Bits & Bops News

[p]Welcome back for more patch notes![/p][p][/p][p]This release contains a collection of small fixes and updates based on feedback from our wonderful community in our Discord server! Most notably we've added some new cues to B-Bot to make the spin move easier to identify, and we've squashed a ton of bugs. We've also enabled "One button" mode by default to smooth out the experience for new players, but you can switch back to the regular mode in the Settings menu under the "Other" tab.[/p][p][/p][p]We've also had substantial updates to many of our fan translations:[/p]

• [p]German - thanks to Lucas Waldhauer![/p]
• [p]Japanese - thanks to shiomichu![/p]
• [p]Korean - thanks to Big Jaekuk![/p]
• [p]Portuguese - thanks to Ghostabo![/p]
• [p]Spanish - thanks to valentinmacc![/p]
• [p]Vietnamese - thanks to Đào Đức Trung![/p]

[p][/p][p]Special thanks to all the translators![/p][p][/p][h3]Updates[/h3]

• [p]The B-Bot spin move now uses a record scratch audio cue[/p]
• [p]"One button" mode is now enabled by default[/p]
• [p]The new "Preview tutorials" setting will demonstrate the required actions in all tutorials ahead of time instead of waiting for failure[/p]
• [p]Input in B-Bot is now locked while the curtains are closed[/p]
• [p]Unused settings are now hidden when an ASIO-compatible audio device is selected[/p]
• [p]macOS builds are now signed and notarized where needed[/p]
• [p]Custom mixtapes can now be created without music[/p]
• [p]The character switches in Flipper Snapper customs are now more flexible[/p]
• [p]The camera position and bouncing ball in Meet & Tweet customs is now more flexible[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Bugs fixed[/h3]

• [p]The game no longer hangs randomly during scene transitions on macOS[/p]
• [p]The game no longer crashes when using old audio devices on Windows[/p]
• [p]The game now gracefully handles more audio device errors on Windows[/p]
• [p]The game now gracefully handles ASIO-compatible audio devices that do not specify a sample rate on Windows[/p]
• [p]Most keyboard keys are now bindable on macOS[/p]
• [p]TTS now functions correctly under the Steam Runtime (thanks huantian!)[/p]
• [p]The accessibility shortcut now works even when its keys are unbound[/p]
• [p]New audio device settings strings are now localised[/p]
• [p]Mouse input is now properly blocked when the Steam overlay is open[/p]
• [p]The photos at the end of Flipper Snapper show the popped beach ball (again)[/p]
• [p]The seal in Flipper Snapper customs now more accurately switches between head and tail[/p]
• [p]Flipper Snapper ball animation correction is now applied to custom mixtapes[/p]
• [p]Hammer Time customs no longer allow multiple nails on the same beat[/p]
• [p]B-Bot now bops more consistently in custom mixtapes[/p]
• [p]Multiple general performance and stability fixes[/p]

[p][/p][p]As always, you can discuss the latest changes in our Discord server. See you there![/p]

[p]Welcome back for more patch notes!

This release brings our biggest demo update yet - we've added a whole new level for Steam Next Fest! You can now see your favorite dancing trio from the trailer in B-Bot & the Fly Girls! Please download the demo to try it out, and leave your feedback in the #demo-feedback channel of our Discord server!
[/p][p]We've also had substantial updates to many of our fan translations:[/p]

• [p] Chinese - thanks to Kirbysfan![/p]
• [p] Korean - thanks to Big Jaekuk![/p]
• [p] Polish - thanks to Maksymilian Król![/p]
• [p] Russian - thanks to hydrosu![/p]
• [p] Spanish - thanks to Valentin![/p]
• [p] Vietnamese - thanks to Trung![/p]

[p][/p][p]Special thanks to all the translators![/p][p][/p][h3]Features added[/h3]

• [p]B-Bot & the Fly Girls has been added to the public demo![/p]
• [p]The custom engine now supports most ASIO-compatible audio drivers (must be selected in Settings > Audio > Device)[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Updates[/h3]

• [p]The default keyboard bindings now use J and K to accommodate 2-button games[/p]
• [p]The menus have been updated to accommodate the new level and make it easier to wishlist the game[/p]
• [p]The mouse cursor is now only hidden when the game has focus[/p]
• [p]The type of displayed keys or buttons now updates more frequently when switching input devices[/p]
• [p]The screen reader on macOS now matches the speech rate specified in system preferences[/p]
• [p]The screen reader now differentiates between the two types of perfect judgements[/p]
• [p]The wording of the credits board has been updated to reflect that the Kickstarter has ended (oops!)[/p]
• [p]The pacing of scene transitions has been adjusted[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Bugs fixed[/h3]

• [p]The game now handles 5.1 audio configurations on Windows[/p]
• [p]The game no longer crashes on launch on macOS if VoiceOver has never been enabled[/p]
• [p]Many missing keys on macOS are now bindable[/p]
• [p]Audio device selection now works correctly on Linux and macOS[/p]
• [p]Audio devices are now still selectable if audio fails to initialise[/p]
• [p]Audio should no longer fail to initialise for some users when another application is playing audio[/p]
• [p]The pause board no longer flashes up when the pause button is pressed during scene load[/p]
• [p]The sound effect for the third photo in Flipper Snapper now correctly plays when scheduled hits is enabled[/p]
• [p]The photo of the stolen hotdog in Flipper Snapper now accurately reflects the scene when scheduled hits is enabled[/p]
• [p]Adjust the position of multiple sprites in Meet & Tweet to match intended layout[/p]

[p][/p][p]As always, you can discuss the latest changes in our Discord server. See you there![/p]

Welcome back for more patch notes!

This release brings a handful of new features that will make the game a more complete and polished experience, including pausing, input rebinding, and calibration options for players who are stuck using high latency devices. We've also made more fixes to the Custom engine which should enable it to run on more devices. If you're using the Fallback engine, you'll be switched back to the Custom engine automatically next time you launch the game. Please report any issues you encounter in our Discord server!

With the release of the input rebinding feature, we'd like to thank Nicolae Berbece (Xelu) for his Free Controllers & Keyboard Prompts pack! The pack is generously available in the public domain and saved us from spending a bunch of time drawing buttons. Thanks, Nick!

You can now also play the Bits & Bops demo in

• German - thanks to Drowzee!

We've also had substantial updates to many of our fan translations

• Chinese - thanks to Kirbysfan!
  
• Danish - thanks to Rapandrasmus!
  
• Korean - thanks to Big Jaekuk!
  
• Portuguese - thanks to Ghostabo and teu!
  
• Spanish - thanks to Valentin!
  
• Vietnamese - thanks to Trung!

Special thanks to all the translators!

[h3]Features added[/h3]

• Hit sounds can be pre-scheduled to enable latency calibration via the Settings menu
  
• Gameplay can now be paused using the Quit button (typically Start or Escape)
  
• Levels can now be restarted from the Pause menu
  
• Input is now rebindable via the Settings menu
  
• Keys and buttons are now displayed using glyphs appropriate for your input device
  
• After failing a tutorial, the game demonstrates the correct timing

[h3]Updates[/h3]

• Mouse input is now enabled by default in menus to enable WASD + left click menu navigation
  
• The "Hit X more!" text in Flipper Snapper no longer flashes on hit
  
• Tutorials will now cut earlier if the player hasn't successfully hit any cues
  
• Fading audio in and out now uses a more natural-sounding curve
  
• Error screens now ignore input for a short time to make them harder to accidentally dismiss
  
• Cursor locking is now configurable via the Settings menu
  
• The screen reader now consistently provides instructions to re-enable TTS when disabled
  
• The game will now automatically enable TTS if VoiceOver is enabled on macOS
  
• The game no longer automatically switches players to the Fallback engine on failure to initialise audio
  
• Autoplay can now be toggled from stage select via the Ctrl+A shortcut
  
• Mixtapes will no longer implicitly fade out if an explicit "end" block is used
  
• Error screens will now be read by TTS when it is enabled
  
• The game will now default to the user's locale for translation files for unsupported languages
  
• The in-game Discord links will now direct Thai users to the Thai channel
  
• The shared mode buffer size description setting no longer advises that it shouldn't be changed
  
• Switching to exclusive mode audio now requires confirmation to acknowledge potential side effects
  
• The custom engine now correctly handles more output formats, including the DualSense controller speaker
  
• The game now has generally faster and more consistent load times between scenes

[h3]Bugs fixed[/h3]

• The ocean sound volume in Flipper Snapper is now controlled by the Sfx setting (instead of the Music setting)
  
• The Flipper Snapper bubbling animation no longer leaves the last animation frame visible
  
• The mixtape unlock animation no longer plays when the file picker is cancelled
  
• Flash events in mixtapes can now be used in conjunction with the implicit ending fade out
  
• Audio no longer crackles when fading in or out on some devices
  
• Focus is now correctly lost and regained when clicking outside the window on macOS
  
• TTS no longer fails to read some dynamic menu items
  
• A rare TTS error no longer interferes with the game on macOS
  
• The screen reader is now correctly turned off when resetting all settings to default
  
• Flipper Snapper boat events for custom mixtapes now have a flag to check their lengths match the animation
  
• The fourth shelf and cabinet covers in stage select are now correctly aligned
  
• The game no longer uses the default font for some glyphs in some languages
  
• The game's title bar now correctly shows "Bits & Bops" on macOS
  
• Mouse input no longer fails after the first input on some Linux systems
  
• The game should generally run smoothly on more systems as a result of internal optimisations
  
• The game now generally outputs fewer warnings and errors under normal operation

As always, you can discuss the latest changes in our Discord server. See you there!

Welcome back for more patch notes!

This release brings some small quality of life improvements, along with lots of internal optimisations that should drastically increase performance on older devices. If you haven't already, you can head to the Video settings and try setting Queued frames to 1 (down from the default value of 2). If you're able to maintain a stable frame rate with this setting (which more devices should be able to with these optimisations), you'll experience a full frame less visual delay on your inputs. Wow!

You can now also play the Bits & Bops demo in

• Polish - thanks to Watercats!

Special thanks to all the translators!

[h3]Features added[/h3]

• The Ctrl+M shortcut to load custom mixtapes now also works on the stage select screen
  
• The custom engine on Windows now uses low latency shared mode audio by default if your audio device driver supports it

[h3]Updates[/h3]

• Flipper Snapper photos no longer incur excessive performance penalties when they are first shown and while they remain on screen
  
• Many internal optimisations should result in more stable frame rates, lower power consumption and lower load times on all devices
  
• On Windows, clicking the mouse in the client area to regain focus is now processed as a valid input

[h3]Bugs fixed[/h3]

• When using the default audio output device on Windows, the game will now automatically switch when the device changes (e.g. when headphones are plugged in)
  
• More keys (e.g. W/A/S/D/F/J) are now correctly handled on Linux
  
• When using the Fallback engine, volume changes now correctly apply to the in-game sounds
  
• Audio devices with more than 2 output channels are now handled correctly in more cases
  
• Animations no longer desync at the beginning of mixtapes
  
• Input is no longer locked in some cases for mixtapes that rely on implicit first game selection
  
• The save file is no longer able to become corrupted in cases of power loss or BSOD
  
• Custom mixtapes that show flashes on beat 0 will now have the starting flash colour extended to the first drawn frame
  
• Custom mixtapes that specify an explicit end beat will now cause audio to stop deterministically (independent of frame rate)
  
• The background clouds Flipper Snapper now loop properly in long custom mixtapes
  
• The sample mixtape no longer includes a meaningless duplicate flash event

As always, you can discuss the latest changes in our Discord server. See you there!

Welcome back for more patch notes!

We've received lots of great feedback for the screen reader support, and we've taken a lot of that on board for this release. If you're blind or visually impaired, please give it another go and let us know what you think in our Discord server! We've also included some translation updates for international players.

You can now also play Bits & Bops in

• Vietnamese - thanks to Đào Đức Trung!

Special thanks to all the translators!

[h3]Features added[/h3]

• The accessibility settings now include a "Narrate gameplay" option to enable additional narration during levels
  
• The custom audio engine now has a "Strict buffer" setting which can be disabled for compatibility with non-conforming output devices
  
• Linux now has basic screen reader support if spd-say is available (apt-get install speech-dispatcher)

[h3]Updates[/h3]

• Loading mixtapes now uses the native OS file picker, which is also accessible to screen readers
  
• Shortcuts on the disclaimer screen now also accept Shift in place of Ctrl
  
• The mouse cursor is only locked to the screen on valid mouse input
  
• The screen reader now describes more details on the title screen, stage select, tutorials and judgement screens
  
• The default Windows screen reader implementation now supports modern voices and configuration settings
  
• The Windows build now detects more running screen readers in addition to NVDA
  
• The default locale for Spanish has been changed to es-MX (from es-US)
  
• The X button can now be used in addition to the A button on controllers
  
• The custom audio engine now supports a wider range of audio formats to be compatible with more sound cards
  
• The custom audio engine now attempts to match your native device format for optimal speed and latency

[h3]Bugs fixed[/h3]

• The Japanese translation was mistakenly omitted and is now included in all builds
  
• Bubble pop events in Meet & Tweet are now consistently handled before bubble appear events
  
• The game no longer freezes in some cases on Linux when the audio device is in a bad state
  
• The custom audio engine now recovers from more invalid device state errors
  
• Screen reader pacing is now more consistent on non-Windows platforms
  
• Level names now use translated names in stage select if available
  
• The keyboard shortcut to enable accessibility (Shift+Win+A) now works reliably and is available on macOS (as Shift+Command+A)
  
• The game no longer crashes on Windows if text-to-speech fails to initialise
  
• The "sound check" text no longer disappears after changing language
  
• The modifier key for disclaimer screen shortcuts no longer sticks on macOS
  
• The "Screen flash" option now also disables the camera shutter on the Flipper Snapper title screen
  
• Clicking the mouse no longer interrupts the current screen reader dialogue
  
• Overlapping nails in Hammer Time customs now use consistent layering

As always, you can discuss the latest changes in our Discord server. See you there!