Bits & Bops News

Welcome back for another set of patch notes! This release brings compatibility updates and more bug fixes. We've also managed to acquire a Steam Deck (thanks Sean!) which means we can test and develop against it directly.

As always, if you'd like to support us, you can back us over at our Slacker Backer store. All pledges count towards our final stretch goal, and will help us continue to build and improve Bits & Bops.

[h3]Updates[/h3]

• Sounds are now scheduled more accurately when using the Fallback engine
  
• Mulitple controllers are now supported with the Fallback engine (including external controllers on Steam Deck)
  
• Menu navigation using D-pad is now supported on Linux (tested on Steam Deck)
  
• Setting descriptions now more accurately reflect the engine and device you're using
  
• Mouse clicks are no longer accepted as confirmation in menus (but are still accepted in-game)

[h3]Bug fixes[/h3]

• The cat's stolen hotdog and seal's popped beach ball now appear in any extra photos taken
  
• Photos taken at the end of Flipper Snapper no longer get stuck on screen
  
• There is no longer a thin green line at the bottom of the screen in Meet & Tweet
  
• Failing a tutorial no longer has a small chance to send you to the judgement screen
  
• Corrupted save files are now correctly backed up for troubleshooting and possible recovery

There are even more internal changes that our Discord community have already started playing with. If you'd like to see what they're up to, join our Discord and head over to the #mods-and-remixes channel!

Hello, and welcome to another set of patch notes! The demo was originally going to be exclusively available during the Kickstarter period, but we've decided to leave it up for a while longer to give more people time to play it (and give you another chance to get that last Perfect)!

If you missed out on your chance to back the game on Kickstarter because of payment troubles (or you just forgot), we've got you covered. You can still back the game at our Slacker Backer Store. Plus, until January 11, you'll be eligible to receive all Kickstarter-exclusive rewards!

Let's get into the patch notes!

[h3]Updates[/h3]

• On macOS, the game now falls back on OpenGL if Metal is not available (fixes black screen issue)
  
• Canary's two hit effects are now more easily distinguishable
  
• Wren's three tweet animation is now smoother
  
• Hammer Time tutorial now has a surface for the blocks to sit on
  
• The fade out at the end of the Hammer Time tutorial now matches the other stages
  
• All result photos now have a consistent colouring
  
• Website CD now has an exclamation mark for extra enthusiasm!

There are also lots of internal changes that our community over on Discord will be sure to dissect. Why not head over and join them?

The Bits & Bops Kickstarter is entering its FINAL 24 HOURS!

[h3]Remember those stretch goals?[/h3]



Our final stretch goal is a CUSTOM MIXTAPE EDITOR! If we reach this goal, you'll be able to build your own Bits & Bops levels and share them with your friends!

If you haven't already, click here to head over to Kickstarter and back us!

Thank you so much for your incredible support so far!

Hello, and welcome to our first set of patch notes! We've been busily adding features and fixing bugs behind the scenes, all while running our Kickstarter, so we'd like to take a moment to share what we've been working on.

You might notice the new build is labelled "version 0.2" in the bottom right corner of the main menu screen. Going forward, we'll be numbering builds with a more human-friendly version number in addition to the internal build identifier used previously.

Without further ado, here's what's changed between the very first public Steam release of the demo and version 0.2!

[h3]Major updates[/h3]

• Native macOS and Linux builds are now live on Steam and itch.io (though currently without the custom engine)
  
• Game includes dedicated Steam Deck default settings for better out-of-the-box performance
  
• Game files no longer trigger false-positive detections in any major antivirus products (as reported by VirusTotal)

[h3]Features added[/h3]

• New option to adjust the global volume in-game
  
• New option to select audio output device
  
• New option to disable whole-screen flashing or flickering (currently only the Flipper Snapper camera shutter)
  
• Settings are now divided into tabs for easier access
  
• Hammer Time and Meet & Tweet now have dedicated images for Cool on the results screen
  
• More buttons are supported (Enter and X for confirm, WASD for menu navigation)
  
• Most audio configuration errors are explicitly detected and automatically switch to the fallback engine
  
• Scoring a Perfect on all three stages in a row gives a sticker on the fourth CD
  
• Unlocking the stages at the beginning of the demo now has a dedicated sound
  
• The "skip tutorial" text is now more visible
  
• Hidden shortcut to reset all settings to default for those who get truly stuck
  
• Custom engine logs much more information on failure to aid in troubleshooting
  
• Graphical update to fourth CD to make it more apparent that it isn't a level (sorry)

[h3]Bugs fixed[/h3]

• Title screen and stage select music now loops correctly across a variety of audio configurations
  
• Hammer Time no longer shows another camera angle for a few frames at the beginning of the stage
  
• Hammer Time no longer allows you to move the hammer from its position at the end of the stage
  
• The block that fades out at the end of the Hammer Time tutorial is now completely invisible
  
• The beach ball at the end of Flipper Snapper now animates correctly when some inputs are missed
  
• The game no longer responds to input when the Steam overlay is active
  
• The nail and hammer sounds pan correctly on the beats where the camera flips and flips back

Thank you so much for playing the Bits & Bops demo! As always, you can get support for any issues you encounter in the #bug-reports channel of our Discord server, and keep up to date with the latest news by following us on Twitter and reading our Kickstarter updates.

Hello! A quick announcement to let you know that Bits & Bops is currently live on Kickstarter!

We successfully reached our campaign's base funding goal in under 24 hours, which is a huge milestone. We are incredibly grateful, and keen to continue working on the game in the coming months.

If you haven't backed our project, you still can! We have some awesome rewards for backers, like this boppin' art bundle! (see below)



(There are also pins, but we forgot to draw them.)

[h3]But that's not all![/h3]

Our campaign also has stretch goals - bonus targets that can fund some cool extra features for Bits & Bops. The first stretch goal is Mixtapes - special levels that combine multiple minigames together! Please check the campaign out if you're interested!

A huge thank you to everyone who has played the demo, we hope you've enjoyed it and we look forward to bringing you more Bits & Bops.