Hi everyone,

Hope you're well!


I'm very happy to announce that Pictopix hits 1,000 reviews! With 96% of positive reviews!!

Thank you very much for all your support and feedback! ːisveryhappyː

Since Pictopix was released in 2017, many of you have been giving feedback and also creating puzzles in the Workshop (over 3,000 now!).

When I started working on Pictopix, I never thought it would get this far. I first wanted to create a picross game that would appeal to me as a player. Then many of you helped me to improve it, as well as translating it into different languages. It's great to have a community like this. As this is my first solo game (I'd already worked for video game companies before), I've had quite an amazing adventure, and I'd like to thank you all for that ːisheartː

To celebrate the event, Pictopix is currently on sale:

https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/app/568320/Pictopix/


On the other hand, I've got some bad news.

I've been working with the Unity game engine (the one used to make Pictopix) for almost 10 years now. It's a powerful tool with which many developers have created wonderful games (Hollow Knight, Cuphead, Tunic, etc.).

Unfortunately, Unity Technnologies has recently changed its pricing structure for developers. Costs are becoming prohibitively expensive for small independent developers like me (and for companies too).

Like many developers, I'm protesting these new fees. As there is little chance of Unity reversing its decision, I will be forced to stop development on this game engine. Which means no more updates for Pictopix. Maybe one day I'll port it to another game engine (a sequel?). As I also have other projects, I don't know yet ːishappyː

In any case, I'd like to thank you for your understanding and wish you lots of fun on Pictopix.

Thanks for your support ːisheartː

Tom

discord: https://t.co/Kf4rbUOeJi
mastodon: https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@pictopix
twitter: https://twitter.com/pictopix
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pictopix/
tumblr: https://pictopix.tumblr.com/
instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pictopix_game/

Hi everyone,

I'm very happy to announce that Pictopix is now available on Steam Deck! ːisstarː



Today Steam officially launches the Steam Deck! If you have pre-ordered the console, you will be happy to know that Pictopix has been updated to be fully compatible with the console. The game is now playable with the controller, the trackpad and the touch screen!

With the help of another developer who owns the Steam Deck (Simon Bachmann who worked on the game Pathway[pathway-game.com]), I was able to make sure that Pictopix worked perfectly on the console. Some parts of the game were tweaked to make the game suitable for the console.

Thanks Simon for this nice picture!



I also made some small corrections and added a new skin in the Interface tab ("Black & White"). And to celebrate the arrival of Pictopix on Steam Deck, I created a new puzzle in the Workshop. I wish you a lot of fun playing it ːisveryhappyː


You have a Steam Deck? Feel free to share pictures or videos on social media! (see below for links)

Have fun on Pictopix and see you soon ːishappyː

Tom

Following an update of the Steam Deck, a small setting is necessary to play with the controller:
- On the Steam page of the game, click on the settings (gear on the right)
- In the drop-down list, click on Properties.
- In Compatibility section, check "Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility" and select "Steam Linux Runtime"

discord: https://t.co/Kf4rbUOeJi
twitter: https://twitter.com/pictopix
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pictopix/
tumblr: https://pictopix.tumblr.com/
instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pictopix_game/

Hi everybody,

I wish you all a Happy New Year! ːisheartː

I hope you had a good holiday and enjoyed the Christmas puzzles recently added in Pictopix. If you missed them, feel free to read the previous news. Of course they are still available.



Today marks the 4th anniversary of Pictopix! ːisstarː

To celebrate the event, I've added a puzzle in the Workshop. The theme of this puzzle is "Special Event".

I also have another gift for you...



A long time ago, in 2009, I was a big fan of a Nintendo game called Picross DS (maybe you played it?) It was the first time I played a game like that. I was so obsessed with it that one day I developed in a few days a little Flash game based on it.

A lot of time passed. Then I recently learned that Adobe company was going to end support of Flash for good. So I dug into my archives to look at the Flash games I had created. And I found the picross game! As Pictopix's birthday was approaching, it was the perfect timing to let you discover this little game I had developed ːishappyː

So if you want to play the game, just click on this link to download it: http://pictopix.tomlabgames.com/download/PicrossGame.zip

Then unzip the ZIP file in a new directory. I recommend reading the README.txt file before launching the game (double click on the "Run Game" icon).

As you can see, the game is not as complete as Pictopix. There are fifteen levels, a small level editor and... that's it!

For the record, this little game helped me get a job in a video game company ːisveryhappyː

The game is of course free so you are free to share the game with other players. And if you have any questions, don't hesitate!

Have fun and see you soon ːishappyː

Tom


discord: https://t.co/Kf4rbUOeJi
twitter: https://twitter.com/pictopix
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pictopix/
tumblr: https://pictopix.tumblr.com/
instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pictopix_game/

Oh oh oh!

Happy holidays everyone! ːisstarː

First, I hope you're going well and are safe. To celebrate Christmas, I have a gift for you!



I've added new puzzles based on Christmas theme in Pictopix! Just go in the Workshop screen to download the puzzles. Do not hesitate to sort the puzzles by "Christmas" theme if you missed those from previous years!

I hope you enjoy them ːishappyː

Feel free to create your own Christmas puzzles with the level editor!



Pictopix will be 4 years old on 5 January 2021! I would like to thank you all once again for your feedback and great reviews. It's a real pleasure to see the community grow, create lots of puzzles (2,000!) and enjoy Pictopix. So, have fun! ːisveryhappyː

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! ːisheartː

Tom


discord: https://t.co/Kf4rbUOeJi
twitter: https://twitter.com/pictopix
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pictopix/
tumblr: https://pictopix.tumblr.com/
instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pictopix_game/

Hello everyone and welcome to new players!

I hope you are doing well and having a good time. Right now, it's the fall sales on Steam. So you can get Pictopix for 33% off!

It's also the 2020 Steam Awards! To celebrate the event, you can vote for your favorite games in various categories. Pictopix has got free updates and contents throughout the year, so the game is open for nominations for "Labor of Love"!

Feel free to vote! ːisveryhappyː

I would like to thank you again for your support ːisheartː

Have fun!

Tom

ːisgoodː Official Discord[t.co]
ːisgoodː Facebook[www.facebook.com]
ːisgoodː Twitter
ːisgoodː Tumblr[pictopix.tumblr.com]
ːisgoodː Instagram[www.instagram.com]

Hi everybody,

I hope you are all safe and well!


I'm very happy to announce that the number of puzzles created in the Steam Workshop has exceeded 2,000! You're just amazing ːisveryhappyː

Since the release of Pictopix in January 2017, you have never stopped to create new puzzles. Themes are varied. It goes from video games to animals, comics, tv show, food, movies and many more! Some of the puzzles are very original and beautiful!

I cannot name you all, but there are great contributors such as philomath_jp, Mattcraft900, bobscomic1, NPC #2431, theunnecessary, WheatTooth, MrNiceCream, Blü, Cakoka, Nupfi, Plushymanceress, Misora, Turbulent, Korb3n, Rena, [CN]sunyatsen6, Ishtar, Mittens, Hennihenner, Perendi, Flying Tom, pEppEr™, ChildishGiant, Kethlak... I'm probably forgetting names!

So, I'd like to thank you all for continuing to play Pictopix and creating new puzzles. I'm still amazed that so many people still enjoy playing Pictopix, so thank you very much! ːisheartː

Two thousands, that's a lot of puzzles! Don't forget you can filter the puzzles with the sort options (theme, size, etc.). You can also let the game randomly choose a puzzle for you by clicking the Random button.



Following your latest feedback, Pictopix is still being improved. The last version is 1.5.0c and you can check out the changelog here (or in game).

If you have any suggestion or feedback, please do not hesitate to let me know. Here, on the forum, or on Discord if you prefer ːishappyː

Have fun and see you soon! ːisstarː

Tom

ːisgoodː Official Discord[t.co]
ːisgoodː Facebook[www.facebook.com]
ːisgoodː Twitter
ːisgoodː Tumblr[pictopix.tumblr.com]
ːisgoodː Instagram[www.instagram.com]

Hey everyone,

I hope you are all safe and well! I'm pleased to announce a new update for Pictopix! ːishappyː

A major modification has been made: The way you earn awards (crowns) has been changed! As you can see on the picture below, you now earn more awards when playing in Intermediate and Expert mode. And if you solve a puzzle in Expert difficulty with almost no errors, awards are golden!

Thus, newcomers to picross games will get more pleasure to make progress and experienced players are still challenged in Pictopix!

(Game Options > Hints Tab > Awards Section)

When you launch the game after the update, your game save (awards + achievements) will be updated. Some achievements might be unlocked! ːisveryhappyː

Following players' suggestions, it's now possible to choose a pattern for the grid background. Spotting a square or counting squares will be easier and quicker!

(Game Options > Interface Tab)

Don't forget that enabling "Preview Filling" (Game Options > Gameplay Tab) displays a squares counter on screen! (more info here)

One of your requests was to let the game run when you switch to another application. That's now the case! When the game loses focus, Pictopix no longer pauses.

If you prefer the game to pause, you can check the "Pause game on focus loss" option (Game Options > Interface Tab)

As you can see in the changelog (version 1.5.0), other enhancements have been made to improve the game experience.

Once again, thank you for the feedback and suggestions! ːisheartː

I'm pleased to see that the number of puzzles is still growing in the Workshop. More than 1,800 puzzles have been created by the community! Some puzzles are very nice and originals! Thank you for your contributions ːisveryhappyː

Pictopix is on sale for 33% off starting today on Steam! Feel free to share the news with your friends ːisveryhappyː

https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/app/568320/Pictopix/

Have fun and see you soon!

Tom

ːisgoodː Official Discord[t.co]
ːisgoodː Facebook[www.facebook.com]
ːisgoodː Twitter
ːisgoodː Tumblr[pictopix.tumblr.com]
ːisgoodː Instagram[www.instagram.com]

Hello everybody,

I wish you all a Happy Lunar New Year!

For celebrating the event, I have added new puzzles in the workshop! Just go in the "Workshop" section in Pictopix to play the "Lunar New Year" puzzles ːishappyː

I would like to thank Fall/谜之声 for his advice and suggestions for the puzzles. He also translated Pictopix into Chinese! I hope you will enjoy the new puzzles/pictures ːisveryhappyː

If you missed it, Pictopix celebrated its 3rd anniversary the 5th January! To mark this occcasion, a puzzle has also been added in the workshop ("Special Gift" theme).

In celebration of the Lunar New Year, Pictopix is 33% off on Steam!

https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/app/568320/Pictopix/

Have fun and see you soon! ːisheartː

Tom

ːisgoodː Official Discord[t.co]
ːisgoodː Facebook[www.facebook.com]
ːisgoodː Twitter
ːisgoodː Tumblr[pictopix.tumblr.com]
ːisgoodː Instagram[www.instagram.com]

Hello everyone,

Pictopix is open for nominations for "Labor of Love" in the 2019 Steam Awards!

Initially released in January 2017, Pictopix has got regular updates and free contents, so feel free to vote for Pictopix in the "Labor of Love" category ːishappyː

• Mosaics mode - 14 Mar, 2019
  
• Twitch integration - 30 Aug, 2018
  
• Endless and Challenges modes - 24 May, 2018
  
• 2018 Anniversary update with new and larger puzzles - 5 Jan, 2018
  
• Christmas and Halloween events - 2017, 2018
  
• Workshop - 27 Jan, 2017

Be sure you are logged in on Steam to ensure your vote is taken account!

Thank you very much ːisveryhappyː

Tom