I'm trying a new format with these test builds. It's really daunting coming up with lengthy technical devlogs when so much new stuff is in the game. Instead, I'm going to just release the darn thing with short notes, and then do separate deep dives (with fancy screenshots!) on each big feature.

Hopefully this lets me go properly in depth on those things without delaying the test build while I do that extra work. Anyway, without further ado:

Patreon Build - v0.7 "Alakaz-BLAM!"

The last Patreon build of 2024 is out now! Highlights include throwable bombs and castable spells among other goodies. This represents a significant milestone, as the last major player-adjacent gameplay mechnics are now present in some form. They'll be refined as I go of course, but "all the buttons do something" and that's not been a thing until now. How exiting!

https://www.patreon.com/posts/tactus-v0-7-blam-118815888

Test builds are available early to my Patreons of any paid tier, including the $1 tier. You can also follow as a free member to get notified of devlogs, which will always be available to everyone. Tell your friends, spread the word, etc.

New Features and Content

• Persistent Save System: Finally you can save your personalized palette choices and gameplay settings from run to run. Each cartridge comes with 3 save files, and does the usual copy/erase thing, etc.
• In-game Dialog: Readable signs and item descriptions! Picking up any non-consumable item will now display its in-game effect. To avoid interrupting gameplay, item descriptions will auto-dismiss after a short delay when you leave the square.
• Throwable Bombs: These come with a 4-beat fuse timer. Hoist, tick, tick, tick, KABOOM. Once you've pulled a bomb out of your pack, press any direction to throw the bomb 3 squares forward. It's a good idea to do this before it explodes. Bombs instantly defeat foes, but also destroy any loot they would have dropped.
• Castable Spells: Four elemental spells, SCORCH, SHOCK, CHILL and GROWTH, will permanently affect the room and all its occupants. LIFE restores health, and the BOMB FIESTA... well, you'll just have to try it and see!

Minor Enhancements

• Weapon art on the flail and dagger have been substantially improved. The flail now follows the player, hopefully making its in-game effect way easier to understand.
• The D-Pad can be held to repeat the previous input. This is especially convenient when exploring cleared rooms.
• The Go Go Boots now only activate when the D-Pad is held. No more bumping into enemies by accidentally activating the item's effects when you didn't want to.
• Several enemies (notably Moles and Mushrooms) have new variant behavior, which you can discover through clever use of the spellcasting system.
• The Aloha T-Shirt will no longer spawn in chests, as it is somewhat of a joke item. The unusual shop price is meant as a clue to its negative behavior, which "free" chest drops weren't clearly communicating.
• Hit effects on the Player and Enemies have both been enhanced. It should be much easier to see which specific enemy in a crowd landed a hit. The player's damage palette is now custom, rather than fixed to a lighter skin tone, which looked quite odd against certain player palette preferences.

Bug Fixes and Game Balance

• The flail now correctly prioritizes the left (that is, counterclockwise) enemy in all movement directions when the target square is otherwise ambiguous. It was always meant to do this, but the previous weapon slash artwork made it hard to spot the error.
• SFX priority is adjusted, and in particular the coin pickup sound effect should no longer be interrupting more important sounds.
• Enemy HP is lowered across the board. Fighting two-hit enemies with the L1 dagger just felt awful, and this greatly improves the earlygame flow.
• Enemy pathing is optimized and somewhat less stupid thanks to a baked player distance table

Public Build - v0.6 "Souvenir Shop"

Major highlights for the public build include the new loot and economy system, including shops and a nifty chain/combo system which rewards skilled play. There's a new options menu, a frightening level of polish compared to v0.5 "Grasslands", and two new (WIP) songs.

The upstream build of Mesen now supports the Rainbow mapper, and this is also what I use for development, so I recommend this if you plan to play the game locally. The itch embed has been updated with the latest build as usual. Flashcart support is in the works (Soon™) but it's not ready just yet.

Upcoming Plans

For 2025, my primary focus for Tactus will be implementing content, mostly in the form of new enemies, new areas, boss encounters, and the much planned warp-zone mechanic. The goal is to get the game in trailer-shape as soon as possible, start updating the itch page with more professional-looking assets, and begin thinking about marketing and materials. (Zeta is rubbish at marketing.)

The game  is not done of course, but it's at the point where I need to block out a real roadmap and start planning for the project's "end." 😱I've never been here on a personal project before, so this is both exciting and terrifying at the same time. I'll do my best to share that terror with you all.

-Zeta