※No updates have been made yet. Sorry about that.

“Monthly Nexus” is an article for reporting on recent developments and providing brief announcements about future updates.

※As an experiment, I wrote an article reporting on recent developments. If you would like to see more articles like this in the future, please give this article a high rating. If you don't think articles like this are necessary, please give this article a low rating.

(I will decide whether to continue writing articles like this based on the ratio of each rating.)

【Progress on Chapter 8-4】

Sorry, it looks like it will be extended until around August 10. I have already destroyed the game designer. He is currently respawning.

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This has already been introduced on Twitter and Discord, but here is an overview of Chapter 8-4.

Chapter 8-4: The Tactical Moon of Tradition

◆In this stage, the “inventory system” will be introduced, and orbs, keys, and some special items will be stored in the inventory.

When the inventory is full, you cannot pick up items.

(You can walk over items.)

→However, certain types of keys and items can be held without restriction.

(Keeping the inventory empty to ensure you have items for map transitions, etc., can become overly stressful if done excessively.)

◆As an experiment, “Sunwisher” in a “shop” format similar to 8-1 or 8-3 will appear.

Specifically, some of the instance passives in this stage can be purchased using Sunstone.

(However, the price doubles each time you purchase the same passive.)

→This type of system was previously avoided due to potential conflicts with Legacy, but since the “inventory system” is an extremely unique system, it was decided to implement it experimentally with the goal of increasing customization and enabling various playstyles.

As a restriction, this “shop” Sunwisher can only be used at the start of the game, and the initial inventory size is planned to be 5 or 6 slots.

(Items to increase inventory can be purchased, but the maximum inventory is 18, and inventory expansion items exist on the map in numbers exceeding the maximum inventory.)

◆Silver Sunwisher with ATK and DEF will be implemented.

◆This stage will feature special items that can be stored in the inventory.

(Example: “Life Collar” - While held in the inventory, HP recovery rate increases by 100%, and maximum HP +100,000

“Sword Tablet” - While held in the inventory, ATK +500)

At this time, these items are defined as “Traditional Items.”

◆Each floor of this stage contains an object called a “Traditional Altar.”

By offering a designated “Traditional Item” at a Traditional Altar, you will obtain an Instance Passive with 1.0 to 2.0 times the effect of that Traditional Item.

→Powerful buffs are applied to the player at two timings: when obtaining a Traditional Item and when using a Traditional Item.

◆Using a Traditional Altar requires conditions such as “consuming a key of a specific color” or “defeating Burgeoner (or avoiding it using an Orb).”

◆Initially, moving between maps was planned to consume “turns,” but instead, a different movement system called “Inactive Portals” will be implemented.

→In this stage, all portals (for moving between floors) are “inactive” by default.

“Inactive Portals” can be temporarily activated by consuming the consumable item “Moon's Guidance.”

However, if another “Inactive Portal” is activated, any previously active portals will become inactive.

The number of times “Moon's Guidance” can be used before an activated portal becomes inactive again can be increased via Instance Passive.

◆ An Instance Magic that grants significant status buffs until you move floors by consuming “Moon's Guidance” will be introduced.

(It will be possible to clear high-tier floors early in the stage.)

◆Levels are expected to rise slowly, but stats will inflate significantly.

Specifically, stats can reach six digits, and an Instance Passive that multiplies ATK/DEF by several times through equipment is planned.

◆The map is fairly large, but the number of enemies is low.

→Currently, there are approximately 10–25 enemies per floor. Nexus stages have a higher enemy count.

The map size is planned to be slightly smaller than Rainbow.

◆New items will be introduced as follows:

Sand Of Moon Ocean: Restores 50% of maximum HP. (Maximum 1,000,000 points)

Drop Of Moon Ocean: Restores 25% of maximum HP. (Maximum 5,000,000 points)

【Future Update Plans】

After implementing Chapter 8-4, we plan to implement a new stage called “Chapter 5-0,” followed by Chapter 9-1.

Normally, DLC sales are not conducted until two stages are available, but as mentioned in an article written earlier, all DLC for Chapter 9 and beyond will be sold for $1 each.

Therefore, we have decided to release the Chapter 9 DLC once Chapter 9-1 is completed.　We may be unfairly exploiting players for $1.

After implementing Chapter 9-1, we plan to experiment with either microtransactions, which are the “worthless paid features” mentioned in the article, or selling the Tactical Nexus soundtrack. We wonder how it will turn out.

【Chapter 5-0 Preview】

After implementing Chapter 8-4, we will release Chapter 5-0.

Chapter 5-0 is a new stage that will be included as an update for Chapter 5, which is famous for being “expensive for the amount of content.”

(The new stage will appear at the bottom of the stage list, where “Kawarawari Dojo” currently is, and “Kawarawari Dojo” will be moved to the Special-3 position.)

As indicated by its unique stage number, Chapter 5-0 features a highly distinctive system.

While implementation is still some time away, the system itself is largely finalized, so we will provide an overview of the stage.

Chapter 5-0: Rainbow Tactical Bridge

◆This is a special stage with the following background setting: “After the final day of a certain world, players head toward a place known as the ‘Rainbow Bridge.’”

◆Within this stage, there are five small stages spanning approximately floors 8 to 15.

Players can only play one stage per playthrough, and upon clearing a stage, they will warp to the “Bridge Leading to the Rainbow” area.

◆A unique system includes “shops” like 8-1 and 8-3.

◆A unique system introduces a meta-progression item exclusive to this stage called “World Fragments.”

(Meta-progression refers to benefits like Sunstone that can be obtained even after restarting the game.)

→In each stage of 5-0, fulfilling specific conditions allows you to obtain “World Fragments.”

<World Fragments> can be consumed in stores or converted into Sunstone using the Sunwisher.

◆<World Fragments> and Sunstone can be obtained in small quantities by clearing stages with high scores.

◆Special-tier enemies called <Void> will appear.

◆In the “Bridge to the Rainbow” area, special bosses may appear depending on the player's actions during the stage.

◆A total of 9 unique enemies, including some that have already appeared and others that will appear in future stages, are scheduled to appear in a different form than usual.

◆By fulfilling certain conditions in this stage, you will be able to move between stages under certain conditions.

The clear data (obtained Sunstone) that enables stage-to-stage movement will be obtained via a different score frame than usual.

Chapter 5-0 is a stage created in response to feedback requesting a “smaller, simpler stage,” while maintaining the fun of updating your score to obtain small amounts of Sunstone in a small stage, and also allowing progression to higher-difficulty stages under specific conditions.

Additionally, the Mystic Gate is scheduled to appear.

(It will be placed in either Chapter 8-4 or Chapter 9-1.)

【A sudden monthly article has been released】

Recently, I came across a post on social media that read, “Developers should provide updates on games currently in development. Even if it's just a single line, anything is fine...”

(The article referenced an image from an old post I wrote.)

Most of the text related to TacticalNexus is written by me (the programmer), and I can write as much as I want (quickly) if I try.

However, the issue is that most of what I write ends up being about various experiments that either don't get implemented or start and end under the surface.

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From the developers' perspective, we believe that what players are seeking is more about “game progression.”

However, the work we do on a daily basis leading up to updates is a cycle of “experimentation → abandonment.”

This is something we recently disclosed (or rather, accidentally disclosed) on Discord, but the design of our game system and game balance for Chapter 6 and beyond can be described as “rolling the dice.”

Those of you who have already dedicated a significant portion of your life to this game are likely aware that TacticalNexus was relatively orthodox up to Chapter-5, but it suddenly takes a wild turn starting from Chapter-6.

Specifically, content that completely upends the game's mechanics, such as items that can destroy even unpaved blocks or items that allow the use of orbs in stages prior to Chapter-3, makes its appearance.

This is what is referred to as “Legacy,” “Magic,” or “MysticGate.”

The game essentially takes the brain you've meticulously trained up to Chapter 5 and destroys it with insane content, effectively brainwashing you over hundreds to thousands of hours. Or perhaps it's not a game at all, but a drama.

Interestingly, this system was actually conceived from the very beginning of the game's development, and by this point, our own brains were already shattered.

In Chapter 6 and beyond, chaotic gimmicks and systems that defy description begin to appear in each stage.

Due to the existence of Legacy and magic—systems that intentionally defy the rules established up to that point—we don't bother to establish deep consistency.

As a result, the stages after Chapter 6 have become a chaotic environment where everyone throws out ideas (dice rolls) like, “This might be fun,” and the programmers implement the ones that might be adopted.

Of course, the programmers themselves also throw dice.

That said, this development process is far from normal.

This process of “throwing dice called ideas and repeating it endlessly until a good result comes up” may contribute to the overall progress of the game, but ultimately, the majority of the content ends up being discarded.

Writing articles about such content that is likely to be discarded with enthusiasm could essentially amount to writing fake news, we believe.

Of course, we don't think it's right to remain completely silent just because we're “thinking about various things behind the scenes,” so we do share updates and progress reports on Twitter and Discord.

However, we're struggling to decide whether it's appropriate to write progress reports without updates on this Steam platform.

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In Japan, there is a widely accepted concept that “the personality of the creator of a work of art is separate from the content of the work.”

This concept has various complex meanings, but broadly speaking, it means that “even if a work of art is peaceful in content, the creator may not be a peaceful person,” or “even if a work of art is cruel, the creator may be peaceful and gentle.”

From our perspective, Steam players are generally very friendly people.

I think it's likely that many people enjoy both the games and the creators.

However, this is merely a trend or statistical correlation. There are people who like the work but not the creator, and conversely, there are people who dislike the work but like the creator.

For example, there are people who think, “They're not a bad person, but they're a bit pushy... (They get too close...)” and sometimes want to keep their distance from such people.

Even if they don't go as far as to “reject” them, there are people they don't want to meet when they feel this way, or people they simply avoid. Such people exist in human relationships.

I think there will always be people in life whom you don't wish ill upon, but whom you don't want to get close to, or at least times when you feel that way.

It is difficult for us to judge how far this kind of diary writing on a platform like Steam is acceptable.

The programmer at Team-Nexus is the leader of the team and has the final say, but my approach is not to “say something that most people will agree with,” but rather to “respond in the way I think is best for the individual (changing my attitude by about 180 degrees depending on the person).”

If I judge that “This person is impossible to talk to (if I accommodate their opinion, it will cause bigger problems elsewhere),” I will handle them quite harshly. On the other hand, if I judge that “This person is probably just unable to express their thoughts and likely has deeper considerations,” I will create an atmosphere where they feel comfortable speaking, which may appear (and actually is) overly talkative from an outsider's perspective.

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Such a conversation style that overly adjusts to the individual can be very appealing to some people, but not to others.

(Coincidentally or not, Tactical Nexus also has a similar atmosphere...)

I've mentioned before that Team-Nexus operates in a dictatorial manner, but this kind of “individual-focused” mindset tends to break down as the scale grows.

A communication style overly focused on individual customization is fundamentally akin to the structure of a new religious movement (or perhaps, to some extent, a politician), and this often leads to a tendency where it is treated as high-quality within a narrow space but appears abnormal in public.

This is because such a communication style prioritizes “perfect or complete solutions in each specific situation” over “overall consistency.”

The environment created in this way often tends to be “comfortable for those who are in the right place and fit the atmosphere, but extremely grotesque for those who do not.”

On the other hand, I personally prioritize “extracting the structure and information from the patterns that emerge when momentary completeness is achieved” over “creating content by enhancing consistency.”

For example, when wood catches fire, it burns slowly.　On the other hand, gunpowder, even if it has the same amount of energy as wood, reacts explosively to wood.

This is because the speed at which heat is transmitted differs between wood and gunpowder, and gunpowder heats up more quickly.

The fire from wood may spread to the surrounding area and grow stronger. However, its maximum temperature does not increase, and in most cases, it eventually dies out.

On the other hand, gunpowder explosions are instantaneous but can have a much greater impact than ordinary fires.

Similarly, I have sought to develop technologies based on “powerful chemical reactions triggered by instantaneous synchronization,” focusing on methods that are decisive and only feasible in personal or small community contexts.

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However, Steam articles are considered “public” from our perspective.

As mentioned earlier, for Team-Nexus, which has consistently emphasized a “private” direction, ‘public’ things are the most difficult to handle.

On the other hand, whether Steam articles are truly treated as “public” is ultimately something we cannot judge.

We consider them public, but players may see them as more intimate and friendly.

The ratio of how different these perceptions are is something we won't know until we try.

As mentioned earlier, such perceptions are ultimately a matter of ratio and correlation, but if, for example, over 90% of players are seeking such articles, I personally feel it might be worth pursuing.

【Therefore, whether we will continue the monthly articles remains unclear】

This time, I have written a lengthy explanation of the circumstances, but moving forward, future issues will primarily consist of updates on stage content or trivial updates.

Approximately 70% of the articles will likely be along the lines of “We are incompetent, so we are delaying the release,”

“We delayed because the programmers messed up,” “The game designers are terrible,” or “The Japanese education system failed to teach us how to plan properly.” The remaining 30% or so will likely be about progress updates, player feedback, and various thoughts I have (in the same tone as this article).

If players are interested in these monthly articles, I can certainly write more.

However, we're feeling a bit unsure about whether this is what players in an “update-waiting” state are really looking for.

As I mentioned earlier, if you'd like to see more articles like this in the future, please give this article a high rating. If you don't think this kind of article is necessary, please give it a low rating.

We'll use the statistical data to see the ratio, and if the high ratings are higher, we'll consider writing more articles like this in the future.