[Open Assets] Followermaker — Kartmaker, but for followers r7

Hey there Followermakers, back again with a brand new Followermaker update just for you. Before I list the changes, though, I would like to mention that my experiment with implementing PK3 exporting into Followermaker was an astounding success: no issues have been reported! Oh, and I also got to implement PK3 exporting into Kartmaker, which you should be able to use starting with the next update for Ring Racers. How cool is that?

Without further ado:

• Followemaker's error handling has been upgraded:
  • The Followermaker window will now pop up whenever an error occurs while generating the PK3. Errors like these can include anything, from accidentally deleting the PLAYPAL.lmp file to forgetting to add a comma on the properties file; you should be able to see these errors in a more convenient way now, with a prompt to close the window after you're done.
  • Followermaker will now delete PK3s if an error occurs during generation. Followermaker is finally on par with how Kartmaker does things, as you simply won't get your add-on file if an error occurs while the program is running.
  • More error checks were also added, including one for follower frames which locations and dimensions go beyond the size of the spritesheet image.
• To tie in with the changes to how Followermaker handles errors, follower templates will now present the "name" and "prefix" values as empty by default. If either of the two fields remains empty, the Followermaker window will now tell you to fill them in.
  • These are two very important fields to fill out with unique values, so it no longer made sense to have the program fill them out with default values of its own.
• Followermaker now uses the miniz library for generating PK3 files instead of kuba--'s zip. ...Because the latter was possibly not legally compliant. Never use a program that's licensed under Unlicense, I guess.
  • The above change has no impact on Followermaker's functionality, it's just a backend change with a really funny reason behind it.

• Implemented PK3 exporting, replacing the ability to export followers as WAD files.
  • The process for generating a follower PK3 is the exact same as previous versions of Followermaker: simply drag and drop your follower's folder into the Followermaker executable, and a new file for your follower will be generated.
  • Follower PK3s allow the contents of your follower to be neatly organized inside of folders, and allows packing multiple followers in a single file very easily: just copy and paste the folders inside of your followers' PK3 files inside one new single PK3 file in SLADE, and you're all set!
• Followers that are using a cumulative total of more than 64 animation frames will now correctly adjust their animations to not reference frames beyond the 64th frame of animation.
  • This may mean that your follower's state animation will suddenly cut off earlier than expected, or not play at all depending on how many animation frames were used for other states.
  • Frames beyond the 64th frame of animation will still get converted and packed inside of the file, appearing as unused elements. This will generate a warning message upon loading the follower, but otherwise has no effects in-game.
• All follower fields in properties.txt that rely on text input now get truncated after the maximum amount of characters is reached, instead of only the name field.
• Adjusted name field to truncate at 16 characters instead of 15.

*Assuming this admittedly-experimental update goes off without any hitches.

• Fixed error where follower states which animation starts on the 28th overall animation frame erroneously used animation frames from other states.
• All numeric values for followers are stored in 16-bit integers now instead of 8-bit integers. This means you can use numbers higher than 255!
• Fixed error where the animation speed for the ring state was erroneously applied to the win state instead, with the ring state falling back to 35 tics in all instances.
• Followers without a set scale_divide now fall back to a value of 1. Yes, this means those followers have been dividing themselves by 0...
• Added program version to readme.

• Added the "scale divide" field; this lets you divide the scale of your follower, granting the option to scale down a follower's sprites in-game, which is useful for followers with relatively high-resolution sprites. To achieve a sprite scale such as 2/5, the "scale" field needs to be set to the dividend (in this case 2), and the "scale divide" field should be set to the divisor (in this case 5).

• Fixed a bug where, upon generating an SOC for a follower that has one of the middle states not implemented (e.g. removing the "following" state when the follower otherwise has 3 states in total), the program kept erroneous record of when animations start and how many frames they take.
• Added two new advanced templates: these are merely the existing "7 states full" templates for symmetrical and asymmetrical followers, except they now use the illustrated chao graphics that the basic templates have.

• Added the "Ring time" field; this allows you to adjust the duration of the "Ring" state, similar to how you can adjust the duration of the "Hit Confirm" state.
• Adjusted the "Hit Confirm time" field to use units of individual tics instead of multiples of TICRATE. This means that, whenever the "Hit Confirm time" field is set to 1, the duration of the Hit Confirm state will now be of 1 tic, as opposed to 1 * TICRATE (which is 35 tics). The same also applies to the "Ring time" state.
• Follower names that are over 16 characters in length get clamped to 15 characters now. i'm too lazy to make it clamp at exactly 16
• Miscellaneous edits to the readme and advanced instructions.