
[Bastion](https://bastion.traction.one) [v10](https://github.com/TheBastionBot/Bastion/releases/tag/v10.0.0) lays the foundation for some new ways to interact with Discord using Discord's new Slash commands, Select Menus, Input Modals, Button Interactions, and all the latest features available to Discord bots.

There's also a bunch of new features in the pipeline for future releases. But let's talk about what's changed in the current version.

### Slash Commands

Slash commands make it way easier for users to use Bastion's commands with builtin command invocation in Discord.

All of Bastion's commands are now Slash Commands. You can check out [this table](https://github.com/TheBastionBot/Bastion/issues/953) to see the new Slash command equivalent for the existing commands you used to use. Or type `/` in Discord to see the list of all the commands in Bastion.

Discord only allows a limited amount of Slash commands. So, a few existing commands had to be removed because they are not required or redundant. And some commands will be rewritten and improved to make use of new Discord features and will be coming soon in the upcoming updates.

### Important Changes

Almost all of the modules have been rewritten with major changes which brings lots of improvements and fixes. But here are some important changes you should know about:

- Music
  - Huge performance improvements.
  - Music search and playback are way faster than before.
  - Audio quality will have some improvements but it's not really noticeable.
  - One drawback is that it won't support the huge variety of audio sources that it did before.
  - Music commands would only work in Voice Channel Chat.
- Reaction Roles
  - Self Roles can now be used to do this as they use Discord's Select Menu interaction where user can simply select the roles they want to assign themselves.
  - But I'm still experimenting with a better "reaction" roles system using Discord's new interactions. And it will be coming soon.
- Voice Sessions
  - **#session-control** channel isn't created anymore when creating a voice session category.
  - When a new temporary voice channel is created, Bastion sends a message in the voice channel chat which has buttons that can be used to control your voice session.
- Voting Channels
  - Now works only when slow mode is enabled in the channel.
  - When you add a voting channel, Bastion will automatically configure slow mode in the channel.
- Giveaways
  - Giveaways can now be manually ended.
  - Manual giveaways can now run forver.
- Polls
  - Polls can now be manually ended.
  - Manual polls can now run forver.
- Suggestions
  - Suggestions now use Discord's Button interactions instead of reactions for suggestion actions.
- Reports
  - Reports now use Discord's Button interactions instead of reactions for report actions.
- Localization
  - Automatic text localization using server's language.
  - DM commands will use user's language for automatic localization.
- Player Stats
  - As [Overwatch 2](https://overwatch.blizzard.com) was released, the overwatch command won't get Overwatch 1 stats. And a stats API for Overwatch 2 isn't available yet. Once it's available, it'll be implemented.
  - [Rocket League API](https://api.rocketleague.com/) was shutdown soon after it was acquired by Epic Games. Therefore, the command to get the stats will be added back as soon I can find other ways to get the stats.
- Moderation Commands
  - Discord now has builtin slash commands for `ban`, `kick`, `nickname` and `timeout`.
- Bastion Profiles
  - Discord offers better builtin profile customization. Data from Discord can be used instead of having a separate Bastion profile.
  - Although I'm still experimenting a combination of both to allow users as much customization as possible.
- Badges
  - A new badge system is coming soon that'll allow self hosted users to use badges & customize them.

Here are some changes you should be aware of if you're hosting a private instance of Bastion:

- Music is not dependent on `youtube-dl` and `ffmpeg` anymore.
- Credentials and configurations are now unified in one `settings.yaml` file.
- Direct message relay is now configurable in the settings file `settings.yaml`.
- All the settings in `settings.yaml` can be overriden using environment variables.
- As all commands are now slash commands, the commands can't be scheduled anymore. I'll be experimenting new ways to bring it back as soon as possible.
- Removed all dependency Bastion had on its Omnic backend. So, even if all of Bastion's services shutdown in the future, you'll still be able to run your own self hosted instance of Bastion.
- Stats API is unavailable for the time being. It'll be back in upcoming updates with some improvements.
- It's now safe to shutdown the bot by doing `Ctrl` + `C`. `shutdown` command isn't necessary.

### Dashboard

  - Dashboard will be temporarily disabled to implement support for v10.
  - This also implies that Server Pages will be disabled during this time.
  - Dashboard support (including Server Pages) for self hosted instances will be coming soon.

### Verification
  - Captcha Verification is disabled for the time being.
  - A new verification system is coming soon in the upcoming updates to verify users directly within Discord without having to open Bastion's dashboard.
  - Discord is testing a feature to allow bots to act as a verification provider for servers. Which means a builtin way to verify users through bots might be coming. If this gets released, it'll be added to Bastion as soon as possible.

### Removed

- Removed message filter & mention spam filter as Discord's builtin AutoMod in server settings can be used for this.
- Removed the option to change global music volume to improve performance. Volume can be controlled from user's side using Discord's builtin methods.
- Removed Bastion's announcements. Discord's builtin announcement channels can be used to do this.
- Removed command module used to enable/disable commands. Slash command permissions can be used to do this.
- Removed members only mode. Slash command permissions can be used to do this.
- Removed lockdown mode. It's wasn't reliable when a channel had permission overrides.
- Bastion Coin transaction logs won't be stored for the foreseeable future.
- Removed reaction announcements.
- Removed reaction pinning. The same number of steps is required to pin a message using Discord's builtin method.
- Although moderation cases are logged, they are not saved anymore. This also means you can't change the reason of a moderation case.
- Removed blacklisting users and servers from using Bastion. Although a better system will come to block users and servers abusing Bastion's features.
- Removed command to leave the server.
- Removed commands to change Bastion's username, avatar & nickname.
- Removed command list & help commands as Discord provides builtin ways to do this for slash commands.
- Removed command prefixes as all commands are now slash commands.

There's a lot of features coming soon in the next few weeks. So, stay tuned for more announcements! If you have any suggestions, or need any sort of help with Bastion, feel free to join [Bastion HQ](https://discord.gg/fzx8fkt) on Discord and we will help you out.

Also, a huge thanks to all our [patrons](https://patreon.com/bastionbot) for their continuous support of Bastion without whom this wouldn't have been possible.
If you want to support the continuous development of Bastion you can do so through our [Patreon](https://patreon.com/bastionbot) and get some cool rewards for it too!

❤️


Bastion v10 — A new foundation!


As of writing this post Bastion has been added to more than 5000 Discord servers that make up more than a million users!


The average user that interacts with Bastion only sees the Bot client. But what actually makes up Bastion?

- [Bastion Bot](https://discordapp.com/oauth2/authorize?client_id=267035345537728512&scope=bot&permissions=8) — The application you install in your systems that powers the Discord Bot Applications.
- Bastion API Server — The web server running along side the bot that exposes REST APIs to directly interact with the bot.
- Omnic — The backend server that does most of the data gathering and processing work so that the bot can simply request data from the server without ever needing to do anything on users' systems.
- [Website](https://bastion.traction.one) — The main website that users first see when they search for Bastion
- [Dashboard](https://bastion.traction.one/dashboard) — The web dashboard to manage Bastion from the browser and the site that powers every community's [public page](https://bastion.traction.one/servers/267022940967665664).

All these services interact with each other and run 24x7 across multiple servers to power all the communities that depend on Bastion from across the world.

To run all these services without any downtime Bastion depends on some amazing cloud service providers. Bastion uses multiple [DigitalOcean](https://digitalocean.com) droplets to run all its backend services including the bot application. And to run the website and dashboard Bastion uses [Vercel](https://vercel.com). Both these service providers provide some really amazing services and if you're reading this you should definitely check them out!


Bastion's microservices and how they are powered


Although Among Us was released in 2018, it has rose to popular this year and
has attracted a lot of gamers.

If you don't already know about Among Us, I'd recommend you to check out the
game first.

## How to be a good Among Us player?

To be a good detective Among Us you need to keep in-game information in check
and see when someone's narrative don't add up.

And to be a good impostor in the game you need to gain cremates' trust and keep
track of who to kill first so that you're not the only suspect who stays alive.

I use these tactics in my gameplays - which you can checkout in my [Live Streams
on Twitch](https://twitch.tv/iamtraction) or [Game Highlights in YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLm-NJedcKYoYdgqVBgh44LjmP67u2kfqF).

But sometimes your brain is not working 100% capacity because you have been
playing for hours, or for whatever reasons. It happens, and that's why I made
a toolkit for Among Us to help Among Us gamers keep track of in-game information
while playing.

It can also be used to keep track of your game stats.

**So, what are you waiting for?** Go checkout the [Among Us Toolkit](https://amongus.traction.one/)
and hit me up on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/iamtraction) if you've got any
feedback!


Announcing Among Us Toolkit — Be the best Detective and Impostor!


## Docxy isn't really a new product

Two years ago I released the first version of AwesomeDocs. I wanted an easy way
to generate documentation sites for my projects and I was not satisfied with
other documentation sites. So, obviously, making my own documentation generator
was the only option... right?

Anyways, I built AwesomeDocs and started using it for my projects. But, to be
honest, it lacked in some important ways. So I slowy moved away from it as I
realized that fact. I started using many different documentation generators
again, and I found myself again in the same situation - not being satisfied with
them.

And that's why a few days ago I decided I need to rewrite AwesomeDocs and
implement everything it lacked so I can start using it again - and stick to it
this time.

## Docxy is the new AwesomeDocs

Docxy is the result of that rewrite. It now includes everything that was missing
from AwesomeDocs and the development process is much simpler now too!

So, yay!

## Docxy features

- Easy to set up
- Generate website from Markdown files
- No need to write a single line of code
- Customizable branding
- Built with React
- Generates a static bundle
- Can be deployed anywhere
- Preview changes in real time
- Dynamic dark & light modes
- Offline support
- Blazing-fast
- Local search support
- Migrate from AwesomeDocs in minutes

<br />

**So, what are you waiting for?** Checkout [Docxy](https://docxy.traction.one/)
today!


Announcing Docxy — Generate documentation sites using Markdown


Android users have always been able to customize app icons. Well, at least long
before iOS users. iOS jailbreakers have been doing this for quite a while too.

When iOS first introduced Siri Shortcuts, it allowed users to add custom icons
to their home screen. But it wasn't until the release of iOS 14 that introduced
Widgets, App Library and the ability to hide homescreen icons that opened up a
whole new world for iOS customization.

## And here's how you can add custom icons in iOS

1. Open the Shortcuts app.
1. Add a new Shortcut.
1. Tap the **Add Action** button.
1. Select the **Scripting** action.
1. Select the **Open App** option.
1. Select the app whose icon you wanna change.
1. Add it to your homescreen. Here you can even select to show it in your Apple
Watch.
1. Set a name for your app, choose an icon, and Add the shortcut.
1. Voilà. You now have a custom icon for your app.
1. Optionally, remove the default icon from your homescreen so you don't have
duplicates.

## Hold on...

If you're looking for some cool icon packs, [check out my collection of icons](https://icons.traction.one).
Try it out, you're gonna love it!


How to add custom icons in iOS?


First of all, welcome to my blog. 👋🏼

I'm TRACTION. A software developer, gamer, and a computer enthusiast
exploring the details of programmable systems and how to stretch their capabilities.

Here I'll be posting information or announcements related to the projects that
I'm working on, or any research that I'm doing, or just about anything that
catches my interest - which will mostly be about technology.

That'd be all for now. See you in another post!
