Title:
Final Three Playtest — V2 Update
Tone:
- Exciting but not overhyped
- Clear and easy to scan
- Written like an indie developer speaking directly to playtesters
- Avoid technical/developer terminology
- Do not mention Codex, Godot, Git, branches, build IDs, internal files, or implementation details
- Do not make it excessively long
- Use clear section headings and concise bullet points
- Finish by encouraging testers to send feedback about progression, difficulty, House Rules and anything that feels confusing or unbalanced
Include these changes:
PROGRESSION & COLLECTION
- Added a major new long-term progression system
- Player progression now runs through a Level 1–50 reward track
- Levelling is intentionally much slower so reaching the highest levels should take hundreds of matches
- Players can look ahead and see future rewards
- Rewards include avatars, coins, XP and future trinkets
- The generic +50 coins every level has been replaced by specific level rewards
- Added a Collection screen
- Avatars can now be viewed and equipped whenever the player wants
- Only four avatars are available from the start
- The Mercenary unlocks after completing the first proper Classic match
- The Witch unlocks after completing the first Tavern Rules match
- Added many new unlockable avatars throughout the progression track
- The Jack, Queen and King are prestigious late-game unlocks, with The King at Level 50
- Added the foundation for collectible/equippable table trinkets with four table slots
TAVERN RULES — BACK ROOM
- Reworked the Back Room into a proper progression experience
- Added sequential opponents:
Billy the Beginner
Mags the Regular
The Rogue
The Landlord
- Opponents unlock as previous rivals are defeated
- Each opponent has a different AI personality and difficulty
- The Landlord acts as the Back Room Champion
- Added dedicated artwork for Billy and The Landlord
- Added House Rule selection before Back Room games
- Three random House Rules are offered and the player chooses one
HOUSE RULES
Include these six:
- Bonfire Night — three matching effective ranks burn instead of four
- Lucky Seven — escaping a 7 with a 2 or 10 grants another turn
- Wild Threes — Transparent 3s now have a 50/50 chance to transform; if they fail and the resulting 3 is illegal, the player takes the Pile
- Dealer's Mercy — one optional starting-hand redraw before READY
- Tavern Brawl — burning the Pile forces the opponent to draw an extra card while cards remain
- Double Down — playing a matching group of two or more grants another turn
AI
- Improved Tavern opponent AI
- Opponents now have different play styles rather than simply using the same behaviour
- Stronger opponents make better use of specials, burns, visible information and House Rules
- AI still plays fairly and does not see hidden cards
ECONOMY / DIFFICULTY
- Back Room wins now give a smaller, more controlled coin reward
- Losses now matter more
- Different opponents award different XP
- First-time opponent victories have special rewards
- Progression should now feel much less rushed
HOME SCREEN
- Redesigned the Home screen to reduce clutter
- Player avatar/profile area is larger and more prominent
- Added clearer Level, XP and Next Reward information
- Simplified Tavern Challenges presentation
- Kept Daily Goals but cleaned up their layout
- Updated major UI text/buttons to use the new Metamorphous fantasy-style font
QUALITY OF LIFE
- Added Windowed / Fullscreen options
- Fullscreen is the default for new players
- Display preference is remembered
- Alt+Enter toggles Windowed / Fullscreen
- Added a live remaining-card counter beside the draw deck
- Added a ROOMS button to Tavern Rules results so players can return directly to room selection
- Improved opponent portrait sizing and UI spacing
- Fixed several text-overflow and layout issues
- Improved player profile positioning during matches so large hands do not overlap it
This update changes a lot of the progression and Tavern Rules experience, so feedback is especially useful. Let me know which House Rules you enjoy, whether the new opponents feel appropriately difficult, how the new progression pace feels, and anything that still feels confusing or unfinished.