Hard Chip News

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!

1. Visual hints on how to build upward with Shift.
   
2. Ctrl now acts as a modifier key to select or delete blocks vertically, making it easier to work on multiple layers.
   
3. Removed the need to hold Shift to move the camera faster in the editor—the camera should now respond more naturally.
   
4. For those who prefer inverted controls, there's a new option to flip the vertical mouse axis during FPS phases.
   
5. You can also use Ctrl+A to select all components quickly,
   
6. Q and E keys now offer continuous rotation for simpler object manipulation.
   

Notable linked changes:

• 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!

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]

• 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!

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:

• 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!

Greetings, Hard Chip players!

Let's review the changes made from versions 0.0.6.18 to 0.0.6.23. This update mainly focuses on stabilization, bug fixing, and some crucial UX enhancements. Here's a detailed overview of what was modified.

But before that, on the cool side, I started sending keys to small content creators to increase the reach of HC. Pay the guy a view if you want to see some gameplay; he is very entertaining!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
What would be your favorite creator from whom you would love to watch a video covering HC? Let me know in the comments!


[h2]1. UPDATED Enhanced Precision with Hitboxes[/h2]
Finer Hitboxes Around Traces and Gates. We've tightened the hitboxes around traces and gates, allowing for much more precision when interacting with circuit elements using your mouse.

Before, in blue were the hitboxes used for selecting blocks:


After (floor hitboxes removed for clarity):


It removes the countless missed clicks players had and eliminates a lot of frustration (like deleting a whole section by accident can be infuriating, maybe 😬). As a result, HC feels less clunky!

Changelog:

• FIX Input Picking on Large Dies: Resolved issues with input picking when the die size exceeds 20, making it unresponsive.
  
• FIX hitbox misses when working on edge at angle when die size > 20;
  
• UX Much fitter hitboxes around traces and gates to allow much more precision with the mouse;
  

[h2]2. UPDATED Perf optimization[/h2]
Faster Slot Switching is reduced from 0.7 seconds to sub 0.1 seconds, making your workflow faster and making HC more responsive.
It is not only slot switching but Undo/Redo that is quasi-instant now!

Here's a redo stack played with spamming Ctrl-Y at normal speed!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Much faster!

Another point, to help to switch from, let's say, slots 1 and 4, faster you can now use the Slot selector, instead of clicking 4 times:



Oh, and you can extend the die left and top now, too☝️!

Changelog:

• FIX Load/Save inputs/outputs between slots;
  
• FIX wrong output pin when die resized;
  
• UX Picking pin remember last spread;
  
• UX Avoid resetting output position on revalidated and die resized;
  
• UX faster slot selector;
  
• MI Force terminals at y:6 and 8 in all cases;
  
• UX Extend/Shrink left/top now possible even in a challenge with terminals 68 positions forced;
  

[h2]3. UPDATED Grades[/h2]
We've revised several graded challenges to improve their difficulty and challenge level:

• 2-Bit Decoder
  
• Full Bit Adder
  
• Adder/Subtractor
  
• AND Gate
  
• AND3 Gate
  
• OR3/NOR3 Gates
  
• XOR Gate
  
• NAND3 Gate
  
• Tristate Buffer
  

Among other things! See more in the changelog!

Changelog:

• CX PMOS NMOS Intros have a higher ceiling
  
• CX MSJK on plane input and revised startup level
  
• MI Challenges uniformized, all inputs start at y1 and all outputs at y0
  
• CX Auto generating starting levels are squared now;
  
• CX 4Bits ProgramCounter starting levels revised;
  

[h2]4. NEW Multiplexers challenges [/h2]
We've expanded our bonus challenges with the addition of new multiplexers:
2-to-1 MUX
4-to-1 MUX
8-to-1 MUX
These multiplexers allow for more sophisticated data routing within your circuits, enabling you to design more complex and efficient logic systems in sandbox mode!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


[h2]Quality Of Life, Bug, and Crash fixes list[/h2]
This is the a big part of the last update!

• FIX Corrected Tutorial Breakage: tutorials no longer break after resetting a level; input/output positions revert to known values.
  
• FIX Janky Readout Resolved: fixed the janky readout in the "Click Me" and signed tutorials.
  
• FIX Inverter Map Hard Lock
  
• FIX Broken Fabricator Script Soft Lock: caused by a broken fabricator script.
  
• FIX 4-Bit Program Counter Crash
  
• FIX Output Value Overlay Crash
  
• FIX Graph Scaling Alignment: Fixed graph scaling and alignment issues when the range is less than 15, making them misleading.
  
• FIX Masterpiece Scoring Bug: Fixed an unfair bug that miscalculated online scores and affected the "Masterpiece", making it almost unobtainable.
  
• FIX Cubic Render and UI Scale not saved
  
• FIX Input/Output at Position 000 was not saving correctly.
  
• FIX Wrong Output Pins Placement on Resize
  
• FIX Loss Counter now accurately counts loss tracking.
  
• FIX Undo/Redo Stack working for Slots 3-4
  
• FIX Typos and copy
  
• FIX NAND button launching the Adder challenge
  
• FIX OutputvalueOverlay crash
  
• FIX Crash when trying to load ghost on tutorials
  
• FIX Chip map select when in ALU stage
  
• FIX All inputs show picking when only one is being set
  
• FIX Hidding readouts lines when pointing out of the camera frustrum (avoid strange lines across the screen)
  
• FIX EasyTracesThroughWall cheese
  
• FIX Texture of chips with lightings
  
• UX Delete action takes priority on zoom in on click on loaded overlay action
  
• UX lower the step in front of the fabricator, so you can walk easily to the terminals
  
• UX Non-overlapping glitchy on inputs in inout intro
  
• UX Limiting spread to 2-3-4
  
• UX Show "T161" on lightning indicator
  
• UX Readout uniform render numerical value
  
• UX Avoid flickering sizes in/output overlay with big numbers
  

[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!

Greetings, Hard Chip players!

Let's review the changes made from versions 0.0.6.12 to 0.0.6.17. This update is another round 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. UPDATED Lab area and Fab control area[/h2]
The mini FPS part of the game has been reworked to include more terminals and machines to repair, which will give players more frequent rewards. The previous lone chip map was the entire Adder in one go. Now, it is split into three parts: bypass chip, Inverter chip, and Adder chip.




Not only that, but we've also made significant performance improvements to ensure a smoother and more enjoyable gaming experience.

Changelog:

• NEW Fab area;
  
• NEW Fab area is used for Adder now;
  
• NEW Visual cue model when a chip is fabricated;
  
• NEW Starting area with two machines to repair, Material Bank 1 and Material Bank 2;
  
• NEW Bypass Chip Map, Inverter Chip Map, (and then Adder Chip Map);
  
• NEW Adder chip map shortened for material bank2 and material bank 2 repair;
  
• PERF Improved loading time for the fps part;
  
• PERF Prepping off screen loading logic;
  
• MI Improved hitboxes for the Fab area, fixed pipes' textures with wrong UV;
  
• MI Generator wiggles;
  
• MI Terlinals flickering is back;
  
• MI show only one "replace" action when a chip is in hand;
  
• SX Story mode scripts are more rewarding with smaller steps;
  
• SX Remove misleading instruction on build-up;
  
• SX 8Bit in terminal logs as it's now the required part;
  
• MI Updated starting area, dark portion;
  
• MI Terminals of fixed machines are locked now (avoid players guessing if it's still useful);
  
• FIX Inputs as terminals hack;
  
• FIX Stuck on mbank1 on reboot;
  
• FIX Falling through the doorstep;
  
• FIX partial crash in UI screen in world;
  
• FIX start fabrication process twice;
  
• FIX reboot labcontrol twice;
  
• FIX typo in Crossing state;
  

[h2]2. NEW Saving best player solutions and Comparer mode[/h2]
One of the primary loops of HC is getting the perfect part with the help of 4 metrics that help the player gauge their progress. But for visual people, seeing the best solution they have made against their latest attempts is even more helpful!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Every time a metric is beaten by the player's solution (block count, volume, ticks, or mos count), a "ghost" is saved. Then, you can load those ghosts to compare your current attempt with your best ones!

And for good measure, 2 more save slots per level were added. You can now have 5 variants for each level!

Changelog:

• NEW Show best ghost from Perf report window;
  
• NEW 4 best ghosts are saved when one of the 4 metrics is beaten;
  
• NEW Comparer mode with transparency slider;
  
• NEW ALU Chip map (placeholder as of now, WIP);
  
• NEW 2 more save slots;
  
• UX Clicking graph to compare with best solutions;
  
• MI Tutorial doesn't save bests;
  
• FIX Z-fighting with ghost and everything else;
  

[h2]3. NEW Negative number representation with associated challenges and chip map.[/h2]
A chip map is a set of challenges to build a chip that can be used to repair a machine after replacing that chip and rebooting.
So far, only a positive number adder could be done. And you know what the next logical step is!

Challenges based on negative numbers!





This part is very early still, but it offers great potential for upcoming levels and new sorts of chips! This one is an very rudimentary revised adder chips that can now perform substraction!

Changelog:

• NEW Negative number representation with 2s complement, usable in some challenges;
  
• NEW Challenge type: play with inputs to finish;
  
• NEW 8bit signed challenge;
  
• NEW 8bit value inverter challenge;
  
• NEW 8bit Adder Substracter challenge;
  
• NEW Adding schematics for AdderSubstracter, ValueInverter;
  
• NEW 16bit Adder bonus;
  

[h2]4. UPDATED Movable Input/Outputs[/h2]
Movable outputs were already in the last update for the demo. Now all inputs/outputs are movable and already benefited from a week of bug fixing.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Changelog:

• NEW Movable inputs; Saved in file; Clipboard exportable; Sticked to the left edge;
  
• NEW Dedicated Input/Output overlay (stable between steps), cleaned previous input readout;
  
• UX Show check/cross on expected numeric output (not only bit value);
  
• UX InOutput position at y=2;
  
• UX Indicating +- hint in Mode Bar when moving outputs;
  
• FIX Can't change output position during validation;
  
• FIX Right click to cancel input/output picking;
  
• FIX Picking input/output hitboxes issue;
  
• FIX Expected value indicator order;
  
• FIX Neutral bit positions of outputs considered as 0;
  

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

• NEW Quick update for xbit vs xbits naming;
  
• NEW Not inverted Half bit adder;
  
• UX y/n enter/escape shortcut on exit modal;
  
• UX Align helper reworked from playtest session;
  
• MI Reference Pass update ok;
  
• FIX Inverter tutorials don't share save file anymore (only copied once between challenges);
  
• FIX Force auto start on Conflict, One in, one out, compliance, crossing states and the wall;
  
• FIX Tentative crash fix selected block indicator;
  
• FIX 4Bit Multiplier challenge inputs were unmodifiable;
  
• FIX Tentative crash fix selected block indicator;
  
• UX Centered icons in the library;
  
• UX Breakpoints stop only the first time a block is in a selected state. Can resume the sim, and it won't be stopped until the block changes state before returning to the selected state;
  
• MI Update all challenge starting files and challenges to allow Input blocks to be moved;
  
• FIX Wrong F2 label on Camera UI Control;
  
• FIX Crash on large block delete tentative;
  
• FIX Crash at game exit;
  
• FIX Challenge file save edit hack;
  
• DDD Naming xbit vs xbits (breaking);
  

[h3]I want to play it![/h3]
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!