Why Early Access?

“I am developing Little Hats as an independent developer completely on my own and without a publisher, luckily I have been fortunate enough to work on Little Hats full-time for the past few years without having to rely on income from the game. But, for me to continue working on Little Hats fully independently, to ensure that I will be able to complete the full vision of the game, and to include all the things that players want me to include, I will need Early Access to make my living from selling Little Hats copies. If you want to help me in making the full vision for Little Hats a reality, and or want to help speed up the developing process please consider donating using the donation banner below or this link https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=FCSC8LANKNE8N Thank you very much for the support :)”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“After more than two years the game has finally left alpha and is now in beta! If things keep going the way they are Little Hat will likely leave beta and Early Access in the summer of 2024. If all goes according to plan I will still continue to do updates after Early Access because there are many things I would love to add to the game, like possible extensions to the world, such as an England expansion, a German expansion, a Scandinavian expansion, and potentially even a Middle Eastern expansion, and or early American inspired part of the world!”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“The full version will have undergone two or more years of Early Access during which I will gather all the player feedback to shape the game into the best possible version it could be. On top of that will many things be added to complete the full vision that I have for Little Hats, many things have already been added since the Early Access launch. Here are some of the things that are yet to come.

• I would like to add a CO-OP mode, yet I can't make any promises, my first goal is to complete the game for single-player.

• An even bigger world, namely a summer Lowlands area.

• Expanding even more upon the crafting systems, adding new items, and objects to craft.

• More NPCs, I plan to add many more types of animals and magical creatures in the new and existing parts of the world, with more interactions and abilities. Also more human and gnome models.

• Craftable potions, to give the player special abilities, like temporarily becoming as big as a regular human, or running very fast for a certain time, to name just two.

• A farming system, allowing the player to make farms next to their settlements to get more and better food

• Steam trading cards

There are many more small things that I seek to add to the game, and as I continue to develop the game I will no doubt come up with even more things to add to make the game even more fun. Thanks to the amazing Little Hats community I have already been able to add many cool and fun ideas that they have come up with, which aligned with the vision for the game, this will also continue throughout the Early Access process and after the game leaves Early Access.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The current game is already well on its way to full release and already makes for a fun, exciting, and meaningful experience. Here are just some of the main things already in the game:

• You are already able to explore a large rich and interactive open world, with a dynamic weather system.

• Building, harvesting, and crafting.

• Trading and economic system, you are able to trade and sell certain items inside the game.

• Surviving, the survival mechanics are completely done.

• Follow the first part of the story which takes place mainly in Steynwoud and will continue in future updates in the Lowlands.

• AI, most NPC's are already walking, flying, or swimming around in the world of Little Hats, Gnomes, Humans, Trolls, and a bunch of animals, just to name a few.

There are many, many other things that have been added to the game during the Early Access period so far, please check the updates and announcements section for Little Hats to see all that has been added in detail, as well as all the improvements/bug fixes.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“The game has been raised in price once already when going from Alpha to Beta, depending on the amount of work and the quality of the game when it goes to full release, I might raise it slightly more. But it will more than likely stay as it is.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“Because I am a solo indie developer, I don't have the resources and time to test the game extensively, this is why I will use feedback from the community to improve the game. This way I can focus all my time and energy on improving the game and making it the best possible game it could ever become. I am also always open to new ideas and things the community would like to see added to the game, as long as it aligns with the aesthetic of the game and its vision for it. During the first year of Early Access I have, thanks to the community, already been able to add many of their wonderful ideas into the game, so be sure to check out the discord server for Little Has. I recommend joining if you are interested: https://discord.com/invite/SuadgxS
I will also use Steam to communicate with the community

Thank you very much!
Tim :D”