Elementyle

Following the last post regarding the bigger picture of what is left for Early Access updates, patch 0.3.0 will be released soon, checking off a few of the items that are outstanding on the Road to Full Release feature list.

Computer Move Engine

This update was not included in the actual list but was touched on previously. During a large server-side update a while back, the move engine was disabled due to architectural changes. This left the computer opponent in a very minimal state, effectively making random moves until it ran out of mana. The new computer move engine is much improved from the previous implementation but still has a ways to go for some piece configurations. There are a lot of new heuristics and board evaluation metrics both generally and for set and piece specific board states.

These changes also include scaling difficulties for the computer based on the selected tyle level. This system necessitated the development of automated testing and simulation modeling which has led to positive results thus far. As the move engine continues to improve and reach player baselines, it can be used alongside real play data to assess balance changes and potential bugs or unintended play pattterns.

Async Matches and Removal of Mixed group

In 0.3.0, the Mixed play group which combined PvE and PvP games is being removed, and a new play method is being introduced: Async Matches. This new play method will allow for more relaxed gameplay without a turn timer, and where players passively play through matches. You will be able to queue for a match, start playing, put the game down, and come back to the match later after your opponent has made their move. There are some restrictions being placed on this play method, namely the number of async matches you can have active at a time. There are also going to be mechanics to prevent stale matches from clogging your async list e.g. if you “nudge” a player they have 24 hours to make a move before you are given the opportunity to forfeit on their behalf. This game mode is restricted to Player vs Player matches as the computer matches require the match runtime for move and board evaluation. The back-end of player vs player matches has been adjusted for both real-time and async to be a “passive” match, which should reduce overall server utilization in place of increased storage / database access. Future updates will improve metrics being gathered and a possible A/B testing of passive vs active matches for metrics analysis.

The addition of this play mode is being prioritized and pushed for further testing and validation now in anticipation of continued development of the Android app version of the game. The eventual goal for the game is the ability to start either a real-time or async match on one platform and pick it back up on the other with little to no interruption.

Replay System

This was another victim of a larger structural change that occurred a while back which is now ready for re-introduction. On the Profile menu, players will be able to download and review their recently played matches move by move. Replays are being automatically cleaned up on the server after a number of days being played to avoid storage bloat. The server-side cleanup does not affect replays you have downloaded.

Mana Values Adjustment

All mana values have been adjusted by 10x, and the Water set effect Flow (New) now triggers when a player has less than 10 mana remaining (previously 0). This change should have a minimal impact on gameplay currently but is being made now to facilitate the changes coming in 0.4.0.

Patch Notes Coming Soon

There are plenty of other minor adjustments and changes coming in 0.3.0, including changes to drop ratios, some UI/UX upgrades, bug fixes, and more. The full patch notes for 0.3.0 should be posted within a week or so with the full release to follow.