Astounding Advancement

Overview

This is the most expansive and feature-rich update in QuizMaster history! Since the last release, the project has seen sweeping changes, brand new game modes, GUI enhancements, bug fixes, and user experience improvements based on months of development.

Major Changes

Advanced Game Modes

We have now introduced Advanced Game Modes, more actual games than quizzes.

• Midas Mayhem: A complex, powerup-filled mode with unique scoring, dynamic visuals, and a separate codebase for maximum flexibility.

• Strike Zone: An action-packed mode with powerups that change the course of play on the fly.

• Maze Run: A new puzzle-infused mode blending knowledge and navigation.

• Death Rain: Dodge obstacles and answer under pressure in this frantic new mode, featuring clouds and themed images.

• Quick Click: A lightning-fast reflex game mode for competitive players.

• Space Invaders: A full-featured arcade-style quiz mode as seen below:
  

• Seasonal Variants: Both Death Rain and Space Invaders now dynamically adopt seasonal themes (e.g. Easter, Christmas, Halloween), bringing visual and gameplay variety throughout the year.

Visual & Interface Transformation

• Massive QuizCreator Overhaul: Enjoy a modern, beautiful, streamlined interface with a menu bar rather than buttons.
  
• GUI Widgets Revamped:
  • Custom Checkbox: A visually appealing, reliable checkbox used throughout the app.
    
  • Custom Slider: Replaces the old buggy slider with a fully in-house solution.
  • Textbox Class: Enhanced input fields for smoother, more flexible user interaction and more appealing looks.
    
  • Button Array: A widget that uses the button class to generate many similar buttons.
• Button & Scrollbar Polish: Buttons now feature shadows, border radii, and better styling; scrollbars are easier to use with arrow controls.
• Newline Support: Messages and instructions are clearer than ever with full support for multi-line text.

Quiz Experience Revolution

• Difficulty & Randomization of Quizzes: Quizzes now have extra components, difficulty and whether questions are randomized, giving players a deeper understanding of what to expect.
• QuizDetails: The details of the quiz can now be viewed before playing the quiz, allowing the user to chose another quiz if it does not suit them. Stats include title, question count, average difficulty and the questions themselves.
  
• Test Play in QuizCreator: Instantly play-test your quizzes before saving with a new in-editor Play button.
• General Knowledge, Random and Math Quiz auto-generation: New options to auto generate a quiz with random questions from all available sets, a broad “general knowledge” collection or simple arithmetic questions.
  
• Choose Question Amount: Flexibly select how many questions you want in quizzes.
• Instructions at Start: A new checkbox in preferences allows instructions and countdown to be shown at the start of each quiz.

Preferences, Accessibility & Sound

• Mute Button: Instantly silence the app from preferences.
• Disable Countdown: New option to skip the pre-quiz timer for faster starts.
• OppositeRGB colour Function: Automatic contrasting colours for maximum readability.
• Dark Mode Enhancements: Fixed all known bugs in dark mode, especially in preferences and answer feedback.
• Sound Effects: Enjoy new and improved sounds across multiple modes.

Theming & Documentation

• Dynamic End-of-Game Praise: More colourful, thematic praise screens at the end of each quiz, tailored to your performance and the game mode.
• Add Easter Theme: Add a new and more complex function to compute the date of easter.

Developer Experience & Structure

• Project Refactor: Constants, widgets, and logic have been moved to dedicated modules for easier maintenance and faster development.
• Quiz Submodule: Quizzes are now managed as a Git submodule, making it easier to update and contribute new content.
• Reusable Utility Functions: Common logic such as countdown timers and background shading are now reusable functions for reliability and clarity.
• Improved Error Handling: Robust error messages and handling across the app, especially in quiz creation and details.

Minor Changes and Bug Fixes

• Preferences Window: Updates in real time, no more stuck colours or unsaved changes.
• General Stability: Countless minor tweaks, optimizations, and bugfixes for a smoother experience.

Community & Governance

• Code of Conduct: We’ve added a CODE_OF_CONDUCT to ensure a welcoming and inclusive community for everyone.
• Issue Templates: Reporting bugs and suggesting features is now easier and more standardized.

Full Changelog: v1.3.0...v1.4.0

Marvelous Modification

We are excited to unveil a significant new update to QuizMaster! This release incorporates a range of robust improvements, innovative features, and a selection of minor enhancements, all aimed at elevating your overall experience.

Changelog

Major Changes

• Code Refactor: We have restructured our code by moving game modes into a separate module. This change has successfully halved the length of the main file, resulting in improved maintainability and readability for developers.
• New Game Mode: We are thrilled to introduce a brand-new "Practice" game mode. This feature allows users to engage with quizzes in a low-pressure environment, making it perfect for learning and mastering content at their own pace.
  
• Dark Mode: We have added a dark mode where the text colour becomes white, offering a comfortable viewing option for low-light themes.
  
• Homepage Update: We’ve revamped the homepage to include a button to an insightful “About QuizMaster” page. This addition features a comprehensive description of our platform along with convenient links to our website, tutorials, and licensing information (see above).
• Button Class Enhancement: To improve user interface consistency, we have enhanced the button class to include text rendering support, ensuring that buttons appear appropriately formatted across the platform.

Minor Changes and Bug Fixes

• Volume Argument: We’ve introduced a volume argument at the start to give you better control over sound levels while you enjoy the quizzes!
• Initialization Reorganization: We’ve polished up the structure of the initialization process.
• Message Padding: We’ve added a little padding around displayed messages for a tidier and more visually appealing look.
• Question Detector Upgrade: Upgraded the silly question detector for more accurate filtering.
• Issue Templates: Added templates for reporting issues to streamline the process.
• Tweak Preferences: We’ve made some minor adjustments to the preferences window to create a more user-friendly experience.
• Fix Cancel button: We’ve resolved an issue with the cancel button so now it reliably returns you to your original settings when pressed.
• Add Automatic Update: The run.sh file now automatically updates the program when run, keeping everything fresh and up-to-date.
• Creative Commons License: Added a separate Creative Commons license for quizzes in preparation for moving them to a submodule.

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Full Changelog: v1.2.0...v1.3.0

Zany Zeal

This release features enhancements primarily aimed at developers and quiz makers. However, the Preferences window and the incorrect answer window have undergone a visual overhaul, enhancing user experience and usability. Below are the detailed changes made in this release.

ChangeLog

In QuizMaster

• Framework Upgrade: Transitioned from Pygame_GUI to Pygame_Widgets for improved interface components.
• Preferences Window Update:
  
  • Enhanced colour selection options: now utilizes three RGB sliders.
  • Updated volume control: volume slider now integrates with Pygame_Widgets for a more consistent look and feel.
  • Added a 'Cancel' button for exit without saving changes.
  • Revamped button aesthetics to improve visual appeal and user interaction.
• Incorrect Answer Window Update:
  
  • Introduced a new Pygame window for the incorrect answer screen.
• Parameter Options:
  • Added new parameter options for both quiz and game modes.
• Screen Size Adjustments: Updated screen sizes for better compatibility across different devices and resolutions.
• Time Remaining Indicator: The 'Time Remaining' display now turns red when the time is nearing completion, providing a visual cue for urgency.
• Homepage Branding: Incorporated a new logo into the Homepage.
• Developer Enhancements:
  • Separated the functionality for the Incorrect Answer window and Preferences window into distinct functions for improved maintainability and clarity in the program.

In QuizCreator

• Question Editor Window: Adjusted the text input dimensions within the question editor for a more realistic sized window.
• Quiz Opening Parameter: Introduced a parameter option to allow users to open quizzes directly, streamlining the process for creators and testers.

Full Changelog: v1.0.0...v1.2.0

Incredible Improvement

CHANGELOG:

In QuizMaster

• Quiz search function added: Just type a keyword and get a list of related quizzes.

• Implement multiple game modes:

  • Classic
  • Classic V2
  • Speedrun

• Preferences

  • Volume change with slider instead of buttons
  • Music selection in order, not random
  • Music fade-out on changing tune
  • Music pieces added
  • Celebration themes added (music and background colour)

In Quiz Creator

• Added silly question detector.
• Added duplicate detector.
• Add tooltips

New Contributors

• @OCBA1 made their first contribution in #15

Full Changelog: v0.2.0-alpha...v0.3.0

Ultra Upgrade

This is a bug-fixed version of QuizMaster, with many new features scince the last release.

Changelog:

• Homepage opens at the begining
  
• Preferences page availible
• Can start Quizcreator with Quiz
• Can replay the quiz
• More music options
• Able to go back to homepage mid-quiz
• Able to end quiz early
• New deployment and invocation process: Add setup.sh, setup.bat and run.bat: For setting up virtual environment and starting Quizmaster.

What's Changed

• add tk to requirements.txt by @ShoweryCellar34 in #4
• Main by @ShoweryCellar34 in #5
• Update .gitignore by @ShoweryCellar34 in #6
• Preping for release by @ShoweryCellar34 in #7

New Contributors

• @ShoweryCellar34 made their first contribution in #4

Full Changelog: v0.1.0-alpha...v0.2.0-alpha

Quirky Quasar

Playable version of QuizMaster and QuizCreator with no known bugs.
Quiz data encoded in json format, stored in local filesystem.

Features:

• Play a quiz with time limit and swap quiz mid-play
  
• feedback at end
  
• Create a quiz and save it.