Tactichord: Glam Strategy News

[p]The guitars are tuned and the smoke machine is ready. We're going to do our second private play test starting March 9th. It's time to try out Tactichord: Glam Strategy. This coincides with the Steam #TurnBasedThursdayFest which we're a part of![/p][p][/p][h2]What is a play test?[/h2][p]A game demo is a complete package to give a taste of what the full retail version of the game is like. A play test is less than a demo in that the content is usually more restricted, and it's much earlier in the development process. It's a way for you to try the game while we're still working on it and tell us what works for you and what doesn't. It has bugs. It may crash. But there are certainly fun things to enjoy.[/p][p][/p][p]There are many aspects to help new people all around the world try the game and make it as easy as possible for them to give feedback. So when you start the game you'll get asked if we can use anonymized metrics so we can record where you get stuck, how easy it is to clear the levels, etc. Then we pepper the game with ways to contact us when something goes wrong (or hopefully right!): a couple links to our Discord bugs channel, a way to wishlist the game, a survey where we can collect satisfaction data quantitatively, etc. And we're going to sweeten the deal by giving everyone a chance to win free copies of our other games. 🏆🥇[/p][p][/p][h2]What's new in this play test from the previous one?[/h2][p]A fair amount! All the levels in the previous test have been redone with reduced action points and enemies, so your strategy on how to play will need to be changed significantly. Other new things, bullet list style:[/p]

• [p]two new matches[/p]
• [p]a first pass boss fight[/p]
• [p]overhauled UI all throughout the game[/p]
• [p]reworked playback camera system for more dramatic music videos[/p]
• [p]dozens of bugfixes[/p]
• [p]lots of other things we've forgotten[/p]

[p][/p][h2]How do I join?[/h2][p]To join the play test you need to do only two things:[/p]

1. [p]Hit that "Request Access" button on the store page (see example below) if you haven't already[/p]
2. [p]Watch your email under the period of March 9th-22nd.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Players will get access to the game in batches. Once you get the mail, you'll have at least several days to try it out before the play test period ends the game stops working so we can go back to improving it.[/p][p]Let's have fun together making Tactichord as fabulous as a David Lee Roth karate kick.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]How to get the most out of the play test[/h2]

1. [p]Please accept anonymized reporting when you start up the game and get to the main menu. This helps immensely and does not transmit any personally identifying information. Afterwards, try out the levels in sequence in the stage select menu. You'll get raffle ticket entries for each time you clear the final match, and be entered in leaderboard score competition. [/p]
2. [p]Share bugs and feedback in our special Discord feedback channel.[/p]
3. [p]Submit your Steam username and email address so we can contact you if you win something with this form.[/p]
4. [p]Fill out the survey linked from inside the game when you are done playing to register your raffle entries.[/p]

[p]Thanks for reading. See you March 9th![/p][p]/David[/p]

[h3]Cold winter days and not breaking my neck[/h3][p]This winter in Stockholm it is as it should be: cold, and marginally brighter due to the little light we have reflecting off of snow. The roads and sidewalks are salted, but a month of foot traffic over those snowy paths and the blowing winds have turned all that into about four centimeters of ice covering every place you put your foot. [/p][p]Normally I'm a bike commuter guy, even in winter, but this season I've taken a rare monthly train pass to lower my chances of a total wipeout on ice hard asphalt. So I've had a lot of time to review the daily builds of Tactichord: Glam Strategy on my Steam Deck. Looking at the latest build tonight, a lot has changed in the last two months, so let me tell you all about it![/p][p][/p][h2]Dynamic AP system[/h2][p]Is it feature creep if you take some fundamental part of your game design and make it better? Looking at the full retail version of the game, one thing that struck us was how could we make the game scale? We have a design pillar that the levels have to be short, you should be able to get in and out of almost any tussle in under ten minutes. So we have turn limits, small maps, and 3-4 battles per level. Where do we introduce complexity that guides you to refine your thinking? First off, we decided to add growth to the game. [/p][p][/p][p]Match 3-1, now with 50% fewer children! (and action points)[/p][p]Now the AP (action points) and two health pools (Heat and Cool), grow over time as you complete levels. This means at the beginning of the game (which will be the demo), you will be able to accomplish much less in a turn than later. There is a different kind of challenge in the game where you have a chance for at most two melee attacks before you're out of AP, and only half the health we used in the last play test. It's a different kind of mechanic and you'll need to alter your strategy slightly throughout the course of the game.[/p][h2]Music video camera improvements[/h2][p]As our designer Magnus was redoing all the levels and strategies in the demo levels, I was looking at the music video simulator that celebrates your success in each level. You choose the lyrics and guitar solos turn-by-turn when battle the hordes of music haters. We use an orthographic projection for most of our game to aid visibility in the overhead grid-based view. Our cutscenes also use it to suit our retro style. But the music videos were suffering a little. It didn't really feel like a music video when the lines didn't converge in the background. So we changed to a perspective camera and redid all the shots into three types: full-body, half-body, head shot, replete with new orbits, zooms and pans. It feels a lot more dramatic! On top of this we've added movie overlays to get that classic superimposition that was so much MTV in the era. Epic![/p][p][/p][p]Look at those epic pans! (and Terminator HUD assembly code)[/p][h2]Little usability bits and bobs[/h2][p]There are more usability improvements than I can list here so I'll go with the three that caught my eye in the DONE list of the game task board.[/p][h3]Rank up![/h3][p]Converting haters into fans gets you more heat and cool health. Overfilling your health meters gets you bonus points. Bonus points fill your rank meter and then, you go from C to B and all the way to S+. This wasn't satisfying or noticeable enough so we added some lightning sfx, a cry of "GNARLY!" and a giant ribbon every time you fly past a rank threshold. Most ostentatious![/p][p][/p][h3]Tooltips[/h3][p]There is a wry joke in the office that we've reached the point where we're referring to a feature as "old style" tooltips. And the game isn't even out yet! But now we have those "classic" white popups back over the Action Bar commands, but this time they tell you why you can't pull of a Wail or Perform at the moment, so the space below can simultaneously explain what awesome thing will happen if you fulfill the requirement. Wicked![/p][p][/p][h3]Perform icon[/h3][p]The main form of "attack" in Tactichord is Performing: on your guitar, air drumming, or just shouting into a mic. The old icon was a bit too generic and not quite musical enough, so our new art intern Ella spiced it up. Radical![/p][p][/p][p]The new "Perform" attack just feels more melodious.[/p][h2]What's coming up in March[/h2][p]There is a lot of stuff going on next month. One of the biggest is we'll be in the #TurnBasedThursdayFest here on Steam! To celebrate we'll be running a new playtest that week with all the things I just mentioned above and some more goodies. Now is the time to help us get more people trying the game. Tell your friends![/p][p]March is also the Game Developer's Conference, and since that is the same week as the Turn-based Fest, we'll be dividing the team and Johannes will go to San Francisco to demo the game live there while I do some streaming and run the playtest here in Stockholm.[/p][p]We will also have two new songs for the demo that I am just finishing the lyrics for this week, so look forward to that![/p][p]But before all that, you can help control the direction of these upcoming changes. Queue up for the next playtest now on the Steam page and join our Discord here to get early access and tell us what you think.[/p][p][/p][p]Rock on!
/David[/p]

[h3]Happy holidays rockstars![/h3][p]As I write this I'm sitting at my family home, slippers on the feet and the dulcet tones of a circular saw cutting through building material as they put up a house next door. 2025, and the second year of work on Tactichord: Glam Strategy is coming to an end and I find myself looking at the tail of the task board and thinking about what we've been doing this quarter.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Tests, tests, and more tests[/h2][p]Whereas in 2024 we did in-office user testing, this year we've shown Tactichord in public events more than ten times in Sweden and Japan! How is this possible? From the nerd cruise Moderskeppet Gaming to two appearances at Tokyo Indies, we've put Tactichord in front of gamers and gotten feedback. Just last night at Tokyo Indies I gave a short presentation on all the little adjustments to the UI to try and make it easier to understand and sell the dream of being a real hair metal musician.[/p][p]The tutorial and on-boarding remain a challenge, though showing the game in a noisy conference hall or dark club is extra tough as it's not the best environment for people to be concentrating on a tactical game UI. Should we have more text callouts to explain you can change characters with the D-pad, or is an animated pointy arrow poking at the button glyph a better aid? These are the kind of questions that will always exist.[/p][h2]Pomp and circumstance of prancing[/h2][p]Looking at screenshots of the game from when we announced in January to now, you can see all kinds of little changes we made based on those public play tests.[/p][p]DId you ever play those games as a child where you need to find all the differences between two images? Admittedly here there are two different levels being shown, but looking at the 2D UI you can see how the character selector moved closer to the resource meter/points cluster, the panels are color-coded, and contrast has been increased in lots of little key places. Now your progress to the next rank can be seen at any time during the level. This is a big thing if you're playing for points![/p][p][/p][p]Not quite as helpful but definitely cool, the power move transition animations now have floating giongo (onomatopoeia) sound words, lightning, and a tighter camera crop. Go Joey![/p][p]
As one final example, in terms of both style and substance we acted on feedback that players didn't understand the lyrical choices they were making, that they were important, and how they fit together. In a redesigned interface reminiscent of liner notes inside of CD covers you can now see your choices in the previous turns. This also gave an opportunity to add more shine on the character when choosing: a very tight shot, colored spotlights, and individual hot/cool poses for each musical choice you make. Sick![/p][p][/p][h2]More in store in 2026[/h2][p]So now we're moving into year three of the development of Tactichord: Glam Strategy. What's coming? Here are some things in the next quarter to whet your appetite.[/p]

• [p]More crazy costumes![/p]
• [p]Playback music video camera improvements and camcorder overlays[/p]
• [p]Boss fights[/p]
• [p]A public demo![/p]

[p]But before that last one, you can help control the direction of those upcoming changes. Queue up for the next playtest now on the Steam page and join our Discord here to get early access and tell us what you think.[/p][p][/p][p]We've survived to '25, so now it's time to do some karate kicks in '26! (I'm accepting suggestions for an improvement on that tagline).[/p][p]良いお年を！[/p][p]/David[/p]

[p]One more event for Stockholm area gamers, we'll be joining Indie Game Dungeon November 7th in Södermalm showing off the latest tweaks to our work in progress demo. If you're in the area come on by and try out Tactichord with more than 12 other local Indies showing their early playable prototypes.[/p][p][/p][p]Register to join here: [/p][p]https://dataspelsbranschen.confetti.events/indie-game-dungeon-32[/p][p][/p][p]Can't make it to Stockholm? We are currently running a private beta test remotely via Steam! Join our Discord and contact us there to get a chance to play the game before the general public and let us know what you think: http://151a.games/discord[/p][p][/p][p]Keep on rockin'![/p][p]/David[/p]

[h3]Hey-lo rockstars![/h3][p][/p][p]This weekend is the beginning of our 10-day Tactichord: Glam Strategy alpha playtest so to start things off on the right note I'll be doing a short livestream Saturrday night talking a little bit about the game and the playtest itself, so you have all the info you need to get the most out of the play period and maximize your chances to win one of our fabulous prizes![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]I'll be streaming here on Steam itself so click on that big blue "Set a Reminder" button to the right to let you know when things get started. I may also perhaps beYouTube as well if I can get the broadcast setup working. If you have any questions about the game, the design, art style, or music inspirations I'm happy to give you the inside scoop. Directly after the stream at 8:00 EDT I'll hop over to join streamer (and Tactichord story writer) Let's Play With Brigands where we'll do a short play of the game together.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]So before you head out for trick or treating tune in this Saturday, November 1st at 19:30 EDT / 16:30 Pacific for a little peak behind the curtain of gamedev.[/p][p][/p][p]See you soon![/p][p]/David[/p]