Hello folks! 👋

This major update improves many different aspects of the game, and it's all thanks to your fantastic constructive feedback.

Please keep the feedback coming – Sonia (the artist) and I read every single post and every single review, and want to make the game more enjoyable for everyone.

Mouse Cursor Enhancements

No more losing track of your combos or cursor in a sea of bubbles!

• Added a combo bar next to the cursor (can be toggled in "Interface").
• Added a plus sign to the cursor texture when Multipop is active.
• Added a subtle circle indicator that shows Multipop's range when active.
• Added a subtle drop shadow effect to the mouse cursor.
• Slightly increased the default cursor scale.
• Cursor combo text and combo bar are not displayed when dragging cats anymore.

Better Cat Dragging/Placement

New cat arrivals messing up your meticolously placed feline formations is a thing of the past.

• Newly purchased cats are now placed by players instead of appearing in the middle of the screen.
• Dragging multiple cats at once is much more intuitive now, either left shift or LMB can be released.
• The Wizardcat can now be dragged while absorbing wisdom or casting spells.
• Added a tip explaining how to drag multiple cats at once (appears upon purchasing your 3rd cat).

Map Navigation Controls

Exploring the map used to be unintuitive and slow – not anymore!

• Clicking on the minimap will now scroll to the clicked location.
• The scroll wheel can now be used to scroll the map (if not hovering UI).
• The A/D keys can now be used to scroll the map (in addition to LeftArrow/RightArrow).
• Holding Left Shift while scrolling the map will double the scrolling speed.
• The Home/End keys can now be used to immediately jump to the beginning/end of the map, respectively.
• The PageUp/PageDown keys can now be used to jump to the previous/next shrine, respectively.

New Player Experience Improvements

Missed a tip and not sure what to do next? I've got the solution.

• Added text under inactive shrine to remind players how to activate/complete them (visible only during 1st prestige).
• Slightly increased tip duration, and duration now scales with the length of the tip text.
• Updated tips to reflect newly added shortcuts and features.
• Renamed the "Stats" menu to "Info" and added new "Tips" tab containing useful tips.

Keyboard Shortcuts

When speedrunning the game or just wanting to navigate the UI faster, keyboard shortcuts are a must!

• The Y key can now be used to pop bubbles (for QWERTZ users, with love).
• Menu tabs can be switched using the 1-5 numeric keys.
• The menu can be minimized by using the Backslash/Tilde key (to the left of number 1).

More Customization Options

Everybody wants the game just a little bit different, and I'm fine with that!

• Added an option to toggle the cat bobbing/floating animation in the "Graphics" tab.
• Added an option to increase cat range outline thickness in the "Graphics" tab.
• Added an option to toggle the screen shake effect both in the quick settings menu and in the "Graphics" tab.

Bugfixes

There are always some to squash…

• Fixed Mousecat Multipop state being reset to while prestiging.
• Fixed Astrocats losing their initial position after a flyby – formations should now be stable.
• Fixed cats colliding with shrines while being dragged and ruining your formations.
• Fixed typos in several tips/tooltips.
• Fixed a secret achievement incorrectly unlocking when prestiging.
• Minor sprite art cleanup/improvements.

Future Plans

There still are quite a few things that could be improved, especially in the late-game. This is a list of what I'm exploring/experimenting with for future updates:

• Adding more unique prestige points rewards, such as a "laser cursor" that can be held down to pop bubbles automatically. I have already implemented this, but I am thinking about how to make it more fun to use, perhaps by having a "charge/battery" system that needs to be charged via normal combos and unleashed at will.
• Adding more interactions between late-game cats. I am experimenting with buffing Astrocats when they touch a Devilcat portal.
• Adding more content at the end of the game. After your unlock the final special "cat", there's not much left to discover. I do want BubbleByte to have a definite ending, but I think it would also be nice to have something extra for players who want to push the game to its limits.
• Buffing clicking in the late game. The "laser cursor" is one of the ideas, but I'm also experimenting with other ones, such as being able to give cats treats by clicking on them to speed them up or temporarily buff them.
• Adding a built-in speedrunning mode with splits that can be entered whenever you want without losing progress in the main game.
• Tweaking end-game balance of the Mousecat, it seems a little bit too powerful at the moment, and surrounding it with cats isn't the most creative/clever formation.
• Adding some sort of "beacon" cat (a la Factorio) that needs to be surrounded by exactly N other cats to provide a buff/effect – this would make late-game formations more spread out and interesting.
• Adding dynamic visual decorations for unique cats. The Wizardcat could have a moving cape, the Engicat could have a tesla coil attached to their body, and so on… Sonia will have more stuff to draw!
• Better Steam Deck support.
• Adding more secret/challenging achievements that require you to play the game in a different way. Perhaps even starting parallel playthroughs with interesting restrictions!

Thank you!

I would like to reiterate our appreciation for the feedback we received. We did not expect to see this amount of thorough, fair, and actionable feedback – the game is improving thanks to you!

If you have not left a review on the Steam Store yet, please consider doing so – it really helps with BubbleByte's visibility. Also, please consider leaving feedback in the "Discussions" forum or on the official Discord in order to make the game even better!

Keep on popping! ❤️

(Note: in case of any unexpected bug or issue introduced by the new version, you can always revert to the previous one by selecting the "prev" branch through the game's properties on Steam, in the "Betas" tab.)