Welcome to the first Playtest of TIDEHAVEN: ALE & TRADE!
In this early glimpse into Tidehaven, we’re excited to share the foundations of the world we’re building—where coastal winds meet tankards of ale and the hum of trade. Set between the 15th and 17th centuries, Tidehaven invites you to shape the story of a small seaside inn as it grows into a bustling cornerstone of medieval hospitality.
In this playtest most of the features not presented yet, economy on steroids so lots of new balances on the way during playtest and at August.
What Awaits You in This Playtest:
Step-by-step inn expansion! Experience how your humble inn grows room by room, adding a Kitchen, Bedroom, Warehouse, and more as you progress.
Multiple play styles. Whether you obsess over every candle placement and renovate inch by inch, or go full entrepreneur mode chasing coin and upgrades, the game’s core systems are ready to tested by you.
Decorating with purpose. Help us test limited-time furnishings and placement logic as we refine how your inn becomes the most charming (and efficient) spot in Tidehaven.
Economy under pressure. As someone might have said (or not)—money makes the mugs go 'round. For the test, we’ve sped up the economy so you can dive deep into the systems quickly. But we’ll need your eyes and feedback to catch what’s off-balance or broken.
NPCs and item placements. NPC movement and object interactions are mostly stable. That said, we know some bold characters are walking across tables that don’t belong to them...
Known Bugs
NPCs may wander into places they clearly shouldn't. We're hopeful they'll start respecting boundaries soon.
Some furniture may overlap oddly, especially on floor surfaces. Until we fix layering, we kindly ask you not to seat guests inside each other.
The Switch Monitor isn’t functioning at the moment—it’s on the fix-it-soon list.
Hover texts and minor UI prompts are incomplete or buggy in spots.
A few rogue pixels under the bottom UI are staging a quiet rebellion. Visual layering issues are all queued for polishing.
Many sound effects are currently missing. We’ll be adding immersive (but not ear-piercing) audio soon.
Lower parts of some walls and columns show texture stretching or clarity issues—we’re working on smoothing those out.
What’s Coming Next?
The world beyond your door! Tidehaven doesn’t end at the threshold. Soon, you’ll step outside and explore new buildings—starting with the Stable, which will open during this playtest.
Mini Games! As promised, a little mischief is on the way. Spend your coins in one of three upcoming mini-games: Coin Flip, Dice Roll, and Law Draw—all arriving during this playtest.
More furniture, food, and design materials are on the way, with several items already queued to join your inventory soon.
Warehouse automation is about to get exciting. The Auto-Buy feature introduced at Inn Level 2 for the Bartender is being expanded—soon your warehouse will stock and operate even when you’re idle.
The Warehouse will no longer be a cold, lonely space—it’s becoming a living system with supply limits, restocking mechanics, and more.
Did you know every NPC has a name? Soon, they’ll be visible—bringing the world more personality and a few amusing references along the way.
Your very own dog is almost ready to wag its tail just for you! We're hoping to add a feature where you can name and bond with a loyal companion. No promises—but it's high on our list. (And just one of many animal-related features to come!)
We’re hard at work on even more content that will arrive after the Playtest. As we participate in open beta test periods and join to upcoming festivals, we’ll be sharing Tidehaven with a wider audience—and you’re helping us lay the foundation.
Major improvements, bug fixes, and economy balancing will continue to roll out with regular updates.
Thank you for being part of our first game. Your feedback, bugs, and insights mean the world to us. Please don't hesitate to join us on our Discord server and ask your questions to our dev team. And remember to add TIDEHAVEN: Ale & Trade to your wishlist! See you in the next post!