Why Early Access?

“While we can continue to develop indefinitely with virtually no resources at hand, for that is what we have done so far, we aim to leverage Early Access to gather evidence for the commercial viability of Total Rendition's high concept and the same of ambitious narrative-driven game development in general.

To build Total Rendition with the original plans we had in mind will require massive outside investment, which is intended to come from outside backers (i.e. outside of Steam). However, to convince these backers, we will need "social proof". As such, your interest will help us to attract investment into this project, which we can use to improve the game's visuals, add more content and build Total Rendition towards it intended end-result. This interest does not necessarily have to be expressed in terms of purchases: For instance, joining the open playtests or wishlisting also count.

In short, Early Access allows us to significantly improve the quality of the full version and develop towards the full version at a much faster pace, compared to what would be attainable to us otherwise.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“The full version is done "when it's done". Therefore, no hard timetable is set for the estimated time until completion of development. You will notice by the progress made so far how development is faring and how close we currently are in having Total Rendition attain gold status.”

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

“Total Rendition is eventually to become a lengthy narrative-driven immersive sim for Windows, Mac and Linux systems alike, with hours of gameplay to rival big-budget titles, with a polish to match. Updates to Total Rendition may thus also include new missions on an episodic basis, as well as extra polish such as improved AI and audiovisual updates, localization, new areas to explore (as well as visual reworkings of existing ones), as well as new types of inventory items and weapons.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“While the current version should already give a reasonable impression of what the overall gameplay loop is intended to look like, you must NOT expect a ready, out-of-the-box experience from the current Early Access builds. Most of the current in-game art are placeholders, serving the purpose of showcasing the game's features, and will eventually be replaced. More development lies ahead - rather than behind - the current build. Moreover, the narrative constitutes a mere fraction of what we have planned, with the current build offering less than an hour of gameplay for most players.”

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

“The Early Access currently takes the form of a free open playtest, as general interest in Total Rendition is much more important than sales at this stage of development. This is given that the project has yet to be funded by outside financial backers. If you bought an Early Access copy earlier on, you will still be entitled to the upcoming full version.”

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

“We love to hear from you regarding feature requests, bug reports and overall feedback allowing us to tweak the overall gameplay experience of Total Rendition for the better: As an early access player of Total Rendition, you are a stakeholder in its development.”