Knights in Tight Spaces News

Hemmingway famously wrote that "The only kind of writing is rewriting.” That is just as true when refining a game’s design. You never get things exactly right the first time, and the whole of a game development process is a series of concentric, iterative loops - play, test, refine, repeat.

One of the most exciting things about working on Fights in Tight Spaces was building an exciting and dedicated community around the game, and learning from them exactly how they play the game. Not only how it differs from how I and the team play the game, but how it varies between different types of player.

This process began shortly after the game’s announcement when we opened up the game to small number of Alpha testers (some of whom have stuck around and are still part of our Beta program for KITS as well); the depth of their knowledge, their commitment to the game, and their willingness to engage all helped contribute massively to the success of the game when it launched into Early Access.

Then, during Early Access we were able to draw upon a much larger pool of feedback - on our Discord, in the Steam Discussions, by watching reviews and video playthroughs and streams - we were able to see how real people were approaching the game and we were able to make meaningful changes to improve the game at all levels so that our version 1.0 launch could be as good as possible for all the new players that we hoped to attract.



Creating a follow-up as we have done with Knights in Tight Spaces has created its own opportunities and challenges. How do we grow upon the existing base of the game and add meaningful changes but without alienating the people who made it a success in the first place? How do we make the game approachable enough for brand new players whilst creating a challenge for players who already know the ins and outs of how the games’ systems work?

So with that in mind, we’ve been working with players new and old to involve them once again in the “rewriting” phase, with an ongoing series of Closed Betas (and by checking people’s reactions to the game’s Demo as that has progressed). In doing so, once again we find ourselves marvelling at the inventiveness of our players and look forward to reacting to their feedback and observations as we approach launch.

BUT it’s not too late to get involved, we need MORE TESTERS, from across the spectrum of players, particularly brand new players who might be discovering the game for the very first time. So please join our Discord if you haven’t already but more importantly fill in this form and hopefully you’ll be able to join us on this journey.

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Knights in Tight Spaces wouldn’t be true to its name and setting if it didn’t include plenty of arms and armour for the player to make use of. If you’ve played the Demo, you’ll have noticed different Archetypes receiving a number of effects from the new equipment system: more block, damage modifiers, weapon attacks that push folks about.

These effects can easily make the difference between winning and losing a close fight, so we thought we’d quickly go over the essential features of weapons, armour and consumables launching with the game. When heading to the Blacksmith for the first time with a bulging coin purse, keep the following in mind.

[h2]What’s Your Type?[/h2]

There’s more than one way to scrap in our re-imagined 13th-century England as one of several Archetypes. You can be a good ol’ fashioned Brawler, a trained Fighter, a Hunter, Rogue, Cleric or Sorcerer. Each of these has their own equipment slots that vary according to their strengths. To make use of armour, play as a Fighter or Cleric. Ranged players can pick Hunter or Rogue in order to equip a bow. And Magic players can either pick and outright Attuned character or hope they find an item that bestows such abilities later.



You’ll want to manage your party and balance their capabilities carefully. A party with no ranged option leaves you vulnerable on larger boards or against enemies with a bow of their own, while an unarmoured party will feel the sting of their mistakes much more keenly. Weighing up your playstyle and card choices in the context of your party’s Archetypes and abilities adds a new dimension to the design of the game in which your choices off the board can greatly impact your effectiveness on it.

[h2]Weapons[/h2]

The right weapon could help patch up a hole in your deck or help dispatch a hoard of a certain type of enemy. All Archetypes except the hand-to-hand Brawler can equip these.

Maces tend to punish targets with no block, making them effective against Skeletons and the Supernatural, but average against Knights. There are plenty of options for swords, with effects like Poison damage or ignoring block, while Axes offer a variety of effects including increased Combo generation or adding special cards to your deck. Polearms (two-handed weapons), meanwhile, tend to offer a longer range for attacks and can be useful for pushing enemies around the board. There are also some options more suited to the Sorcerer like the Scholar’s Stave, which increases the damage of magic attacks.

For the Hunter and Rogue, a range of Bows offer various options for emphasising either piercing damage or support attacks. Whether your marksman is a main character or a sidekick will dictate which option is best here.



[h2]Armour and Shields[/h2]

It’s worth bearing in mind that as exciting as all those weapons sound, they’ll also be used against you by the noble knights and morally ambiguous ghouls of the realm. When dodging isn’t an option, you’ll be glad of some protection. You’ll have to decide whether to prioritise mitigating some magic damage, protecting against incoming arrows, or hunkering down against swords and fists. If lumbering metal suits don’t sound your speed, there are also some Capes to try that offer some interesting effects at the cost of protection.



[h2]Consumables[/h2]

All classes can carry one consumable, which act as single-use cards in your deck that you draw each turn until used. These cover attack, defence and special abilities and can be used to supplement cards or equipment. Whatever your playstyle, there’s a potion, poultice or suspicious mug of mead to give you an edge in battle. Use these in a pinch to heal or buy you some time or be crafty and wait to combine with your weapon effects for a potent damage modifier or that Combo boost you need to pull off a finisher!

[h2]Keeping Track[/h2]

There are countless combinations of equipment and effects to play with, so don’t worry, you don’t have to remember which characters have which effects active – these will be displayed in the character’s status panel during the fight.

Whatever your equipment choices, these are not set in stone. You can swap out any item on any of your party members from the Inventory screen, accessible from the campaign map. Make sure to pay attention to the location and expected enemies for the next encounter and prepare accordingly.

We’re so excited to put all this new equipment in the hands of players and see what builds you can come up with! Wishlist and follow the game if you haven’t already and jump into the discussions here or on Discord.

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Today marks the beginning of another awesome Steam event: The Turn-Based Carnival, organized by our friends from Acram Digital.



We want to celebrate it with a new behind-the-scenes video for all of you: From Training to Animation, a sneak-peek into the fighting training our animators did to learn how to translate real-life moves to our characters. Hope you enjoy it!

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See our previous devblogs to find out more about Knights in Tight Spaces!

• Dev Blog #1: Thanks For A Great Steam Next Fest!
• Dev Blog #2: Something Wicked This Way Comes
• Dev Blog #3: More Than Cards

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It should probably go without saying, but from the very inception of the franchise, Tight Spaces have been important to us, whether that’s the levels in the games, the names of the games, or marketing ideas that ultimately lead to us dancing in a nightclub toilet.

Controlling the environment is one of the key design pillars of the game and is taken to a whole new level in Knights in Tight Spaces, so here’s a quick 101 on how - and why - to do that.

[h2]Voids[/h2]

The game closely follows action-movie logic and physics, which means that once you throw a bad guy out of the door of a tavern or over the ramparts of a castle - they are gone for good. Out of sight = out of mind!

So the first thing to know about are “voids”, any tile that exists on the board where - if a character is pushed, kicked, or generally manhandled - they are instantly knocked out. But be careful, because voids are just as dangerous to you as they are to enemies, your whole run could be over with a careless placing of your character and an ill-timed enemy push attack.

Positioning the enemies and your own characters in such a way that you can get some easy ring outs is the fastest way to cutting through a large bunch of enemies when the odds get too stacked against you.



[h2]Obstacles[/h2]

Wall, tables, railings, bartops, anvils, you name them, they’re kicking around somewhere. But what do all these things have in common? They are immensely satisfying to smash someone’s head into. If you push an enemy into a wall or obstacle, it does extra damage, that’s a given; if you’re one of those Brawler types then you probably have access to the Head Smash card - a powerful combo finisher that does significant damage to any enemy adjacent to an edge; or perhaps if you just want to look cool, a bunch of wall-based movement attacks give you access to extra damage and extra action-movie flair.

[h2]Enemy Positioning[/h2]

The other action movie rule we live by is that goons… are goons. And once lined up to attack, they are going to attack regardless of who is standing in front of them. In fact, once activated, you can make the enemies - no matter how powerful - unleash their attacks on their colleagues, turn the tide of a battle, and be really satisfying in the process. So before you bother wasting your own punches on an enemy, work out first whether you can make another enemy do it for you, you won’t be disappointed.

[h2]Engagement Range[/h2]

Not everything needs to be up-close-and-personal, different attacks have different ranges and it’s important to remember that when you’re planning your turn: whether it’s opening the space with a Quick Kick to clear the way for a long-range attack, or flipping out of a melee to allow a safe distance for an aimed bow attack, or using an always-justified Flash Kick to deal a chunk of damage and avoiding a Counter response.



[h2]Party Positioning[/h2]

The introduction of the party system has made the whole space-control element of the game even more important. Before you act, think about the consequences of those actions. Can you trigger a Support Attack? Can you move an enemy into a position where another character can effect a ring-out? Or will you accidentally put another party member in danger?

As you control your characters, control the space, and manipulate the enemies to enact your whims, you will learn that it’s no longer just about picking which cards to use in which order, but picking which characters will use them, and how subtle changes in strategy will unlock further tactical options. With a bunch of extra abilities that include indirect targeting, proximity based effects, and new movement options (teleport!), placement within the fight spaces is even more important than ever. And we’re looking forward to you discovering them for the first time!

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It's the last day of Save and Sound, and we want to end with a bang: An special interview with nervous_testpilot, the composer of both Fights and Knights in Tight Spaces soundtracks!

Many of you have asked if he's onboard again for Knights in Tight Spaces, and the answer is YES, of course. In this interview, you'll learn a bit more about his process and how it's been jumping to the Middle Ages while keeping the electronic vibes from FITS.

Oh, and if you have other questions for him, feel free to leave them in the comments! If we gather some more, we may think of a Part 2 of this video or even a live Q&A.

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Btw! Don't forget to check our Save and Sound concert if you haven't done already, and watch our team dancing in tight spaces.

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