Hello Cadets!

We've just updated the game with the new localizations: Simplified Chinese, Japanese, and Korean! In addition, we've fixed some minor bugs in some of the already-released localizations, and visual bugs in the Cabin interfaces! Any return on the quality of the localizations is very welcome. :) These should be the last localizations, we're almost there! Thanks to all the players! :D

[ 2024-11-29 18:57:58 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Cadets! We've just updated the open beta with the new localizations: Simplified Chinese, Japanese, and Korean! In addition, we've fixed some minor bugs in some of the localizations already released.

Any feedback on the localizations' quality is welcome. :) These should be the last localizations, we're almost there! Thanks to all the players!

[ 2024-11-22 18:57:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Cadets! The first batch of new languages is here! Takara Cards has been localized for the following languages: French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Spanish, Thai and Turkish! The interface has also been adapted to accommodate the new localizations and has also received readability and visual improvements. Even to improve the readability of the texts on the Steam Deck!

And speaking of Steam Deck, we've updated the engine (Godot) to the newest version of the 3 series (3.6) and with that Steam Deck support has improved even more. Minor improvements and bug fixes:

• Some bugs related to Steam Deck controller support were fixed.
• Added an icon showing the directions the ship MOVES in the card description.
• Slight balancing of XP gains when destroying enemy units. It's now a little easier to evolve your character.

Some translations are still being done but will be added faster, as most of the adjustments needed to support them are already in place. I'm also working on Steam integration and translations. The game is almost ready, thanks for all your support! :D

[ 2024-11-04 20:11:31 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Cadets!

This update moves the game to Godot 3.6, with minor improvements and fixes:

• Fixes for some bugs related to support for Steam Deck controls.
• Added an icon showing the directions the Ship moves in the description of the Cards.
• Slight balancing of XP gain when destroying enemy units. It's now a little easier to level up.

Remember that to access this update, you need to participate in the open BETA by going to the game's properties on Steam. This Beta is already more stable than the main branch of the game, but I decided to wait for the localizations to finish before making it final. Thanks for all the support!

[ 2024-09-20 18:20:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

Another update to our Open Beta:

We've added the last songs needed for the game's release: the Orks' combat music! In addition, French has been added to the supported languages.

Known bugs:

French and Italian have some bugs in the icons in some texts in the game, causing the icons not to appear. This will be fixed by the final release of the localization update. Until the next update, Cadets!

[ 2024-07-18 16:52:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Cadets! Today we have the first of several updates with the game's new localizations: German, Italian, Polish, Spanish, Thai and Turkish! The update is available in the game's Open Beta.

We've done some quick tests with them, and overall everything seems fine. But please understand that we have no knowledge or experience with these languages, so the help of native Cadets is appreciated! Report any language bugs in our sub-forum dedicated to English BUGs (we won't understand if you post in another language).

Known BUGS:

- The Italian translation has bugs. Several of the game's "icons" have been strangely transformed into Chinese characters. This bug will be fixed before the final release of the localizations. Thank you!

[ 2024-06-14 18:10:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Cadets!

Today we have an update with only minor improvements. The game's localization process continues, but it's a game with a LOT of events and texts, which is why it's taking so long. As a bonus, we've made more Community avatars available: You can now choose avatars from ALL races!

Small improvements:

• Event answers now appear in random order.
• Manual now shows total pages.
• Minor interface improvements.
• More ways to earn Elven Glamor added, including when you go to the bar. ;)
• Slightly higher jump cost in Hard Mode (among other balances).
• Minor bug fixes and adjustments.

[ 2024-04-25 21:29:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Cadets! We're delighted to present our latest major update: A new playable race, the Elves!

Born on the moons that circle a planet ruled by rich karma, the most stylish of the Federation's races has the powerful ability to use ANY card in the game. Including cards from OTHER races, except ship weapons! To use cards from other races, Elves spend "Glamour". Glamour can be earned in various combat situations, by making combos or even passing the turn. They pilot the Ballista ship, with has a powerful frontal attack that hits multiple tiles! If the elf has over 6 glamour, this attack hits even enemies on outer tiles. Elves are unlocked after completing the game once, on any difficulty.

12 new cards!

All these new cards come with UNIQUE mechanics. There are 6 new general maneuvers, 2 new Elf-exclusive maneuvers, and 4 new general Equipment.

Other improvements:

• New Music for Cadets "missing in action" added.
• Some cards and Events have been balanced.
• Bug in the draconian ship's internal combat fixed (combat sometimes reset).
• Bugs in the layout of the new interface fonts have been fixed.
• Some minor bugs were fixed.

This is the last major update before the game's "1.0" update: The last two content updates will be Achievements and Localization for other languages, which are already underway. We won't stop making minor improvements, fixes, and balancing changes to the game, anyway. :) Until then, Cadets!

[ 2024-03-25 16:56:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Cadets! This brief update adds support for multiple languages, preparing the game for future localizations.

*This image is just a test made with Google Translate to check the rendering of the fonts! To achieve maximum compatibility, all the fonts used in the interface had to be updated, alongside with several adjustments to the UI. The main adjustment has been to the Cards, which have had their text area expanded:
In general, these adjustments improve the readability of the interface, but if you find any places where the new fonts look strange, post them on the forums! :) Minor changes:

• Added a progress bar in the race selector that shows how many Jumps are left to unlock some races.
• Rich Elf-sized Hammerhead BUG fixed (?!)
• Fixed bugs related to the Cockpit tutorial and new Map.
• Some cards that use Scrap now deal more damage (Mine and Electric Missiles).
• Some minor improvements to the interface.

Until the next update, Cadets!

[ 2024-02-08 19:47:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Happy new cycle Cadets! This year's first update brings three new enemies along with some improvements to the jump generator (combat):

These new units plus some improvements to the procedural generator give more variety to the combat. The units present in each boss have also been slightly altered with these new units. Other minor improvements:

• Minor changes to the Combat Tutorial to make it more instructive and smaller.
• Preliminary work for a future Achievements update.
• Some minor improvements.
• Minor improvements to the card text generator.
• Card Search prices are now fixed.
• "The Magician" reputation bugs fixed.

Thanks to all the players who reported bugs! :) Our next big update should arrive in a month or so. Until then, Cadets!

[ 2024-01-29 18:07:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Cadets!

The third race of Takara Cards are the mystical and shamanic Orks! Their knowledge of the energies of the cosmos (mana) grants them abilities that the other races can only achieve through Equipment... That's why they have more Maneuver cards: There are 21 new cards in the game and 14 of them are exclusive to the Orks!

The Orks pilot the "Staff" ship, which has the most different attack in the Federation: it unleashes a Turret that shoots electric projectiles at every turn. In addition, if the Staff collides with the turret, it gains energy back. They have the power of Mana and that's why many of their maneuvers cost ZERO energy from the ship - they channel energy from their own body!

Other improvements:

• Improvements to the Temple Gossip mechanics. Now whenever the player visits a temple there is an event available.
• Two new Events for Temple Gossip.
• Reputations that give Cards now show them when they are selected.
• Ranks system now gives bonus XP to cadets who get an A grade or higher.
• Overload mechanics adjusted for Dwarves: They now gain more energy than the other races.
• Improved voice audio management.
• Steam Deck shortcut icons fixed and improved.
• Several bugs were fixed.

Our next big update won't arrive until the end of January - the beginning of February. Let's take advantage of the end of the year to rest. We wish all the Cadets happy holidays!

[ 2023-12-21 16:24:36 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Cadets! Our biggest update to date is finally ready! It contains all the improvements from the last few months introduced in the open beta + narration of the main events in English and Portuguese!

Now all the main events in the game (and the final boss) are performed by our friend and actor Theo Valadares. When approaching acting with Theo, we decided on a direction where he would do a mixture of "tabletop RPG narrator and anime/tokusatsu voices". Our friend and singer Bruna Araujo does the ship's voice, which now alerts the Cadet to important messages in the ship's LOG or status.

Hundreds of improvements have been made to the game. To check out the main ones, see our Open Beta posts:

https://steamcommunity.com/games/1932210/announcements/detail/3738607609100568628 https://steamcommunity.com/games/1932210/announcements/detail/3747617344193269704 https://steamcommunity.com/games/1932210/announcements/detail/3812920811259003061

Minor improvements from version 95:

• Volume controls for voices added.
• Option to disable "Advertisements and announcements" from Space Stations.
• Option to disable Spaceship voices.
• Ship advertisements and announcements no longer play randomly in the Cabin, only when opening the store.
• Improvements to the explosion damage system: The player doesn't take as much damage from chain explosions.
• Several small improvements to Events.
• Minor improvements to language and text.
• Dozens of bugs were fixed.

We're still "fine-tuning" some of the game's systems and mechanics, especially the combat/jump generator. But we think this version is already MUCH better than the original game. Any criticism of this update is welcome! :)

Our next big update will be a new Race: The Orks! This update is scheduled for the end of December. See you, Cadets!

[ 2023-11-24 15:03:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

This update contains new Events, minor improvements, and bug fixes.

- New sound effects: Advertisements and announcements are played dynamically in the cockpit. - New Events that better connect with the Map's new systems. - Improvements to the Ejection system and bank debts. - Taverns and minor repairs are now points of interest on the map. - Minor repairs now use the Events interface to interact. - Various improvements to the Map interface. - Improvements to the interface for Gamepad and SteamDeck users. - Tutorial now shows and teaches control shortcuts based on the input chosen. - General balancing of card prices. - Balance in the LevelUp system: Cadet now earns slightly more XP. - Various bugs fixed in the Map system. - Various minor bugs and improvements.

Known bugs and other limitations:

- An exclusive volume for voices has not yet been implemented. This will be present in the final update. - The "infinite mode" (which can be chosen when you finish the game) has a bug where the same stores always appear.

This should be the last update before the final update. We still have a few surprises, but we'll reveal them when the update is announced. The final update is expected in ten days or so. See you later Cadet!

[ 2023-11-10 11:07:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Cadets! It's time to try out the second part of the next BIG update in the OPEN BETA: A new NAVIGATION system!

The game now has a procedural MAP that can be freely explored by the player. The cadet is free to choose when to face the Dragon, which is positioned on one of the Map's stars. After "clearing" a jump point of enemies, the star becomes available for jumps WITHOUT combat. Each jump now consumes 100 Credits indefinitely, even if the bank balance is negative.

Several changes have been made to the game's event and combat systems to make them work with the new Map:

Events and points of interest are more organically integrated into the map and give a sense of exploration that was previously lacking. Combat encounters are shorter and with fewer enemies overall.

Minor improvements:

- Improvements to the Jump generator, combat is a little more varied now. - New HP bar for Mothership units. - Some Reputations have had their mechanics adapted to better integrate with the new Map. - Improved Rank System with yet another multiplier: Clear the Jump of enemies! - Changes to the EMP damage system: Any drone now suffers EMP damage and the value of this is always subtracted from the overall HP of the units hit. - Tutorial and Manual updated with changes to the mechanics and improvements to the text. - Several small improvements to Dragon events. - Some bugs fixed in Card mechanics. - Several minor bugs fixed.

Existing characters should work with the new Map system, but after playing in the Beta, these personas can no longer be used in the previous version. There are still a few details to be worked out before we release this update to all players. Our target for this update is mid-November. Have fun and please let us know what you think of the new mechanics.

[ 2023-10-26 14:01:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

[Hello Cadets! We revealed in the last announcement that we now have a Publisher helping us, GrabTheGames! Thanks to them, we can now allow ourselves to improve some aspects of the game that we'd like to.
We decided to focus on these improvements before finishing the other two races. Despite this, the other two races are still in production by the artists, as most of the changes are mechanics and code.
These improvements come first in the Open Beta, which is now available for all players to use (go to the "Betas" section of the game on Steam). We'd love to hear what players think about these changes! We'll keep the Beta stable, but characters played in the Beta are incompatible with the Current version.

Score and rank system implemented

The first improvements come to the game's Combat. With the exception of dragon bosses (which remain as they were), now a jump only ends when ALL UNITS are defeated and turns are added together instead of subtracted. Along with this, we've implemented a scoring system and Ranks. The Cadet's performance in a jump is measured based on the number of units defeated minus the number of turns spent doing so. A point multiplier system also exists: Didn't take damage in the Jump? Your points are multiplied! Didn't get the score you wanted? You can try (ONCE per Jump) again!

Several changes have been made to the game to make these new mechanics work, including:

• Decrease the number of units per Jump, so that combat doesn't take too long.
• Introduction of a new card that allows the Cadet to leave the Jump just before defeating ALL the units. This card is drawn automatically when there are only 4 units left in the jump.

Now, in most card-giving Events, the player can choose between three options (one of them being a Fetched card). Just like when you level up!

Complete revision of the Event texts. In some cases, the texts have been rewritten!

Minor improvements and changes

• Manual updated with new mechanics and revisions!
• Distances to bosses have been reduced even further. They are now, in order: 5 > 4 > 3 jumps.
• Improvements to the "BreakOff" mechanic: Enemies on the top outside jump to the board when the Jump Stack is empty now.
• Silver Tape card is now an intuitive Reputation and can only be earned this way.
• Reputations that give cards can now be PRESSED to buy these cards in the middle of combat.
• Temple visits now cost a few credits.
• Solar Wind no longer deals DAMAGE and can move the player's attack pieces.
• Several bug fixes.

The next major update will focus on the game's Navigation system and mechanics (the Map!). This major update is scheduled for the end of October - the beginning of September.

[ 2023-10-02 19:24:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Cadets! Today we'd like to announce our partnership with publisher GrabTheGames! They will be helping us with marketing and localization in several languages, among other things!

In practice, this means:

• The game will have a better chance of finding a wider audience on Steam.
• A little more time and resources for the development of the game, resulting in more improvements!
• Finally, a delay (thanks to the improvements and localization) in the release of the final version. We had previously planned to release 1.0 in August/September. Now the plan is to release it at the beginning of 2024.

We're already working on additional improvements to the game, such as mechanics and new Enemy Units:

The next game update should be out in around 10 days! Until then, safe jump!

[ 2023-09-08 16:54:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

We apologize for the delay!

This update was supposed to be out more than ten days ago, but we experienced several delays, including each of the team members falling ill on different days.

Light "story mode" implemented in the Events system:

In addition to the general events that the player encounters, the game also has "fixed" events that appear during the journey to each of the three bosses. These fixed events encountered vary randomly in each Run, and depending on the Cadet's responses, new events can appear afterward.

Third and final Boss implemented:

The first and second bosses are very similar, changing the units that appear and increasing the difficulty from one to the other. The third boss, except its first phase, tests your Cadet in a completely different way: So different that we decided not to reveal anything and leave it as a surprise to whoever manages to get to it! But reaching the last boss is a real test of combat!!! ;)

The game has seven possible endings that vary depending on your actions on the final boss...

"New Run+" mode implemented:

Upon finishing the game, the player can continue playing normally or do a "new run" with the SAME character on Normal or Hard difficulty.

Runs are now slightly shorter and more focused:

There are 7 initial jumps to the first boss. Then 4 and 3 to reach the second and third boss respectively. We feel the game has a better pace this way.

New mechanics:

The Cadet can choose between three Maneuver cards every time he levels up. If "Searching" for a card, one of them will be present on the menu. The "Forced Ejection by the Dragons" mechanic/event now only happens ONCE to the player, acting as a kind of tutorial. In subsequent runs, the invasion occurs directly on the first attempt.

New environment and unit implemented:

The Wind Field environment is filled with Solar Winds, which push both your ship and the other units around! Be careful!

New combat music implemented: Humans now enjoy their own music! :D

Some minor improvements:

• Requirements (number of jumps) to "unlock" Humans lowered, future races will also unlock faster.
• Added dramatic pause when being "pushed", for better visual feedback.
• Various minor improvements to the interface and visual feedback of combat.
• Improved card selection during combat (mouse and touch).
• Knock Three Times card now Moves instead of Swapping with the enemy.
• Slight balancing of some cards (especially Humans).
• Bug where Lucky Stab could be bought in stores fixed.
• Some minor bugs were fixed.

We'd like to thank all of you for your support and patience: your criticism and praise make all the difference to the game. We have lots of other stuff to share, but we'll limit ourselves to saying that the game will have a better chance to improve even more. ;)

[ 2023-08-23 18:03:47 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Federation Cadets!

Today we'd like to update you (again) on the state of the game's development.

The Third Boss update is already in the final testing phase! It turned out to be more complex than we expected and testing it properly has taken time. Also, some of us got sick in the last few weeks, which delayed the update a bit too. The good news is that in addition to the final boss and the "light story mode", we will have other improvements in the game!

One of them is a NEW mechanic:

Your cadet can now choose from Three Maneuver cards when leveling up. If you are Searching for a card, one of them will be present in the choice.

Another piece of good news is that we have already started working on the NEXT big update (after the Boss one):

A third playable race, the Orks! The artwork for this update is already well underway:

Check out the process of our artist, Keiko, painting:

[previewyoutube=esad2cyid_A;full][/previewyoutube] We have a lot of other good surprises to reveal, but today is not the day to do that! Thanks for your patience, in a few days the update should be live. :)

[ 2023-08-09 14:25:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Federation Cadets!

Today we'd like to update you on the state of the game's development.

We are in the middle of development of the last Dragon Boss:

This boss will be VERY DIFFERENT from the previous two... but we want to keep the details a surprise. ;)

Along with the third boss the game will receive a light "story mode":

During the search for the dragons, the Cadet will find specific events (different in each Run) that narrate some consequences of the Dragons' attack. Factions and other beings in the galaxy are slowly realizing that the Federation has been plundered! In addition to these "fixed" events, new events have been created that appear depending on the Cadet's responses and attitudes in the story! This update should arrive at the end of this month, at the beginning of August at the latest.

[ 2023-07-14 14:54:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

- New difficulty mechanics:

Some base units now have a chance to start with more HP and this becomes more common as the Cadet levels up. This mechanic affects all difficulty modes.

- New Hard Mode, selectable at character creation:

When activated, ALL units now have a chance to start with more HP. Cadet ship repair cost is higher as well. (this implementation is an initial sketch for testing)

Minor Improvements:

- Slight balancing at the beginning level of some Maneuvers: Barrel Roll is slightly worse at level 0. Ace Pilot and some other better ones. - Balancing some units to make the game a little more interesting. - "Beholder" unit's side attack now "Pushes" and deals more damage. - "Fire Punch" unit now Moves and Pushes in "zig-zag". - Minor improvements to the text of some cards. - Mission to invade mothership is only activated when selecting a Portal in the Jump interface (STG). - Fixed bug where some cards sometimes did not damage the units of the dragon's mothership.

[ 2023-06-29 14:23:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

New Faction/Store implemented: THE UNICORN EXPRESS!

The largest delivery company in this arm of the galaxy has its name inspired by the animals previously used as jumping engines: The Unicorns! During their jumps, the cadet can now encounter two new types of Units: Unicorn Cargo and Lost Cargo. Both can be delivered to Unicorn drop Stations for credits, but LOST Cargo can be identified and converted into equipment! It's like a Loot Chest!

Other improvements:

• Level UP now requires 500xp more, but leaves 500xp left over every time the cadet evolves.
• Greater consistency when saving Current Sectors: Shops no longer disappear when opening and closing the game.
• Drawing cards from the discard pile mechanic now ALWAYS draws the last card used.
• Balancing to some Human cards.
• Mothership units (such as turrets and engines) can now be attacked by cards that deal damage on the direct tile.
• Some Mothership units now have an "HP bar".
• Attempted balancing on choosing random tiles: Now at least ONE selectable tile must be within the navigable board (in testing).
• Enlarged LOG font for better readability.
• Added to the Codex (in Anatomy of Units) a list about some unit actions (micro-jump, decay, random movement, battery...).
• New entry in the Codex on how Cards are draw during combat.
• Fixed several bugs in selling Equipment. Prices are in line with damage type and Equip state now.
• Fixed bug where Humans were drawing more cards than normal.

[ 2023-06-19 18:44:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Build 89 of the game features the Intuitive Humans as a new playable race! They are unlocked in the character creator once the Cadet defeats the first boss or completes 16 space jumps.

The power of Humans is called Ventura:

Each turn a ventura value is drawn [0, 10% or 20%], this value is added to the Cadet's LUCK attribute and influences several things IN and OUT of combat. With an unusual intuition, humans can almost predict their luck!

The Human ship is called Knife:

She has the most fragile hull of all races, but has more Shields and Batteries capabilities. Also, it's main attack varies with the Ventura value, and can even cost ZERO energy in some situations!

10 new Cards, 7 exclusive to Humans plus 3 general:

New maneuvers have been made exclusively for Humans, who move around the combat board SWITCHING places with their enemies.

Improved Jump interface!

The jump interface has been reorganized, now the jump information is displayed at the top, while details about the landing sector are at the bottom.

Other improvements:

- English text of almost ALL events revised or rewritten. - Reputations that affect race powers now work dynamically for each race. - Reputations that deal cards on the first turn now have a chance to deal the same cards every turn. - More balancing of the cards! - Improvements in the text generator of the summaries of the cards. - Further improvements to Card text rendering. - Some bugs fixed.

And last but not least, we have Avatars available in the Steam interface with paintings of the game's Cadets:

[ 2023-06-12 14:26:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Cadets! Today we would just like to update you on what we are currently working on: A new Race, the Humans!

We are already in the testing phase of Humans. New cards, mechanics and other changes have already been implemented. Our forecast for this update is June 12th. In the meantime, here's a video by artist Keiko showing the process of painting one of the new cards: [previewyoutube=ridEy5-TZLY;full][/previewyoutube]

[ 2023-06-02 17:16:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

- Implemented the second Dragon boss: The elemental of Intuition! - Implemented Toxic Damage System: A Status card is drawn when taking toxic damage. If the cadet has a card in his hand when passing the lathe, he takes damage.
- Three new "toxic" enemies implemented: These enemies only appear in combat after a Cadet defeats the first boss. - New enemy unit mechanic: Detector! One of the new enemies, the Beholder, shoots the Cadet's ship as soon as it crosses its detector lasers. - Ship's cabin now has Music: [previewyoutube=VPJq4uREovU;full][/previewyoutube] - Some minor improvements. - Eye jumper now attacks normally (was side jumper). - Some minor bugs fixed.

[ 2023-05-18 16:31:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

- Improvements to the pace of Enemy turns: Now the action of each unit has more time and is clearer (gif above). - Units now have Max power value set. When they reach this maximum, their number shines. - All Spitter units now rotate backwards if they stand on the last row of the Board. - New effect to make enemies' "Micro-jump" clearer. - Changes and improvements to the design of several cards, including: Basic movement cards revised to improve the flow of the game, now some give 1 shield and others have their movement type changed. Some cards have more movement options. - Some Status cards (EMP damage) now cost zero energy. - New options to disable certain Visual Effects in the game (Brightness, Flicker and Screen Shake) - Many small improvements. - Some memory optimizations in combat. - Fixed bug where status cards were drawn extra when taking damage. - Some small bugs fixed. Known bug (will be fixed in next build): - The attack of the "Side Jumper" unit is disappearing before its time (game is slightly easier for this).

[ 2023-05-11 16:10:50 CET ] [ Original post ]

This update comes with more UI improvements and refinements. In particular the Stores interface.

- New unit: Fire Punches! Missiles sent by the Dragons that push the player when they hit the ship.
- New colors in the COM interface: Now the UI has specific colors for each panel! - Full Controller Support: The game now detects what controller is being used on the start screen, including the Steam Deck! - Mothership invasion mechanic now happens automagically, just destroy one of the Engines. - First encounter with Mothership of Dragons has more turns available (7 > 9). - EMP damage is now always capped at "1". - Damage from explosions is now always capped at "1". - Improvements to the shop interface whenever a "store block" happens. - New icon for Clandestine stores. - Various minor interface and text improvements. - Unit stats now have different colors. - Several improvements to the unit stats UI. - Revision of some more texts of the game. - "Overloadr Capacitors" card no longer generates negative impetus if you have spent all energy using it. - Minor bugs fixed.

[ 2023-05-01 16:19:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

This update continues our focus on improving the game's interface, in particular Card readability!

- Several improvements to the Cards UI, including: Colors in card descriptions. Card text now uses italic font for card prerequisites. Improvements in some texts. Animated effects on Status Cards. - New visuals in the Temple of Mana interface:
- Gamepad / mouse and keyboard detector on start screen. Now the device used to launch the game's splash menu automatically sets the input method. - Cards given by Reputations at the start of the Jump now have the "Pinned" property (card remains in the player's hand when the turn passes). - Influence of pilot's Attributes on cards increased (higher percentages). - Better descriptions about the cycle of karma in the Codex ("Your Journey" topic). - Improvements in the design of some cards. - Code changes in preparation for the Boss update. - Further improvements to in-game localization and texts. - Several minor improvements and bugs fixed.

[ 2023-04-18 20:04:31 CET ] [ Original post ]

This update focuses on improvements based on player feedback on videos posted on social media.

- Prolog event implemented: The Starter Event now gives more options for character creation. - New Federation events on the main quest implemented. - New events implemented. - Completely revised tutorial texts: The text is more objective and cohesive. - Improvements in English localization, mainly of the tutorial. - Better cohesion in game terms: "Mana" is now just called "Energy" (unit nicknames unchanged). - Various interface improvements, such as changing some icons. - Player's ship now ALWAYS gains "booty cargo" Reputation if it has stolen cargo (game no longer "asks" if player want to change). - Various minor improvements. - Some minor bugs fixed. Until the next update, Cadets!

[ 2023-04-13 12:39:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Cadets!

Today we want to announce our plan for the early access major updates. There will be a total of six major updates, in order: [olist]

The Second Boss, the Dragon of Intuition.

A second race, those who ride on luck: Humans.

The Third Boss, the Dragon of Wealth.

A third race - Orks, the alchemists.

Fourth race, the glamorous Elves!

And last but not least: Better Steam integration and more localizations. [/olist] Each race consists of a new ship, new cards, and mechanics specific to that race! Here's a taste of the designs for the next race, the Humans:
Each of these updates should take around 36 days each, give or take: It's difficult to measure the development because some of these contents take longer (and are already in development) than others. But this estimate was made based on the amount of work already done on the game. Among these updates (and between then), we will be adding new Cards, general improvements and new units like this one:
Thanks to everyone who has been playing and criticizing the game! Our next update will have several improvements based on initial feedback from the release. This minor update should be released in a matter of days. See you later, Cadets!

[ 2023-04-11 12:37:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome, Cadets!

Takara Cards is available on Steam! First we would like to announce that the game works great on Steam Deck! To get the full experience, just configure the controls for GAMEPAD / Steam Deck in the options menu: [previewyoutube=apWA8OpsXPk;full][/previewyoutube]

Our next announcement will be about the game's update plans: Detailing the next development steps and how the community can help. Good Journey!

[ 2023-03-30 17:36:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

Early Access release version:

- Two new Reputations added. These can only be earned by defeating the Guts Dragon (killing him or stopping the Mothership peacefully). - New effect animations when earning Karma. - Ejection bug when inside mothership fixed. - Steam Deck compatibility bug when using the right stick to move the cursor fixed. Minor correction (83b): - Bug where "Meditate / Bless Ship" button did nothing fixed.

DEMO:

- Number of Demo saves reduced to 1.

All demo saves work normally in the full version.

[ 2023-03-27 22:48:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

- New mechanics and improvements to the Event system: Events can now be richer, with event sequencing based on pilot response. - Expansion on some existing events. - Polishing and minor improvements to the Boss stage. - First Boss Turn limit changed (30 > 21). - Boss quest instructions are now available in the Karma Codex. (only readable after accepting the mission). - Codex automatically opens on the mission page while facing a Dragon. - New FX indicating Event received in the Log. - Several small improvements to the interface and text. - Some bugs fixed.

The vast majority of these changes do not affect the demo. The demo will be updated shortly before the game launches on the 28th.

[ 2023-03-22 17:53:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

- First boss, "The Gutsy Dragon" implemented. - Curse reputations are now always earned (no pilot choice). - 5 new Curse Reputations! - Improvements to Temple of Mana events. - More "prayer/meditation" type events. - Minor improvements to some card effects. - Some minor bugs fixed. - Godot version updated (3.5.2) DEMO: - Scope of the demo narrowed down a bit, to 7 jumps. (saves are intact and will work in the full version of the game).

[ 2023-03-10 21:21:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

This update completes the changes based on player feedback at Steam Fest:

- Revised movement design of cards on combat. - Revision in movement types of almost all Cards. - Revised "evolutions" of several Maneuver cards. - UI now indicates direction that the ship will go when using the card (see gif). - Event UI textually shows what the player will earn by responding. - ALL event choices that give Karma may also give a random Reputation BASED of the karma in the answer. - Units that have just ENTERED the combat from the top no longer act a second time. - Units now show full POWER value when using the Scanner. - Some adjustments in the mechanics of the board (BREAK OFF now has "combos"). - Adjusted the amount of Scrap left by enemies. - Maneuver manager text tweaks to improve clarity. - Minor adjustments and corrections in several texts. - Attempt to fix: BUG losing focus in store UIs on SteamDeck. - Fixed a bug where the player could be permanently "unable to face the boss" if he closed the game in the middle of the mission to invade the mothership. - Changed Scrap and Mana distribution of all enemies. - Some Scraps now move randomly. - Base scrap values in credits changed. - Player is notified when clearing all combat units. - More response options in "Prayer" Events. - Scrap is no longer destroyed by MANA when colliding. - Several bugs fixed.

DEMO also updated!

Thanks everyone for the comments on the Demo!

[ 2023-02-25 16:30:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

This update focuses on several UI and gameplay improvements based on the return of the Demo and SteamFest. Including:

- Descriptions of some cards improved. - The design of the following cards has been slightly changed to improve clarity and cohesion: fire fart, hug legs, fairy riding. - Scrap and Mana units are no longer "obstacles". - TEST: Removed "Obstacle" effect from all current units. - Indication of "power" of units now PRIMARY INDICATES amount of Damage that it will do at the moment. If the unit deals no damage, it shows overall power. - COM button now flashes if Store Signals are available. - Codex is now accessible in Combat/Jump. - Codex now has a reference table with the main game icons (on the first pages). - Minor changes to pre-made Decks. - 2 new Events. - Various minor improvements. - Minor bugs fixed.

The DEMO has also been updated.

[ 2023-02-16 15:55:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello! Steam Next Fest has come to an end, but the demo of Takara Cards will continue to be available at the very least until its early access launch in March 28th.

We are already working on improvements on the game based on feedbacks we received! Takara Cards is a game with a lot of depth, so refinements to better the clarity of the interface are on its way!

Meanwhile, you might want to watch Retromation have a first look and play the game:

[previewyoutube=IP0nNIgvmSM;full][/previewyoutube] Thanks for all the feedback on the game, we really appreciate it!

[ 2023-02-13 18:53:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Small update:

- 4 new Events. - New Reputations can be acquired in events. - New side buttons to switch between stores in the COM menu. - Some minor changes and improvements to certain events. - Queen now pays a little less for Scrap. - Fixed bugs related to "crashing and banning" purchases in certain stores. - Fixed bug where Cadet would have Reputation withdrawn in clandestine repair shops when he already has "reverseclunkle". - Fixed a bug where clandestine shops paid high prices for Illicit Equipment. - Other minor bugs fixed. DEMO only: - The demo now only has two save slots available.

[ 2023-02-09 16:28:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Live streaming of the gameplay of Takara Cards with the developers on the chat :D

Demo available on the game's store page! Early access to the adventure through Cosmos and Karma will be available on March 28th 2023!

[ 2023-02-08 17:39:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Live streaming of the gameplay of Takara Cards with the developers on the chat :D

Demo available on the game's store page! Early access to the adventure through Cosmos and Karma will be available on March 28th 2023!

[ 2023-02-06 12:47:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Small update:

- Music from the first part of Boss implemented. - Bug where "Thief" Reputation didn't work right after earning it, only in the next sector. - Bug where the game could crash when selecting a Reputation in combat fixed. - Other minor bugs fixed. Known bugs: - "Thief" reputation sometimes does not let the pilot steal cards in certain stores.

[ 2023-02-03 21:24:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

TO EVERYONE PLAYING THE BETA:

This version introduces the first stage of Bosses and this changes some things in the game. The ideal is to create a new character, but current ones should work. - First part of the Guts Dragon boss implemented. - Implemented "Pray" events. - New FX notice of "Last Turn" in combat. - When hovering the mouse over the Equipment card icon, the equivalent card appears. - Equipment cards now have text changed to indicate Damage status. - Cards with specific Tile requirements ("Enemies Only") now contain a clearer description. - Responses from Events that REMOVE reputations now "hang" if pilot doesn't have them. - Ship now only "explodes" with HULL damage. It used to explode from any type of damage. - Reputation Protected by Ninkasi now only adds +1 or -1 shield. - Reputation "expanded_debt" now ensures that Pilot can use his negative balance to repair the ship. - It is possible to use your "bank credit" on events now. - Changes to some KitsuneTV reputations. - Broken equipment cards now have changed text in some shop interfaces. - Various minor improvements. - Fixed bug where Pilot had Reputation deleted by "force change" in cases where he still had spaces for NEW reputations. - Improvements to the visual and sound effects of Clickable Reputations. - Bugs related to Eject fixed. - Various shop bugs related to sales and full equipment fixed. - Fixed some bugs related to "Clickable" Reputations. - Several minor bugs fixed.

[ 2023-01-30 18:58:50 CET ] [ Original post ]

- Implemented "Friends of the Machines" reputation. - Added ability to "force" Reputation on pilots (ignores "swap" Reputation UI). - Changes in some events and systems that give Reputations as game dynamics (Giant Debt and others). Now, they don't "ask" if the pilot wants to change Reputation. - "booty_cargo" and "frequent_kustomer" reputations can no longer be randomly earned in some cases. - Fixed bugs where reputations that trigger upon finishing a JUMP had stopped working (like some Rich Reps). - Small improvements and bugs fixed.

[ 2023-01-21 18:36:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

- New effects indicating the gain of Cards, Reputations, Credits and XP. - Various minor interface improvements.

[ 2023-01-19 14:37:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

TAKARA Cards - Beta 0072:

- LOG now shows Searched Cards when accessing the Search menu. - "Empty" Reputation slots are now represented as Innocuous Karma. - New characters already start with some minor karma. - Pilot gains a little more Karma when responding to Events. - Chance to generate Cursed karma when taking damage. - Duplicated "Shop" events: Now they can appear more than once per adventure. The karmic magnitude of the duplicates is greater. - Updated LOG images (they are more colorful!). - Some improvements and changes to the Game Text to improve cohesion. - More improvements and minor bugs fixed.

[ 2023-01-18 14:21:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

TAKARA Cards - Beta 0071:

- Basic tutorials of the COM and STG Menus implemented. "Search" system also has basic instructions. - Updated semblances with warmer colors. - Some improved Attribute Panel descriptions. - Other minor improvements.

[ 2023-01-13 19:49:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

TAKARA Cards - Beta 0070:

- More revisions and improvements to Tutorial Text. - Pilot gains more minimum Karma when responding to Events. - Tavern detection improvements. - Fixed zero price bugs for cards related to certain Reputations. - Small fixes and tweaks.

[ 2023-01-11 21:11:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

TAKARA Cards - Beta 0069:

- New Reputation Exchange System and UI: When you have 5 reputations, you can exchange one. If the gods have Mercy on your Karma, the reputation to be exchanged will be a Curse. - Some Improvements in the Character Creation Tutorial and Introduction texts. - Attempt to fix bugs related to Tutorial and Hull of the ship. - Base Karmic Magnitude of Reputations is now 5 (was 6). - Events now give more reputations, overall. - Events give "more" karma overall. - New events. - Intro event now has more responses per Karma. - Event System can now GIVE a random Reputation, by type. - Mines now correctly show how much Damage they deal (if they don't have energy). - Some minor improvements.

[ 2023-01-10 19:15:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

TAKARA Cards - Beta 0068:

- System of influence of Equipment Cards by Attributes Implemented. Several Equipment Cards are now influenced. - Overhauled Jump Turn Generator: Max number of turns is now 7 and THREE turns is now possible (previously never rolled). - Destiny System (samsara) now gives preference to events with Magnitude greater than 3. - New jump transition! :D - Relative Corner Tavern implemented: There are three events focused on Search cards, initially. - It is now possible to earn broken Wanted Equips. - Income tax events. - New Intro Events! - Fixed bugs in function to win Search cards (in events). - New tutorial slides, inserted based on test feedback. - Improvements and changes in the Tutorial texts. - Fixed some bugs related to the Mouse on the grid inside the tutorial. - Manual is now accessible at the end of the Tutorial and in the Persona Creation Screen. - Introduction Message in Character creation. - Attributes Screen now informs what each one means when hovering the Mouse over it. - Manual now remembers the page it was on. - Various other minor improvements.

[ 2023-01-06 20:29:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi! A quick update:

The game has come a long way since our last post here, so we've decided to update the game screenshots on the Steam page. These new screenshots show some of Character Creation, Navigation and events! Also, we would like to announce that we are going to participate in the next Steam NextFest, in February! :D We are very happy with the the game and looking forward to getting it into the hands of players. :) Thanks to everyone who added Takara to their wishlist!

[ 2022-12-04 14:08:36 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello, my name is Daniel Pinheiro Lima and I am a production artist at Post Mortem Pixels. On Takara Cards, one of my roles is to help develop the look of the game's interfaces. In this post I want to show a little of the development of what we call the "combat board":
The design development started with a Layout mockup created by Filipe Dilly, game designer of the game.
From this concept I created a series of "mockups" images of the finished interface. These images already brought additions of some features that were being discussed in our production meetings. In the first version I placed two wide margins to suggest a ship cockpit inspired by 80's and 90's movies and anime, a small progress bar between the ship and its destination at the base of the interface, in the lower right corner a music visualizer and a dialog window in the upper right corner. All these elements were removed for good reason: Some were moved to other parts of the game and some didn't add to the game experience.
In later versions the progress bar was replaced by a concept of "links" that we have in the current version of the game. These connections serve to show which elements influence the board or have some connection. I've tried to keep the dialog and music viewer interface, but you can see that these elements make the interface cluttered and distracting and have been removed.
In the following versions I inserted a preview of the cards and made a general adjustment on the position of the buttons and elements for reading the ship's state on the left.

After some versions, which received another cleaning pass on some of the excesses, I felt the need to create a small animation demonstrating how these elements would work within the game. I even added some sound elements: [previewyoutube=ipKIZdFFfXI;full][/previewyoutube] All these versions of the interface design were done in Inkscape, a vector drawing program, with it exporting each interface element to Blender and creating an animation was a very agile process.

With the animation done, Dilly felt confident enough to proceed with the interface design within Godot, the game engine we are using. This same process is used to create and refine all the rest of the interface. I hope you enjoyed this look behind the production. We still have a lot of work to do before launch. We have other posts planned about the interfaces that the game requires, and I also want to talk about my work modeling and animating the ships and effects.

[ 2022-06-21 11:33:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi, my name is Keiko and I am artist and concept artist in Takara Cards!In this post, I will share a little bit behind the visual direction of the game! Like many, I have fond memories of growing up in the 90's and getting in touch with anime for the first time through broadcast TV, They became HUGE here in Brazil where I am from, and everyday at school we would discuss the last episodes: whether Sailor Moon developed a new evolution of her powers, which Zodiac Knight was the strongest, the highlights of the tournament in Yu Yu Hakusho... looking back at that time, it felt like I was in an anime watch club of massive proportions! Watching those series and being able to talk to friends about it and also making new friends because we shared an interest for those animations made everything even more fun! When Filipe Dilly - main game designer of Takara- told me that the visual direction of the game would make reference to the anime of those years, I was thrilled! There is a shared love in the team for tokusatsu and anime of the 80's and 90's, and we keep in mind that it should show in the final result.
Maybe these references will pop out to an attentive eye ;) The idea of creating for this universe in Takara making allusion to the anime of those years keeps me excited throughout the process! Among other visual influences beyond those, one to remember is the video for "Bad Apple!!", part of the soundtrack of the Touhou Project series, which greatly impacted me! [previewyoutube=RNMyjTGGqdY;full][/previewyoutube] If any there are any questions, feel free to leave it in the comments and we'll answer them! Click here to know more about Takara's origins and design! :)

[ 2022-04-23 14:59:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi! My name is Filipe Dilly and I'm the main designer and programmer of Takara Cards. Me and three other people work on the game: Daniel Pinheiro (Animation, Art), Kawakeiko (Art, Concepts) and Rafael Assuno (Music). Takara started with the idea of re-making our first game, NEXT JUMP, on another Engine (Godot) with HD graphics and some design improvements (plus a decent tutorial). The motivation for re-making a game rather than creating a new one was simple: Use this experience to learn and migrate to Godot (from Stencyl), as well as develop a production process between the three of us before making a more complex game. But one Saturday afternoon, inspired by posts from designers making card games using a "regular deck of cards", I decided to make a simplified version of NEXT JUMP:
To my surprise, the game turned out great! Much better than the original, in my opinion. It's also easier to understand (the tutorial was one of the biggest problems with the original game)! I started experimenting with the idea of making a new "incarnation" of NEXT JUMP using cards as an interface, and Takara Cards was born! The current game is more complex and deeper than the prototype above, but some things have remained, like the 3x4 grid:
One of the advantages of cards is the flexibility they give to the game: It is possible to make Equipment much more variable and interesting than before, which was one of the points I wanted to revisit in the original. And speaking of cards, the player have two types of "Decks": Equipment and Maneuvers. Up to six Weapons or Accessories cards can be "equipped" on the Ship and when your Hull drops to zero, the damage starts to hit the Equipment itself! "Breaking" the cards!
Maneuvers cards are the pilot's "skills" and the player can have as many as they want in the Deck. Maneuver cards can also "evolve" as you level up.
These are just a few examples of how different the game is from the original inspiration, but this post is long enough, so I'll end it here. For our next post, we'll talk about the main influences on the game's visuals: Anime from the 80's-90's! :D If you have any questions about the design, particularly how it compares to NEXT JUMP, feel free to ask in the comments below and we'll answer. Until the next post!

[ 2022-04-08 19:48:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi! In our first community announcement, we'd like to share our plans for this year, in particular the game's participation in the upcoming Steam Fest.

But first the current state of the game.

We currently have well-defined and polished combat mechanics and systems, as you can see in our teaser: [previewyoutube=NRoNi6NkaxQ;full][/previewyoutube] We already have seven different enemies ready, dozens of unique cards and all combat mechanics (damage systems, for example) ready. We will continue creating more enemies and cards, but now we're focusing our attention on the game's navigation (map, shops, events...) and RPG (character characteristics, progression...) mechanics and systems:
Our plan for Early Access is to have these systems above working and well defined, mainly lacking variety of types, whether types of events or stores for example. Even though the game is an EA release, we want everything we release to have a certain level of craftsmanship and care. That's why the version we'll be releasing on Steam Fest will focus on the game's combat. We will have few Deck Building and RPG mechanics, but these will be very simple versions of what we want at launch. If you have any questions about the game, don't hesitate! In our next update, we'll talk more about the design roots of the game! See ya!

[ 2022-03-14 17:37:43 CET ] [ Original post ]