Bits & Bops News

Happy New Year!

We've been hard at work developing Bits & Bops, and we're pleased to share a new update to the demo which brings the custom engine to macOS! You'll be switched over by default, so please report any problems if you find them. As always, you can get quick support in our Discord server, or you can email [email protected] if you don't use Discord.

[h3]Features added[/h3]

• The custom engine is now available on macOS
  
• The external links have been updated for those looking for more content and ways to support us
  
• The frame rate cap can now be set to triple your refresh rate (but leaving VSync on is usually better)
  
• The demo expiry message now shows instructions for updating the game
  
• Some judgement stickers have received a visual update (let us know what you think!)
  
• The dialogue prompt triangle now has a new texture
  
• Debug logs contain more detail to assist in troubleshooting issues

[h3]Bugs fixed[/h3]

• The custom engine can now be loaded from paths containing non-English characters
  
• The custom engine can now be loaded on particularly old versions of Windows 7
  
• The frame rate option can now be navigated backwards (instead of always moving forwards)
  
• Steamworks libraries are no longer included in non-Steam builds

[h3]Internal changes[/h3]

• All colour flash/fade events are now fully supported
  
• The long cat zoom event in Hammer Time has been replaced by multiple shorter events
  
• Custom mixtapes now support .wav format audio files

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

Welcome back for more patch notes!

This release brings enhanced controller compatibility using the free and open source SDL2 library! Many controllers that previously required translation layers should now work out of the box with no configuration necessary. You'll be switched over to the new input implementation by default, but you can always switch back to the old implementation in the settings menu (Input > Controller driver > Custom).

For anyone playing the game via Steam, we've disabled Steam Input for non-Xbox controllers by default. If you want to re-enable Steam Input, you can do so in your Steam settings, either in your general controller settings or in the override settings for the Bits & Bops demo.

If you run into any issues, you are always welcome to ask for help in our Discord server. Beginning with this release, you can also email [email protected] if you are unable to use Discord. Please keep in mind that we are a very small team, and email support will generally be slower than Discord support.

[h3]Features added[/h3]

• New SDL2 input backend natively supports many different controllers
  
• You can now switch between the Custom and Fallback engines without exiting the game (now in the "Other" settings tab)
  
• Settings which are not applied instantly now force a reload or revert
  
• Tutorials with long sequences now loop to give you more time to hit three patterns

[h3]Bugs fixed[/h3]

• Extended keybindings (e.g. WASD for navigation) now work in the Fallback engine
  
• The 32-bit Windows build no longer crashes on startup
  
• Audio resampling no longer crashes on Linux
  
• The Flipper Snapper tutorial now shows the correct photo when the camera is pointed downwards
  
• The player speech bubble in Meet & Tweet now immediately stops jiggling on successful input
  
• The dialogue sound no longer stutters at the beginning of tutorials

[h3]Internal changes[/h3]

• Custom levels now support MP3 files
  
• The player speech bubble in Meet & Tweet can no longer find its way into other scenes
  
• The lyrics event in the sample Meet & Tweet custom level now correctly enables the lyrics
  
• Events in the sample Hammer Time custom level now correctly specify their length
  
• The correct bubble is shown for extra inputs at the end of Meet & Tweet custom levels
  
• Blocks in some Hammer Time custom levels no longer disappear
  
• All custom level files now identify themselves as originating from Bits & Bops

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

Welcome back for more patch notes!

This release brings a range of bug fixes and compatibility updates, largely thanks to the many players who found bugs and reported them in our Discord server. As a reminder, most reported bugs get fixed within a day or two -- so if you find a bug, please report it!

[h3]Features added[/h3]

• All failures to initialise the custom engine now show an appropriate error message on startup
  
• The custom engine now supports more output formats on Windows (i.e. works with more software/hardware)
  
• The custom engine now runs on older versions of Linux (with glibc >= 2.15)
  
• The fallback engine now begins playing audio sooner at the beginning of stages

[h3]Bugs fixed[/h3]

• Letter keys (e.g. WASD) are now handled properly in the fallback engine
  
• The custom engine no longer crashes on Windows if certain speakers/headphones are disconnected
  
• The fallback engine no longer stops playing music under some circumstances when settings are changed
  
• The fallback engine now automatically corrects music desync near the beginning of stages
  
• The safety catch that puts players on the fallback engine no longer applies on the generic error screen

[h3]Internal changes[/h3]

• Custom levels now load properly on Linux
  
• Finishing a custom level will now place you back on the menu with the option to replay it
  
• The Flipper Snapper character switch event now has a toggle to apply immediately
  
• There is now an event to clear Flipper Snapper's ball popped state
  
• The option to hide the lyrics in Meet & Tweet now actually hides the lyrics
  
• The ambient ocean sound now only plays in custom levels that exclusively use Flipper Snapper
  
• Custom event properties now use more human-readable key names
  
• Custom levels no longer briefly flash the wrong minigame on startup
  
• Pressing buttons within a small window at the beginning of a custom level no longer breaks input
  
• The included custom file containing all Bits & Bops events now specifies a BPM for applications that require it
  
• All included custom files specify an empty properties object for applications that require it
  
• The custom level parser now supports newer versions of the file format

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

Welcome back for another set of patch notes!

This release brings a handful of bug fixes for the custom engine on Linux (and a few new features to boot). Special thanks to anyone who tried it out, gave feedback or reported bugs either in our Discord server or in the Steam community discussions. Remember, if you ever run into a bug, we want to hear about it! The majority of bugs that are reported to us get fixed within a few days, which saves anyone else from running into the same problem and helps make the game better for everyone.

Going forward, we will continue to maintain the Bits & Bops demo, but the releases will be less frequent while we focus our attention on creating content for the full game. As always, you can keep up with our community in our Discord server, including checking out all the cool mods and remixes people have been creating!

[h3]Features added[/h3]

• A catchy new jingle has been added for the Perfect judgement
  
• The penalty for mashing has been reduced significantly, allowing players to freestyle when the mood strikes
  
• Players can now use J, F and Right Shift as alternative input keys
  
• The custom engine now supports multiple hot-pluggable controllers
  
• The game now warns Linux users who run the Windows build under Proton/Wine

[h3]Bugs fixed[/h3]

• The Linux custom engine now initialises correctly when no controller is connected
  
• Mouse input has been restored for all minigames (but remains disabled in menus)
  
• The Linux custom engine gracefully disables mouse input if the user's window manager blocks it
  
• When using multiple keys in Hammer Time, the hammer now lifts only when the most recently pressed key is released
  
• The photos in Flipper Snapper now more accurately reflect the scene in more situations with incorrect inputs

[h3]Internal changes[/h3]

• Custom levels now support switching games, toggling input, fading out and ending early
  
• Custom levels can now be autoplayed by pressing Ctrl+A on the disclaimer screen
  
• Multiple special stage events can now be used more than once without restriction
  
• The left end of long blocks in Hammer Time remains connected to the rest in more cases
  
• Extremely long blocks in Hammer Time will now keep moving for longer

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

Welcome back for another set of patch notes!

This release brings the custom engine to Linux! We've tested it for you on the Steam Deck and built in some tailored settings for the best experience straight out of the box. If you're on Linux and you were previously running the Windows build, you may need to manually disable Proton to get the native Linux build (check your compatibility settings).

[h3]Major updates[/h3]

• The custom engine is now available on Linux (including Steam Deck)!

[h3]Features added[/h3]

• The music and SFX volume can now be changed from the settings menu
  
• The settings menu now uses a consistent font

[h3]Bugs fixed[/h3]

• The fallback engine now desyncs less often on slow machines
  
• Bop and Bit now have their shadows on the title screen

[h3]Internal changes[/h3]

• All stages support BPM changes
  
• The birds in Meet & Tweet still bop when the "end pose" event isn't used
  
• Flipper Snapper correctly handles multiple "pan down" events

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