Zeepkist News

Hey everyone!!!

It's December!!

It's very cold outside!!

I made some new blocks for y'all to enjoy! :D



It's time for Zeepkist v12: The Happy Holidays Update!!

This update contains a bunch of new blocks for everyone to enjoy!

New Static Blocks:

• Festive Trees
  
• Candy Cane
  
• Small Festive Lights
  
• Big Festive Lights (That emit light!)
  
• 3 Big Hats
  
• Various Gift Boxes
  
• Xmas Baubles
  
• Sinterklaas String Decorations
  
• Festive Lights String
  
• Big Snowflake
  
• Big Icicle
  
• Big Neon Xmas Tree Gate Thing
  
• Big Snowman
  
• Half-Length Road Piece
  
• Collisionless Rock
  

New Dynamic Blocks:

• Various Gift Boxes
  
• Santa Sleigh
  
• Snowman
  
• Bowling Pin (it's not very festive specifically but yolo)

Merry Zeepkisting & Happy Holidays!!

[h3]THEME: Winter Wonderland[/h3]

• Build a winter wonderland! This could be a Sinterklaas, Christmas or snowy themed track!!
  

[h3]DEADLINE[/h3]

• Your track should be complete and submitted by Saturday, 24th December 2022 at 18:00 UTC+0
• Submissions will be combined into a single workshop item after the deadline above
  

[h3]SUBMISSION RULES[/h3]

1. You can only submit one level (you can modify or replace your submission until the deadline)
   
2. Level collaborations are permitted (this counts as a level submission for each individual creator)
   
3. The name of the level must start with "ZSL - "
   

[h3]LEVEL RULES[/h3]

1. Scaling track pieces is permitted
   
2. Level MUST have an author time under 1 minute 30 seconds (between 30sec to 1min preferred)
   
3. Level MUST have at least 1 checkpoint. Consider adding additional checkpoints for split timing or where it would prevent a cut
   
4. Level MUST NOT use the invisible block for the purpose of a hidden path
   
5. Level MUST NOT have hidden finishes or hidden shortcuts (e.g using no-collision blocks to hide a secret path that is NOT the intended route)
   
6. Level MUST meet any additional requirements set in the level contest's theme
   

[h3]HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR LEVEL[/h3]

1. Join our Official Discord server
2. Upload the level to the Steam Workshop
   
3. Link the workshop item in the theme's thread in #level-submissions

[h3]WINNERS & PRIZES[/h3]
- 15 of the submitted levels will be used for the next Zeepkist Super League event
- The community will vote on their favourite maps from the theme after the ZSL event
- The best themed level and the top 3 from the community vote will get a `Level Contest Winner` role in our Discord server!

- Akane

Steam got in touch with me today to announce that they've again reviewed Zeepkist on Steam Deck, and their results have come back that Zeepkist is now PLAYABLE on Steam Deck!!

This means that there's no game-breaking bugs preventing Zeepkist from being played on Steam Deck anymore! :D





Playable however does not mean it's 100% verified for Steam Deck.

This is because there's still a couple of issues that cause the Zeepkist experience on Steam Deck that prevent it from being called "officially verified".

Steam gave us a list of issues we'll need to resolve before Zeepkist is Steam Deck verified:

• Some input glyphs/text is wrong, and Zeepkist says you have to press a keyboard button where instead it should mention a Steam Deck button.
  
• The Steam Deck keyboard overlay is not getting activated automatically on input fields.
  
• The Level Editor doesn't entirely work due to inputs not being possible on Steam Deck.
  

The first two should be relatively easy to work on, but I'm still wondering how to go about fixing the third point.

In order for Zeepkist to work 100% on Steam Deck, I'd essentially have to code a whole new Level Editor specifically to work with Steam Deck inputs. And aside from me not having a Steam Deck to even test that, it would also be a huuuuge amount of work to figure out the UX (User Experience) for that.

I might just disable the Level Editor on Steam Deck, or at least put it behind a big info box that says "Level Editor is not officially supported on Steam Deck because no keyboard and mouse!". I'm not sure if that will allow Zeepkist to get verified, but we'll see.





In any case, we're happy to announce that anyone with a Steam Deck can now properly play Zeepkist again!!

Super big thanks to Steam's Steam Deck development team!

And as always,

Happy Zeepkisting!!!

- Yannic

When we switched to Rewired Input Manager, our new input framework with the v10 update, there was a compatibility issue between it and Proton that caused the game to freeze when analogue inputs are used (controller & Steam Deck joysticks).

We have received reports that this issue has been fixed in the latest Experimental version of Proton!!

We'll let you know in a future post when Proton releases a stable release with these fixes implemented and Steam has re-verified our Steam Deck compatibility.

[h2]Switching to Proton Experimental on Steam Deck[/h2]

1. Select Zeepkist in your Library
   
2. Select the settings cog icon on the right
   
3. Select Properties and switch to the Compatibility menu
   
4. Tick the checkbox to force a specific version of Proton
   
5. Open the dropdown menu and select Proton Experimental

[h2]Switching to Proton Experimental on Linux[/h2]

1. Right click Zeepkist in your Library
   
2. Click Properties and switch to the Compatibility menu
   
3. Tick the checkbox to force a specific version of Proton
   
4. Open the dropdown menu and select Proton Experimental

Previous news post:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1440670/view/3306229070215284145

Discuss on the Discord:
https://discord.com/channels/706615492634476664/1021205468661682206/threads/1027984761165193346

Happy Zeepkisting!!

- Akane

The first monthly Zeepkist Super League event has concluded and now it's time to vote for your favourite submissions from the Offroad Rally theme!

Builders were tasked with creating a level based on the Offroad Rally theme. They had to use dirt (brown grass/leaves/rock/wood), sand or mud materials for at least half of the track's racing surface.



Voting is open until Saturday 10th December, 2022 at 18:00 UTC+0

[h2]Other Contests[/h2]

The Winter Wonderland banner contest is on its last week of submissions. Head on over to the #contests channel in our Official Zeepkist Discord server to join in.

The second level contest is starting soon - stay tuned for details!!

- Akane