Why Early Access?

“Early access will allow me to better use the fanbase that I've grown through my Twitch stream to further develop Sword 'N' Board. I've been doing a development stream for Sword 'N' Board daily, Monday - Friday at 10am PST which you can see at:

http://www.twitch.tv/stuffedcastle/

Many of my twitch viewers have expressed a desire to purchase the game to further help the development for the game, as well as keep the stream going, as I do instructional streams for both Unity, and C# development which people seem to enjoy.

My focus is to use a combination of Early Access and Twitch to promote the game, and it's development, as well as promoting the twitch stream at the same time. I'm also hoping that the money gained through early access will make it easier to raise the funding needed to attend local shows such as Pax (since I am a Seattle native) and better promote the game overall.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“I expect the game to be in early access no longer than a year. I have a clear roadmap of the development for the game, which sets specific milestones for development month to month. Come the end of February I plan on having the entire "Overworld" of Sword 'N' Board finished, along with all of its subsequent puzzles.
Come the end of March I also hope to have 3 of the 8 dungeons finished, complete with its puzzles and progression taken care of. And each of the following months are already planned in explicit detail.”

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

“A lot of my fanbase over at Twitch have expressed a huge interest in a small "arena" style brawler within the game that people could use to fight eachother using the various item combinations within the game.
While the full game itself will have access to all of the dungeons and item combinations needed to progress through the world, the "Arena" that I would like to add would include item combinations not needed within the main campaign of the game, which would be specifically for the "Arena" style brawler.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The Early Access version consists of quite a bit currently! There is a large Overworld area for the player to explore, as well as many hidden areas which are at times complicated and difficult to find, but are rewarding! You as the player will have to use your bombs to discover some of the secret areas, as well as your item combinations to solve some of the current environmental puzzles.

Not only that, but there are currently 10 different item combinations which you can use immediately, with the 4 items that you have in your possession (though you don't start with bombs immediately, you can find them from defeating enemies).

There is also a shop where you can purchase items, such as bombs, tape (to repair your shield) and a Blacksmith which you can take all of your found items to - and then utilize to forge items and upgrade your stats!
Upgrade your stats also currently works in its current iteration. Should you upgrade Sidd's Attack, he will hit enemies harder. If you upgrade his Defense, he'll be allowed to take more damage before he is defeated. If his Agility, Stamina or Luck are upgraded, he will move faster, shoot faster, be able to carry more and more items and as his luck increases he'll find items easier and more plentiful which he can then use to upgrade further.

The Game also offers 3 different save slots, which a user could use, to return to their previous game at any time, while also allowing a friend of theirs to experience the game without disturbing their own.”

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

“The game will be priced at just a few dollars to start off with and gradually increase in price as more content is added to the game!”

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

“The community is largely already part of the development process when it comes to my Twitch stream. I've taken many suggestions from players of the Beta currently, as I also do Beta key giveaways on my Twitch stream so I can aquire feedback from people playing the game. I also really enjoy people finding bugs, which I can then fix and better polish and refine the game, which has lead to the game running quite well in it's current state! Also, allowing people to post to Steam discussions, and be aware of the twitch stream will only further help development of Sword 'N' Board. I really want to focus on the relationship that my Steam Early Access and my Twitch stream will have together, to both further fund development of Sword 'N' Board, and cross promote each other while allowing me to acquire feedback from players!”