Version 1.2.0 - Game Menu Bar & Visual Enhancements

Highlights

• Game Menu Bar Added: Introduced a dedicated game menu bar, improving accessibility and usability.
• Fixed Disabled Button Styles (Modern Theme): Buttons now retain their original style when disabled, preventing the unwanted "grayed-out" effect.
• Post-Game Menu Restrictions: After the game ends, the first five entries in the "Game" menu are disabled, ensuring that game mode changes or restarts cannot be triggered incorrectly.
• Various UI Fixes & Visual Improvements: Enhanced consistency and refinement across the interface.

Technical Details

• Implemented a new game menu bar for improved navigation and interaction.
• Fixed an issue where disabled buttons in the modern design would visually change upon game completion—ensuring a consistent look between active and inactive states.
• The first five menu items in the "Game" menu are now automatically disabled when the game ends, preventing unintended interactions.
• Style and behavior fixes applied to disabled menu items, maintaining a uniform appearance even when interactions are restricted.

Future Outlook

• Further improvements to UI consistency and usability.
• Introduction of additional gameplay features, with a focus on achievements and customization options.
• Continued refinement of cross-platform compatibility for a seamless experience.

Full Changelog: v1.1.0...v1.2.0

Version 1.1.0 - Enhanced UI, SCSS Transition & Time Display Improvements

Highlights

• Four-Digit Time Display: The game time is now always displayed with four digits, improving consistency and clarity.
• Complete Switch to SCSS: Transitioned from CSS to SCSS for more efficient styling and better maintainability of stylesheets.
• Javadoc Documentation: Full Javadoc documentation has been added, improving code readability and maintainability for developers.

Technical Details

• Updated the game’s time display to always show four digits, ensuring consistent formatting across all difficulty levels.
• Replaced the existing CSS with SCSS, enabling variables, mixins, and other SCSS features for easier management of styles.
• Added comprehensive Javadoc documentation throughout the project, providing clear descriptions of methods, classes, and parameters.

Future Outlook

• Continue to improve the user interface and user experience, focusing on consistency and ease of use.
• Expand the feature set, including plans for achievements and enhanced settings.
• Continue refining cross-platform support for a more seamless experience on all operating systems.

Full Changelog: v1.0.1...v1.1.0

Version 1.0.1 - Improved Compatibility and Stability

Highlights

• Cross-Platform Compatibility: Added a fallback location for user data on macOS and Linux systems, ensuring seamless usage across operating systems.
• Resizable Leaderboard Window Disabled: The leaderboard window is now fixed in size, improving the user experience and UI consistency.
• Unix Jar Release: A dedicated Unix-compatible JAR file is now included for better support on Linux and macOS.

Technical Details

• Implemented a fallback mechanism for user_data.dat to ensure proper storage and retrieval of user data on Unix-based systems.
• Disabled resizing of the leaderboard window to maintain UI stability.
• Packaged and tested a Unix-specific JAR file for improved platform support.

Future Outlook

• Continue expanding cross-platform features and refining the UI experience.
• Explore additional leaderboard customization options.
• Plan for achievements and enhanced settings features.

Full Changelog: v1.0.0...v1.0.1

Version 1.0.0 - Major Initial Stable Release

Highlights

• Leaderboard Integration: Real-time leaderboard feature powered by the Leaderboard API.
• User Management: Save and load user data, including username and best times, for personalized gameplay.
• Dual Style System: A toggle button allows users to switch between a retro and modern theme for the entire application.

Technical Details

• Enhanced JSON handling for processing API data efficiently.
• Robust error handling for incompatible or missing user data.
• Serialization and deserialization of user data stored in user_data.dat.
• Fully implemented global leaderboard feature for competitive play.

Future Outlook

• Achievements Integration: Plan to implement achievements to enhance gameplay and player engagement.
• Leaderboard Expansion: Additional features for the global leaderboard, such as filtering and sorting options.
• UI Improvements: Further refinement and customization options for the user interface.

Full Changelog: https://github.com/tplatzer/JavaFX_Minesweeper_tplatzer/commits/V1.0.0-major