After long last, I'm back with another update, and some big announcements!

First off... TIC TACTIC IS ON STEAM!

Yes, you read that right! At long last, the Steam page for Tic Tactic is finally live!  Take a gander at the page (and wishlist it, if you can--it really does help!). There's even a trailer for you to check out!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3256850

I'm also excited to announce that I'll be working with the publisher indie.io for the release of the game! I think they'll be a good partner for me to get the game to the finish line in the best state possible. I'll still be handling everything on the development side, but they'll pick up a lot of the tasks on Steam side to make it easier for me. I'll try to cover a few potential questions below:

• What does that mean for this page? I'll leave this page up as the "pre-alpha" version of the game, but future updates will be available as Steam Demos. If you wishlist the game, you'll get emails if I push major updates, but I'd recommend joining the Discord community for more frequent or more detailed updates.
• When do you plan to release? I haven't set a firm date yet, but I'm aiming to launch the game in mid-2025. Other launch-related details are also still TBD.
• How different will the game be? The version on Itch is a good example of the basic combat system, but I plan to add a lot of content, polish, and features. I'll go into more detail at the bottom of this dev log. 

Now, onto the update notes.

Chart your Journey!

I have been working on getting this feature ready for a while, but I've finally been able to add it to the game. Rather than moving through a linear path, you can now explore procedurally generated maps! Each region has different encounters, and the maps themselves will look different depending on where you go. 

This change also triggered a few other changes that I have added to the game.

New Encounter Types

You may have already noticed a new symbol in the map above, representing unusual merchants that offer deals that aren't just a straightforward exchange. I'm also working on a variety of other encounters that will appear in future updates, which I'll describe in the next section below.

Elite Encounters

This was actually an issue that was highlighted by members of the Discord server, but it's something I've been planning to update for a while. Before, Elites served as more difficult stops along the journey, but with a web-like map, you can dodge them and take an easier path through the region. In accordance, I made a few changes to elite encounters.

1. Elites offer more loot options, spawning a third reward for you to choose from.
2. Each defeated Elite grants an additional 500 points at the end of your run, meaning that they're worth 2000 points versus the 1500 of a normal enemy.
3. Elites offer a standardized 9 coins upon defeat (normal enemies drop 5 coins, and bosses drop 11).
4. Upcoming: Elites offer exclusive loot types.

Other Changes

The changes to the map and reward systems that I highlighted above took a lot of work, so I wasn't able to add as many other changes as I had hoped. However, there were still a lot of things to note, so I'll highlight them below!

• Two new tiles!
  • Gift Tile: The Gift Tile spawns a new Gift tile when used in a combo, allowing you to chain multiple attacks in a single turn and extend combos. Even more interesting, as long as there's space on the board, it will spawn a copy every time its scored, so multi-line combos get even better!
  • Dagger Tile: The Dagger is a tricky tile that deals 1 damage, with an additional critical hit that doubles every time it's scored subsequently, so its damage quickly increases with combos! That means that the first hit is worth 2 damage (1 + 1), but the second is worth 3 (1 + 2), the third is worth 5 (1 + 4), and the fourth is worth a whopping 9 damage. That means that, in a 4-line combo that scores the dagger tile 4 times, it would deal 19 damage without counting the values of the other tiles.
• The damage mechanism has changed, so tiles now count themselves when creating a combo. I did this to allow effects like the Dagger tile above, but also to increase the flexibility of the scoring mechanic.
• Player animations have received some updates, especially the attack animation, which got a ground-up overhaul.
• In addition, screenshake has been updated to be punchier and more noticeable. 
• I've started updating sound effects. I noticed that tiles tend to make a bubbly sound when they move, and some other sounds are a bit more airy than desired. I'm changing them out for punchier and more satisfying effects, but the mechanical aspect of them (pitch changes, for example) have remained the same.
• Potions display horizontally instead of vertically.
• Tile tooltips now display the name of the tile.

What's coming?

As promised, here's a little overview of the three key areas I'm working on for the full version of the game. Of course, there will be a lot of other changes, but these are the core features that I'm the most excited to talk about.

A whole new world

I'm planning to add not one, not two, but 6 more areas to the final version of the game! They will span across 5 acts, and you will be able to select which regions you travel to. 

Each region will feature different encounters, enemies, and tiles, with new encounter types including:

• Shrines, where you can obtain permanent upgrades
• Treasure rooms, where you can find special tiles and items
• Fountains, where you can rest and regain some health
• Question mark encounters??

I'm also planning to add a variety of new bosses and elites for you to face.

Equipment and Multipliers

So far, most tiles deal damage in a very straightforward way. However, I want things to get a lot crazier (or, at the very least, to make it possible). I plan to add two items that you can equip to the heroic duck to change the flow of the battle:

• Weapons, which will change the way attack damage is calculated by adding bonus damage or multipliers (with conditions).
• Hats, which will have unique effects on the flow of the game.

You'll be able to collect equipment by defeating elites or opening chests in treasure rooms, but these items will be more difficult to obtain.

The Tic Tactic Beautification Project

The visuals in this game are entirely sprite-based. There's no lighting, shaders, post-processing, or anything else. Just a camera, and a bunch of sprites. As part of the update process, I'm planning to add a bunch of visual changes that add vibrance and depth to the world of Tic Tactic. This change doesn't sound exciting, but I do believe that you'll be able to tell the difference.

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That wraps up the tenth update log of Tic Tactic. Thank you for all your feedback and encouragement so far! I want to thank everyone on Discord, especially Qwerty, Bea, Adan, and Vinny. Your feedback has been invaluable and this would have been a lot harder without your help.

I'll start posting dev logs on Steam shortly. I hope to see you there soon!

- unbreaded