Why Early Access?

“Early Access offers a Middle Ground that fits my need of feedback to Balance the Game and add any other features I may have overlooked before the Game is Completed to the Standards that I have set. Ideally finishing the game before any kind of release is what I would like most but being a single person making this Game presents challenges. Finding testers is the biggest of those challenges, I would like to know what you think so that I can balance any aspects of the game that need it and fix bugs that I may not have run across with my particular Play-style/Strategies; I can do a lot but I can’t make a good balanced game that a lot of people will enjoy without your Opinions.

Cutting features was considered, which would make this a Full Release of a finished product. It wouldn't have had much testing and I wouldn't have felt comfortable with it. I have vision for this project and I want the final product to fulfill that vision. I have other Games planned and I don't want my first to set a bad precedent with my first by not completing it. Despite not being finished, I hope you will agree that the Game is close, is very playable and by the November 27 release date it will be even closer than it is now.

I have been fortunate to have a small investment fund consisting of a few backers who have seen the project grow and their confidence in it's success with it, but these funds are strictly for the Game itself. Between that and out of pocket investment, I have what is needed to finish the Game, not to mention the passion- I love the game and I love working on it, though I am sacrificing some comforts which adds a layer of stress. I don't know what to expect through Early Access, which would make it an unwise decision if I were to factor these Sales into what is needed to complete the Game. Income from Early Access Sales in any capacity are considered a bonus which will help make finishing the game personally less stressful.

I can't say thank you enough for your support and feedback, I want this to be a fun and balanced Game, but I can't do that properly without some help from you!

To sum this all up, while helpful, Sales are not what this Early Access Release is focused on; I want to make most of my sales Post 1.0- this is about feedback, balancing and learning about what sort of desirable features I may have overlooked so far during development. If you just want to play the Game, I recommend waiting for 1.0.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“1.0 Release should be between 3 and 6 months from the Early Access Release (1.0 should be between February and April 2020). It's hard to give an exact date but as things progress it will be easier to give a more precise answer. The Game will also see support and some additional features after 1.0”

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

“With feedback from the Early Access Community I hope to present a more balanced version of the final product and add any features that I may have overlooked, your suggestions matter! I want to give the Player Control over the Game with some form of Level Editor and a way to randomize Resource Distribution. I want Players to be able to compare their Scores on a Leaderboard with other Players around the World. I would also like to improve some of the Art and Sounds, but Gameplay comes first. There are some other Modes and Features that I would really like to add as well, but I don't know how feasible these are and I don't want to Promise anything that I am unsure of yet.

The Gameplay is in a nearly Finished State. Production has gone so much better than expected that I have already expanded the scope of the project- an example of this is terrain features- originally I thought the levels would be open with Randomly distributed Resources, there were no plans for any mode other than Survival, now there are Scenarios and a Lite version of an Editor in Sandbox Mode with this first release.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The Gameplay and Mechanics are in their Polish phase and the Core Experience of the Game is Finished. Besides updating some Art, Sound , Balance and some other minor things, this is almost a Complete Game. I would really like feedback from the Community to help perfect the Experience. There are three available game modes, Survival, Scenarios and Sandbox, there are 16 levels to be included with the first Early Access version of the Game, and more to come in future Patches/Releases”

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

“Grid Creeps has been priced to reflect only the content that is included in Early Access. The completed 1.0 Game will cost a bit more. But fear not! You only pay once, by supporting the Early Access Version you won't pay full Price for the final version of the Game!”

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

“As I've mentioned a couple times: I want your feedback! Every good Developer wants to make a perfect product and I'm no different- how strong should this Tower be? Should it's fire rate be higher? Does the exploding Yellow Creep do too much damage? Or maybe not enough? Maybe I overlooked a feature that really needs to be in a Game like this, and I could go on- these are just a few examples. I may not reply often, but I make a point to read all suggestions, Good or Bad. When I need to make a decision that I'm not sure about it will be great to have a Community to ask for feedback about what to do.

I try to always stay logged into the Steam Group Chat, so if you would like to talk directly, check it out!

Expect at least bi-Weekly Progress Updates. I will try to get a Patch out each Month, but I'm unsure on how much time some features will take to Complete and that makes it hard to promise consistent Calendar updates, so time between patches may vary.

I want to make a Career of this, in fact I already have a lot of new ideas for Grid Creeps 2 and other Games (How about a turn based Tower Defense Game?). Your Opinions and Suggestions are important to me, without you this and my future endeavors wouldn't be possible. If you'd like to Contact me you can e-mail me at: gridcreeps@gridcreeps.com.

Most important of all though- Have a Grand Day! And thank you for your interest in Grid Creeps!”