Yes, after thinking about it for a while, I've decided that this game needs a name change. The reason is pretty simple: B.i.t.Lock is just not a good name... It sounded cool on paper and has grown on me a lot, but I realized that it has some major flaws. The dots in the name and the capitalization make it really tedious to type and it's not really a good name to search for. Imagine telling your friends and family about your game, but struggling to tell the name and ending up writing the name on a piece of paper so they won't mistype it later. People should have a much easier time finding this game and related content with the new name.
So what's the new name?
It's Block in the Lock. That's actually still B.i.t.Lock, but spelled out completely. Yep, the B.i.t. part of B.i.t.Lock was actually an abbreviation all along. It was originally an inside joke, but it fits so well that it will soon be the new official name for the game. It describes the game well, is easy to search for and doesn't invalidate the old name. It will still take a little while before the change is complete since I need to edit a lot of artwork and rebuild the game.
That's it for now. I just wanted to tell you all, so nobody gets to confused about it.
B.i.t.Lock 1.4: Challange Packs Update
B.i.t.Lock 1.4 is now live!
The new Challenge Packs Update for B.i.t.Lock is finally released. There is lots of stuff to do and more!
What's new?
150 new levels were added to the game as 50 challenge packs. That raises the total amount of levels from 76 to 226! That's a lot! And it certainly took me a while to make them all. About a year to be exact. I did the best I can to make them all unique and interesting. No two challenges should feel the same. I tried really hard to make the best of all the mechanics and find interesting interactions and I think I did a pretty good job at that (except for one maybe).
All the new levels are wrapped up in a single new World Section called the Challenge World, which is unlocked after completing the main game. In this world each level is actually a level pack with 1 to 5 levels (or stages) inside of them. Levels also unlock a lot faster and there is no final unlocking of the world. It's all about the juicy new challenge levels.
Additional Updates and Fixes
As this is most likely the final update, I tried to wrap it all up and do everything I can to make it as polished as I possibly can. For you it might not seem that much, but it's a bit of work for a one-man-band.
Audio
1 new Music Soundtrack (for the Challenge World)
Music now changes in the Overworld like it does in the Level Editor, giving it a bit more of a dynamic feel and making it less annoying
Save Files
Separated percentages for main game and challenge levels
Save file gets a shiny golden look when 100% completed
Achievements
New achievement: Master of all Elements (complete challenge world)
New achievement: Final Lock (complete everything)
Settings
Added VSync (finally)
Moving the window to another monitor with different resolution no longer breaks the settings menu
Workshop
Fixed a bug, where the description will not be used when uploading a level
Workshop menu navigation has been adjusted a bit
Fixed a bug, where strange behavior occurred when enter was pressed as a level was completed in the level editor
Gameplay
Spamming enter after leaving a level will no longer interrupt level spawning and thus will no longer make the world unplayable
Repeatedly going on lava crack tiles and pressing undo will no longer make the lava tiles bigger or smaller (same for hole tiles)
Wave blocks and conveyors no longer push blocks into each other (or at least I hope so, I fixed this bug like 5 times already and it keeps coming back)
When a block is killed by a spike, which is on top of a lava crack, it will no longer play the death sound and animation from the lava tile
The win animation (*click* at the end of level) looks cleaner now for some levels where there are multiple shapes to complete
What's next?
I've said this already in the past, but this will (hopefully) be my final update for this game. I'll move on to a new project that I have in mind that will take an entirely new approach on gaming, so stay tuned on Twitter.
However, I still have some final things to do. This includes releasing the new soundtrack of the game for free and maybe another little extra that I won't spoil for now.
THANK YOU
I want to thank everyone who supported this game and also the players who play and appreciate the game for what it is. I've seen some amazing levels in the Steam Workshop and it fills my heart to see actual people enjoying what I make for them and contribute something of their own. I know, my game is not well known and bringing a game to the attention of people in todays age is not an easy thing to do, so I appreciate it even more.
With that being said, everything is done for now. Stay tuned for my next projects and have a nice day!
Weekly Challenges are DONE
Weekly Challenges?...
Yes, if you didn't know already, I was making a few levels a week and uploaded them on Itch every week (now that I think about it, I feel kinda stupid that I didn't make them available on Steam as well, but I guess I was just too lazy to implement all that network and database stuff).
Now, after making 50 Challenges with 150 new levels, I can finally rest.
Wait! What if I still want to play them?
Aaah, I see. You want to play these limited time level packs, even though you missed your chance by not following me on Twitter?
Don't worry! The thing that makes me happier than anything are people like you that want to play the stuff I make :)
So in just a few weeks (hopefully) I will be releasing the NEXT BIG UPDATE with all of these NEW CHALLENGE LEVELS.
New Challenge World
There will be a new world after the final world where all the challenge level packs will be placed. This world behaves a bit differently. Each level is actually a level pack with 1 to 5 levels (or stages) inside of them. Levels also unlock a lot faster and there is no final unlocking of the world.
The Challenge World will be unlocked after finishing the main game.
B.i.t.Lock FREE Challenge Packs Update
As you may or may not know, I've been doing my Weekly Challenges now for almost a year and posted them regularly on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/PeydaPete ). However, they were only playable in a web browser and I never got to implement them in the main game. I've decided that I will be stopping after my 50th Weekly Challenge and update the game with all of my levels that I created over the year.
This update will be COMPLETELY FREE!
150 new Levels!
150 new levels will be added to the game as 50 small challenge packs. That's a lot of new levels. About double the amount of what is already in the game. I did the best I can to make them all unique and interesting. No two challenges should feel the same. I tried really hard to make the best of all the mechanics and find interesting interactions and I think I did a pretty good job so far.
What else is in the Update?
Bug fixes. Also, I will rework the options menu. it's a little bit messy and buggy.
When will the update be released?
Probably some time after the 50th Weekly Challenge. I'm at #39 right now, so it will take at least 12 more weeks until then.
No more Weekly Challenges?
Sadly, yes. After the 50th Weekly Challenge, I will no longer do any more levels. So this might be the final official levels from my side. This will also free up some time of the week for me to work on some other projects of mine.
Other Projects?
Yes. I'm back in the game biz. I've taken a small break recently and worked on some web stuff (including my own website), but I missed working on game projects, so I will use my time to work on something new and exciting! It won't be a puzzle game this time (sorry, my puzzle lovers), but it will be interesting nonetheless.
Stay tuned!
If you want to keep up to date with what I will be working on in the near future or want to play some of the remaining 12 Weekly Challenges in advance, be sure to follow me on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/PeydaPete ).
