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v0.1.0 - "Holy Shit We Did It"

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@bleelblep bleelblep released this 17 Dec 11:52
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Release Notes

v0.1.0 - "Coin-Powered Particle Physics" ๐Ÿช™โœจ

Release Date: December 2025
Codename: "It Actually Animates Now"


๐ŸŽ‰ New Features

Coin-Drives-Zoom Narrative Animation

The coin insertion animation now tells a story:

  • Coin shrinks into slot โ†’ Powers on the arcade cabinet
  • Energy particle emerges at CRT screen center (gold โ†’ cyan โ†’ white)
  • Particle pulses with anticipation (2-3 rhythmic pulses)
  • Particle explodes outward, driving the zoom into the game world

Finally, a reason why inserting a coin makes you zoom into LED games.

Energy Particle System

  • Appears at 60% animation progress (during CRT bloom)
  • Color transitions: Yellow (coin) โ†’ Cyan (CRT glow) โ†’ White (high energy)
  • Synchronized easing curves for buttery smooth motion
  • Expanding burst rings during zoom phase
  • Creates visual continuity between coin and gameplay

๐Ÿš€ Performance Improvements

Coin Rendering Optimizations

Fixed the stuttering that made the coin look like it was having an existential crisis:

  • Grid size capping: Max 50x50 pixels (down from 90x90)

    • Reduced draw calls from 8,100+ to 2,500 per frame (70% reduction)
    • Your frame rate thanks us
  • Squared distance calculations:

    • Early exit for out-of-bounds pixels without expensive sqrt()
    • Only calculates sqrt for pixels that will actually render
    • ~40% CPU reduction for circle edge detection
  • Conditional glow rendering:

    • Skips glow effects when coin is small during animation
    • Reduces overdraw and gradient calculations
    • Sparkles disabled during animation (they were off anyway)
  • Result: Smooth 60fps coin shrink animation

    • No more stuttering
    • No more dropped frames
    • No more questioning life choices

๐ŸŽฎ Games Included

Six arcade classics, rendered entirely on Nothing Phone Glyph Matrix LEDs:

  1. Breakout - Tilt your way to brick-breaking glory
  2. UFO Abductor - Beam up cows, cars, and confused people
  3. Space Invaders - Save Earth from 8x8 pixel aliens
  4. Runner - Jump, duck, survive (in that order)
  5. Snake - The classic that definitely needed LED treatment
  6. Tower Stack - Build high, stack precise, don't screw up

๐ŸŽจ Visual Polish

  • CRT Effects: Scanlines, phosphor bloom, screen curvature
  • Neon Color Palette: Cyan, yellow, magenta, green (very 1982)
  • Pixel-Art UI: Everything rendered on Canvas like it's 1985
  • Arcade BGM: Looping retro vibes for that authentic feel
  • Chromatic Aberration: During CRT power-on (because why not)

๐Ÿ› ๏ธ Technical Details

Built With:

  • Jetpack Compose (for drawing too many rectangles)
  • Nothing Glyph Matrix SDK (for LED shenanigans)
  • Kotlin (because Java is so 2010)
  • SharedPreferences (for high scores nobody will beat)
  • Too much caffeine

Architecture:

  • Custom Canvas rendering pipeline
  • Tilt control via accelerometer
  • Touch gesture detection
  • State management with Compose
  • Sound system with per-game overrides
  • Settings persistence

Optimizations:

  • Grid-based rendering with caps
  • Distance-squared calculations
  • Conditional effect rendering
  • 60fps target maintained

๐Ÿ› Known Issues

Things that are weird but we're shipping anyway:

  • Energy particle might be too subtle on first viewing (blink and you miss it)
  • Coin animation optimized but still complex (it's drawing 2,500 pixels per frame)
  • CRT effects can't be toggled off (they're baked into the aesthetic)
  • Entire app concept remains questionable
  • Battery drain varies by game (Space Invaders is hungry)
  • Easy mode in Space Invaders might be too easy
  • No multiplayer (how would that even work on LEDs?)
  • Glyph Toy integration disabled for Breakout (for reasons)

๐Ÿ™ Credits

  • Nothing: For making a phone with LEDs that devs can abuse
  • Compose: For making Canvas drawing fun-ish
  • The coin: For being a good sport about shrinking 87%
  • Energy particle: For existing and looking cool
  • My sanity: For not existing anymore

๐Ÿ“ฑ Requirements

  • Nothing Phone 3
  • Appreciation for retro arcade aesthetics
  • Tolerance for experimental LED gaming
  • Low expectations

๐Ÿ’พ Installation

  1. Download APK
  2. Enable "Install from Unknown Sources"
  3. Install
  4. Grant Glyph Matrix permissions
  5. Insert virtual coin
  6. Question your life choices
  7. Play anyway

๐ŸŽฏ Feedback

Found a bug? Feature request? Existential crisis?

File an issue on GitHub (if this ever goes public).

Or just enjoy the LED arcade in your pocket.


TL;DR: Coin goes in, energy particle goes brrr, games appear on LEDs, your battery cries.


"We spent way too much time making a particle animation for a coin insertion screen."
โ€” Development Team (it's just me)


Full Changelog

Added

  • Energy particle animation system
  • Coin-to-zoom narrative continuity
  • Color lerp utility function
  • Performance optimizations for coin rendering
  • Proper README documentation
  • This release notes file you're reading

Fixed

  • Coin shrinking stuttering (massive performance win)
  • Grid iteration overload (capped at 50x50)
  • Unnecessary sqrt calculations
  • Glow overdraw during animation

Changed

  • Commented out Radial Defender game
  • Disabled Breakout Glyph Toy (in-app game still works)
  • Added Tower Stack icon to game selection
  • Space Invaders now has Easy Mode toggle

Performance

  • 70% reduction in draw calls during coin animation
  • 40% CPU reduction for circle edge detection
  • Smooth 60fps throughout animation sequence
  • Grid size cap prevents performance degradation

Version 0.1.0 - December 2025
"It runs on LEDs, somehow."