Simpocalypse 2.0.3, published this afternoon, is a bugfix release focusing on
the user interface. Previously, Simpocalypse wasn't really usable with keyboard
navigation (using the Tab key to move between entry fields and buttons); we've
tried to clean this up a little bit, although it's still not possible to control
every parameter with the keyboard. We've also changed the names of the immunity
parameters to make it easier to understand what they do, and moved them so
they're next to each other.
Another bugfix release, 2.0.2 just makes the rollover boxes for individual
people behave a little bit more nicely, and in particular solves an issue where
the application might become confused over whether one exists or not, and
display a scary-looking error dialog.
The 2.0.1 bugfix release is out, solving the macOS crash we noted in the 2.0
release announcement, and correcting some other minor issues. We've also got
Google Drive save/load support enabled for the Web version. As always, watch
this space for future updates.
We've released Simpocalypse 1.2.1 today. The only change is the fix for a rather annoying bug: instead of showing you an error message if you type something into one of the boxes in Complete mode that isn't a valid number, it will simply change the value to zero instead. Don't worry, we're still working on new features for later versions.
We've just released version 1.2.0 of the Simpocalypse application today. Besides many bugfixes, this version comes with some important improvements:
There are now two modes for changing the simulation's parameters. Simple mode has fewer parameters and longer explanations for them, so it's easier to get started right away. Complete mode lets you change every parameter in the simulation, for maximum control, and shows the raw probability numbers behind them, for more advanced students.
It's now possible to save and restore the parameters that control the population, movement rules, and vaccines, along with the disease.
Simpocalypse has always supported saving the simulation's history as a SQLite database file for futher analysis. SQLite databases allow for all kinds of advanced manipulation of the data, but they require special tools to open, and some knowledge of how SQL databases work. 1.2.0 adds support for saving the history in CSV format, which can be opened with most spreadsheet programs, for more basic data analysis.
The user interface layout has been revised to make it, hopefully, a little bit easier to figure out.
We've been able to test Simpocalypse on a slightly wider range of different Macs, and we are now pretty confident that it will start on any PowerPC Mac that can run Mac OS X 10.5, and any Intel Mac manufactured to date, although many of the older ones will have trouble running the simulation with large populations or short cycle times.
There are still plenty of new features we want to add, and probably more bugs left to squish. Check back for more updates.
You can now create basic vaccines, with control over the vaccination rate and the effectiveness of the vaccine itself, and introduce the vaccine at any point before or during a simulation.
It is now possible to save and restore diseases: snapshots of the parameters that control the disease's properties. The files this creates are small, simple plain text files that can easily be shared via email attachments or other means.
Several of the parameter sliders have a wider range, and are a little easier to use, thanks to using a logarithmic scale instead of a linear one.
The UI layout has been further improved, especially on Macs and for smaller screens.
Many other miscellaneous bugs have been fixed.
We're still hard at work adding new functionality to the simulation and looking for bugs to squash. Check back here for further updates!
For those who haven't noticed already, Simpocalypse 1.0.2 has been available since Monday, May 4th. This corrects several bugs in the application, and most importantly makes some of the dialog boxes more relevant and helpful. We're still working on a new release with some other usability improvements and added features, stay tuned!