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Update 62 - Experimental Branch, Clock Customization & Validation Pipeline

[p]Completely unrelated: a player working on something mysterious...[/p][p][/p][p]Greetings, Hard Chip players![/p][p]Ready for some behind-the-scenes action? 🛠️ This update opens the experimental floodgates with a public dev branch, adds customizable clock settings for precise timing control, overhauls the submission pipeline with unified flows, polishes tutorials with typewriter effects and highlights, and continues tightening challenge integrity. Plus a few delightful secrets tucked away for the curious! Let's dive into the latest improvements.

[/p][p][/p][h2]0. Steam Fall Sale![/h2][p]🎉 Hard Chip is featured in the Steam Seasonal Event! The sale’s already rolling, but hurry — there’s only one day left! It’s the perfect time to pick up a copy for yourself or surprise a friend.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]1. NEW Public Experimental Branch[/h2][p]The experiments are now open! I've launched a public experimental branch where you can preview features in tests before they're included (or not) in the main build. Fair warning: it comes with a big disclaimer and some secret command-line arguments for the adventurous. This branch allows me, as a developer, to test features with dedicated players, explore upcoming features, and provide early feedback on the wildest ideas (that may or may not stay!). A branch made for experiments!
[/p][p]Big experimental disclaimer warning players about the unstable nature of the dev branch[/p][p]
Additionally, some groundwork has already been laid for new wild experiments that will define the next steps for Hard Chip.
[/p][p]🧪 Changelog:[/p]
  • [p]NEW Unstable dev branch open to the public now![/p]
  • [p]NEW Public experimental dev branch[/p]
  • [p]NEW Big experimental disclaimer, and listing secret command line args[/p]
  • [p]NEW Little secret (for the curious to discover)[/p]
  • [p]MI Dev version 0.0 to avoid confusion[/p]
  • [p]MI Fix experimental[/p]
  • [p]MI Build script with steam branches[/p]
  • [p]SX-EXP Mirror mode UI ++[/p]
  • [p]SX-EXP mirror mode, basic UI, and mode with no actual logic in the simulation[/p]
[p][/p][p][/p][h2]2. NEW Customizable Clock Settings[/h2][p]Timing is everything in circuit design, and now you have full control! The toolbox clock now supports editable duty cycle settings, letting you fine-tune signal timing for more precise simulations. Whether you're testing edge cases or optimizing for specific timing requirements, this gives you the precision tools you need. This isn't currently used in the campaign, but you can enjoy it in your own creations![/p][p]
[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]Clock configuration panel showing customizable duty cycle settings in the toolbox
[/p][p]⏰ Changelog:[/p]
  • [p]NEW Clock with duty settings editable from the ToolBox[/p]
[p][/p][p][/p][h2]3. Enhanced Tutorials & Helper System[/h2][p]Learning Hard Chip just got smoother! Tutorials now feature a typewriter effect for helper text, highlighted areas to guide your attention, and improved NMOS/PMOS explanations. The constant blocks get a proper introduction, and the Merger challenge includes a complete truth table to keep focus on the core concept: merging MOSFETs.
[/p][p]Tutorial interface showing highlighted areas and typewriter effect for helper text[/p][p]
📚 Changelog:[/p]
  • [p]NEW Typewriter effect for the helper[/p]
  • [p]NEW Intro to constant blocks[/p]
  • [p]UX Highlighted area in tutorials[/p]
  • [p]UX Touch-ups in NMOS/PMOS tutorials with highlights[/p]
  • [p]DDD Renaming state neutral to (not connected) NC in code to avoid confusion[/p]
  • [p]CX Little split up as a requirement for the constant level[/p]
  • [p]CX Merger has 4 steps for its truth table[/p]
  • [p]CX The merger stage has a complete truth table to avoid players focusing on something other than the key point: merging mos[/p]
  • [p]FIX Helper text speed limited by the framerate[/p]
  • [p]UX Intro for button rewording[/p]
[p][/p][p][/p][h2]4. Validation Pipeline Now Fully Operational[/h2][p]Remember the headless validation infrastructure from Update 61? It's now fully live and handling all read/write operations! The old validation system has been completely decommissioned, with the new unified submission on edge-network flows, Docker workers, and improved data reconciliation taking over entirely. What started as a read-only experiment is now the backbone powering all competitive features with better reliability and edge case handling.
[/p][p]New unified submission pipeline with Docker workers and improved data flow, simple and reliable![/p][p]
🖥️ Changelog:[/p]
  • [p]NEW new endpoint for the game to work with (allow usage with countries with restricted hostnames allow list)[/p]
  • [p]SRV new submissions pipeline plugged in, old & new work in parallel[/p]
  • [p]MI Old submissions stack clean out from the game[/p]
  • [p]SRV Ingest scores api part 1/2 ok[/p]
  • [p]SRV Ingest worker touch ups now online[/p]
  • [p]SRV worldscores worker scripts and docker[/p]
  • [p]SRV Calculate buckets in the new backend[/p]
  • [p]SRV Calculate buckets forever[/p]
  • [p]SRV Trust all submissions ready![/p]
  • [p]SRV Reconcile command ready![/p]
  • [p]SRV Trust all submissions mode (like before)[/p]
  • [p]SRV Reconcile data validatedData command[/p]
  • [p]SRV Unverified score ingestion command[/p]
  • [p]SRV Cache usage unification[/p]
  • [p]SRV Ingest set players Ids[/p]
  • [p]SRV Missing api![/p]
  • [p]SRV Connection testing issues and handling[/p]
  • [p]SRV Workloads for workers[/p]
  • [p]SRV Compose to start the validater[/p]
  • [p]SRV Max age option[/p]
  • [p]SRV Env variable for different workloads[/p]
  • [p]DDD Renaming for worldscores, submissions vs verified levels vs scores vs validated scores[/p]
  • [p]DDD Renaming Revalidate and trust[/p]
  • [p]DDD Rename (various cleanup)[/p]
  • [p]DDD Renaming helpers[/p]
  • [p]MI Update local snapshot (even if this should be less used with the new graphs endpoint)[/p]
  • [p]MI tracking submission vs score[/p]
  • [p]MI client and api unified submission flow rework[/p]
  • [p]MI Versioning worldscores workers[/p]
  • [p]MI Admin tool to read unified submissions file[/p]
  • [p]MI WorldScores in scripts in own folder, Game same, and XXXAll scripts to run them all[/p]
  • [p]MI Scripts de publishing de worker[/p]
  • [p]MI Script to redeploy workers on docker with the build[/p]
  • [p]FIX Ingest api was too strict[/p]
  • [p]FIX Intro scores not update[/p]
[p][/p][p][/p][h2]5. UX Polish & Quality of Life Improvements[/h2][p]Lots of small improvements that add up to a smoother experience! Camera transitions are silky smooth when entering/exiting stages, chip maps load with elegant transitions, UI elements are better aligned, and various crash fixes keep things stable. And more!
[/p][p]Smooth transitions and improved UI elements throughout the interface
[/p][p]✨ Changelog:[/p]
  • [p]UX Smooth zone in and fade when selecting a stage final[/p]
  • [p]UX Smooth transition when loading a level from a chip map[/p]
  • [p]UX Refactor all chip maps' logic[/p]
  • [p]UX Past chips maps don't show an active fabricate button anymore[/p]
  • [p]UX Always hide camera controls options[/p]
  • [p]UX hide on a tooltip shortcut hints in the Mode Bar to avoid stretching in some languages[/p]
  • [p]UI Align the center graph and button in the report window[/p]
  • [p]SX Terminals can manage arguments for commands[/p]
  • [p]FIX Camera flying around when exiting a puzzle[/p]
  • [p]FIX Crash on different slightly off DPI sizes when exiting a terminal[/p]
  • [p]FIX Saves edit exploit 2[/p]
  • [p]FIX Slot save file edit exploit[/p]
  • [p]FIX Ctrl-J breaking terminals :([/p]
  • [p]TSL Missing adder/ALU chip localization key[/p]
  • [p]TSL Spanish is missing translations for the fabricator[/p]
  • [p]TSL missing keys pass[/p]
  • [p]TSL missing break lines[/p]
  • [p]TSL French wording requis vs besoin[/p]
  • [p]UX Line breaks in Spanish local[/p]
  • [p]MI Dynamic terminal scripts test[/p]
  • [p]MI Overworld editor wip[/p]
  • [p]MI Simplifying scripts[/p]
  • [p]MI Scripts order and deeper cleans optims, assembly number[/p]
[p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][p]This update strikes a balance between experimental features, new quality of life features and solid infrastructure improvements. The public dev branch opens new possibilities for community feedback while still preserving the main release experience reliable as the player base grows.[/p][p][/p][p]If you're brave enough to try the experimental branch, expect some rough edges—but also the first glimpse of tomorrow's features! For everyone else, enjoy the smoother tutorials and precise clock controls.[/p][p][/p][p]Thanks for playing Hard Chip 🙏 Keep those transistors flowing![/p]