Why Early Access?

“Lightphobe is an experimental multiplayer game that's being developed by a single person. And so there are 3 main reasons for Early Access:

• To gather feedback from players as experimental features are being developed
  
• To open up the game to a larger playerbase to better test the multiplayer
  
• To gauge player interest to determine what the scope of the game should be

”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“Lightphobe is expected to stay in Early Access for approximately 1-2 years.”

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

“The Early Access version is expected to be missing certain content (e.g. abilities, maps, etc.), contain bugs, and the game's difficulty might not be properly balanced.

The final version is planned to have: 3 playable maps for the core game mode, improved enemy AI for a better singleplayer experience, and more abilities to allow for multiple different playstyles. The final version is also planned to support language localization for different regions.

As of this writing, Lightphobe's been in Early Access for several months, and the developer is now working on the third and final map for the core game mode.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Currently, all of the core game mechanics have now been implemented. Players can choose between playing as either a Soldier or as a Lightphobe. There are 5 possible gun loadouts to choose from for the Soldiers, meanwhile there are 2 possible loadouts to choose from for the Lightphobes; where each Lightphobe loadout has a different melee attack and special ability.

Lightphobe has also been updated with AI bots so that the game can be played with any number of players (e.g. singleplayer).

There are currently 2 playable maps for the core game mode, and an additional training arena minigame (singleplayer only) has also been added where players can hone their Lightphobe skills against enemy turrets.

Additional features:

• Multiplayer support for up to 16 players
  
• Offline singleplayer support
  
• Dedicated server support
  
• Peer-to-peer multiplayer support
  
• Team voice chat
  
• In-game text chat
  
• Replay system for saving and spectating past matches (rudimentary)

”

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

“During Early Access, the base price of the game will gradually increase as new content is added. It is unlikely that the base price of the game will continue to increase after Early Access ends.

Once Early Access ends, there will also be a large promotional discount for the 1.0 launch, so consider adding Lightphobe to your Steam wishlist if you'd like to be notified when that happens.

It is currently undetermined if there will be a permanent price cut for the game once Early Access ends. Previously, it was considered that the game would go free-to-play with paid DLC, however that idea has now been put on hold.”

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

“All players are invited to complete a short survey after playing the game (which can be edited and resubmitted anytime in the future). The developer will also be hanging out in the game's Discord where anyone is free to join and discuss anything related to the game.”