Hard Chip News

Greetings, Hard Chip players!

All is in the title! An update has been made to bring the demo up to date with the playtest version. What changes? Quite a few things.

1. Movable Inputs/Outputs
2. Updated Graphics
3. Revised intro area with more interaction with terminals
4. The door can be open now!

More terminals!
Plus all mechanics-related items listed in this update!

/!\ If you already played the demo, use the "Reset Campaign" button in the setting /!\

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!

Share, stream, and send screenshots of your solutions our way!

Here's one I received from a dedicated playtester, can you guess what this is?



Thank you for playing Hard Chip, and stay tuned for more updates and new features!

Greetings, Hard Chip players!



Let's review the changes made from versions 0.0.6.1 to 0.0.6.11. It's been four weeks since the last update, so this one is filled with enhancements, new features, and fixes to improve your experience. Here's a detailed overview of what's included in this update.


[h2]1. NEW Movable Outputs[/h2]
One of the most requested features, Movable Outputs, has been rolled out. You can now move outputs, which makes organizing your layouts much more intuitive. This feature supports both 1-bit and n-bit outputs.

Additionally, the spacing between inputs can now be adjusted on the fly using the + and - keys while picking positions, giving you more control over your circuit designs.



Changelog:

• NEW Movable outputs (with a picker)
  
• NEW Select Output mode with dedicated cursor;
  
• NEW Movable Output supports 1bit and n-bit outputs;
  
• NEW Change spacing between input when picking position with +- keys;
  
• NEW Movable outputs don't reset their screen position when changing the validation step;
  
• MI Ensure output picks hint and stays to the right edge of the die;
  
• MI Exportable output picks
  
• MI Saving output picked positions in savefile;
  
• MI Tutorial challenges with no movable inputs;
  
• UX Softescape from output selection;
  

[h2]2. UPDATED Graphical Enhancements and Multimonitor Support[/h2]
Visuals play a significant role in the overall experience; we've taken this to heart with several key improvements. The introduction of a Cubic Renderer for performance settings. The new Resolution Scale setting allows you to get the most out of your graphics card for an unparalleled level of detail. Or, if you don't have a graphic card to use, you could turn the dial down to 40% to get those sweet FPS back!

The new cute environment


Super scale 100% compared to 200%


Voxel edge artifact removed (100% render scale)


Cubic fast renderer


In addition, Multiscreen Support has been implemented, allowing you to start HC on any screen. Previously, you were stuck to the primary monitor. Note that HC is DPI agnostic across screens.



Changelog:

• NEW Cubic/Raymarching renderer settings for performance;
  
• NEW Resolution scale from 40% to 200%;
  
• NEW Moving alignment indicator helper;
  
• NEW Cute environment background for the editor;
  
• NEW Multiscreen support, DPI agnostic for different DPI settings across screens. Resist screen disposition and dpi scale changes;
  
• MI removes edge artifacts between connected blocks;
  
• MI chromatic aberration on blocks (can be deactivated);
  
• MI Optimizing renderer for scale;
  
• FIX Low settings renderer fast now;
  
• FIX CRT effect edge artifacts;
  
• FIX Free camera was clipping far objects;
  

[h2]3. UPDATED Readouts but more better 👌[/h2]
Readouts are a centerpiece of HC. They allow you to interact with your solutions. Naturally, many new developments were made to further their usefulness.

The new Breakpointable Readout feature makes debugging more manageable. You can now set breakpoints within your solution, making it easier to trace the execution flow and stop the simulation at potential issues.

Also, readouts rotate/flip (when attached to a blueprint) and can be Undo/redo!

Rotate/flip...


...and Undo redo!


Changelog:

• NEW Undo/redo for readouts;
  
• NEW Breakpointable readout;
  
• UX Readouts lines properly align on nbit readouts;
  

[h2]4. UPDATED Simulation tweaks[/h2]
Nothing too big, but small changes still. Shorts are now guaranteed to show up where before they could appear and disappear in one single frame. Also, Inputs now spend 1 tick in neutral before going to an opposite state.

We are also introducing a new secondary metric: Energy Loss! It characterizes the sum of blocks in a loaded state (when 1 and 0 states connect) for each tick.



Changelog:

• NEW Energy loss in perf report;
  
• SIM Inputs spend 1 frame in neutral when changing to the opposite state;
  
• SIM Blocks in the "loaded" state last at least one frame now;
  
• UX Animation on perf reports;
  
• MI terminal shader pass speed improved;
  

[h2]5. NEW Other not so trivia points[/h2]
The main branch of HC is its readying process. Steam already validated the build, meaning people can now receive keys (wink wink 😉 if you create video game content).

To share data between the Main, Demo, and Playtest branches, every savefile was moved to %LocalAppData%. A more standard approach. If you have any savefile, an updater can help you recover the file from the previous location.

The demo isn't left aside! It gets regular updates as soon as the playtest build is stable enough to be the base for a new demo build. It is now at version 0.0.6.8 and should be updated soon.

Changelog:

• MI Adding "Quick Updates" notes on the main menu to explain the new location for save and its updater.
  
• MI Tutorial challenge load/save into a separate folder so they don't appear in the Library anymore;
  
• MI Library uses a new location for new Chips/Bluprints;
  
• MI All challenges savefiles are in the "Chips" data folder; Tuto is in the "Tutorial" one;
  

[h2] Never-ending Quality Of Life, Bug, and Crash fixes list:[/h2]

• Quite a lot of additions were made, and more than could be covered in a reasonably short dev blog post. But for reference, here are the rest of the changes made in the last weeks:
  
• NEW Ambiance sound settings.
  
• NEW Chip map selector in the Campaign (you can see Adder Chip map back after opening the door).
  
• NEW Output Blocktype (useless for now, but hey they're there);
  
• DDD Naming footprint to volume;
  
• MI Simulation thread did work it wasn't supposed to do;
  
• UX can switch between up/onPlane build while holding down mouse click with Shift;
  
• UX doesn't show the Normal-Based build cursor when not Normal-based is disabled;
  
• UX Expected Output block indicator moves when the die size changes without a restart of the validation now;
  
• UX Showing EARLY ACCESS in the main menu;
  
• SX You need an 8-bit adder to open the door now!
  
• MI Atmos sound level is not music level;
  
• MI Benchmark shows used graphical settings, vsync, scale, resolution, and refresh rate;
  
• MI game doesn't slow down when not in focus anymore;
  
• MI 8Bits adder now has a carry-in input (breaking);
  
• MI 8Bits adder auto-generate inputs;
  
• MI 4bits adder revised validation steps;
  
• UX Less punchy main menu music;
  
• UX FreeCam now moves to a random location; the keys used to move the FreeCam show when switched to it. Deactivate visually unused buttons when in FreeCam;
  
• UX Editor always shows the blueprints button;
  
• UX can Blueprint > Edit > Blueprint > Edit forever, on exit goes back to the first;
  
• FIX z-fighting with selected blocks indicator;
  
• FIX reversed key press on terminals when low framerate;
  
• FIX crash when focus provider misses a frame;
  
• FIX Byte adder Challenge button opened the nibble adder one;
  
• FIX Compact challenge wrongly counting ticks during die size validation; GRADE Not, Nand, And revised Streamlined grade
  
• FIX Read F4 for start/stop simulation;
  
• FIX floating pin indicators are removed on ctrl-z;
  
• FIX Slot switch ghosting tentative fix;
  
• FIX Multiplier challenge;
  
• FIX 8Bits Adder wrong step 6;
  
• FIX Halfbit adder not loading;
  
• FIX Crash when exiting the terminal when the light turns on;
  
• FIX Crash when moving readouts;
  
• FIX Locked out when ESC is pressed on the first screen;
  
• FIX Mos directly connected to input doesn't show floating pin indicator anymore;
  
• FIX Crash when switching Imgui context;
  
• FIX ambient sound not launching;
  
• FIX Crash on corrupt save file, now a modal shows an error instead;
  
• FIX NMOS channel didn't show correctly when rotated;
  
• FIX Floating pin indicator showing when connected at the top;
  

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!

The demo is finally available!

Try out the beginning of Hard Chip before its release, and test your engineering prowess!

Hard Chip is an Early Access. Your feedback, suggestions, and comments are not just important, they're the lifeblood of this game. Join our Discord server to share your thoughts and ideas!

Thank you for trying out Hard Chip!

Greetings, Hard Chip players!

Let's cover the modifications made in versions 0.0.5.58 to 0.0.5.64 and the move to 0.0.6.0! It has been three weeks since the last update, so this update is packed with improvements, new features, and fixes designed to enhance your experience. Here's a detailed look at what's new:


[h2]1. UPDATED Camera controls and keyboard controls[/h2]
The strongest feedback was about controls: " I love the concept of this game, but the controls are too unresponsive." "Controlling this was..... awful, frankly. I'm really really excited by the concept." "I, too, like the demo but was hampered by the controls."
Okay, controls need reworking! That is precisely one of the past weeks' focus areas. It might be hard to show every change with gifs, but I put every change in the "Changelog" section below for the courageous ones.





Changelog:

• NEW Recenter/Dramatic moves/ShowHideUIElements camera control buttons;
  
• NEW Key shortcuts 123456 to Traces, PMOS, NMOS, etc...
  
• NEW Camera Tilt/Pedestal movement on ZC;
  
• MI Mouse and keyboard revert to a suspended state when the window is unfocused;
  
• MI Camera finishes its movement even when the window is unfocused; no mouse wheel is captured when the window is unfocused;
  
• FIX Mouse swing when entering a level;
  
• FIX Force mouse pos in center to avoid "cropped" moves in FPS phases;
  
• FIX Camera rubber band movement effect when low framerate;
  
• FIX Camera center broken after switching from free cam;
  
• UX When the mouse is locked, last state = current state, to avoid big swings;
  
• UX UI captures keypress for textboxes only, making shortcuts work even if the mouse is on the UI;
  
• UX Tab switches between modes;
  
• UX Rotate camera control button now changes the angular momentum of the camera;
  
• UX Editor/Freecam button shows the actual mode the cam is in;
  
• UX Camera zooms when at die level;
  
• UX Camera movement buttons are now the same as with the mouse;
  
• UX Camera keyboard maps to the new camera behavior;
  
• UX Camera framerate agnostic fix for rotation;
  
• UX Camera angular behavior tweaking;
  

[h2]2. NEW Slots[/h2]
It's a must-have feature to have for a game like HC. Now you can have up to 3 slots per challenge to test different designs without having to use blueprints as a workaround:



And it allows some cool "side effect" like copying pasting between slots:


Changelog:

• NEW Per slot Undo/Redo stack;
  
• NEW 3 save slots for challenges!;
  
• MI Slots for Challenges only;
  
• FIX Selection now resets when switching slots;
  

[h2]3. NEW 5 Challenges[/h2]
More challenges were added to the existing ones, bringing the total to 36 challenges (+12 for the tutorial ones).

- NEW Nible multiplier challenge, a good stepping stone to the 8bits multiplier!

- NEW 2/4/8 bits transmitter challenges—those are really useful as a blueprint when you work with buses!



- The NEW 64Bit adder challenge is genuinely enormous; floor planning and excellent blueprints are required for this one! "Work smarter not harder" type of challenge.





[h2]4. UPDATED Demos (partially)[/h2]
For a long time, Demos accessible in the Library in the main menu were disabled. They were built with an outdated HC simulation and weren't functional anymore. That's fixed! Well, almost. They all have properly shaped circuits, but only half are in working condition. So work in progress! But you can have fun with an adder, decoder, and the famous 512-byte RAM module (which is the maximum target size for an HC circuit at the moment).



Here's a now properly shaped demo, but needs rework of part now. Still cool I found:



Changelog:

• MI Demos run the simulation and show readouts now;
  
• MI Converting all demos to Conducive Gate update and Distinct MOS Connection update;
  

[h2]5. UPDATED MOS Behavior and looks[/h2]
The demo available during the Next Fest was a fantastic developer experience. The variety of solutions for even the most straightforward challenge (the demo ended after the NAND challenge) was an absolute joy to see!
Some people have even found some nice exploits! For a long time, I didn't want to fix those exploits because you had to think smart to come up with them in the first place. But HC is about being as close to reality as possible, and those exploits didn't reflect reality much.

Here's the set of merge that was working before 0.0.6.0:



As you can see, on the left 2 merge PMOS are still valid. On the right merging PMOS and NMOS isn't possible anymore where previously it was functional.

Changelog:

• UX Gates has the same color as the type of MOS;
  
• NEW Savefile updater in the settings to allow players to update to Distinct MOS connection modification;
  
• FIX Merge Gate Exploit;
  
• FIX Merge MOS Connection Exploit;
  
• FIX Connected gates rendering are always visually connected;
  

[h2]6. NEW Unconnected indicators and Select Segment[/h2]
It's a pain to find unconnected transistors at scale. But that's a thing of the past now! Welcome the new "Floating pin indicators," which are visible from anywhere and on top of everything else.

The "Select Segment" isn't a new feature per se but more of a forgotten one. In fact, no one seems to know that it existed! Here's a small tweak to change that:



And the new indicators



Really handy for certain situations! Like here a missed PMOS connection in a sea of wires!


Changelog:

• UX Adding select segment into the selected modal;
  
• UX Clearer color and blinking selected block indicator;
  
• NEW Floating pin indicators;
  

[h2]Quality Of Life, Bug, and Crash fixes:[/h2]

• Quite a lot of additions were made, and more than could be possibly covered in a reasonably short dev blog post. But for reference, here are the rest of the changes made in the last weeks:
  
• Changelog:
• NEW "Quick updates" panel in the main menu with short instructions for the 0.6 update;
  
• MI Simulation Deterministic mode is the default for everything;
  
• MI Readouts are now ulong based (allow 64bits value);
  
• UX Showing the name of the stage on the report;
  
• UX Removed unused Save/Reload level button from Component Editor;
  
• UX Remove shake animation for locked sections in Chip maps and replaced it with a blink instead;
  
• UX Remove schematic button locator;
  
• UX Readouts are now stickable to arbitrary positions and can be moved (different than relative to the screen);
  
• UX Force a resolution in windowed;
  
• UX Cross to close window library and smaller item height to show more of them at once;
  
• UX Component Library UI tweaks;
  
• UX Change indicators don't capture the mouse anymore; Loaded indicators are bigger when focused;
  
• UX Bonus map tweaks;
  
• SX Terminal logs when starting the 4bit register chip map;
  
• MI JKLatch challenge update to use auto-generated inputs (breaking);
  
• MI Force back mos block to be put only at layer 0;
  
• MI Basic gates grades activated in bonus map;
  
• MI All schematics QA pass;
  
• FIX/NEW Working Undo/Redo with/without slots;
  
• FIX warning sound when placing a block close to the edge;
  
• FIX Voxel builder crash fix tentative (reversed collection);
  
• FIX Validators with any expected do wait for the simulation to settle now;
  
• FIX Tristate "bufer" typo and wrong wiring in the schematic;
  
• FIX renders glitches and incoherences;
  
• FIX Properly show the savefile name in the main menu;
  
• FIX Matching labels between levels and schematics for latch levels;
  
• FIX Main title demo not always loading;
  
• FIX Geometry benchmark generates properly formed mos (no more broken indicators flood);
  
• FIX Editor hangs when a text input captures focus;
  
• FIX don't exit challenge on "Save all as blueprint";
  
• FIX Dlatch in bonus locked out;
  
• FIX Ctrl-z properly works the first time;
  
• FIX Ctrl-z doesn't trigger camera tilt;
  
• FIX Crash while selecting and then cutting (tentative);
  
• FIX Crash audio after fabricating;
  
• FIX Clear old floating indicators when restart level;
  
• FIX Broken mos overlay could get cleared wrongly in some instances;
  
• FIX Autosave every 60s;
  
• FIX Audio crash when settings are too high;
  
• FIX All sounds respect Sound level settings;
  
• FIX 8bits output multiplier challenge;
  
• FIX "New Chip" and "New Blueprint" from the Library will force save now;
  
• FIX "Crossing state" not skippable now;
  

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!

Greetings, Hard Chip players!

We are now covering the modifications done in versions 0.0.5.17 to 0.0.5.27! It has been 3 weeks since the last update, so I might have accumulated lots of small tweaks here and there. Let's dig in:



This was the main focus of the last 3 weeks at least. Mainly it was:

• Demo: creating, tweaking & ironing bugs out for a larger audience (public access people don't want to play an unstable build), and finally, setting up the demo with Steam.
  
• During the event: bug fix, streaming (a lot), and engaging with/responding to players.
  
• Post: beginning to work on the pain points from that demo.
  

Result? Success... but with constructive feedback! First, let's look at some numbers: 2029 demo played, 972 hours played, 209 hours of streaming, 42251 viewers with a peak of 520 concurrent viewers, 3 Twitch/YouTube streams from streamers, 17 topics opened on Steam's forums with 55 replies, 45 new users on Discord (countless messages here as well).

This is great! Not only that, but the wishlist count is also excellent for such a niche game! (Hard Chip is not suitable for all audiences for sure)


Now, the main points from the event were those:

• Camera controls are s**t,
  
• Vertical build mode and alignment were a chore/awful
  
• Linux support
  
• UX frictions, stuck with incorrect instructions.
  
• (to be honest, a lot of feedback, a lot, which was hard to track for one person!)
  

Those points will be the main focus for the following weeks! Except for Linux, I lack the proper knowledge to estimate how long it would take.

THANK YOU! Overall, this was a stressful experience, but it was extremely valuable. I read every feedback, every single one. I tried to answer them all.


Other related stuff:
Nice test from a streamer, very entertaining:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

One live with 465 viewers:




Oh well, this one still needs to be finished. In some cases, the camera could be stuck outside the playing field, and from there, it would behave weirdly, locking and hitting invisible walls.

Rules about how the camera is moving are simplified now. Making it more predictable. But remember, SPACEBAR will solve your camera problem everytime you hit it :D!

Other related modifications:

QOL Better camera placement: bounded camera target instead of camera itself;
QOL camera smooth move to start position in Editor (used in wall challenge);

Oh well, this one still needs to be finished (too). The previous attempt to make this easier was a step back for most people. So now, build-up is bound to Shift, and if you are among the few who like the normal-based build-up, you can switch to it in the settings.

Other related modifications:

QOL Tuto using Shift key to build up;
QOL Normal based vs Shift based build up mode settings;
QOL up/down on place indicator for Add block mode;

Many people wondered how to plug/merge MOS. A damaged MOS wasn't obvious at first; you mostly had to launch the validation or play with the input to see that it wasn't working anymore.
Now this should help:




[h2]Quality Of Life, Bug, and Crash fixes:[/h2]
Sorry this is quite a list, not much fun to read, here for reference only!

• NEW NOR Schematic;
  
• MI Dedicated BitAdder challenge map for the demo;
  
• MI Soft reset online scores (everyone is back to 0 now!);
  
• MI Steam links in the main menu and Steam compliance;
  
• QOL Unlocking bonus when the 4bits adder is done;
  
• QOL added a pale color to the gates to differentiate them;
  
• QOL Adjustments on P/NMOS and merge intros;
  
• QOL Bonus doesn't blink or gray out;
  
• QOL can go back on HelpModal and Glitchy;
  
• QOL Changing wording and simplifying the NMOS challenge;
  
• QOL Dynamic limits indicator shows when you expand or not and how much;
  
• QOL Erase level unselect everything;
  
• QOL explains how outputs behave when shrinking the die;
  
• QOL Fixed window DPI scale;
  
• QOL Gate rendering now shows a clear cut to avoid thinking it is connected at layer 0;
  
• QOL Glitchy helps in Blueprint, schematics and compact tutos;
  
• QOL Help Icon blinks every 30s;
  
• QOL Hint players to remove blocks in CompactChallenge;
  
• QOL Inverter challenge start camera pos tweaks;
  
• QOL less colors in the truth table;
  
• QOL Missed goal when task not fulfilled;
  
• QOL Perf report explaining its metrics; Removing OptimalInverterChallenge; Grades touch ups for BitAdder,
  
• QOL Redoing AND/NAND schematics to match 01 terminals icons;
  
• QOL simpler looking the wall challenge;
  
• QOL slightly larger camera movement;
  
• QOL Warning sound on building outside;
  
• SX "Air lock" to "Safety Door";
  
• SX Hints for workstation added;
  
• SX less cryptic intro of the helper;
  
• UX End of demo modal;
  
• UX Links revamp in the main menu;
  
• UX Showing "demo" in the main title;
  
• UX toolbox and die operation tooltips;
  
• UX Hinting players that input clicking are for test, not for solution;
  
• UX helper says how to use up/down or one plane build;
  
• UX Grades doesn't use a metric not shown in the report (tutos);
  
• FIX auto shrink height;
  
• FIX BEPU tentative crash fix;
  
• FIX BitAdder Map stuck at Blueprint;
  
• FIX Campaign sounds respect sound settings;
  
• FIX Compact challenge not exiting after success;
  
• FIX Crash on exit game;
  
• FIX crash when getting back from edit blueprint from the campaign;
  
• FIX Clipped "unlock next" in Bits Adder challenge map;
  
• FIX Die Limits indicator not updating on reset;
  
• FIX empty demo name box when no save on main screen;
  
• FIX Ensuring clear color;
  
• FIX erasing inputs while building outside the die;
  
• FIX gate/trace not connecting on malformed MOS;
  
• FIX Grade could fall into advanced for intro levels;
  
• FIX import from clipboard;
  
• FIX Input/Mos merge exploit;
  
• FIX Limits no showing properly;
  
• FIX manual die operation window not showing, wrong state on edit when coming back from it;
  
• FIX Merger challenge cheese;
  
• FIX reset level, remove existing player's Readouts;
  
• FIX solition typos and grammar;
  
• FIX try catch to avoid crash maybe on block HTTP request;
  

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!