You might have noticed a new update in your queue for Galactic Pocket Billiards recently... It has always been a tenant of our game design philosophy at Sirrico-Net Games to release a product complete and bug-free. In fact, the game has never received a bug-fixing patch since release! While we're proud of the fact that there were no game-breaking bugs in our "1.0" release, there were indeed a few aspects of the game that we wished more time was spent on. Our friends in other languages had to deal with a less-than-stellar translation effort, and actually recently a rare bug(!) was discovered in some minigame code. The recently passed two-year anniversary of the game being on Steam provided a great excuse to right those wrongs, and thus we are proud to announce...

GPB v1.1: The Translation Update

The Translation Update provides tons of new and refined features and updates. The one we're most proud of is, of course, a set of updated translations. We partnered with native speakers of the game's 5 additional languages (French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese) and worked closely with them to provide a well-needed, updated game script. All textual elements have been updated in these languages. This includes all UI, buttons, prompts, tutorial text, and also hidden star goals. We hope that this will make the game much more playable for native speakers in those regions. There are plenty of other improvements that come along with this 1.1 update as well. Here is a summary of what's new:

• Updated translations for French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese
• Additional post-game content, including an all new ultra-difficult "bonus" world unlocked after collecting 220 stars
• A new unlockable space-themed minigame
• Enhanced level editor features; streamlined drag and drop controls
• Added support for cloud saves
• A new music track
• Adjusted gameplay controls and difficulty for main game and minigames
• Tweaked visual styling of various game elements
• And of course, bugfixes (even if we don't want to admit there were some bugs...)

Read on to learn more about some of these exciting features...

Translations

The main "star" of this update is the totally revised set of translations for all languages. We received a lot of feedback asking for more clear translations, so we are happy to provide these to our foreign players. Each language had an individual native speaker translator who worked back and forth with us to give a text that is appropriately localized. This was not an easy task, because as regular players will know the English text itself is often cryptic and purposefully vague. We look forward to how these translations will enable foreign players to better enjoy the game. Also now that we have a translation framework and pipeline in place, if there is enough interest we could consider translating to other languages as well!

Post-Game, and Other Additions

You can see from the images above a few of the additions to the game. Translations were an important addition, but we didn't want to get people hyped up without providing new content for all players to enjoy. Coincidentally, there was no final challenge for players to overcome after unlocking the final set of levels in the game. We decided to solve these problems by offering an unlockable for the most dedicated of star collectors- a post-game set of levels that can only be accessed after gathering 220 stars. These "bonus" levels offer a variety of new challenges. Some are ultra-difficult, while others offer novel new puzzles to solve. The green sticky wall is one example of a new mechanic that players must contend with to complete these extra levels. Look forward to other additions too, such as switches that turn walls off, and boost pads that accelerate objects. While there are only a few bonus levels to complete, consider them proof-of-concept for future (GPB 2?) level design mechanics.
And what is the point of some extra stars to earn if there is nothing to spend them on? You can now unlock the pong-like minigame and compete with yourself to get a high score! Watch out for wormholes that require you to think quick on your feet and have fast reaction times. The paddles get smaller after every hit, and the asteroid speeds up as the score gets higher. Eventually, you'll have to rely on twitch reflexes to stay alive.

Adjustments, and Bugfixes

There are a multitude of smaller, lesser noticeable changes to the game as well. GPB now supports Steam Cloud Saves, so you will no longer lose your data when you get a new computer. Steam automatically syncs the savegame file before and after each play session to ensure that your most up-to-date save is always backed up in the cloud. Make sure this feature is enabled for your account to take advantage of it in GPB. The level editor has had some advancements made to it. Placed objects now snap to the grid, allowing for a better user experience while creating your custom levels (don't forget to upload them to sirrico.net for a chance to be featured as the Level of the Week!). Furthermore, confirmation prompts were added to the "delete all", "randomize", and "enter level code" buttons so that a level-in-progress doesn't accidentally get erased. Various elements game-wide were tweaked visually for a more cohesive overall design. There are many tiny adjustments here, including moved buttons, shaded UI, text placement changes, opacity changes, the addition of sounds where they previously weren't any, and more. It would be hard to list all of these minor changes, but they definitely contribute to a more complete look. And yes, there were a few bugfixes in this patch as well. The following are the most important:

• The Moonbug minigame now correctly saves your high score
• An issue with antimatter in custom level codes is now rectified
• Some cues which claimed to cost 5 stars now actually cost 5 instead of 6
• The Space Pool minigame now correctly records a fastest completion time
• Text for a secret star in level 26 was adjusted to match the goal

Going Forward

What's next for Galactic Pocket Billiards? We are glad to have fixed all remaining issues with the game. Adding proper translations and fixing these newly discovered bugs brings the game closer to our vision of a 100% complete and bugfree game. We will continue to fix the ultra-rare bug that pops up for sure, and Sirrico-Net Games hopes to ramp up production on a new experience soon! Thank you for supporting us, and we hope you enjoy the new update.