Hello there! Were thrilled to announce that an update to the current Into The Grid demo is now livenow with full support for Brazilian Portuguese! This exciting update arrives just in time to celebrate the start of BIG Festival / Gamescom Latam in So Paulo! Were incredibly honored that Into The Grid has been selected as one of just 20 games featured in the World Panorama exhibition at the event.
As always, wed love to hear your thoughts, your feedback means the world to us. And stay tuned, theres more exciting news coming your way very soon!

[ 2025-04-30 13:33:06 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! Time to share some news before the big demo update coming in late May! First of all, the Strategems Fest is happening right now, featuring some amazing strategy gamesincluding our friends developing Northwind! Take a moment to check out their demo. Theyre doing some really interesting things, like avoiding defense cards altogether and using a clever system for gaining mana/energy. It's worth a shottrust me! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1476400/Northwind/

Now the news!

Upcoming festivals!

Were super thrilled to have a cool line-up of festivals coming up to boost the visibility of Into The Grid!

• Gamescom Latam World Panorama Starting April 30.
• Indie Assemble Starting May 5.
• Best Indie Games Summer Showcase Starting June 3.
• Turn-based Festival Starting June 5.
• Steam Next Fest Starting June 9.

Hopefully, a few more will get confirmed along the way!

New Localizations coming up!

In preparation for Gamescom Latam (which takes place in Brazil), well be releasing a demo update with Brazilian Portuguese language support! :) Right after Gamescom, well also be adding Traditional Chinese and Japanese! And with the NEW demo launching in late May, well also add Korean!

Work towards the new Demo

The team is working non-stop (quite literally!) to get the new demo ready in time for Next Fest. As we mentioned before, this update will be MASSIVEthe most ambitious thing weve built to date.

• Map going full 3D and several times bigger.
• New in-game shop.
• New node types.
• Card upgrading.
• New cards.
• New enemy models & abilities.
• Introduction of the "Enemy Peripherals".
• Introduction of "Map Skills".
• New combat scenarios and camera effects.
• Updated UI.

Find below some very raw work-in-progress sneak peeksjust for your eyes ;) Be advised: lots of visual effects are missing, and some elements are placeholders! Accessing the shop
Using "Enhancers" to reroll shop content
Spidertank new model & animation
And thats all for nowIm saving a few more goodies for later. See you around!

[ 2025-04-22 08:07:36 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! Were excited to kick off the Earth Appreciation Festival! Alongside our fellow deckbuilder devs working on Northwind, were supporting each other through our upcoming events. To celebrate, weve put together a special showcase video with never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage from our upcoming demo update! Check it out: [previewyoutube=JQ6tGyyP-Y0;full][/previewyoutube] Don't miss the full showcase on the festival page! Speaking of deckbuilders made with love, why don't you give Northwind's demo a try? https://store.steampowered.com/app/1476400/Northwind/?utm_source=itgannouncement Lets keep supporting deckbuildersthe more, the merrier! See you soon with more exciting updates! The Flatline Team

[ 2025-04-01 17:06:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Runners! We're thrilled to update the Demo once again, this time with some visual improvements. Aside from the Patch, we want to thank again to all the players that are trying the Demo, leaving reviews and creating content. We have hit 30 positive reviews out of 30 total, a 100% Positive ratio! The constant positive feedback we are getting from you all is motivating us every step of the way, as we continue the development efforts towards the Early Access Release next year. We will also keep updating the Demo with tweaks, fixes and aesthetic improvements (both visual and sound).

ITG DEMO v1.1.6 - PATCH NOTES

New widget for Passive Directives!

Reworked the Subroutines widget to be easier to read and to show the Action Name.

Solved a Unity upscaling issue with Card Art that was creating some pixelated artifacts on them. Now they look way smoother! We also updated the art of some cards. Make some runs to discover them!

Added new steps and highlights to the Tutorial, to make the use of the Icebreaker on the Watcher easier to understand.

Tweaked some Battle Tutorial texts to be more effective.

[ 2024-12-03 17:34:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! First of all, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has tried out our demo and those who created content around it. Your support and enthusiasm mean the world to us! We're incredibly proud of what we've achieved with this demo. Seeing players dive in, explore every detail, and share their experiences has been truly rewarding. Your feedback has been invaluable, and the excitement reflected in your positive reviews motivates us to keep pushing forward.

China WePlay Expo :china:

Along with this patch, we're excited to announce our participation in the China WePlay Expo this weekend! This marks a major step in bringing our game to the passionate Chinese fans of the genre. To celebrate and prepare for this milestone, we've included full Simplified Chinese localization in this update, ensuring a seamless experience for our growing community.
Thanks again to everyone for being part of this journey with us. Now, let's dive into the details!

ITG DEMO v1.1.3 - PATCH NOTES

Localization and New Content

• Complete Simplified Chinese localization :china:
• Added localization for all enemy names in both Spanish and Chinese.
• New enemy model for Datasucker/Datalich.

Balance Changes

• Baribal's Practice Grid has been rebalanced to be easier.
• Grind Server has been rebalanced to be harder than the rebalanced Bariba'sl Practice Grid.
• Tutorial enemies now have less HP to make the experience more agile and concise.
• Datalich now performs the "Charge a powerful attack" subroutine before making his ultimate attack.
• Some minor enemy subroutines tweaks and fixes.

UI and System Improvements

• Cards with Conditional Effects now have animation and highlight in hand when the condition is met.
• Fixed a bug that was disabling lights on combat, now every ICE should look as cool as we designed them to be!
• Added Tooltips to Command Selection Screen.
• Added Tooltips to Glitch Selection Screen.
• Added some missing Tooltips for Statuses.
• Corrected Ping-U Protocol status color.
• Added a bit of cooldown to some SFXs to smooth their stacking.
• Fixed a bug in which Gates' tooltip would not readjust to the top of the screen.
• The game now creates a backup of your save file; if it gets corrupted, it will roll back to the previous version.
  
  [ 2024-11-15 20:46:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

[h5]Hello Runners! The moment has arrived, Into The Grid's Demo is now LIVE! What can you do now?[/h5]

• Go play the Demo!
• Leave us a honest review.
• Leave us feedback on the Steam Forums (link inside the game)
• Pass by our Discord Server, say hi and share your thoughts.
• Go tell your favorite streamer / content creator.
• Tell your friends, family, lovers and everyone!

[h5]We hope you enjoy is as much as we enjoyed developing it![/h5]

See you all in The Grid!

[ 2024-11-11 23:58:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

[h5]Hello Runners, its time for another Development Update! In this edition, we are covering our findings from the last Playtest Round and the decisions we make for the upcoming Demo. Lets jump into it, shall we?[/h5]
[h5]First of all, we want to thank everyone who participated in this test round; from the bottom of our hearts, THANKS! The feedback you provided was paramount to guide our next efforts and prioritize whats best for the game and its upcoming Demo. Here are some stats

• 1,000+ players in 1 week.
• Almost 200 daily active players avg.
• 80+ Feedback Surveys submitted in 2 days.
• 5 live moderated sessions in 3 days.
• 500+ new Wishlists.

And some of the survey results

• Overall experience rating: above 4 stars (out of 5).
• 93% of the respondents have played a Roguelike Deckbuilder before.
• 58% said they did it a lot.
• 88% of the respondents agreed that the current state of the game makes them excited about whats to come, and they should!

[/h5]
[h5]A lot of things! We analyzed the feedback from all sources (interviews, surveys, Steam forums, and Discord) and ordered them by how often they were mentioned and the impact they have on gameplay. We mainly noticed that the improvement opportunities are located in three places: The Trace system, the tutorial, and the game balance. All these are intertwined, as the game is both difficult and complex but also was unbalanced and incorrectly explained. On a brighter note, we learned that the new mechanics we are introducing (the VIM/Commands System, the Node Map, the Trace system, and the complex enemies with varied effects) are appealing and engaging, and people enjoyed them a lot! So, with all that in mind, we started to work on the changes for the upcoming demo.[/h5]
[h5]We went back to the drawing board, made some decisions, and started executing them. At this point, we can share the following information:

• The Demo release date has been moved one week to November 11.
• The Demo will include a brand new Tutorial, separated from the storyline.
• The Demo will include a Storyline with an intro before jumping Into The Grid (see what I did there?).
  
• Most cards will be rebalanced to make a more clear differentiation between the initial cards (which are supposed to be kinda weak) and the reward cards you obtain during the run.
• Card drop rates will be adjusted to showcase more card variety (we have over 80 cards!)
• New Node types will be introduced, including one that allows removing cards from the deck!
• The Trace System will be adjusted, as well as how some of the Watcher ICE works.
• Visual/Animation improvements will be added to the Node Map to make more clear where Clusters begin and end and what things are affecting them.

These are just adjustments done based on our learning from the playtest. On top of that you can expect: more SFX, more VFX, more enemies (models and abilities), more Commands, more of everything! And, of course, the plan is to keep expanding the demo frequently with more content and new mechanics that are already designed but not yet implemented.[/h5]
[h5]And thats all for now! We are eager to show you all the cool stuff we are working on and for you to take another dive Into The Grid![/h5]

[ 2024-11-01 15:30:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

In around 5 hours from this post we will close the Feedback Survey.

[quote][h5] You will still be able to play for a few more days, and discuss in our Discord Server or here in the Steam Forums [/h5] [/quote] [h5] We are amazed by the participation and already went through over 70 surveys, and we keep getting a new one every few minutes! At this point, we have a very clear understanding of the next steps leading towards the demo launch. In the upcoming days we will share some of the insights we found from this process for those of you which are curious. On behalf of the entire Flatline team, our most sincerely THANK YOU![/h5]

[ 2024-10-27 12:51:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

[h5]Hello Runners! It's time for another development update! Without further ado, lets dive in![/h5]
[h5]Our next playtest round is right around the corner, and it's going to be the biggest to date, both in terms of content and players. The playtest will include brand new map exploration mechanics along with many visual and mechanical redesignsit's the full loop! [quote]It will run from Friday, October 25, through Sunday, October 27that's the upcoming weekend![/quote] Don't miss the chance to be part of it! Complete this form to apply for the live sessions with the team and get rewarded with a game key, or use the "Join the Playtest" button on our page to be part of the general round and play at your own pace.[/h5]

[h5]Right after the playtest round is over, we will return to coding furiously to implement improvements gathered from your feedback. We will fix bugs and add any animations, sounds, and visual effects that may be missing in order to get that build polished and ready to be released as our first public demo! [quote]We expect that to happen on Monday, November 4![/quote] We will continue updating the demo with new content and features until we reach the Early Access release. You can take a look at what the demo will include on our Demo Page:[/h5] https://store.steampowered.com/app/3132890/Into_The_Grid_Demo/

We hope to see you all on that important date to celebrate this huge milestone with us!

[ 2024-10-22 09:53:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

[h5]Hi Runners! Event season is just kicking in for Into The Grid, and the first is a very very special one! We have been selected to be part of the 2024 edition of EVA Play, the biggest gaming event in Argentina, happening in our hometown of Buenos Aires. [previewyoutube=JW7VWhgybbY;full][/previewyoutube] We are also super proud of being nominated for the Best Design Award!
Come join us in our first in-person event ever and be among the first to try a pre-Demo version of Into The Grid! See you all there! [/h5]

[ 2024-10-21 12:31:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

[h5]Hello Runners! Its been some time since our last update and a lot has happened. Let's take a moment to review the news. Lets go![/h5]
[h5]Based on our latest estimations, we adjusted some of our date ranges. The most relevant points are:

• New playtests happening around September.
• The demo releasing between October and November.
• The Early Access launch happening in Q1 2025, after Februarys Steam Next Fest.

1Playtest Round: UI Redesign (Sep)* 2Playtest Round: Map Exploration (Sep)* 3Demo Launch (Oct-Nov) 4Steam Next Fest (Feb 2025) 5Early Access Release (Feb-Mar 2025) 62nd Character Release: The Maker (TBD)[/h5] Events 1 & 2 may occur simultaneously or separately; this is yet to be determined.
[h5]This years Latin American Games Showcase was part of the Summer Game Fests official schedule. It was the biggest edition to date, co-broadcasted, and covered by all the main gaming media outlets. We premiered our latest trailer during the show with a 2-minute deep-dive segment. This brought the game a ton of attention, and we saw a fantastic boost in our wishlist count, which injected us with renewed energy! You can see the segment below [/h5] [previewyoutube=V5PXmnGgATc;full][/previewyoutube]
[h5]As part of our work for the new trailer, we also decided to update our main game art. We believe the new image aligns better with how the game will look in its new iteration once we release the UI redesign update. Considering the full game will have 5 distinct characters, we decided to create a yet-undefined character for the main art instead of tying it to Ursa, our first character. Below you can see part of the process of creating the new capsule, done by our extremely talented artist Joi.[/h5]


[h5]We are very proud to show you the new designs for the Combat and Decks screens! Lets compare them and go over some details about the team's decisions.[/h5]

*The new image is missing the background + enemy, dont worry, they will be there. [h5]
We dropped the helmet effect. It wasnt adding that much to the immersion we were looking for and was generating visual artifacts, motion-illness, readability, and resolution issues. We decided to re-focus on our early ideas of retro-futuristic interfaces, brightness saturation, and grain filters.
We decided to go a lot more minimalistic regarding health and VIM bars. We also ditched the status effects icons in exchange for abbreviated and color-coded words to add to the terminal/console style.

We noticed that we were not giving enough spotlight to one of our most unique mechanics, the VIM and Commands system. By making it look so similar to the Integrity bar and putting the commands as small icons, they usually got overlooked. Now, the VIM is a central piece of the UI (quite literally!), and the Commands now have a unique design with different states and animations depending on the context.

From dragging and dropping issues to the fact that it didnt quite feel hackery enough, we decided to change the card fan to a straight display of the Runners hand of cards. We believe the new look aligns better with the overall linework of the UI and the responsiveness has been improved considerably.

We received a lot of feedback asking for a way to keep track of what happened during the enemys turn, a Battle Log of sorts. Well, we had that in the plans for quite some time, and now we believe we nailed the way to make it work. We created a Terminal that will not only let you know what happened and show a historical log of actions but also contextual information about many other things happening during combat. It also allows us to trigger immersive and flavorful text fragments to add to the overall experience. You will be able to trigger actions and discover Easter eggs and secrets directly by prompting the terminal. On top of all that, it also looks sleek and retro AF!

We made changes to how we show the enemys intention during your turn. Now, youll see a step-by-step breakdown of what the enemy will do during its turn.[/h5]



[h5]
The console is your best friend in The Grid, and as such, it will try to show you as much useful information as it can. Keeping that in mind, we added a new widget to the deck view that lets you quickly check the distribution of card types within the deck. This is essential when planning the turn sequencing and trying to foresee upcoming draws.
It also shows information about keywords on the currently selected/hovered card.

We made big improvements to how selecting and highlighting cards in the different deck views work. We also reworked how tooltips are shown on screens where the side widget is not used.
[/h5]
The redesign also covers the map screens, which we will be revealing soon in a separate post. What we can spoil for now is that it will not be a hexagonal grid! Mechanically it will work as described in our previous article.
[h5]As a studio, we are proud to implement user research and playtest methodologies to support decisions that can make our games their best possible versions. Many of the decisions detailed above come from watching and surveying players, and we want to thank all of you who participated from the bottom of our hearts. Knowing that there are people out there playing and devoting time to expressing their opinions about our game is a feeling that we cant even describe, and it means the world to us! During these tests, we received more than 300 survey replies from over 3000 unique players; we interviewed and reviewed recorded playthroughs of dozens of people, and more than 100 new members joined our Discord to chat with us live and share their thoughts. Its our commitment to keep working this way and to make you all part of this journey of creating the best game possible. All these new things we mentioned in this update will be up for you all to test soon ;)[/h5]
[h5]In case you dont know, every week, we release a new piece of lore about the universe where the game takes place. Its one of the many ways in which we show the passion were putting into this project and how we envision something much bigger than just a game. We already have 20 entries you can read on our website, split between The Runners, The Corporations, and Into The Grids Short Stories. Go give them a look; we think you will love them![/h5]
[h5]This covers pretty much everything thats going on (at least what we can show!) behind the scenes. As always, dont forget to join our Discord to chat live with the team and other fellow Runners!
See you in The Grid! [/h5]

[ 2024-06-24 12:51:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

[h5]Hello Runners! As we continue to develop Into The Grid at full speed, we plan to share updates more frequently. For additional behind-the-scenes content, remember to join our Discord! We hope you enjoy these updates and join us on this journey. Let's get started![/h5]

ROADMAP

[h5]This provides a high-level overview of our upcoming milestones along with their current estimates, when available (subject to change). 1Gameplay Trailer (June) 2Playtest Round: UI Redesign (August)* 3Playtest Round: Map Exploration (August)* 4Demo Launch (September) 5Steam Next Fest (October 2024 - February 2025) 6Early Access Release (TBD) 72nd Character Release: The Maker (TBD) * Events 2 and 3 may occur simultaneously or separately; this is yet to be determined.[/h5]

ONGOING WORK

[h5]What actions are we taking to move closer to our goals? See below.[/h5] [h4]Gameplay Trailer[/h4] [h5]We are assembling a brand new trailer that will highlight more gameplay. It will premiere at a special event. Stay tuned ;)[/h5] [h4]UI Redesign[/h4] [h5]Taking into consideration the valuable feedback gathered from playtests, and in line with our search for an identity that matches the mature and harsh tone of the universe we're creating, we are overhauling the entire game's UI. We're aiming for a more minimalistic and retro-futuristic aesthetic.[/h5]
WIP - Subject to change. [h4]Code Refactor[/h4] [h5]We're undertaking significant work to enhance the game's code, making it more scalable, less prone to bugs, and future-proof. This is crucial as the game will be built in modules. This approach allows us to add new mechanics and content incrementally, maintaining the game's freshness for many years, as it has been our intention from the beginning. As part of this development, we're also creating the "Enemy Brain" System. This system will enable us to create smarter ICEs that can adapt and modify their behaviors based on any game state we choose.[/h5] [h4]Grid Exploration[/h4] [h5]In tandem with the code refactor, we have commenced work on the Exploration System, making significant progress. The procedural generation, based on game design rules, is functional and allows us to:

• Generate Grids of virtually any size.
• Define Node Types.
• Group Nodes into Clusters and assign their Watcher ICEs.
• Position Gates and assign their Bouncer ICEs.
• Spawn Sentinel ICEs.

We have also implemented:

• A Pathing System to demonstrate possible and impossible movements to the player.
• A Glitches System that enables the Runner to collect these "Relics/Artifacts" that modify the game's rules.

Future developments include implementing:

• Possible actions when engaging with each Node Type.
• The triggers for elevating/lessening the Trace level and the effects of each level.
• The triggers for disabling Bouncer ICEs to unlock Gates.
• The Events system for narrative encounters and their outcomes.
• New cards, Commands, enemy abilities, and Glitches effects.

[quote]Remember that you can find a detailed article on how the Grids function here.[/quote] There is still much more to come, which we will reveal and update in due time.[/h5] [h4]2nd CHARACTER: THE MAKER[/h4] [h5]We are making significant progress with the design of our second character. This character, like all others, will introduce new mechanics, Commands, an entirely new card pool, and its own storyline. Stay tuned as we will reveal more details about this in the future.[/h5]
[h5]That concludes this update. We eagerly await your comments and suggestions. Remember to join our Discord for live chat with the team and other Runners! [url=https://discord.gg/sYm63y9mT2]
Until the next update, see you in The Grid![/h5]

[ 2024-04-19 20:23:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! Today we are releasing a new version of Into The Grid's combat prototype. If you want to give it a try, request access today using the button on the game's page!
Let's jump right into it!

NEWS & CHANGES

MAJOR

Onboarding v1

• Basic concepts are explained during the game in predefined sequences or triggered by specific actions.

New Run Structure

• Start with a base non-archetypical deck.
• More combats, new cards, and new enemies.
• Enemies are divided into Tiers and get more difficult as combats progress.
• Card rarity in rewards depends on the enemys Tier.

Protected mechanic rework

• The Protected status now increases the Buffer generated instead of modifying the incoming damage.
• Theres no cap to the amount of Protected that can be stacked.

MINOR

• Added a Commands label in the main UI.

• Tooltips are now visible in the Enemy Intent.

• Tooltips for the cards are now visible in the deck views (Repository, Recycler, and Decompiled Stack).
• Cards get bigger when hovering over them in the deck views (Repository, Recycler, and Decompiled Stack).

• Enemies will now display a name to identify them when providing feedback.
• END TURN button will show a proper text when there are no more valid plays to perform.
• Current battle number and remaining battle number is visible now.
• Buffer and TEMP VIM counters will hide when they are at 0.
• Status icons for both the player and the enemy are bigger.
• Added animations to the icons when receiving or applying status effects.
• Added icons to different sections of the UI (Buffer, VIM, TEMP VIM).

FIXES

• Fun Guys now gives 1 TEMP VIM instead of 7 (sorry not sorry!)
• Several card texts have been improved.
• The players Integrity bar will get back to the original color after Buffer is reset each round.
• The game wont freeze on the loading screen when trying to start a new run.
• After picking (or skipping) a reward card the game moves to the next battle directly.
• Fixed a bug where multiple cards could be added by fast-clicking in the reward screen.

KNOWN ISSUES

COMMANDS

• Killing an ICE with IGNITION PROTOCOL by activating DIG Command creates a UI overlap.
• Sometimes DIG wont allow to discard some cards.
• After using OPTIMIZE cards remain greyed-out but still playable.
• Cost of cards affected by OPTIMIZE remains green-colored even after returning to regular value.
• Sometimes OPTIMIZE won't affect any card.
• Turn can be ended when hiding the Repo view during the resolution of a command (i.e. EXECUTE).
• Sometimes Command icons are highlighted even if the player doesn't have enough VIM to activate them if TEM VIM was gained the previous turn.
• EXECUTE can be triggered with no cards in Repo, spending VIM for no effect.

CARDS

• DATA DRAIN is giving buffer even if damage is partially or totally blocked by BUFFER.
• APEX CODESLASH sometimes miscalculates its damage.
• PUNK'S GIFT won't allow to decompile some cards.
• PUNK'S GIFT may sometimes not show the interface to select a card to decompile.

GENERAL

• Clock bonus from ICE subroutine is carried over into the next battle.
• Sometimes the player will draw fewer than 5 cards.
• Sometimes cards played or discarded won't end up in the Recycler nor in the Decompiled Stack.

[ 2024-03-25 18:41:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello prospective Runners. Today, wed like to share some insights about our design process regarding the map exploration system in Into The Grid. So, lets get to it!

[h1=thebasics]The Basics
Thematically, the map represents the Grid in which you are conducting your incursion as a hacker. In the Grid, you are an intruder, so the defense systems are constantly trying to locate you, putting obstacles in your way in their attempt to disconnect you before you reach the Mainframe. The map is our way of incorporating board game and dungeon crawling mechanics into the game, things we believe have not been explored enough in the Deckbuilder genre. With this, we want to achieve a clear differentiation from the classic model of choosing a pre-made path at the beginning of the run. The map exploration is an essential aspect of the experience we are creating in Into The Grid and, therefore, you will spend a lot of time on it. Learning how to navigate the Grid will be a skill youll have to hone, as well as deck-building and Command selection, to play the game successfully. The Grid will test your strategic thinking and tactical execution capabilities. From a strategic point of view, you will need to consider your short-term objectives (such as obtaining a specific item or upgrade) and how this interacts with your long-term objective, which is to find and breach the Mainframe. [quote]Every decision and every action you take at every stage of the game will have consequences, and it will be up to you and your tactical skills to make sure those align with your main goal.[/quote]
Procedural generation of a Grid.
[h1=approach]Our approach
We created a system that reflects the tension of being somewhere you aren't supposed to be. We want the players to feel like the Grid doesn't want them there and that they won't know how it will react to their presence. We came up with a procedurally generated labyrinth in which, unlike most games in the same genre, the player must find their way to the Mainframe (the final goal of every run) instead of simply climbing to it in one of a few predetermined ways. [quote]This system allows players to decide whether to explore the map and take risks to gain advantages, upgrades, and resources or go straight for their objectives as directly as possible and finish their mission.[/quote] Additionally, this mechanic serves an important purpose being the ideal scenario to gradually introduce the rich lore of our universe, increasing the level of immersion of the experience.
[h1=theory]From theory to practice
[h2=beginning]Beginning and objective
A Grid is made up of Clusters, which are groups of Nodes. The Runners Console represents Nodes as hexagons that they can interact with. Clusters can vary in shape and function as rooms, divided by Gates that impede moving freely from one to the next. This is what we mean when we say ITG has a strong Cyberdungeon crawling element to it. The Runner begins their incursion into a Grid from an Entry Node, with information about the current Cluster only, the rest is total darkness. From there, they must make their way by unlocking gates and clearing their path in search of the most special Node of all, the Mainframe.

The Trace System

During their incursion into a Grid, the Runner is constantly tracked by surveillance systems that could eventually find them and expel them from the system... or worse. In the game, this is represented through the Trace system, which indicates to what extent the Grid is aware of the Runner's presence. Mechanically, the Trace system allows us to reactively adjust the difficulty of the run to the actions that the player takes. As the Trace increases, the Grid becomes more dangerous. The more greedy, noisy, or careless the player is, the more difficult the game becomes.

Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics: ICE (aka The Bad Guys)

ICEs are the classic enemies of the cyberpunk genre, advanced defense programs deployed by server administrators to prevent Runners from achieving their goals. For Into The Grid, and in our narrative universe, we have created three distinct types of ICE: the Watchers, the Bouncers, and the Sentinels, each with a very specific objective. For each type of ICE, there can be infinite varieties, each with its own set of abilities, strengths and weaknesses.

Watcher ICEs and Trace

Watcher ICEs are the constant observers of the Grid, analyzing everything that happens in the clusters and sending information to the Trace system. Mechanically, each Cluster has a specific assigned Watcher that defines which Runners actions will increase the Trace level. Some will react to engaging in combat, others to opening gates, and others to specific interactions with the Nodes, among many others. [quote]The Runner must always be mindful of the Watcher that is observing them and plan their actions accordingly.[/quote]

Bouncer ICEs and Gates

Bouncer ICEs are literally the gatekeepers of the Clusters. As we have mentioned, to navigate the Grid the Runner must move from Cluster to Cluster in search of the Mainframe. The passage from one Cluster to another is done through Gates, and each Gate is protected by a Bouncer. The Bouncer determines the conditions the Runner must meet to open the Gate it protects. Some of these conditions may be having to disable the Watcher, defeat all the Sentinels, or interact with the Nodes in a specific way, among others. [quote]Sometimes, the condition of the Bouncer to unlock a Gate will be aligned with that of the Watcher to raise the Trace, putting the Runner in a tight situation.[/quote]

Sentinel ICE and Combat

Not all Nodes are created equal, and some are particularly better protected than others. This is where Sentinel ICEs come into play. Sentinels are the main enemies of a Runner during an incursion. In the game, these are the enemies you will face in card combat. Fighting against Sentinels is dangerous but sometimes also necessary to obtain useful items, improve your deck, and continue delving into the depths of the server.

Runners interaction with the Nodes

There are different types of Nodes in the grid and which type they belong to defines what effect the Runners actions will have when interacting with them. Except for a few exceptions, the Runner can always perform one of three different actions on any given Node:

• Extract: By extracting a Node, the Runner obtains valuable Shards from it, which are used as currency throughout the Run. Each type of Node yields a different amount of Shards.
• Exploit: By exploiting a Node, the Runner takes advantage of a weakness in it, to obtain a benefit. The effect of the exploit is different for each type of Node.
• Rehash: By rehashing a Node, the Runner spends resources to gain powerful and unique advantages to continue their run.

Generally, after interacting with a Node, it becomes exhausted and cannot be interacted with again.
What does each Node do? We will dive deep into that in a future article, so stay tuned!
Don't forget to join our Discord to stay up to date with the news and have direct contact with the team! [url=https://discord.gg/aXFT7WtXS4]

[ 2024-03-19 20:10:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hey there! We are super excited to share with you some updates, check below [hr][/hr]

The first open playtest has concluded!

[h5] As of now, access to the playtest version is no longer enabled on Steam. THANK YOU ALL! We have literally hundreds of surveys to go through now Your feedback means the world to us![/h5] [hr][/hr]

Applications for the next open playtest round are open!

[h5] The next Playtest version will include:

• The first version of the Map Gameplay.
• An onboarding system to explain the basics of the game.
• Improvements based on the feedback from this first Playtest round.

You can request access using the green "Request access" button on the game's Steam page.
Next round may take place in 3-4 months, as the Map section is the biggest and most complex development for the game. After that we will run more frequent playtests to test smaller mechanics, adjustments and content. [quote] IMPORTANT: If you got access to the playtest that ended today you will automatically have access to the next one. Just keep an eye on here or follow the game on Steam to know when launches.[/quote][/h5] [hr][/hr]

We will contact pre-selected applicants for the live playtest sessions during this week.

[hr][/hr]

New Lore entry coming up on Wednesday.

Join us to learn more about Ursa's faction, The Stray Dogs, next Wednesday on our Discord server Click here to join! [hr][/hr] And that's all for now, see you around!

[ 2024-02-06 12:14:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi everyone!

[h5]We are super excited to reveal the new lore channel of our Discord server! Each week, we will post new narratives and articles for you to dive deeper into this rich Cyberpunk dystopia. How to? Easy! Join our Discord Head over to the new Lore channel Enjoy "Wandering at Wendle Park", the introductory story to Into the Grid's first character, Ursa from the Stray Dogs faction. Entries are open to comments and discussions, we are eager to know your thoughts and theories! Stay safe in the Grid.[/h5]

[ 2024-02-01 11:28:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi everyone!

We have some important updates about the current playtest. [hr][/hr]

The open playtest round will be closing next Monday, 5th of February

We received an outstanding amount of feedback that we will be processing in the upcoming weeks. As new features get implemented we will be opening new playtests so keep in mind that: - If you got access to this playtest you will automatically have access to all future playtests. - If you request access after this round is closed, you will have to wait until the next to get access. [hr][/hr]

We will be contacting potential participants for the live playtesting sessions

Next week we will start contacting pre-selected people who applied for the live playtests to schedule those sessions. If you haven't already, you can apply here. If you are not selected for this round you may be called for the following ones. [hr][/hr] So, what's happening next? The team is already working on the next big feature, THE MAP! This effort will take some time so, in the meantime, we have some things prepared to share with you, keep an eye on the Discord server! [hr][/hr] Before closing, I want to express, once again, how grateful we are to all of you who participated in this playtest. It's heartwarming and, honestly, very moving to see people enjoying and seeing the potential in what we are creating. We hope you stick around for the rest of the ride! Stay safe in the Grid ;)

[ 2024-01-30 11:15:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi everyone! We are thrilled to announce that the Playtest is now live!

A few important things

Access

- Access is granted in batches and Steam assigns people randomly, so it may take a couple of hours. - You will receive an email from Steam when you receive access.

Leaving feedback

- There are three feedback buttons, one in the Main Menu, one in the final screen, and one in the upper right corner of the battle screen. - It's encouraged that you complete the survey using that button at least once. - You can complete the survey or leave a message as many times as you want. - If you add your email in the feedback form we may get back to you to ask for more details or reply to your comments.

About the prototype experience

- We recommend you want the "How To Play" video linked in the Main Menu. - This prototype features only the battle system. [hr][/hr] Remember you can also apply for the live sessions by completing THIS FORM. And we are always around in Discord to chat too!

[ 2024-01-22 18:12:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! Some cool news in this update!

You can now apply for a limited private playtest

We're looking for 20 people to participate in the private phase of our next playtesting round. Participants will need to stream their playthroughs while on call with us or record and submit their playthroughs. If you're interested in taking part, please complete the survey using the button below. Those selected and who effectively participate in the playtesting will receive a reward! Apply here! Those not selected for this round may be offered the opportunity to participate in other playtesting rounds we'll conduct in the future. [quote]If you applied to the playtest by requesting access here on Steam, you can also complete the survey and participate in both![/quote] [hr][/hr]

Update on the public playtest

We are finishing testing the prototype and estimate that players will start getting access on Monday. Stay tuned for the official announcement about the exact time and the guidelines for the test. [hr][/hr] Remember you can also join our Discord to chat with us live. Cya around!

[ 2024-01-18 19:18:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! Exciting news: our first Playtest for "Into The Grid" is coming! Starting mid-January, we will run our first Playtest round, featuring a prototype of the game's card battle system. It'll be a sneak peek for a limited time, and we'd love to have your feedback via the game or on our Discord Server (if you are not there yet, come in and say hi!). To apply, just go to our Steam Page and look for this button:
And, if you haven't yet, don't forget to wishlist and follow us for more updates. See you in The Grid!

[ 2023-12-15 19:21:21 CET ] [ Original post ]