Unreleased

• UNI! has a new home: playuni.app! The old unii.duckdns.org address still works and will send you to the new one automatically, so old links and bookmarks won't break.

0.4.7 - Current Release

• Added anonymous gameplay analytics so we can see which rules and game modes people actually play, and where things break. We only record gameplay actions (like starting a match and which rules it used) — never your messages or any personal information — and the data is used only to research and improve the game. If your browser blocks analytics, everything keeps working normally.

0.4.6

• Fixed Google Analytics not loading in correctly.
• Fixed the Card Arsenal not loading when playing inside the itch.io embed.
• Fixed missing card images in the Card Arsenal for colour categories and the Jolly +4 card.

0.4.5

A batch of connectivity and in-game fixes — no new features, just a smoother experience when reconnecting, switching browsers, or playing against bots.

• Fixed a bug where your own name could briefly show as disconnected in the lobby even while you were actively connected.
• Fixed a bug where returning to the site without your lobby code (e.g. from a different browser) would leave you stuck — you are now brought straight back into your lobby or active match automatically.
• Fixed a bug where reconnecting mid-turn (e.g. after a Jolly card was played) could leave you unable to pick a colour until the timer ran out.
• Fixed a bug where reconnecting with a saved session would trigger duplicate fetches and multiple navigation calls in the background.
• Fixed a server startup failure that could occur when upgrading from an older build — the server now applies all database changes in a single step on first launch.
• Fixed a visual glitch where the table background would briefly flash purple when playing a Jolly card — it now keeps the colour from the previous card until a new colour is chosen.
• Fixed a bug where the game interface would go blank when a bot won the match — the result popup now appears correctly over a full game board.
• Fixed a bug where playing a Jolly card and ignoring the colour picker would permanently stall the game — the bot now steps in and picks automatically when the turn timer runs out.

0.4.4

Backend and performance improvements — nothing visible has changed, but the game should feel snappier and the server is more robust under the hood.

• The server now handles database updates automatically on startup, so future upgrades will apply without any downtime or manual intervention.
• In-game actions are now processed faster internally, reducing the overhead on every card play and draw.
• Various internal systems were cleaned up and standardised to make the codebase easier to maintain going forward.

0.4.3

• Changed our SEO, Landing Page, About, and Rules pages.
• AdSense integration: We've added gentle interstitial and banner ads to help keep the servers running and the game free for everyone.
• Cross-origin embedding (e.g. itch.io) now works! You can login and play smoothly from within third-party iframes.

0.4.1

• Fixed an issue where tooltips in the lobby settings panel were being clipped by the panel border instead of floating above the page as intended.

0.4.0

• Match saving is now complete. When you quit a saved match and come back, the game picks up exactly where it left off — every active effect, every card in play, nothing lost.
• Fixed a rare crash that could occur when lobby cleanup happened at the exact moment a player was still leaving.
• If your connection drops while the game is waiting for a server response, it now recovers cleanly instead of hanging until a timeout.
• The app now properly cleans up background listeners when you navigate away, preventing them from silently piling up across reconnects.
• The logout button no longer double-submits if clicked quickly.

0.3.0

• Full visual redesign. The entire interface was rebuilt with a consistent design system: sharper pixel aesthetic, unified colours and typography, better proportions, and improved support for smaller screens.

0.2.1

• New standalone pages: About, FAQ, and How to Play — now accessible without launching the game.
• Better search visibility: OpenGraph and Twitter card previews so links look good when shared, a web app manifest so you can install UNI! on your device, and a sitemap.

0.2.0

• Lobby settings — the host can now configure the game before it starts: turn time limit, starting hand size, number of bots, bot play style, which rule variants are active, and whether the match is saved when someone quits.
• Bots can automatically take over for players who disconnect mid-game. Likewise, players joining a lobby can claim a bot's seat.
• Error messages from the server are now shown as readable text in the game UI rather than raw internal codes.
• Fixed: host settings are now validated to stay within the allowed range on both the client and server.
• Fixed: the wild card colour selection screen always appears at the right moment; the +4 Wild now correctly waits for the colour choice before applying the penalty to the next player.
• Fixed: rank colouring for tied players; duplicate pop-up notifications eliminated.

0.1.1

• Cards that you can legally play on your turn are now correctly highlighted — the server sends this information explicitly rather than the client guessing.
• Fixed: bots in instant-play mode now send each action one step at a time so animations play through correctly instead of skipping.
• Fixed: kick and promote now complete reliably in all cases.

0.1.0

Hello, World!

The first release of UNI! — a four-player card game with lobbies, user accounts, bots, per-game stats, match saving and resuming, and a hand-crafted pixel-art interface. The game you're playing today grew out of a university project, and this is where it all started.