Introduction
After an accelerated development timeframe, the Earth set has now been released for testing. Below is an expansion on this final element set, as well as some of the upcoming pieces that will augment this set's playstyle. Additionally, a little info about the final large update that is currently being slated via a look at the current development pipeline.
Earth Set
The final element to be released (purely by chance), Earth offers a unique and dynamic playstyle that depends on positioning and controlling and area. Much like the Wind set, piece placement and move ordering are key to success.
Set Effect Activation: Formation
Formation effects activate when three or more pieces are diagonal from each other. Formation effects trigger in the order they appear in the chain from the start, where the start of the chain is the piece which moved / was placed to form / extend the chain.
Upcoming Pieces / Playstyle and Changes
The Earth set embodies the core design principle: Every set should feel unique.
One way this is accomplished is by targeting thematic impact of effects and strategy. With the starter pieces for Earth, a focus is placed on the impact of creating formations causing some pieces to require a different approach to place in formation again. New pieces in the Earth set will add new layers to the positioning requirements for different effects.
Feedback Menu
New in this update is the Feedback Form. At any time in game, press F1 to open the feedback menu. Select a feedback category and type at least 15 characters to hit submit and have your feedback recorded.
Upcoming Updates / Development Pipeline
Now that all four sets are released, there are a few small updates being planned and worked on while the final major update for 2024 is planned, prepped, and in the coming months tested. The next month or two will consist of small updates that add scattered functionality and quality-of-life as well as any hotfixes and error corrections. Releasing new mechanics almost always results in a few bugs here or there. While there will be client updates, UI changes, etc. the gameplay should remain mostly unchanged unless a significant balance issue is identified. The rest of this year will be effectively preparing for a large set of changes aptly named Community Update 1. This update will be preceded by a set of smaller changes aimed at smoothing the release process and ensuring functionality of underlying systems.
Development Pipeline
Below is a ordered list of the planned updates following this update along the way to the release of Community Update 1. The larger updates in bold will have their own sections below going into more detail. The other updates will also have their own posts as they get closer to release.
- Client Replays and Turn Action Review
- Stats and Achievements 1
- Set Completion Update
- User Profiles and Social Pass 1
- Community Update 1
Set Completion Update
Releasing the Earth set was the biggest gameplay change since the Wind set released and the Set Completion Update will be bigger than both of those changes combined. Featuring a total of 16 pieces being added, 4 per set (2 basic, 1 ultimate, and 1 new piece type, Signature). This update will be released with all pieces available for testing. A number of new effects and statuses are included with these pieces so more stability issues are expected. As this update gets closer, more information regarding these pieces will be released.
Community Update 1
This update will bring sweeping changes to the core of the game, creating a cosmetic system, progress systems, along with a slew of updates affecting player experience and match quality. Changes and systems within this update are long and winding. There's a lot to this update but here's the short of it:
- Nothing affects player power. Community Update systems will focus on progression, cosmetics, and building community features.
- Pieces which are currently available now / coming in the Set Completion Update will be placed into 4 groups: Starter, Extension 1, Extension 2, and Full Core. More info below in the Set Completion Update section.
- Set Progression tied to rewards.
- Everything in the community is generated by the community. No "infinite" purchases for any items. The only items that exist are the ones generated by playing the game.
Conclusion
There is still a lot of work to do for Elementyle. A lot of testing and work is going into ensuring the stability of games and efficient server resource utilization. There are a lot of back-end updates and changes being added to avoid future issues and as a result, there has been a slow-down in actual game content. This release should hopefully change that and add even more variety to the gameplay.
A rework of the server logic was previously under way prior to Steam release. This was delayed and still is being worked on but likely will not be returning until after Community Update 1.
Additionally, social accounts are going to be utilized more effectively and consistently. An official Discord server is currently being set up, and the official Twitch streams are still mostly on schedule (weather permitting). The launch of the Discord server will also include integration with Ko-Fi. A new blog schedule is coming with a pending schedule of 3 posts / week on Mon., Wed., and Fri.