)
* changed Crafty engine from v22.9 to v23.0!
* correct main window screen positioning (taking in account Windows taskbar)
* opening line display (in Move List window) did not work correctly in 3.0a
(this occurred in "last minute" entire replace of MSVC6 compiler by MinGW)
* some small inaccuracies about 'illegal move' sound in 3.0a
* in some PGN format games move variation may start with the same move (3.0a did not handle the situation)
* clock might not get incremented by the minutes immediately after making the last time control move
* some small bug fix in the system that updates Crafty clock from the interface clock
* removed all files from the exe resources (put them in the binary folder)
* tested program as functional on AMD64 Debian Lenny 5.0, using Wine 1.0.1
* added some useful controls to the Crafty output window
* fixed other small inaccuracies and cleared up a bit
Crafty Chess interface changes from version 2.0b to 3.0a (release date: 2/14/2009)
* changed Crafty engine from v22.1 to v22.9!
* Crafty multi-threading support ( for computers with multiple CPUs and or CPU cores )
* Added a Tournament mode - for some self testing
* added "Analyze" button to the "Control Panel" window ( to ease way of checking how Crafty evaluates current board position )
* changed Common Controls library from v6.0 to v5.0 (to support XP manifests and reduce the binary size)
* added optional support for highlighting score number in the "Crafty Window"
* put files "lang_***.dat" and "openings.dat" in the EXE resources
* disabling opponent's castling by capturing his rook could cause a conflict with the Crafty engine ( due to bug in the dynamic link library file "nonline.dll" (it did not remove the castling flag) )
* update of a new board position and clock will happen only when it is necessary (i.e. before Crafty starts to think)
* minimize to system tray is now optional setting
* the default settings now has Crafty Window hidden (as it is unnecessary for simple play against Crafty, and sometimes even distracting)
* removed all the major graphics from the exe resources and put them in the "gfx" folder (so one can easily modify them)
* replaced the "new" command with "setboard *startingFEN" as it was causing some trouble in my interface
* Greatly improved move variation support
o moves containing variations will be in a different color now
o switching move variation will leave the switch move in a red color, to aid in getting back to the principal variation
o previously making a move that is already in the move variation list did not produce correct results
o "remove annotations" didn't work correctly when PGN contained variations
* when output window text length will exceed 65536 bytes, program will start to cut off text from its start ( to avoid lag caused by overloaded RichText box)
* put Nightmare Online dynamic link library "nonline.dll" inside Crafty engine "crafty.dll"
* removed small board and window mode
* fixed several minor glitches :
* checkmating by castling would add a move like O-O# in the move list, and castling move containing # symbol would not be parsed correctly if you try to replay the game in the move list
* ponder option should not be removed if you change "Players"
* pressing stop button in the "Crafty - Crafty" mode should stop playing as well as thinking
* Hide All/Show All windows function did not work correctly
* Ability to set Clock at any point in the game (though this isn't implemented completely correctly)
* After restoring Crafty from maximized window mode, the main window might hang behind the screen
* switching a move in the move variation list to another move should leave the position before the switch move is made
* The node counter of the mate search function could overflow
* quickly parsing moves would add annoying command execution counter in the "Crafty Window" due to sending the new position to Crafty for every move (this could potentially cause other problems as well)
* annoying appearing/disappearing "lastposition.tmp" file is now replaced by a permanent "crafty.dat"
* There were probably some other small errors around the "Clear" button in the Move list
* Crafty chess will now restore a lost "crafty.rc" file with one containing default settings
* If you switched language or window mode, the game position would not be remembered
* Small improvements to some rare PGN formatting support
* added a hook in the Crafty source code to enable changing skill multiple times in one game (hope this won't cause any problems)
* removed some small bugs concerning PGN association with Crafty, and the system that detects open Crafty chess instance and loads that PGN from it
* parsing move list with the [F7] button would cause annoying flicker in the move list animation
* removed the auto-play option, because I think it was almost useless
* tested program as fairly functional on Linux Ubuntu 8.10 using Wine
* tested program as fully functional on Windows Vista Ultimate
* cleared some small bugs around result moves in move list
* the game will be drawn if you run out of time, but opponent has no pieces
* now you will hear special sound when Crafty offers draw
* some other small things that I can't recall or see no need to mention
Crafty Chess interface changes from version 1.0a to 2.0b (release date: 11/8/2008)
* Added Windows XP style control support
* Added ability to take back move (and in fact - continue game from any previous position)
* Move input with keyboard now works correctly
* Crafty will prevent you from setting up an illegal position
* Added "Human against Human" and "Crafty against Crafty" modes
* Two small bug fix in the multiple move variation system
* Interface would sometimes crash if you resign before Crafty has made its move
* Some changes/fixes in the program's texts
* Added ability to hide "Crafty: Control Panel" window
* Ability to load/save-game/position at any moment!
* Ability to disable the time control (so that you or Crafty would not lose when exceeding it)
* Ability to alter clock by double clicking on it
* Added correct protection against Crafty's time leakage while you or some other Windows program freezes its engine
* For Crafty - the time remaining for him and his human opponent will always be the one that is displayed in the Status window!
* Ability to pause unrated game (in several ways - like clicking the "About" button)
* Fixed several bugs in the PGN library position search system
* Fixed bug in the checkmate search function - inability to find checkmate involving castling move (O-O or O-O-O) from the side that delivers checkmate
* Pressing the [continue] button would rotate board, but not the board coordinates!
* Loading PGN will now enter "Human against Human" mode!
* You won't have to resign in order to close the program - instead your position and all game settings will be automatically saved
* Fixed a few bugs in the Options-Sound dialog (inability to put back the default ones)
* Reduced processor usage (so that background programs would be less oppressed)
* To reduce error chances - every command sent to the Crafty will be executed only upon receiving do_events() call
* Dragging piece in a position setup mode will now drag it to the correct square
* Fixed countless other minor bugs...
Crafty Chess interface 1.0a (release date: 7/15/2008)
* Basic functionality for simple play against Crafty v22.1