Upgrade Guide & Changelog

Version History, Migration Notes & Asset Store Updates

This document outlines version changes and safe upgrade procedures when updating PERCH from the Unity Asset Store.

Safe Upgrade Procedure

When upgrading to a newer release:

Backup Your Project: Always create a git commit or project backup before updating third-party assets.
Preserve Custom Profiles: Keep your custom PerchCreatureProfile ScriptableObjects outside the Assets/Decnet/Perch/ folder (e.g. in your project’s Assets/Game/Profiles/ directory) to avoid accidental overwrites.
Import via Package Manager:
- Open Window > Package Manager > My Assets.
- Click Update, then Import.
Recompile & Verify: Open Window > General > Test Runner and run all EditMode tests to confirm that all assemblies recompiled cleanly.

Release Notes & Version History

Version 2.0.0 (Flagship Commercial Release)

Flagship Skinned Birds: Added original stylized Garden Finch and Willow Wren 3D models with 5 authored animation clips (Flight, Glide, Landing/Fold, Perched Idle, Takeoff).
Arc-Length LUT Hermite Splines: Replaced raw parametric interpolation with precomputed 32-sample arc-length look-up tables, guaranteeing constant physical braking deceleration along curved flight paths.
PERCH Studio Master Window: Introduced the unified master editor tool (Window > PERCH > PERCH Studio / Ctrl+Alt+P), unifying 5-second onboarding telemetry, 1-click authoring, geometry scanners, and rehearsal scrubbers.
Generic Rig Two-Bone IK Solver: Shipped PerchTwoBoneIkSolver, an analytical inverse kinematics solver built specifically for Generic rigs and bird anatomy.
Direct Spatial Hash ID Mapping (DEC-012): Replaced linear slot scans with direct dictionary lookups (_spatialIdToHandle), improving footprint contention benchmarks by ~8x.
Zero-Allocation Struct Buffers (DEC-010): Replaced dynamic lambda event queues with fixed-size struct circular buffers (QueuedAgentEvent[32], PendingCommand[16]), achieving steady-state 0 B managed GC allocations.
Surface Candidate Scanner: Added automated raycast level geometry scanner with slope and clearance filters for 1-click perch discovery.
Moving Platform Kinematics: Added target velocity sampling and momentum handover contracts for moving ships, swinging ropes, and vehicles.
Automated Regression Suite: Expanded EditMode and PlayMode test suites to 22 verified assertions with leaked collider cleanup guarantees (DEC-009).