LaunchBox 13.25 Beta Thread

[faeran]

Hey everyone,

We are kicking off another beta round with version 13.25 Beta 1. Thank you to everyone who continues to jump in, test, and share feedback with us each release. Your help makes a huge difference as we polish and prepare for the next full update.

 

Testers - Things to focus on:

• Platform Documents: Try adding, reordering, and opening platform documents from the Edit Platform window, the details pane, and the sidebar context menu. Check that the order stays consistent everywhere and that the correct document opens.

• Beta Spotlight Window: Make sure the new Beta Spotlight window appears only once per beta round and replaces the Welcome screen during beta testing. It can also be opened anytime from Menu > Help > Beta Spotlight. Test that the feedback button works as expected.

• Metadata Search Improvements: In the Add and Edit Game windows, type part of a word to test the new partial search feature. It should still prioritize exact matches and limit results to the correct platform.

• 3D Model Rotation Lock: Right click any 3D Model and test the Free Rotation, Lock Horizontal, and Lock Vertical options. Verify that each works correctly and that your choice is remembered after restarting LaunchBox and Big Box.

• Screensaver Flash Fix: In Big Box enable screensavers and test all your different view types and confirm that game transitions happen smoothly without flashing between games.

 

Full Changelog:

• New Premium Feature: Platform Documents let users attach and organize manual or document entries for each platform. Documents appear in the platform details panel and sidebar context menu and follow the order you set
• New Feature: A new Beta Spotlight window appears during beta rounds to highlight new testing areas and features. It replaces the Welcome screen for beta users, shows once per beta round, and can be accessed anytime under Menu > Help > Beta Spotlight. Includes a quick action button for feedback
• Improvement: Add and Edit Game metadata searches now support partial word matching. Typing part of a title will show results containing that text while still prioritizing exact matches and filtering by platform
• Improvement: The 3D Model viewer adds a new rotation lock menu with Free Rotation, Lock Horizontal, and Lock Vertical options. Settings are saved across both LaunchBox and Big Box
• Fixed: Screensavers no longer flash a game in-between the previous and next game during transitions. Game changes are now seamless, with smooth audio and consistent performance

 

Thank you again to everyone helping with testing and reporting back. While the features above are the main focus, some changes can have unexpected effects elsewhere in the app, so please let us know if you notice anything unusual, however please be open to the possibility that a change you believe happened due to a LaunchBox coding change may end up being user error, or external environmental issues. Your input helps us catch issues early and make each release even better.

 

[Hedgecore024]

I assume the expected behavior of the Provide Feedback button is to open the forum's beta testing page? If so, feedback button is working as expected, and Beta Spotlight has only opened on first launch after update. Thanks for all you guys do!

[faeran]

17 minutes ago, Hedgecore024 said:

I assume the expected behavior of the Provide Feedback button is to open the forum's beta testing page? If so, feedback button is working as expected, and Beta Spotlight has only opened on first launch after update. Thanks for all you guys do!

The good news is that the feedback link url can be changed any time outside of any code changes to LaunchBox, so the test would mostly be that you click the button and it opens a webpage of some kind.

Thanks for the feedback.

[Gaming.Zone]

🧠 Beta Spotlight Feedback – Suggestions for Improving the Experience

First off, I wanted to say thank you for implementing the Beta Spotlight window feature. I think we had a conversation about this idea only last week, and it’s great to see it make its way into the beta so quickly. It’s a fantastic addition that helps testers understand what’s new, where to focus, and how to provide meaningful feedback.

After reviewing the new 13.25 beta 1 rollout and the Spotlight window, I wanted to share a few ideas for refining it further and making it even more intuitive for a broad range of testers—especially those who may not think like developers or QA professionals.

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💡 Suggested Improvements

1. Display the Beta Version Number

   • Include the current beta version number directly in the Beta Spotlight modal window (e.g., “LaunchBox 13.25 Beta 1” at the top).

   • This helps testers quickly confirm which build they’re testing when reporting findings or referencing specific behavior.

2. Refine the Layout – Split into Two Clear Sections

   • Top Section: “Welcome to the Beta” – a brief overview, general testing guidelines, and instructions on how to provide feedback.

   • Bottom Section: When future betas release, consider adding a tabbed layout, where each tab corresponds to a specific beta version (e.g., 13.25b1, 13.25b2, etc.).

     • Each tab could contain:

       • New Features

       • Improvements

       • Fixes / Performance Updates

       • Areas Where Feedback Is Most Helpful

   Why Version Tabs Matter

   Having separate tabs per beta helps users correlate when certain changes were introduced. For example, if a user joins the beta program at beta 4 and something behaves differently than expected, they might not realize that behavior changed back in beta 3.
   With a per-version tab structure, testers can look back through previous beta notes and quickly identify when a feature or behavior changed, reducing confusion and improving the quality of feedback provided.

3. Clarify the Testing Language

   • The current “What We’d Love You to Test” phrasing is friendly but might sound a bit directive to some users.

     • Suggestion: Reframe it as “Areas Where Feedback Is Most Helpful” or “Things You Can Help Us Test” to emphasize collaboration rather than obligation.

4. Add a Section for Feedback Guidance

   • Many users may not know what kind of details the team needs when submitting reports.

   • Adding a brief “How to Give Useful Feedback” section could help, with examples like:

     • Steps to reproduce

     • Expected vs. actual results

     • Platform or theme in use

     • Screenshots or logs (if applicable)

5. Future Consideration – Access to Previous Betas

   • It might be valuable to give advanced testers the option to download older beta versions for testing or comparison.

   • For instance, if a tester is on beta 4, they could choose to download and install beta 2 in a separate directory to verify when a change occurred.

   • This would be a useful tool for seasoned beta users who want to perform regression testing or isolate when a specific bug or change was introduced.

   • If implemented, it would be important to include a clear note reminding users not to install an older beta over their current one in the same folder, to avoid version conflicts or data corruption.

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🧩 Overall Impression

The new Beta Spotlight feature is a major step forward in structured testing and communication. It provides clarity, direction, and a stronger feedback loop between the community and development. With a few layout refinements and some added context around version tracking, it could become an even more powerful tool for guiding testers and gathering high-quality, actionable feedback.

[Retrofrogg]

Two of my requested features have appeared with this beta - the 3D box rotation lock and the ability to add platform manuals - thanks!!

The rotation lock seems to work as expected. Great job. Much nicer to browse and rotate the 3D boxes now.

When trying to import a document to a platform, pressing the "browse" button doesn't seem to work. A red box appears around the document list window:

If I then press cancel, the window closes. But if I click OK, Launchbox crashes and I have to restart.

Edited 8 hours ago by Retrofrogg

[Cineaste]

The screensaver flash fix is what I'm here for. Great work! 

[C-Beats]

Deleted non-beta related posts. Keep on topic please. Feature requests belong on http://feedback.launchbox.gg not in the beta thread.

[faeran]

5 hours ago, Retrofrogg said:

Two of my requested features have appeared with this beta - the 3D box rotation lock and the ability to add platform manuals - thanks!!

The rotation lock seems to work as expected. Great job. Much nicer to browse and rotate the 3D boxes now.

When trying to import a document to a platform, pressing the "browse" button doesn't seem to work. A red box appears around the document list window:

If I then press cancel, the window closes. But if I click OK, Launchbox crashes and I have to restart.

Type in a name first and you should be good.

[dragon57]

1 hour ago, faeran said:

Type in a name first and you should be good.

So you are saying you must type a name in that field before selecting Browse? If so, indicating that would be super helpful. Also, if the name is required first, could the browse button be inactive until the field is satisfied?

[faeran]

45 minutes ago, dragon57 said:

So you are saying you must type a name in that field before selecting Browse? If so, indicating that would be super helpful. Also, if the name is required first, could the browse button be inactive until the field is satisfied?

Both are good options. We'll see what we can do for beta 2.