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Glasshouse

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Glasshouse

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Feudalpunk CRPG, with Turn-based combat, set in a lockdown apartment block at the dawn of a world war. Investigate the mysterious triple murder next door, fight the Political Conspiracy, and make terrible choices before the flatmates do it for you!

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[DEV-BLOG #13] Turn-based Combat - UI/UX Overhaul

Apr 17

Hello flatmates!

Yesterday, during the Galaxies Spring Showcase, we released a brand-new trailer focused on GLASSHOUSE’s turn-based combat, which you can watch below:

We’ve been listening to your feedback: after 3 playtests and around 700 completed Google Forms, it became clear that the combat system’s user interface needed a complete redesign—and that’s exactly what we’ve been working on tirelessly over the past few months.

Today’s devblog is a deep dive into Combat System 1.5.

FAREWELL, BATTLE COMMAND MENU

Let’s start with the most noticeable change: after hours and hours spent analyzing gameplay walkthroughs on YouTube and Twitch, we decided to move away from the iconic JRPG-style Command Menu.

We know—it’s a shame. However, GLASSHOUSE features a combat system that is significantly more complex to explain (and understand), and it requires a different approach—one that doesn’t rely solely on massive amounts of text in tutorial popups.

The combat framing is now cleaner, more readable, and more expansive -- the additional 45% of space allows us to use the camera more effectively, leveraging cinematic language to immediately convey the cause-and-effect relationship behind each action.

Our guiding principles here are clarity and dynamism: every action is supported by a distinct camera shot and a dedicated section that displays only the relevant information for that specific moment.

Talk / Attack / Use – Wide Shot

“TALK” ACTION

Among all available combat actions, “Talk” was the one that most needed a redesign. Many of you pointed out how overwhelming the mechanic felt at first, with multiple tutorial pages and poorly positioned on-screen information.

Now, rhetorical approaches are presented in a more structured way and provide a clearer correlation between required and owned ideological skills.

Talk - Dedicated Shot

Another previously unclear element was the visualization of the enemy’s Political Compass. In the current build, as soon as you enter “Talk” mode, the opponent’s Political Compass appears directly behind them, aligned with the player’s approaches, which scale according to your own Political Compass.

Not only that -- whenever an approach is selected, a smooth animation expands the opponent’s information, guiding the player’s eye toward the potential consequences of that choice.

Ideological Approach / Enemy Political Compass Correlation

The dice roll visualization has been completely redesigned and rebuilt from scratch. To better communicate build scaling and the effects of the enemy’s Political Compass, a calculation formula now appears on screen.

Ideological symbols, maluses, bonuses, and dice damage are displayed in a dynamic and sequential way; you strongly requested this feature, and now you’ll be able to plan your strategy with much greater awareness.

The Approach label indicates whether the selected approach is effective, ineffective, or unknown

“ATTACK” ACTION

The “Attack” action has also undergone several changes, starting with the item selector. We’ve introduced a dynamic scrolling list that simultaneously conveys multiple pieces of information, such as Weapon Name, Attack Die Type, and (in the future) Special Die Type.

Attack - Dedicated Shot

The attack planning camera now shifts behind the player’s shoulder, focusing on the enemy ahead. This closer perspective also allows you to observe the opponent’s equipment—something that will become crucial in the future for identifying weaknesses.

Moreover, with the full screen now available, we can better leverage our background in the film industry to craft more complex and cinematic camera movements during attack actions.

"USE" ACTION

Like Attack, the “Use” action now features a vertically scrollable list of all usable items in your inventory.

Unlike before, each item now includes a detailed description of its effects, removing the need for additional tooltips.

Graphic design is not final yet—there’s still a lot of work to be done on the art and juice side.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This is Combat v1.5 -- an essential step toward the next (and final) iteration. Version 2.0 will mark the completion of the combat system and introduce new features such as Casting, Special Dices, Weapon Durability, and a deeper Threat Management system.

We truly can’t put into words how grateful we are for the incredible amount of feedback we’ve received. If GLASSHOUSE’s turn-based combat is what it is today, it’s entirely thanks to you.

That’s all for today. We’ll be back in May with a new devlog on YouTube. Thank you, once again, for being here with us and helping shape GLASSHOUSE.

See you soon! – Giacomo Montagnoli, Creative Director, FLAT28 Collective

Glasshouse

Arabic Language Support

Add Arabic Language Please 🇸🇦🇸🇦🇸🇦 اضيفوا اللغة العربية 🇸🇦🇸🇦🇸🇦

Wake

Apr 17 @ 6:08am

General Discussions

New Trailer at tonight’s Galaxies Spring Showcase 2026

Apr 16

Oi flatmates!

In less than half an hour (8PM UK / 9PM CEST / 12PM PACIFIC), the Galaxies Spring Showcase will go live on Twitch, where we’ll be revealing a new trailer for GLASSHOUSE, focused on the second iteration of our turn-based combat.

Don’t miss the showcase—you can watch the premiere on https://www.twitch.tv/ign, https://www.twitch.tv/galaxiesshow and a bunch of streamers!

That’s not all -- tomorrow, right here on these pages, we’ll be releasing a new devblog diving deeper into some of the updates to our combat, including a complete redesign of the UI/UX.

That’s right, we’ve taken your feedback from previous playtests on board, and after months of work, we’re finally ready to show the fruits of it to you.

Have a nice show and see ya tomorrow!
– Giacomo Montagnoli, Creative Director, FLAT28 Collective

Glasshouse

PRE-ALPHA PLAYTEST #2 | Out NOW!

Mar 9

Oi flatmates!

Today, from March 9 to March 23, the GLASSHOUSE PRE-ALPHA PLAYTEST #2 begins.

Alongside the TurnBasedThursday Steam Fest, we’ve decided to release a new playtest featuring brand-new gameplay mechanics, Combat v1.5, expanded quests, and numerous QoL features requested by you during the previous Xmas iteration.

STATUS EFFECTS AND MEDICAL DOSSIER

A new essential piece of the Core Gameloop has just been added: Status Effects.

At the moment there are three status effects, which can be contracted through the consumption of alcohol and psychotropic substances. Each effect lasts between 15 and 30 minutes in real time and influences the Political Compass statistics.

Altering your psycho-physical condition is essential to pass Political Checks and expand your oratory skills during Turn-Based Combat. However, every Status Effect also comes with penalties.

In the Unified Menu, you can now consult your Medical Dossier, where you can check the effects and duration of each status. In future iterations, we plan also to add descriptions and recommended treatments via hover tooltips.

In this playtest, Status Effects can only be contracted through the consumption of Vices, which can be found scattered throughout the game world or crafted directly at the Workbench.

In the future we plan to expand this system even further, even including physical injuries such as Bleeding or Ankle Sprain. The goal is to create an RPG capable of simulating the precarious life of a forty-year-old fallen from grace.

TURN-BASED COMBAT v1.5

If the previous playtest showed the skeletal structure of GLASSHOUSE’s Turn-Based Combat, this new iteration builds upon it. Thanks to the feedback we received, we’ve deepened every aspect of the system: there are now more weapons, consumables, and secret interactions, all supported by a tooltip system that explains each functionality in detail.

Starting with the next build, the UI will be completely replaced with a more modern, visually appealing, and—most importantly—more intuitive interface. The feedback is clear: you loved our unconventional approach to combat, but you also highlighted several shortcomings in UI/UX.

Thanks for your intellectual honesty; we will work to solve as many issues as possible and deliver a combat system with high production standards.

UPDATED QUEST DESIGN

Every good cRPG must offer a wide variety of approaches, which is why with PLAYTEST #2 we decided to make the quests “A Feast for Fools” and “The Glue That Binds Us All” more non-linear.

Fewer triggers, more solutions, and greater NPC reactivity.

For example, the coagulant quest can now be completed in three different ways, while the journal itself is more dynamic and takes even the subtlest variations into account.

PLAYTEST #2 CONTENT

✅ BUILD FEATURES

Dormitory 73B fully explorable (TIER ONE: 4 floors + 4 apartments)
2 Main Quests
1 Side Quest
Knowledge & Crafting Panel (3rd iteration)
Political Compass & Character Progression (2nd iteration)
Turn-Based Combat (3rd iteration)
Status Effects and Medical Dossier
Library to consult newspapers, letters, and books
Journal (3rd iteration)
Save System (checkpoint only, for now)
Amateur English localization (over 20,000 words)
Italian localization
Engine Update: Unity 6

HOW TO JOIN THE PLAYTEST

The Playtest is open to everyone. On our Steam page, you should already see the “Request Access” button. Simply click it and GLASSHOUSE – Playtest will appear directly in your library.

That’s it. Just keep in mind that after March 23 it will no longer be possible to download the application.

FEEDBACK MANAGEMENT

We truly need your help. Releasing a PRE-ALPHA build means that everything is still evolving: early-iteration mechanics (such as the combat system), placeholder UI/UX, and a character progression model that is still taking shape.

So, once you exit the game, you will automatically be presented with a Google Form: a few quick questions that will directly influence our next priorities. Additionally, if you enjoyed the playtest, don’t forget to start a thread on the Steam Hub[steamcommunity.com] -- the more interactions our page gets, the more favorably Steam’s algorithm will treat us.

Mistakes and successes are both essential parts of the creative process.
Help us improve GLASSHOUSE; for you, for us, and for everyone who will enter the building after.