A cycle of constant iteration

Hey Thorns! In case you missed it, Every Day We Fight is launching into Early Access on July 10th, 2025!

You can check out the announcement here: https://cs2bus.com/games/1546080/announcements/detail/596271781985125865

Hey there Thorns, LP from SSL here. I wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the recent YouTube coverage I’ve checked out around Every Day We Fight. It’s been incredibly rewarding (and a bit surreal) to watch creators jump into this early version of the game, explore its systems, and share their honest thoughts with their communities. The level of constructive feedback and quantity of it has meant that the dev team has had plenty to think about when fixing up the upcoming demo version of the game, which you can totally play come Summer NextFest!

In last month's dev diary, I mentioned Chris Odd's video covering the latest public build, so I'll avoid talking too much about his coverage - but know that I took the time to read all thousand eight hundred, and counting, comments.
https://cs2bus.com/steamstore/news/app/1546080/view/524216011267768445
From all the funny comments regarding Leo's nose size, to the logic behind the overwatch mechanic and how it should be iterated on for future builds - I've seen them all.

That said, here's a list of creators who really managed to pinpoint either some interesting bugs, display great situational awareness using strategic elements of the game, or even showed me a thing or two about how to effectively set up the Thorns' skill trees.

Offers a full showing of their playthrough and the majority of this early build environment, ups and downs included. If roguelite progression is your jam, well it was on full display during their several attempts at different timelines. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFRygcvv6CU

A big fan of games like XCOM, gave us some great feedback to think about from an experienced point of view. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT_q8DyMGQU

I guarantee you this playthrough is anything but boring. He takes a look at squad synergy, weapon loadouts, and strategic positioning—really putting the combat through its paces. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vSR41O4hUQ

I strongly encourage anyone interested in learning more about the game, or seeing how others are approaching its challenges, to check these out. It’s also a great way for us to gather feedback. Several of the features we've worked on for the NextFest version of the demo were directly inspired by observations in these videos.

We'll be constantly monitoring feedback as NextFest rolls around, and I just want to take the time to thank everyone who's taken the time to submit their thoughts, whether they've had the chance to play or watch - all your feedback is welcome. If you haven't had the chance to share your thoughts, I invite you to do so in the Steam comments.

Thanks for reading through all that, if you enjoy these dev diaries, feel free to drop a comment to let us know what you're curious to learn. Check in with us next month as we recap NextFest and talk some more about the imminent early access release.

Play-by-play of the day

Hey Thorns! In case you missed it, Every Day We Fight is launching into Early Access on July 10th, 2025!

You can check out the announcement here: https://cs2bus.com/games/1546080/announcements/detail/596271781985125865

Today we give you a tactical preview of an encounter you'll face off against, which was requested in our last dev diary's comments.

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Before we start our fight of the day, assessing the level of the enemy Rifters in our run is crucial to our success. Checking for key mechanics such as party health status and consumables like grenades and bandages will help decide our approach. We also have skills to consider, which can greatly affect our approach. For example, Dylan's taunt or Vivian's hologram can help direct attention to specific points on the battlefield and enable better viewing angles to take easier shots.

"For my first move, I'll set up my Thorns at strategic angles to get some early shots in. The plan is to thin the Rifter's numbers as much as possible before they get to act."

"Engage!"

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Starting a fight with as much information on the enemy presence is critical, we wouldn't want to be surprised by any elite units that are way out of our league. Next up, calculating our action economy, Thorns have various skills to refresh their action points (AP), but early on, you'll have to be pretty efficient. While reloading is infinite in that you don't need to craft ammunition, it does get pretty expensive!

"I managed to take down two of the engineers patrolling. I'll save some actions I could spend on movement and use them to reload and set up some overwatch zones."

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Setting up can only cover so many outcomes, the AI will not pull its punches. During the enemy phase, Rifters slithered their way through my back line and made quick work of Dylan. While scrambling for cover can work in a lot of situations, there were too many Rifters to justify moving him where I did in hindsight.

"They're making a move!"

"Man down!"

While unfortunate, this did allow me to utilize the melee ability on Leo and Viv to get some free damage in on these relatively weak Engineer Rifters. The melee skill costs 5 AP, which is pretty efficient when you get surrounded like I did. Luckily, I was also able to land a point-blank Longhaul (rifle) headshot on the second Rifter, instantly turning the tide.

"Knuckle sandwich, comin' right up!"

"Cleanup on aisle 6"

And with that, I cleaned house, ending this small skirmish with a man down and a decent spread of experience across my Thorns.

In case you missed it, we've had several content creators check out the game and play it. One of which, Christopher Odd, has even worked on it! Check out the hour and a half-long feature, which covers just about every aspect of this build.

Thanks for reading through all that, if you enjoy these dev diaries, feel free to drop a comment to let us know what you're curious to learn. We'll be back June 3rd with another diary, possibly even with some new announcements.