04 Aug
Scalability + Performance Updates
Automatic Scaling With our increasing number of users, we have decided to utilize GameLift (a service provided by Amazon Web Services) to easily launch, update, and scale game servers so that we can scale to massive numbers of user supports. Improved Frame Rate with Occlusion We are trying a lot of things to improve frame
04 Dec
Winter 2021 Update
Updated Cells Introduction Storyline We have updated our old ‘Outbreak’ storyline (now called ‘The Outbreak’) to be more interactive and to provide more in-depth learning. The old storyline will be left up for another week in case you have already started it but haven’t finished. Celebrating Diversity We have added hijabs to the game as
17 Sep
Fall 2021 Update: Faster Load Speeds + Many Interface Improvements!
Much faster Browser Load Speeds! We have worked hard on optimizing the loading speed, and we’re now seeing around 50% faster initial load speeds. So for example, on a Chromebook (Lenovo N23) that is four years old, we went from a 5-5.5 minute loading time to 2.5-3 minutes! We’ve also improved how Tyto Online handles
18 May
Emotes, Content Updates, & Bug Fixes
Added: Emote Buttons! 🙌 We haven’t been able to add chat back since the HTML5 release, BUT we decided to go ahead and release the large library and emotes our art team has been building up! So starting now, click the “emote” button on the bottom left and you can type to search or skim
29 Mar
Our First Anti-Racist Storyline.
Research shows that when students learn from a standard biology curriculum about racial differences in genetic disease prevalence it can unintentionally increase genetic biases that are related to racist misconceptions. If biology education is a context where these biases develop unintentionally, then it should also be a place where they are challenged intentionally. Donovan, Et
22 Jan
New Browser Version 🔥💯🙌 + Even More Updates!
This new update is going live Friday (January 22, 2021) in the evening (after West Coast schools are out to not disrupt teachers). Remember, a new update means that if your students play on an installed version (Windows/Google Play on Chromebooks), they will have to download the update before they can play next. If you
09 Oct
New Pandemic Storyline, Improved Character Customization, and more!
We’re going to go live with a new update Friday, October 16th. We will update this post + email + post to social media when it goes live. If you play on the web browser, it will automatically take place. If you use one of our installed applications, please note you will need get updates
13 Jun
Upcoming Improvements to Tyto Online
Here’s a preview of improvements that will be coming to Tyto Online over the summer and for the fall semester, based on student and teacher feedback on what we can do to make Tyto Online better for your play and learning. We will put out more complete descriptions of how to use some of these
05 Apr
Spring 2020 Update
Hello, everyone! We keep our large updates between semesters, but we have some great improvements ready and since most people are learning from home — and we have a LOT more people signing up right now — we wanted to go ahead and get these live! So, welcome to our mid-semester Spring update! Here’s what’s
20 Dec
Winter 2019 Update
We are now live with our scheduled Winter 2019 update. Keep in mind this means you will need to download an update before you use Tyto Online next time you use it, or in the new year. If you use Chromebooks, this will be similar to when you originally downloaded the game. If you are
