Cheese: Hello, everyone! This is Cheese from the development team.
In this dev diary, we would like to introduce some of the major improvements we have been working on, as well as share how we are preparing to showcase the game at BIC, the indie game festival taking place in Busan this August.
Mouse Movement Controls
During the PlayX4 exhibition last May, many of the players who tried the game told us that they would like to be able to control more parts of the game using only the mouse.
Although most in-game features could already be controlled with the mouse, mouse movement was not available during field exploration. Many players found this limitation inconvenient, so adding mouse movement controls became one of our top priorities for this round of improvements.
Moving around using mouse controls
Players can now move freely around the field using the mouse, making it possible to play comfortably with just one hand.
We have also added a feature that compensates for slightly inaccurate clicks and expanded the controls so that players can interact with objects using the mouse as well.
Object Highlighting
Previously, it was difficult to tell at a glance which of the many objects placed throughout the field could be interacted with.
We even observed players approaching nearly every background decoration and object to check whether it was interactive.
Because of this, we felt that the game needed a clearer visual indicator to distinguish interactive objects.
Interactive objects being highlighted
Now, when the mouse cursor is placed over an object, the object becomes brighter. Its name is also displayed so that players can clearly identify it.
Condition System Improvements
Starting with our third user test, we removed the Rune of Covenant system, which treated the conditions for using skills as unlockable items.
Instead, we redesigned the system so that players could freely configure their own conditions.
As conditions became easier and more flexible to configure, we anticipated that some players would want to combine multiple conditions to create more detailed behavioral rules.
We have therefore expanded the current condition system even further.
First, we added the ability to combine two conditions using either AND or OR, allowing players to create a wider variety of configurations.
With an AND condition, players can designate only enemies that satisfy every specified condition as valid targets.
With an OR condition, players can configure a character to respond flexibly whenever either of two different situations occurs.
For example, players can prioritize enemies that both have a large amount of HP remaining and are positioned far away.
Alternatively, a healing skill can be configured to activate when an ally has low HP or when the skill can affect multiple allies.
We expect that some players may eventually want condition combinations that are even more complex than AND and OR.
For now, however, we plan to conduct further testing with the current system and review the feedback we receive from players.
Two different conditions can be combined to create more precise configurations.
Second, we added the ability to edit conditions during the preparation phase between combat rounds.
Because we want to encourage players to design their AI in advance, conditions cannot be changed without restriction during combat.
However, players can now spend a resource to correct an incorrectly configured condition or replace it with a different one.
Editing conditions by spending Tactical Action Points during the round preparation phase
Display Predicted Movement Paths in Combat
Although the game already included systems designed to help players anticipate what would happen in combat, these systems were not communicated clearly enough through the UI and UX.
We therefore needed to add and improve visual features that would make this information easier to understand.
During the round preparation phase, players can now preview the paths that each character is expected to take.
Combined with the existing notifications that display which skill each character is expected to use next, this feature should make it much easier for players to anticipate how the next round of combat will unfold.
A character’s predicted movement path being displayed
Preparing for BIC
We will share detailed information about our location at BIC in a separate announcement at a later date.
For now, we would like to briefly introduce some of the preparations we have been making ahead of the event.
At BIC, visitors will be able to play the latest build of the game, which includes the improvements introduced above.
During our previous PlayX4 exhibition, we found that some parts of the tutorial did not provide enough guidance and that completing the game took longer than expected.
Based on these observations, we are improving the tutorial instructions and adjusting the flow of the exhibition build.
A newly added tutorial explaining Level-Up Points
We are also planning a game-completion event and a Steam wishlist event at the venue, with a variety of prizes available for participants.
At our previous exhibitions, we mainly handed out stickers and keychains.
This time, we wanted to offer a wider variety of prizes, so we also challenged ourselves to create new types of merchandise that we had not produced before.
We have prepared new items such as lenticular photo cards and keycap keychains.
We hope you will visit us at BIC, try the game for yourself, and take part in the events for a chance to receive some of our merchandise!
merchandise joining us at this year’s BIC exhibition.
(The photo cards had not arrived yet, so we were unable to include them in the photo.)
Closing
Over the past two months, we have focused primarily on the development and updates of our previous title, .
Going forward, we plan to shift our development resources back toward .
We hope that many of you will play the game at BIC and share your thoughts and feedback with us.
We will continue working hard so that we can return next month with even more progress to share.
Thank you for reading!