Why Early Access?

“Universe Sandbox ² is still in active development, but it's already a fully-featured space simulator that is an improvement in every way over the original. After over four years of work, we're proud of what we have to show, and we know many fans are eager to try it out.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“At least another year. But it's hard to give an accurate estimate. Building a universe simulator is a job that's never complete.

We have a long list of features and improvements that we're very excited about implementing, and which will keep us busy for a long time to come.”

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

“Some of the features we'd like to add:

• Space megastructures
  
• Basic life simulation
  
• More dynamic terraforming & improved climate simulation
  
• Better collisions on a wider range of scales
  
• Missions and objectives
  
• Steam Workshop support
  
• Achievements
  
• Language localization
  
• Improved human scale mode
  
• HTC Vive support (investigating supporting Oculus Touch)

”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“For over a year alpha testers have poured hours into exploring Universe Sandbox ². It is already a fully-featured simulation.

We've fixed most of the serious stability issues and have made a lot of progress on optimizations for a range of hardware. Because it is a large-scale sandbox, though, it does have its share of bugs and could use polish in many areas.”

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

“We have no plans for changing the base price of Universe Sandbox ² at this time.”

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

“We actively seek community feedback from the in-game survey as well as from our forums and social media.

Community feedback helps us prioritize our long list of planned features and focus on fixing the worst bugs and issues.

We also add simulations and features based on community requests, like the recently added Game of Thrones sim and a simulation of the 2003 close encounter between Earth and Apollo 12's third stage rocket.

In the future we plan to integrate Steam Workshop for user-generated content and explore modding possibilities.”