Elementyle patch 0.3.0 has been released and is available for play.
This update focuses on key updates to the gameplay methods, computer move engine rework, UI cleanup and standardization, another balance pass at the Water set, and a number of other QoL changes.
Async PvP
Added new Play Mode selection with two options – Realtime and Async.
Async lets you play turns without staying connected for the whole match, with the turn timer disabled.
Queuing for an async match survives player logout.
You can be placed in an async match while logged out /offline.
Async is currently available for Player vs Player only.
You may have a maximum of 3 async matches at once.
Players can nudge their opponent after 24 hours since the last turn end.
Players who have nudged their opponent can forfeit the match on their behalf 24 hours after nudging them.
Replays and Turn Action Review
The replay system has been re-enabled.
Both replay playback and action review panels are more reliable.
Reconnecting to a match in progress should more reliably restore action review panel.
Mana Update
Mana values across the game have been updated to be 10 times larger than before.
This change is being made now to prepare for future changes coming in 0.4.0 which will require more intricate mana management.
Water – Flow Change
For the Water set, The Flow (Full) and Flow (Eclipse) triggers are still the same (spending your first mana crystal and spending no mana to act respectively).
Flow (New) has been adjusted to trigger when an action leaves you with less than 10 mana (previously when you had no mana remaining).
Ability and Balance Changes
Water
Swelling Current
Awaken: If this piece was dormant, claim 3 nearby tiles randomly. This piece does not cost mana to move this turn.
Undertow
Awaken: If this piece was dormant, claim two one nearby tiles randomly. This piece does not cost mana to move this turn.
Wrath of the Drowned
*New* Aura: Whenever any piece is captured or destroyed, trigger this piece’s capture effect.
Tidesage Oseptes
Fortify (old): Expend 2 effect counters to grant a random friendly piece in range 2 a free action status for 2 turns.
Fortify (new): Expend 2 effect counters total and 10 mana per piece affected to grant random friendly pieces in range 2 a free action status for 2 turns. Must have two effect counters and at least one friendly piece in range 2 to activate.
Cyy, Water Incarnate
Fortify (old): This piece does not consume mana to fortify but consumes all effect counters; must have at least one effect counter to activate. If this piece has more counters than you have mana, set your mana equal to this piece’s effect counters; otherwise, randomly claim 1 tile on the board per mana and set your current mana to 3.
Fortify (new): This piece does not consume mana to fortify but consumes all effect counters; must have at least one effect counter to activate. If this piece’s effect counters multiplied by 10 is greater than your mana, set your mana equal to this piece’s effect counters multiplied by 10; otherwise, randomly claim 1 tile on the board per 7 mana, then set your current mana to 30.
Tyles and Items
Fixed an issue where tyle modifiers could sometimes incorrectly roll onto items in a way that did not correctly adhere to the (modid, tier, slottype) tuple rules.
Tiles should only be able to roll one copy of a given modid at a given tier for a specified slot (e.g. you cannot roll 2 prefix modifiers of the same modid and tier).
Rune of Divination can no longer reroll the tyle grade.
Adjusted the drop rate at which Superior level tyles drop Standard and Regulation grades.
Piece-limit, mana, starting tile, and first piece play reduction modifiers have been reduced across all tiers, and most can no longer roll Tier 4 modifiers.
The Items menu has been restructured to be more versatile for future updates.
Computer Move Engine
When moving to 0.2, the computer move engine was disabled and the computer opponent was left making random moves for every match. With 0.3.0, the computer move engine has been completely reworked and re-enabled.
The computer has finally figured out how to use Fortify.
Tyle level (Lesser, Greater, Superior, Ultimate) changes the move engine configuration to increase the capability and difficulty of the computer opponent. Expect higher level tyles to offer a more difficult opponent when playing the computer.
Computer matches can be saved and resumed at a later time. You may only have one active computer match at this time.
UI Rework and Standardization
Another pass has been made to standardize the look and feel of the UI across all aspects of the project.
Many free-floating UI elements (stats menu in-game for example) have been repackaged and reorganized.
In-game UI should not slide / move as data is populated.
Controller Input
More work has been pushed to production for controller input. There are still a few places which need additional work and cleaning and controller input has not reached full support yet.
If there is any feedback on controller usability it is appreciated and helps to prioritize it moving forward.
Quality of Life
Maintenance and shutdown messaging should be more prompt and not result in stale toast notifications.
Replay list sorting and metadata displayed has been improved.
Piece hover/select lift should no longer results in pieces landing slightly higher or lower than intended.
Fixed a rare server crash when opening the Items menu.
Turn timer is now correctly sent in board restore messages to retain synchronization after rejoining.
Developer Notes
The Async matches have undergone limited testing but should be stable enough for release. In the event there are irreconcilable issues with the async matches upon release, they will be disabled if needed.
Async PvP is being released now in anticipation of an Android app release in the future. Current development focus is directed at finalizing major game features before new platform support is prioritized.
The release of 0.3.0 includes a full economy, item, and stat reset. There were a number of breaking changes made to the item system this update in anticipation of 0.4.0 not requiring a reset.
0.3.0 has had a number of late-stage developments and changes, especially related to UI updates which may require additional tuning.
Patch cycle for 0.3.0 is expected to be extremely narrow. There are a lot of major changes coming for 0.4.0, but they could not begin development until 0.3.0 was released. Primary release candidates for 0.3.0 are hotfixes, bugs, and crashes.
Hotfixes
0.3.0.2
Fixed an issue where desynchronized metadata and piece selection data could result in broken gameplay (illegal move invalidation).
0.3.0.3
Fixed an issue with player statuses not displaying correctly.
Fixed an issue where Swelling Current's free move status from Awaken was lasting longer than intended.
0.3.0.4
Another fix for player statuses not displaying correctly / being cut off. Statuses can now be hovered to see their full text in tooltip.
Fixed an issue where Cyy, Water Incarnate was not correctly gaining counters when all flow effects were triggered.
Adjusted Action Turn review to be more robust in layout to prevent shifting text and uneven messages. Now uses a shorthand for display with full text available on hover.
Fixed an issue where the controller board cursor was not able to be moved.
Available piece moves should now update when the opponent ends their turn and you have a piece selected that can move.
0.3.0.5
ELO Range is no longer selectable when playing versus computer.
Leaving a computer match no longer shows a toast menu to rejoin. Computer matches can be rejoined or forfeited via the Matches menu.
Fixed an issue causing some tyle modifiers to be inconsistently formatted.
0.3.0.6
Fixed layout of tyle selection in play menu to be more visible and similar to Items menu.
Fixed a bug where piece names and move shapes were not displaying correctly.
Fixed a bug where Wrath of the Drowned was not triggering the second part of its capture effect if it was the capturing piece.
Fixed the Runes and Inventory views in the Items menu not being selectable.
0.3.0.6b (server-only)
Fixed an issue where starting mana tyle modifiers were not applying consistently.
Fixed an issue where rejoining a stored computer match would instantly close for being empty and prevent the player from joining.