With the launch of its Steam page, TacBrain has reached its first public milestone today. Getting to this point and developing an alpha version that I felt was ready for a first public announcement has already taken two years. There have been a few earlier iterations of the game based on a similar concept, although they were not yet fully developed. The basic idea behind TacBrain, however, has existed in one form or another for around ten years. So I am very happy with where development stands today and with finally being able to show the game to the public.
TacBrain grew out of my desire to create a slow-paced RTS focused on small-scale, tactically challenging engagements. It is a solo project, with an Early Access release currently planned for late 2027. The core gameplay loop is already playable, although the number of maps and units is still limited at this stage. That is something I intend to change over the coming months. One of my priorities, for example, will be to add more maps and introduce greater variety in this area.
The game has a deliberately slow pace and is built around a Command-and-Control system. Players cannot issue orders at any time, but instead have to wait for an uplink – a limited communication window. Orders are collected and then transmitted together once the uplink becomes available. This means that players have to plan their decisions ahead of time, while the number of orders they can issue is also limited by Command Points. Of course, all of these restrictions apply to the AI as well.
Uplink Cycle Panel – this is where the player transmits their commands.
Many elements of the missions and battlefields are randomly generated or varied. Players have a rank that they can continuously improve. There is also a scoring system that provides an indication of your performance. Units can gain experience and carry it over into the next mission, which is referred to as a Job in the game.
One thing that is particularly important to me is involving you in the development process. With TacBrain, I do not want this to be just a promise – I want it to become a genuine part of how the game develops. I have my own general ideas about the direction the game should take and about content that I definitely want to add, but the development process is still deliberately open.
You can share your ideas and suggestions directly in the Steam discussions, and I would be very happy to see you take part in shaping the game's further development. I will seriously consider your suggestions and incorporate them where they fit the game. How TacBrain will grow in detail within its core concept is intentionally not yet completely set in stone. I also plan to run polls in the discussion forum to help decide which feature should be developed next.
TacBrain’s main protagonist: the TacticalBot.
And now I am looking forward to your first feedback. Feel free to share it in the forum. What do you think of the trailer and screenshots? Ask questions, share your thoughts and let me know what you would like to see. Once the first reactions have come in, I will start an initial poll on which feature should be prioritized next.
If the concept sounds interesting to you, you can wishlist TacBrain here on Steam. Wishlists are, of course, a big help for a small solo project like this.
Thanks for taking a look at TacBrain.