Build version: 0.12.48
Previous version: 0.12.21

Hello! Thomas Wilson, Creative Director, here with the next One Hand Clapping Early Access development blog! We have been hard at work putting the finishing touches on the game, and I’m super excited to reveal some of what we’ve been up to. Alongside improvements to pitch detection, environment art, and puzzle design, this update adds the culmination of Fugue Forest, the last biome we'll show before our official release.

I am very impressed by all of you who made it to the end of our previous release, and I'm excited for you to complete your journey through Fugue Forest. This update adds about four more puzzle sections and deepens your relationship with the Harmony Hermit through passionate songs that will put your understanding of harmony to the test.

​Ok so in our last devlog we said that we improved our algorithm for determining the pitch of your voice. Well, that wasn’t entirely true… Who would have thought that the way the world sings is incredibly diverse, what with your highs and lows, ooohs and ahhhs, whistles and growls. It is very important to us that, no matter how you choose to sing, you are able to “sing your song” with as little technical friction as  possible. After testing the limits of both our algorithm and our vocal chords, I think our office neighbors hate us. But, I also think our analysis is as accurate and accommodating as it has ever been! Definitely worth it.

​With the goal of maintaining a cohesively gorgeous art style, we have updated a variety of the game’s environments, some of which are pictured below. Additionally, there are a couple new character animations that will help breathe more life into our musical friends. 

As with any Early Access release, there were also a slew of design tweaks and bug fixes based on all of your feedback. I really look forward to hearing you sing if you stream the game on Twitch, and also hearing your thoughts on Discord or Twitter! Thank you for helping us make this wacky game the best it can be by playing our Early Access :)

Build version: 0.12.21
Previous version: 0.12.9

Thank you so much for playing One Hand Clapping! Your support and feedback, especially during this early access period, is extremely valuable to us. I've heard some amazing voices, cracked up at some ludicrous sounds, and hung my head in shame when I see a bug in a puzzle I designed. But with such a wacky game, that's the best part of early access: seeing where people have the most fun and where they have the biggest problems, and adjusting the game accordingly. In the months leading up to our full release, we'll periodically post about build updates, as well as some technical or design topics that you might find interesting. 

​Zach, ​lead designer

After obsessively watching streamers on Twitch for the past few weeks, I've noticed that some of our puzzle sections are slightly prone to frustration. We've reworked and revised the guiltiest areas to make the game play more smoothly. Even after revisions nothing will be trivially easy; however, there's a fine line between challenging and frustrating, and we want to make sure we're on the right side of that. ​

In the same spirit of reducing frustration, I've made some updates to the pitch analysis algorithms that the game uses. I'll do a more in-depth description of how it works later on. For now, suffice it to say that the game is doing more to ensure that your voice is being picked up accurately. There will always be imperfections though, so here are a few pieces of advice to make sure you have the best experience: 

1. Bring the mic close to your mouth and sing softly. 
2. Try making different sounds with your mouth and figure out which one gets you the best results. Personally, I like to hum or sing ooh. 
3. Check your sensitivity and range calibration. Make sure your entire range is comfortable to sing, and don't push yourself to sing painfully high or low. 

While One Hand Clapping is first and foremost a singing game, we want the movement and platforming to feel great too! Our lead engineer has been working hard to improve the physics of walking, jumping, riding platforms, and the crazy stuff that's unique to OHC, like walking on lines that you draw with your mouth. Here are a few of the major changes:

• Added jump buffering
• Fixed snapping to one-way platforms
• Fixed issues with getting stuck in tight spaces​

There are far too many to list, but I'll point out a couple major ones:

• Fixed Duet Desert hug drop-off bug where you would fall through the ground
• Fixed animation walk loop issues