July was a whirlwind and we had an opportunity to launch the full demo of the game together with the Games Made in Sweden festival, so we seized the opportunity. There were four things though that weren't complete so we've knocked off three of them this month.
Eventually, we will have our traditional "151A" boot logo and a finished title screen, but that likely will not arrive untli close to release next year. The next best thing to get newcomers going though is a sick comic intro to start off the game. If you've cleared the demo (rock on), you know there is a flipbook comic story sequence at the end of Act I of Tactichord. We put together a similar experience that takes place in the mind of protagonist Diane while she spends her afternoon stuck in the guidance counselor's office after her run in with the Jennifers.
Next up, as we heralded in one of our earlier private playtests, there is growth in our tactical game now. The band plays more together and this levels up their heat, cool, and action points. Currently there is some kind of party growth planned after every major story level in the game! To help you keep track of all of this, there are unlock sequences each time the band grows stronger or you unlock a fun extra like a costume set.
Finally, there was one big fish lurking in our "UX Improvement Backlog" that had a design but hadn't been implemented yet. Lots of players had difficulty understanding the different types of solo and vocals battles that gate whether it's Lance or Joey that has access to their power moves, so we helped tighten this up at the same time as giving a peak into each song's roadmap. You can see how many battles (internally reffered to as "encounters") are left before you complete the stage by looking at the lyric and solo choice liner notes at the beginning of each turn. But now in tandem you can also check this progress at the center top of the screen in the "encounter counter". The colored icon helps reinforce the musical choices you'll make, and which power move sets are available.
Grab all these exciting improvements now for yourself in the latest Tactichord: Glam Strategy demo update!
/David