CHANGELOG

What's new

Every update to Bug Garden, newest first. You are playing version 1.9.0.

1.9.0 Bug Race results and controls

Added

  • A Contact & feedback link in the footer of every page, in every language. It opens a short form where you can ask a question, report a bug or suggest an idea.
  • Bug Race results: open the full ranking with every racer's time, copy the results as text, remove the winner from the list before the next race, close the panel to see the finished track, then press Race again on the track or reopen the panel with View results. The panel fits the screen without scrolling; only the full ranking scrolls. Confetti marks the winner unless the system asks for reduced motion.
  • Every racer's name now floats above its bug, in lanes and in swarms of any size. Bugs are drawn over the names, so a name never hides a bug; in a big swarm the bugs are smaller and the leaders' names are drawn on top of the others.
  • Bug Race controls: choose the race length from 5 to 60 seconds at the start line, switch between lanes and a swarm (lanes go up to 30 racers), turn the countdown beeps on or off, and race in full screen where the browser supports it. Length and sound are remembered in this browser.
  • Settings can fill the list with the numbers 1 to N, import names from a TXT or CSV file (first column, up to 200 KB) and keep up to 30 named lists in this browser. Clear data removes saved lists too.

Changed

  • On phones the Appearance button shows only its icon, like Share and Settings, and the game header fits on one row from 360px wide, leaving more room for the garden.
  • In Bug Hunt on phones the box is smaller and easier to use: the how-to line is gone, the score sits just below the box, and the Auto slider has its own full-width row with a bigger handle that stays faded until you touch it. Auto catches now go from every 0.1 to every 1 second.
  • Pages appear faster, especially on phones: scripts no longer hold up the first paint, and fonts start downloading together with the stylesheet.

Fixed

  • The game works again on the play page of every translated language; its styles and scripts were failing to load.
  • On computers the More bugs, Speed up and pause buttons sit in the middle of the footer in every language, instead of leaning left of centre.
  • The How it works link on the homepage and the Bug Race page stays just above the game controls in short windows instead of drifting up over the menu.
  • On iPhone and iPad the flying bugs now show all four colours instead of only the green one.

1.8.0 Bug Race

Added

  • Bug Race, a third way to pick a name: every name gets a pixel bug, the bugs line up at the start, and the first one over the line is the pick. Press Start the race when everyone is ready; up to twelve names race in lanes, longer lists race as a swarm, with live commentary, the current order, photo finishes and the next two places. The winner is drawn before the race starts, with the same random selection as Quick Pick and Bug Hunt, and No Repeats works in races too.
  • A Name Race Picker page in English (/name-race-picker/) and Vietnamese (/vi/dua-ten-ngau-nhien/), with a Bug Race button on the homepage and Save & race in Settings.
  • Share links can open straight into a race.

1.7.0 Day garden

Added

  • A Day garden theme with pixel flowers, next to Arcade night. Switch it under Appearance; until you choose, Bug Garden follows your device’s light or dark setting.
  • A What’s new page in every language, linked from the homepage and the footer.

Changed

  • Game text talks about catching and fixing bugs instead of shooting them.

1.6.0 Bug Garden in 22 languages

Added

  • Bug Garden now speaks 22 languages: English, Vietnamese, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Turkish, Indonesian, Malay, Filipino, Russian, Ukrainian, Hindi, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Arabic.
  • A language menu on every page lists each version of that page.
  • Bug Garden offers your browser's language once. It never redirects you and remembers your answer.
  • Arabic pages read right to left, and Cyrillic, Hindi, Thai, Chinese, Japanese and Korean text uses fonts made for those scripts.

Changed

  • Page images and link previews show the game in the page's own language.
  • The homepage shows a game screenshot in place of the slideshow video.

Fixed

  • Long translated labels no longer overflow buttons and headings on narrow screens.
  • The explore links at the bottom of the homepage no longer run together on one line.

1.5.0 No Repeats

Added

  • No Repeats mode: everyone is picked once before anyone is picked again, in Quick Pick and Bug Hunt. The remaining names stay in your browser and travel with share links.
  • Giveaway winner picker and meeting icebreaker picker pages, which label your list as entrants or team members.
  • Vietnamese versions of the game and every page.

Changed

  • The cookie notice is a small card in the corner and no longer pushes the game controls up.

1.4.0 Straight to the game

Changed

  • Quick Pick and Bug Hunt start straight from the homepage, without a separate sample step.
  • Bug Hunt starts with 20 bugs instead of 48, so rounds are shorter.
  • The demo notice sits below the header, above the game introduction.
  • The cookie notice is shorter and stays at the bottom of the screen without covering the game controls.

1.3.0 Your choice of cookies

Added

  • A random student picker page for teachers and a wheel of names alternative page.
  • Cookie settings: you can change your analytics choice at any time.

Changed

  • Analytics only run after you accept cookies.
  • English is the default language, with Vietnamese pages and classroom language switching kept.
  • Setting up your list of names takes fewer steps.

Fixed

  • Search engines see one address for each page.

1.2.0 Mobile redesign

Changed

  • A new game layout for phones.
  • Clearer Bug Hunt controls and results screen.

Fixed

  • The results screen and winner ranking display correctly on phones.
  • Bug Hunt controls work on the homepage.

1.1.0 Choose your tool

Added

  • Choose an 8-bit tool to catch bugs with.
  • Anonymous game statistics that never include the names on your list.

Changed

  • When scores tie, the award goes to whoever reached the top score first.

Fixed

  • Pressing Space no longer triggers the focused button.

1.0.0 Launch

Added

  • Bug Garden: a random name picker played as an 8-bit bug hunt, with a leaderboard and award ceremony.
  • Quick Pick chooses one name instantly.
  • Share links carry your list, with no sign-in and no upload to a server.
  • A page explaining how the randomness works, plus About, Privacy and Terms pages.
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