VZX Player News

Hi,

we invite you to try a public beta which is available in the beta branch:

"beta_0.9.7"

To opt in:

• right-click VZX Player in the games list (in Steam)
  
• select "Properties"
  
• select "Betas"
  
• click the drop-down to select "beta_0.9.7"
  

You'll know you've succeeded in when the window title says version "0.9.7.0".

[h2]About this version[/h2]
This is primarily a regression test. As in - make sure nothing's broken.
We appreciate you testing it out a lot, while we do test all we can, we need more computer configurations to rule out bugs.

[h2]What's new?[/h2]

[h3]Offline Support[/h3]
This version supports a truly offline mode, without Steam client running.
It works by generating licensing files that match the application+DLC and the computer it's running on.

These offline licenses are generated when you run the application with Steam running.

Hopefully this will be totally invisible except for when the licenses time out after a while.
Then just running the application with Steam again renews the license.

[h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]

• Text editor could behave weirdly when the first character was an empty space. This is fixed.
  
• When a game device (gamepad etc) was removed, a crash would occur.
  

[h3]Misc Features and Improvements[/h3]

• All edit boxes support selection and clipboard operations
  
• Intel ARC, while not tested and officially supported by us, has been reported to work to some extent. The Intel warning dialog still appears, but you can now opt out of it.
  

[h3]Other Improvements[/h3]

• Many engine improvements which can be used in future visual packs.
  

[h2]I have something to report![/h2]
First, check the list of known issues available here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/981590/discussions/0/603028545007018849/

If it's addressed there, you don't have to report it.

[h2]It's not on the list, where do I report it?[/h2]
Please join our discord server ( click the icon below ) and report it in the channel #development.

[h2]Does this new release cause problems?[/h2]

With every new release there is the risk for some hiccups. We have tried our best to test and have had a public beta, but there can always be something.

We would like to try to help you fix any issues. Please report issues in our discord server. In 95% of cases bugs affect others too. Using the review system to write a negative review to report bugs/crashes is not very good for you since it makes it difficult for us to get back to you - our reply results in a Steam notification and it might drown in all other notifications.

[h3]What you can do right now about problems[/h3]

• Previous releases are available in "betas" in the Steam settings for VZX Player so you can still run "what worked before" until we have been able to fix the problems in the new release.
  

[h2]About this version[/h2]

There are no groundbreaking new features, but a lot happened behind the scenes. It will be easier for you to load more visuals simultaneously.

• Hopefully much reduced VRAM usage (detailed analysis below)
  
• Thanks to reduced VRAM usage, all visuals where it makes sense are now gamma corrected, this would before cost extra VRAM but is now re-using buffers already created
  
• Shift/Ctrl/Alt modfiers for number hotkeys to reach visuals 11+, 21+ and 31+
  
• Bug fixes for AMD GPUs in the DLC packs
  
• Other engine improvements, preparing for future releases.
  

[h2]NVIDIA GPU VRAM analysis report[/h2]
TLDR:

All visuals loaded from all DLC packs:

• 1080p: ~4GB VRAM (down 50%)
  
• 2160p: ~8GB VRAM (down 70%)
  

The full report:

While written for the Pro Player (a part of VZX Creative), a lot of the internals is the same, so the numbers should be good - but perhaps not quite as dramatic:
https://www.vzx-visualizer.com/vzx_creative/vzx_pro_player_visual_vram_optimization_results.pdf

[h2]Thanks to beta testers[/h2]
Thank you all who helped out with running the public_beta branch!

Hi,

we invite you to try a public beta which is available at the beta branch:

"public_beta"

To opt in:

• right-click VZX Player in the games list (in Steam)
  
• select "Properties"
  
• select "Betas"
  
• click the drop-down to select "public_beta"
  

You'll know you've succeeded in when it says version "0.9.6.0".

[h2]What's new?[/h2]

• Hopefully much reduced VRAM usage when loading many visuals (see link to detailed analysis below)
  
• Thanks to reduced VRAM usage, all visuals where it makes sense are now gamma corrected
  
• Shift/Ctrl/Alt modfiers for number keys to reach visuals 11+, 21+ and 31+
  
• Bug fixes for AMD GPUs in the DLC packs
  
• Other engine improvements for upcoming releases
  

[h2]About this version[/h2]
This is primarily a regression test. As in - make sure nothing's broken. But the VRAM improvements are actually a bit exciting. Having those makes it possible to add more content later also.

[h2]NVIDIA GPU VRAM analysis report[/h2]
While written for the pro player, it should be the same story for VZX Player:
https://www.vzx-visualizer.com/vzx_creative/vzx_pro_player_visual_vram_optimization_results.pdf

[h2]I have something to report![/h2]
Check the list of known issues available here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/981590/discussions/0/4524512587349456763/

If it's addressed there, you don't have to report it.

[h2]It's not on the list, where do I report it?[/h2]
Join our discord server ( http://vovoid.info ) and report it in the channel #development.

We appreciate all the help, while our test lab has been improved this year, we would still classify it as limited.

Bug fixes:

• Particles in "Space Spectrum" didn't render properly.
  

If this version causes problems for you, you can go back to a number of previous versions.

They are available under Settings -> Betas along with release date.

[h2]Does this new release cause problems?[/h2]

With every new release there is the risk for some hiccups. We have tried our best to test and had a long beta test period, but there can always be something.

Also remember you can refund DLC if it is not working as intended.

We would like to try to help you fix any issues. Please report issues in our discord server. In 95% of cases bugs affect others too. Using the review system to write a negative review to report bugs/crashes is not very good for you since it makes it difficult for us to get back to you - many people ignore Steam notifications.

[h3]What you can do right now about problems[/h3]

• Previous releases is available in "betas" in the Steam settings for VZX Player so you can still run "what worked before" until we have been able to fix the problems in the new release.
  

[h2]About this version[/h2]
This release is primarily about the new DLC pack "The Next Generation".

If you are interested in more advanced features, the "Pro Player" which is part of "VZX Creative" (also here on Steam) is worth checking out.

[h3]New Visual Pack: The Next Generation[/h3]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2470570/VZX_Player__The_Next_Generation

Or if you already have our previous packs, get a discount from the "complete the set" bundle:
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/15307/VZX_Player_Complete/

This pack features 7 new visuals. They all use our new graphics engine with better lighting, raytraced reflections and more.

This pack uses more system resources than previous packs, but in turn you get a really nice looking set of visuals.

[h3]Pearls[/h3]


[h3]Through The Gate[/h3]


[h3]Lightning Conductor[/h3]


[h3]Quanta Eternal[/h3]


[h3]Spectrum Pillars[/h3]


[h3]Interstellar Lighthouse[/h3]


[h3]The Visitor[/h3]

[h3]Bug fixes[/h3]

• In the pack "Particle Bliss", the "Cosmic Wave" visual has had its shaders modernized and bug fixed for some AMD cards
  
• A rare bug in the audio sub process backend has been fixed.
  

[h2]Thanks to beta testers[/h2]

The beta user pool wasn't that big this time, but to those involved - thank you!

[h2]Thanks to our translatore[/h2]

Also a lot of thanks to our translators!