Quick Patch Notes v0.1.6.55
- FIX Loaded state weren't propagated!
- FIX Stackable mos bug;
- FIX Drag place mos blocks;
Hard Chip News
🚀 Hard Chip Early Access is LIVE! 🛠️
The wait is over! 🎉 Dive into the world of semiconductor chip design with Hard Chip, now available in Early Access on Steam. 🖥️💡 Take on the role of 'new_user,' an engineer repairing machines in a mysterious facility, and uncover the secrets of chip design one component at a time.
[h2]🔧 What to Expect in Early Access [/h2]
Chapter One: Build an 8-bit ALU across ~5-10 hours of gameplay.
Many Bonus Components: Assemble circuits like Decoders, Transmitters and even Multipliers.
Sandbox Mode: Unleash your creativity and test your skills.
This is just the beginning—your feedback will shape the journey ahead as I expand the game with more chapters, challenges, and intricate puzzles!
đź“Ą Get Hard Chip now and join the revolution in processor design! Let's see what you can build.
[h2]🔧 What to Expect in Early Access [/h2]
Chapter One: Build an 8-bit ALU across ~5-10 hours of gameplay.
Many Bonus Components: Assemble circuits like Decoders, Transmitters and even Multipliers.
Sandbox Mode: Unleash your creativity and test your skills.
This is just the beginning—your feedback will shape the journey ahead as I expand the game with more chapters, challenges, and intricate puzzles!
đź“Ą Get Hard Chip now and join the revolution in processor design! Let's see what you can build.
Update 53 Soundtrack, Controls, Online Validation and more!
Greetings, Hard Chip players!
Let's review the changes made from v0.0.6.31 to v0.0.6.49. The last post was about the release of the v0.1.x.x, and I didn't cover any updates made to the codebase. So way too many changes happened (150+ backlog items), and that would make this post quite long. Let's try to sum up a bit:
[h2]1. NEW Steam Achievements & Screenshot[/h2]
Introducing 8 new Steam Achievements and integrating Steam screenshot functionality directly into the game. These features provide new challenges to tackle and make capturing and sharing your in-game experiences easier. You can now use the in-game screenshot feature to take photos of your creations, high scores, or memorable scenes, and share them with the community or friends.
Notable linked changes:
NEW 8 Steam Achievements;
NEW Screenshot Steam integration;
[h2]2. NEW Soundtrack by MEGAS[/h2]
Adding a dreamier synth-wave atmosphere to the game. The music includes the entire Echoes album and unique tracks like "Comet" that play during chip maps, enhancing your overall experience with atmospheric sounds that complement the gameplay. I hope you enjoy the new audio as you explore and create within the game!
Available on Spotify and Soundcloud!
[h2]3. NEW HCDrives[/h2]
HCDrives is a new image file format designed for sharing Blueprints, Chips, and Community Stages. With HCDrives, you can easily import and export your creations directly from the editors, making sharing your designs with others simpler. I've also added sound cues for successful or failed imports to enhance usability. I hope this feature encourages more collaboration and creativity within the community!
New save files of Hard Chip! (those are empty, just for the example)
[h2]4. NEW Auto pick[/h2]
Auto Input Picking feature aims to streamline your building process. It automatically selects input blocks based on the inputs required by challenges, saving you time. Now, you don't need to place and pick input blocks each time manually — less on setup, moar better!
[h2]5. UPDATE Controls[/h2]
Updating the game controls to make your experience smoother and more intuitive. HC is still not as smooth as it could be, but here are changes to help it to be a little bit better hopefully!
[h2]6. NEW Online score validation[/h2]
Online Score Validation system ensures that all submitted solutions are valid and reproducible. This feature aims to prevent code changes (or else) to alter the integrity of the leaderboards. It is creating a level playing field by validating each score submission. This should enhance the game's competitive aspect while ensuring fairness for all players.
A fully validated challenge!
Notable linked changes:
[h2]7. NEW In progress Pause Menu & Help section[/h2]
To make the game more user-friendly! The Pause Menu includes options and help resources, which are accessible even during the campaign. The Help Section has all previously unlocked help modals. As well as some hints, and tips to assist you throughout the game. The work is still underway, but the first iteration is already useful.
New Options and Reference options!
Notable linked changes:
[h2]8. UPDATE Simulation Performance [/h2]
Several performance improvements enhance the game's efficiency and responsiveness. These optimizations include caching valid MOS shapes only when changes occur instead of every frame, leveraging cache in the propagation algorithms, and improving resource management. The game should run more smoothly and consume fewer resources by reusing thread pools and adequately disposing of sounds. These enhancements aim to provide a better gaming experience with faster load times and more stable performance.
You can expect almost 30% improvement in ticks/seconds! There is still room to improve the rendering frame time. Soon!
Notable linked changes:
[h2]Countless changes, fixes and improvements[/h2]
From the experimental cmd switch, the headless mode prepping work to new Option settings, all the changelog from 6.31 to 6.49 can be found here: playtest branch!
[h2]Looking Ahead[/h2]
HC is in closed beta for a week before the release of the 0.1 in early access, but its demo is already out!
Your feedback, suggestions, and comments are not just important; they're the lifeblood of this game. We value your input and encourage you to join our Discord server to share your thoughts and ideas!
Thank you for playing Hard Chip, and stay tuned for more updates and new features!
Let's review the changes made from v0.0.6.31 to v0.0.6.49. The last post was about the release of the v0.1.x.x, and I didn't cover any updates made to the codebase. So way too many changes happened (150+ backlog items), and that would make this post quite long. Let's try to sum up a bit:
[h2]1. NEW Steam Achievements & Screenshot[/h2]
Introducing 8 new Steam Achievements and integrating Steam screenshot functionality directly into the game. These features provide new challenges to tackle and make capturing and sharing your in-game experiences easier. You can now use the in-game screenshot feature to take photos of your creations, high scores, or memorable scenes, and share them with the community or friends.
Notable linked changes:
NEW 8 Steam Achievements;
NEW Screenshot Steam integration;
[h2]2. NEW Soundtrack by MEGAS[/h2]
Adding a dreamier synth-wave atmosphere to the game. The music includes the entire Echoes album and unique tracks like "Comet" that play during chip maps, enhancing your overall experience with atmospheric sounds that complement the gameplay. I hope you enjoy the new audio as you explore and create within the game!
Available on Spotify and Soundcloud!
[h2]3. NEW HCDrives[/h2]
HCDrives is a new image file format designed for sharing Blueprints, Chips, and Community Stages. With HCDrives, you can easily import and export your creations directly from the editors, making sharing your designs with others simpler. I've also added sound cues for successful or failed imports to enhance usability. I hope this feature encourages more collaboration and creativity within the community!
New save files of Hard Chip! (those are empty, just for the example)
[h2]4. NEW Auto pick[/h2]
Auto Input Picking feature aims to streamline your building process. It automatically selects input blocks based on the inputs required by challenges, saving you time. Now, you don't need to place and pick input blocks each time manually — less on setup, moar better!
[h2]5. UPDATE Controls[/h2]
Updating the game controls to make your experience smoother and more intuitive. HC is still not as smooth as it could be, but here are changes to help it to be a little bit better hopefully!
- Visual hints on how to build upward with Shift.
- Ctrl now acts as a modifier key to select or delete blocks vertically, making it easier to work on multiple layers.
- Removed the need to hold Shift to move the camera faster in the editor—the camera should now respond more naturally.
- For those who prefer inverted controls, there's a new option to flip the vertical mouse axis during FPS phases.
- You can also use Ctrl+A to select all components quickly,
- Q and E keys now offer continuous rotation for simpler object manipulation.
- NEW Ctrl+A to select all;
- UX Ctrl is now a modifier key to select or delete up/down;
- NEW Arrow indicating you have to move up to build upward;
- NEW Flip vertical mouse options for FPS phase;
- NEW Key bindings for Start/stop/step/reset the simulation with IOP
- MI Smoother anti-gimbal lock
[h2]6. NEW Online score validation[/h2]
Online Score Validation system ensures that all submitted solutions are valid and reproducible. This feature aims to prevent code changes (or else) to alter the integrity of the leaderboards. It is creating a level playing field by validating each score submission. This should enhance the game's competitive aspect while ensuring fairness for all players.
A fully validated challenge!Notable linked changes:
- NEW Scores on v3;
- MI Online scores idem potent function through version;
- GRD Submission validation process end to end done once with admin tool and server;
[h2]7. NEW In progress Pause Menu & Help section[/h2]
To make the game more user-friendly! The Pause Menu includes options and help resources, which are accessible even during the campaign. The Help Section has all previously unlocked help modals. As well as some hints, and tips to assist you throughout the game. The work is still underway, but the first iteration is already useful.
New Options and Reference options!Notable linked changes:
- NEW Pause Menu with Options and Helps;
- NEW Help section with past modal and some first draft hints and tips;
- MI Updating help images;
- MI Help blueprint/Saves sections;
- MI Help get unlocked with the corresponding level;
[h2]8. UPDATE Simulation Performance [/h2]
Several performance improvements enhance the game's efficiency and responsiveness. These optimizations include caching valid MOS shapes only when changes occur instead of every frame, leveraging cache in the propagation algorithms, and improving resource management. The game should run more smoothly and consume fewer resources by reusing thread pools and adequately disposing of sounds. These enhancements aim to provide a better gaming experience with faster load times and more stable performance.
You can expect almost 30% improvement in ticks/seconds! There is still room to improve the rendering frame time. Soon!
Notable linked changes:
- PERF Propagation algo leverages cache;
- PERF Valid mos shapes on change instead of every frame;
- PERF Pooling offscreen interface rendering;
- PERF Ressource management ++;
- PERF Resources management;
- PERF Improved ressources management;
- PERF Reusing thread pool and disposing sounds properly;
[h2]Countless changes, fixes and improvements[/h2]
From the experimental cmd switch, the headless mode prepping work to new Option settings, all the changelog from 6.31 to 6.49 can be found here: playtest branch!
[h2]Looking Ahead[/h2]
HC is in closed beta for a week before the release of the 0.1 in early access, but its demo is already out!
Your feedback, suggestions, and comments are not just important; they're the lifeblood of this game. We value your input and encourage you to join our Discord server to share your thoughts and ideas!
Thank you for playing Hard Chip, and stay tuned for more updates and new features!
Update 52 - Hard Chip 0.1 Early Access: Friday 22 November
Greetings, Hard Chip players!
Some games enter into Early Access so polished that they are almost finished. Hard Chip is not one of those games. I'm Elorth, Hard Chip's dev; allow me to explain!
Second 4bit Multiplier ever reported, the hardest bonus challenge!
Hard Chip has the ambition to help players learn how to build a simple 8-bit processor in 3d out of transistors. At the moment, you can make an entire arithmetic logic unit through a set of puzzles that guide and challenge you to build it piece by piece. So this isn't a whole 8-bit processor just yet. But with that part, you already have hours of enjoyable gameplay! 5-10 hours at this point and many, many more hours if you fall hard into optimizing your solutions.
I saw many playtesters enjoy Hard Chip. Today, I am confident that you can have the same level of enjoyment with the current state of the game. So mark the date, Friday 22 November: Hard Chip 0.1 enters its Early Access!
[h3]What's in Hard Chip 0.1, you ask?[/h3]
[h3]Some developments are underway; intended to be released with 0.1[/h3]
[h3]I have access to the playtest build; what will change for me?[/h3]
- Not much for the moment. It'll be the same highly unstable experience you are used to with weekly (or sometimes daily) releases! Do know that scores won't be shared between the playtest and the main build. Latches stages, Community Stages, and the editor will stay on the playtest build at the moment.
Recent reported NAND gate, the most iconic challenge so far
[h3]Thank you![/h3]
For the upcoming weeks, I'll contact content creators to promote Hard Chip and bring more eyes to it. What content creator would you like to see covering Hard Chip?
If you are curious, the Hard Chip Demo is already out and will give you a good game preview! Or/and share it with a friend who might enjoy it!
Thanks to all who support and believe in Hard Chip! Stay tuned for more updates!
Some games enter into Early Access so polished that they are almost finished. Hard Chip is not one of those games. I'm Elorth, Hard Chip's dev; allow me to explain!
Second 4bit Multiplier ever reported, the hardest bonus challenge!Hard Chip has the ambition to help players learn how to build a simple 8-bit processor in 3d out of transistors. At the moment, you can make an entire arithmetic logic unit through a set of puzzles that guide and challenge you to build it piece by piece. So this isn't a whole 8-bit processor just yet. But with that part, you already have hours of enjoyable gameplay! 5-10 hours at this point and many, many more hours if you fall hard into optimizing your solutions.
I saw many playtesters enjoy Hard Chip. Today, I am confident that you can have the same level of enjoyment with the current state of the game. So mark the date, Friday 22 November: Hard Chip 0.1 enters its Early Access!
[h3]What's in Hard Chip 0.1, you ask?[/h3]
- Tutorial + Chapter 1 ALU: 24 stages
- A small sci-fi set piece
- Bonus stages: 29 stages
[h3]Some developments are underway; intended to be released with 0.1[/h3]
- Custom keybinding
- 3-4ticks fet actuation delay
- Online score v3 (validated scores server side)
- Help/Documentation/Reference windows
- Focus on bug fixes and performance
- I may be able to squeeze in more others, maybe!
[h3]I have access to the playtest build; what will change for me?[/h3]
- Not much for the moment. It'll be the same highly unstable experience you are used to with weekly (or sometimes daily) releases! Do know that scores won't be shared between the playtest and the main build. Latches stages, Community Stages, and the editor will stay on the playtest build at the moment.
Recent reported NAND gate, the most iconic challenge so far[h3]Thank you![/h3]
For the upcoming weeks, I'll contact content creators to promote Hard Chip and bring more eyes to it. What content creator would you like to see covering Hard Chip?
If you are curious, the Hard Chip Demo is already out and will give you a good game preview! Or/and share it with a friend who might enjoy it!
Thanks to all who support and believe in Hard Chip! Stay tuned for more updates!
Update 51 Photo mode, Linux/MacOS and many more
Greetings, Hard Chip players!
Let's review the changes made from versions 0.0.6.24 to 0.0.6.30. Your feedback has been invaluable, and I've worked diligently to implement many of your suggestions. Here's what's new!
But first! some stats:
[h2]1. NEW Photo mode [/h2]
What else to say, a good shot is the best to share solutions and chips. After all, this is what HC is about: seeing your chips in 3D!
Changelog:
NEW Photomode;
MI Photo screenshot into clipboard;
[h2]2. UPCOMING Stages Editor & Community Stages[/h2]
Potentially a game-changer for those wanting to develop custom solutions to existing or entirely new challenges, the work has been started to get a Stages Editor in the hands of players! More news to come, but here's a small tease from an esteemed playtester:
custom ANDOR21 gate challenge!
Changelog:
FIX Custom challenge saves in Chips folder;
FIX Custom creation failing
NEW Community Stages from the main title to show/manage custom challenges;
NEW Import/Export in Community Stages;
NEW Add Name, grades in challenge editor;
NEW Challenge editor first draft;
MI Challenge editor in/output starting position, UI ++;
MI Save truth table in files for custom challenges;
MI User folder for custom challenges;
[h2]3. NEW Online Scores consolidation part1[/h2]
Online Scores are used for the Performance Report window at the end of each challenge. Online Scores are crucial because they give players a way to evaluate how their solutions work. Wrong online scores are something to avoid at all costs. So, some rework (client and server-side) has been done to ensure that Online scores are always up-to-date, valid, and fair.
The part using Online Scores:
An exciting consequence is, at some point, HC will be shipped with a local database for Online Scores, allowing players to play entirely offline or from an area where HC's server is unreachable! (note: Masterpiece grade won't be accessible in that mode)
Part 2 is needed to use this and will start soon.
Changelog:
MI Level Validation ++;
MI Linking score with validation;
MI Don't validate when 0 FET;
MI Online validation reader logic;
MI scores tick threshold to be submitted online from under 2000 to under 15000;
MI Challenge validation logic;
[h2]4. NEW End of Chapter 1[/h2]
Not spoiling anything, there is some advancement for the content concluding Chapter 1 with, most notably, 2 new challenges!
Changelog:
NEW chapter 1 final;
NEW ALU with flags challenge with grades;
NEW NOR8 challenge with grades;
[h2]5. NEW Linux/MacOS partial support[/h2]
This was a request for a long time. Lots of people have tried their luck at running HC on Linux. Being alone in developing HC, it was always difficult to provide support. But HC's community still did it. A player named K1ngfisher, found a way to completely bootstrap and run HC on Linux! And with minimal changes to the codebase, HC got its gold rating on Proton.DB!
Here are the steps to run HC on Linux using proton tkg.
For MacOS? Another player, optlink, found a way to start HC on Apple Silicon with the help of Crossover. Here are the complete steps to get the same result.
Changelog:
FIX Music doesn't rely on mfplat;
[h2]Quality Of Life, Bug, and Crash fixes list[/h2]
There is quite some stuff here, too; I limit myself to 5 talking points at most cause this update could get too in-depth! Here's for reference the other changes made:
Changelog:
NEW Deterministic/Fast modes activable in the Library;
NEW nondeterministic 384 benchmark;
NEW Mouse Edge Scrolling option;
NEW Cuboid selection with shift and mouse up/down;
NEW Switching delays for PMOS/NMOS and puller (disabled atm)
PERF Simulation improvements;
PERF Removed soft limits of 100 simulation frames per second;
FIX Inputs can be signed too now;
FIX Align helper not showing regression;
FIX Vacant indicator shown on left oriented FET when plugged on top center;
FIX Missing 68 terminals on undo after extending die top or left;
FIX Music was not playing in the inverter chip, adder chip, or alu chip;
FIX Die operation controls activated when die operation is forbidden;
FIX Die limit indicator wrong limits bottom/left;
FIX 2 overlaps mos merge;
FIX hiding UI elements in tutorial regression;
FIX Hard crash when a soft crash was possible on readout;
FIX Unshortable input as diode exploit;
FIX removable permanent terminals with die operations;
UX Try to die-extend and add trace rather than just discarding the entire action when tracing outside the die limit;
UX Bigger helper's font;
MI Readouts handle shorted state;
UX New in the Library takes the search file as input for naming the file;
UX Swapping remove/minimized icon to avoid accidental removal;
FIX Discard short click when the mouse drifted 10px+;
FIX 2 inputs blocks in AND3 Challenge;
MI catching mode separated from nondeterministic mode;
MI Stops music when no music is loaded;
UX Remove '\\.\' on Monitor list;
FIX Typos;
MI Crash handling logic;
FIX Substract vs subtract typo;
FIX Soustraction typo;
[h2]Looking Ahead[/h2]
HC is still in closed beta, but its demo is already out! If you are willing to give feedback, join the waiting list for the closed beta access. You might want to try your luck by "Requesting Access" to the playtest on HC's main store page (this is a lottery system)!
Your feedback, suggestions, and comments are not just important; they're the lifeblood of this game. We value your input and encourage you to join our Discord server to share your thoughts and ideas!
Thank you for playing Hard Chip, and stay tuned for more updates and new features!
Let's review the changes made from versions 0.0.6.24 to 0.0.6.30. Your feedback has been invaluable, and I've worked diligently to implement many of your suggestions. Here's what's new!
But first! some stats:
- Hard Chip crossed 5k+ wishlist lately,
- 3k+ players played Hard Chip so far
- 260 players got access to the playtest build so far (886 waiting for access)
- 134 Discord members, with 15k ish messages exchanged
- 10 Hard Chip Reddit member (yup place to improve there :D)
[h2]1. NEW Photo mode [/h2]
What else to say, a good shot is the best to share solutions and chips. After all, this is what HC is about: seeing your chips in 3D!
Changelog:
NEW Photomode;
MI Photo screenshot into clipboard;
[h2]2. UPCOMING Stages Editor & Community Stages[/h2]
Potentially a game-changer for those wanting to develop custom solutions to existing or entirely new challenges, the work has been started to get a Stages Editor in the hands of players! More news to come, but here's a small tease from an esteemed playtester:
custom ANDOR21 gate challenge!
Changelog:
FIX Custom challenge saves in Chips folder;
FIX Custom creation failing
NEW Community Stages from the main title to show/manage custom challenges;
NEW Import/Export in Community Stages;
NEW Add Name, grades in challenge editor;
NEW Challenge editor first draft;
MI Challenge editor in/output starting position, UI ++;
MI Save truth table in files for custom challenges;
MI User folder for custom challenges;
[h2]3. NEW Online Scores consolidation part1[/h2]
Online Scores are used for the Performance Report window at the end of each challenge. Online Scores are crucial because they give players a way to evaluate how their solutions work. Wrong online scores are something to avoid at all costs. So, some rework (client and server-side) has been done to ensure that Online scores are always up-to-date, valid, and fair.
The part using Online Scores:
An exciting consequence is, at some point, HC will be shipped with a local database for Online Scores, allowing players to play entirely offline or from an area where HC's server is unreachable! (note: Masterpiece grade won't be accessible in that mode)
Part 2 is needed to use this and will start soon.
Changelog:
MI Level Validation ++;
MI Linking score with validation;
MI Don't validate when 0 FET;
MI Online validation reader logic;
MI scores tick threshold to be submitted online from under 2000 to under 15000;
MI Challenge validation logic;
[h2]4. NEW End of Chapter 1[/h2]
Not spoiling anything, there is some advancement for the content concluding Chapter 1 with, most notably, 2 new challenges!
Changelog:
NEW chapter 1 final;
NEW ALU with flags challenge with grades;
NEW NOR8 challenge with grades;
[h2]5. NEW Linux/MacOS partial support[/h2]
This was a request for a long time. Lots of people have tried their luck at running HC on Linux. Being alone in developing HC, it was always difficult to provide support. But HC's community still did it. A player named K1ngfisher, found a way to completely bootstrap and run HC on Linux! And with minimal changes to the codebase, HC got its gold rating on Proton.DB!
Here are the steps to run HC on Linux using proton tkg.
For MacOS? Another player, optlink, found a way to start HC on Apple Silicon with the help of Crossover. Here are the complete steps to get the same result.
Changelog:
FIX Music doesn't rely on mfplat;
[h2]Quality Of Life, Bug, and Crash fixes list[/h2]
There is quite some stuff here, too; I limit myself to 5 talking points at most cause this update could get too in-depth! Here's for reference the other changes made:
Changelog:
NEW Deterministic/Fast modes activable in the Library;
NEW nondeterministic 384 benchmark;
NEW Mouse Edge Scrolling option;
NEW Cuboid selection with shift and mouse up/down;
NEW Switching delays for PMOS/NMOS and puller (disabled atm)
PERF Simulation improvements;
PERF Removed soft limits of 100 simulation frames per second;
FIX Inputs can be signed too now;
FIX Align helper not showing regression;
FIX Vacant indicator shown on left oriented FET when plugged on top center;
FIX Missing 68 terminals on undo after extending die top or left;
FIX Music was not playing in the inverter chip, adder chip, or alu chip;
FIX Die operation controls activated when die operation is forbidden;
FIX Die limit indicator wrong limits bottom/left;
FIX 2 overlaps mos merge;
FIX hiding UI elements in tutorial regression;
FIX Hard crash when a soft crash was possible on readout;
FIX Unshortable input as diode exploit;
FIX removable permanent terminals with die operations;
UX Try to die-extend and add trace rather than just discarding the entire action when tracing outside the die limit;
UX Bigger helper's font;
MI Readouts handle shorted state;
UX New in the Library takes the search file as input for naming the file;
UX Swapping remove/minimized icon to avoid accidental removal;
FIX Discard short click when the mouse drifted 10px+;
FIX 2 inputs blocks in AND3 Challenge;
MI catching mode separated from nondeterministic mode;
MI Stops music when no music is loaded;
UX Remove '\\.\' on Monitor list;
FIX Typos;
MI Crash handling logic;
FIX Substract vs subtract typo;
FIX Soustraction typo;
[h2]Looking Ahead[/h2]
HC is still in closed beta, but its demo is already out! If you are willing to give feedback, join the waiting list for the closed beta access. You might want to try your luck by "Requesting Access" to the playtest on HC's main store page (this is a lottery system)!
Your feedback, suggestions, and comments are not just important; they're the lifeblood of this game. We value your input and encourage you to join our Discord server to share your thoughts and ideas!
Thank you for playing Hard Chip, and stay tuned for more updates and new features!