The new DX-Ball 2 beta is finally here! You can now try out the new 2.3 update before the official release by switching to the 'Beta' version from the game's properties tab in your library.

The update includes new toggle bricks that trigger changes to the board when you hit them and a new plasma ball powerup that can destroy bricks from a distance. The editor also has a new play feature that lets you test boards while you build them and a new class of "Permanent" bricks that let you build walls that even fireballs, lightning and other standard powerups can't break.

Season Pass holders will also get a new sampler set of boards based on the original Classic set that will be coming with the updated Classic Pack when it's released.

There are also a lot of internal changes that are part of our ongoing efforts to modernize the game's framework, but hopefully those changes should be pretty seamless for you guys.

Please let us know if you run into any problems. You can contact us directly at help@longbowgames.com

cheers,
The Longbow Team

The big animated board update is officially out now! Read up on all of the changes over in the forums and don't forget to check out the new trailer!

Update 2.2 is almost here and we've got a feature complete version available now for testing in the beta channel. The new release includes animated board updates to the 2 Anniversary sets plus a handful of new features. Read the details over in the forums.

Beta 3 is out now and includes a new 5 board sampler of animated boards exclusive for Season Pass holders. Read all of the details here

New HD powerup icons plus improved scripting support and bug fixes in the latest beta for the upcoming 2.2 release. Read about the changes here.

We've hit the first big milestone in our giant dynamic board update. The beta for version 2.2 is now available with new custom game modes and some major editor updates. New dynamic board content will be coming soon! For more details see our update in the forums

A quick progress update on some of the new features we're working on:

We're really excited about a brand new scripting system that lets us create dynamic features like moving bricks, toggle buttons, and complex elements like the arcade snake in the image below. We'll be including some of these new dynamic boards in the upcoming board packs and season pass content.

We've also added custom game modes that let you adjust all of the game rules including ball speed, paddle size, active powerups, etc,. While you can still pick between difficulty levels or new vs classic rules, you can now mix and match any of the settings to find just the right mode for you.

Both of these features required some major changes to the code, so we're still finishing off some of the details, but we're hoping to have something available for beta testing in the next couple of weeks.

As things have settled down a little after the crazy rush of the holidays, we've finally had a chance to update our old DX-Ball 2 website[www.longbowgames.com] to reflect the new 20th Anniversary Edition.

Since you've already found us on Steam, most of the information on the site won't be new; however, if you're interested in creating new boards and other content for DX-Ball 2, the new workshop page[www.longbowgames.com] has a potentially helpful summary of all of the new tools you'll need.

In particular, for the first time ever we've released our tool Texturizer[www.longbowgames.com] that was used to make all of the textured bricks and backgrounds. This procedural image program was written by Seumas back in 1998, but was still in beta when he passed away and never got publicly released. We're looking forward to seeing what you guys can do with it and don't worry about the big 'Do Not Distribute' message when you open it :)

The first DX-Ball 2 expansion is available now! Board Pack 2 includes 150 re-mastered boards from the original game, 20 all-new anniversary boards, and more than 40 new charms and achievements.

You can get Board Pack 2 for just $2.99 US on its own or grab it as part of the Season Pass and you'll also get the next 3 board packs as soon as they're released.

And if you're still working through the boards in the main game, make sure to try out all of the new features in the new 2.1 update including the gravity paddle, saved games, new difficulty levels and more!