The future is DirectX 11! (with FAQ)

Today’s minor update laid the groundwork for upgrading Fine Sweeper to DirectX 11 in the near future. As you might know, currently Fine Sweeper requires at least a DirectX 9 compatible system since the game was built using the Game Maker: Studio engine. But, alas, DirectX 9 is anything but state of the art anymore, and while Fine Sweeper does not hinge on extensive 3D graphics or shader support, the game would benefit nonetheless from stepping up to DirectX 11 and should run smoother due to optimized 2D drawing routines, especially on lower end hardware. With the release of Game Maker Studio 2, this upgrade to Fine Sweeper ’s underlying tech is now in reach.

What will change?

With the next patch due in January 2017, the default executable of Fine Sweeper will the DirectX 11 executable. This will be the main version of the game, meaning it will receive patches and updates. Perhaps I will release it a few days into the beta channel to see what problems are cropping up before committing the DX11 version as the default one.

What do I have to do to run the Direct 11 version of Fine Sweeper once it’s out?

Nothing. :) Steam should automatically update the game for you.

What will happen to my saved games & progress?

Highest level reached, high-score, and the number of unlocked heart containers won’t be touched. I am not 100% sure about saved games in progress but to 99%. So in theory, a saved game should be as safe as the name implies. As soon as I know for sure, I will let you know.

I don’t have DirectX 11 compatible hardware. What does this mean for me?

According to the Steam hardware survey you are amongst the 9% of Fine Sweeper players that fall into this category. For you, I am planning to keep the last DirectX 9 version of the game selectable via the "Beta participation" tab in the properties. Since that version won’t receive new patches or updates, it’s recommended that you switch to the default, (i.e. the DirectX 11 version) of the game, once you have hardware capable of running it. If there are any further questions, please head over to the forums and post them there. Thanks for playing and fine sweeping!

UPDATE

Since the latest version (1.2.0.94) broke the game for some users, the default version still is 1.2.0.93. The DirectX 11 version will be in the beta channel until it's running smoothly for as many players as possible.

UPDATE 2

Alright: There's a new beta version out with a possible fix and an auto-logger active, so the title screen may be a bit sluggish, but it's fine in-game. So version 1.2.1b is the new DirectX 11 version in beta mode, meaning that there are separate leaderboards for the BETA branch of the game and the DEFAULT one. This is normal.

Please don't panic

Any high score you set in the default branch will be kept should you switch between beta and default branch. Only the beta-leaderboards are subject to sudden wipes, so don't get attached to those :) Please head to the forums if any of you are having issues with the beta.