The guitars are tuned and the smoke machine is ready. We're going to do our second private play test starting March 9th. It's time to try out Tactichord: Glam Strategy. This coincides with the Steam #TurnBasedThursdayFest which we're a part of!
What is a play test?
A game demo is a complete package to give a taste of what the full retail version of the game is like. A play test is less than a demo in that the content is usually more restricted, and it's much earlier in the development process. It's a way for you to try the game while we're still working on it and tell us what works for you and what doesn't. It has bugs. It may crash. But there are certainly fun things to enjoy.
There are many aspects to help new people all around the world try the game and make it as easy as possible for them to give feedback. So when you start the game you'll get asked if we can use anonymized metrics so we can record where you get stuck, how easy it is to clear the levels, etc. Then we pepper the game with ways to contact us when something goes wrong (or hopefully right!): a couple links to our Discord bugs channel, a way to wishlist the game, a survey where we can collect satisfaction data quantitatively, etc. And we're going to sweeten the deal by giving everyone a chance to win free copies of our other games. 🏆🥇
What's new in this play test from the previous one?
A fair amount! All the levels in the previous test have been redone with reduced action points and enemies, so your strategy on how to play will need to be changed significantly. Other new things, bullet list style:
two new matches
a first pass boss fight
overhauled UI all throughout the game
reworked playback camera system for more dramatic music videos
dozens of bugfixes
lots of other things we've forgotten
How do I join?
To join the play test you need to do only two things:
Hit that "Request Access" button on the store page (see example below) if you haven't already
Watch your email under the period of March 9th-22nd.
View game pagePlayers will get access to the game in batches. Once you get the mail, you'll have at least several days to try it out before the play test period ends the game stops working so we can go back to improving it.
Let's have fun together making Tactichord as fabulous as a David Lee Roth karate kick.
How to get the most out of the play test
Please accept anonymized reporting when you start up the game and get to the main menu. This helps immensely and does not transmit any personally identifying information. Afterwards, try out the levels in sequence in the stage select menu. You'll get raffle ticket entries for each time you clear the final match, and be entered in leaderboard score competition.
Share bugs and feedback in our special Discord feedback channel.
Submit your Steam username and email address so we can contact you if you win something with this form.
Fill out the survey linked from inside the game when you are done playing to register your raffle entries.
Thanks for reading. See you March 9th!
/David