Hello everyone,

I am really excited to announce the upcoming release of Version 2 of Magic Market!

Taking a step back. Version 1 of Magic Market was released back in September of 2022. After years of development, it was my first official release of any game, ever! As excited as I was at that time to finally have my name on a published video game, as I continued to dive into video game development, I knew there would need to be major improvements to provide a fully polished product.

I am now proud and excited to announce the inclusion of those major improvements to this new release, Version 2, coming soon! For those of you who may be interested, and for the sake of open and honest communication with my customer base, I have detailed all changes, additions, and updates below:

Highlights

• The source code is being re-written from scratch and completely refactored for efficiency in order to include new game mechanics and features.
• The gameplay will remain similar but with significant changes to create a more engaging and challenging play pattern.
• With the addition of new content, the price of the game will increase to $9.99 USD upon release. (The price in other currencies will also be adjusted proportionally.)
• Those who previously purchased the game prior to the release of Version 2 will be unaffected by the price change.
• The Steam Store page will be updated with new screenshots, graphical assets, and video demos.
• This new update will only apply to the English version of the game. The Spanish and German version may be updated at a later time once localization is completed.
• Pending results from the public Steam Playtest, Version 2 is planned to release at the end of this year or early next year.

Steam Playtesting

• For a short period prior to release, Steam Playtesting will open on a limited basis in order finetune balancing issues on a wider scale.
• Once Steam Playtesting is open, you may submit a request to Playtest through Steam on the Magic Market Store Page.

Game Mechanics

• Market items will spawn near instantly, filling the entire board constantly.
• Items will no longer time-out and de-spawn. Items will only leave the marketplace when the player buys and sells items, forcing the player to engage strategically with the market.
• Items will "queue up" visibly before spawning, letting the player know what items will spawn next.
• Initial item prices will be completely reworked. Initial prices will be scaled based on the player's current available gold, affording the player the ability to purchase items easily at any stage of the level.
• Item price changes over time will be completely reworked. The prices will change smoothly, in $1 increments, allowing the player to easily see the price trends.
• Stocking castable spells and potions will require the player to purchase 3 similar items in a row.
• All 6 spell and potion effects have been completely changed, improving usefulness and player immersion, allowing the player to create more efficient spell chains and combinations.
• Buying and selling items will incur a "market tax" on the transaction, forcing players to account for the loss when trying to quickly buy and sell items to match spells and potions for stocking.
• Players will now have access to all "levels" for each spell and potion but will be allotted a finite number of points to assign, allowing for customization of play for each level based on that level's objectives.
• Players will be able to unlock "enchantments" which are bonuses that last for the entire duration of the level creating unique combinations and additional customization based on the player's style.
• The "Magic Exchange Commission" will be completely removed. There will no longer be any risk of penalty for casting spells and potions.
• Changes in the player's available gold due to any transactions (profits, losses, and taxes) will be easier to understand by reworking the way the amounts display in the UI.

Game Modes

• There will be 3 total game modes: Career, Time Trial and Survival Modes.
• Time Trial and Survival Modes will be unlocked after the player completes a certain number of levels in Career Mode.
• Time Trial and Survival Modes will have a Steam-based Leaderboard component.
• Steam Achievements will be added for all modes.

Career Mode

• This is the original mode available in Version 1 of the game. This mode will be completely revamped to include more unique levels with different objectives and challenges.
• Up to 50 new, unique levels will be added.
• The player will have access to a level selection menu to replay past levels but must complete prior levels in order to unlock new levels.
• More comprehensive tutorials will be added as part of the first few levels for the Career Mode that help explain the game mechanics slowly over a few introductory levels.
• Completing levels in this mode will unlock Steam Achievements and in-game rewards.

Time Trial Mode

• This will be a repeatable mode where the player must work to obtain as much money as possible in a set amount of time.
• The player will have to figure out which combination of spell and potion levels and enchantments work best for them to achieve the highest score possible in the given amount of time.
• High scores in this mode will unlock Steam Achievements and in-game rewards.

Survival Mode

• This will be a repeatable mode where the player must try to stay afloat in the market for as long as possible while their money is continuously drained.
• The player will have to figure out which combination of spell and potion levels and enchantments work best for them to help them last as long as possible.
• High scores in this mode will unlock Steam Achievements and in-game rewards.

Visual

• Graphic assets will be expanded to include character sprites for your boss, The Arch Mage, which will appear throughout the 3 game modes whenever he has dialogue.
• New graphic assets will be added for UI elements related to spell and potion upgrades and enchantments.
• New menu screens will be added for all games modes to account for upgrading the spells and potions and for picking a level enchantment.
• New menu screens will be added for all Arch Mage dialogue, mostly in Career Mode, but also for several locations in Time Trial and Survivor Modes.
• Visual effects for casting spells and using potions will be completely upgraded using the Visual Effects Graph package. Additional visual effects will be added throughout.
• UI elements will be completely reworked for more efficient and easier user interaction.

Audio

• All audio, music and sound effects, will be restructured for better player immersion.
• The Arch Mage will now have voiced dialogue.
• The player will now be able to select a few new soundtracks to play during the game.

Bug Fixes

• Item scaling when items are about to de-spawn is fixed (since items no longer de-spawn, this issue was resolved inherently).
• Item price text is no longer attached to the item and no longer moves awkwardly.
• Player save data will now save at appropriate intervals, preventing player's from losing their progress if they exit the game randomly.