Why Early Access?

“Early Access is a fantastic way to get the game into the hands of those who will enjoy it most and give us the critical feedback that we need to see the game all the way through.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“At time of this writing we expect the game to be finished sometime between Q3 and Q4 2022. Of course there are sometimes unforeseen delays and so the game will be in Early Access for as long as necessary but we are pretty confident in our estimate of how much work there is left to do. We wouldn’t feel comfortable calling the game at 1.0 until the full Mars campaign is in place and stable from beta testing. As of this writing the game is in Alpha. This means that the main game loop is running, but features are still being added. Since the game’s scope may increase from the feedback it is possible the full release date may be pushed back to accommodate the desires of our community.”

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

“After 1.0, we want to expand the game so much further to allow players to set up bases on Earth's moon and then on Jupiter and Saturn's moons all the way out to Pluto. We intend to add in a main campaign scenario that gives the game a more definitive and satisfying ending as well as smaller scenarios which occur over time as the player explores the solar system. We also want to add way more ships to the game to keep the variety interesting. There will be systems for salvaging (implemented) and stealing technology, as well as interactions with the other Warmasters to change their view of you. There will be optimizations as well as visual fidelity improvements. We want to add a formation and even city builder to allow movements of fleets in specific formations, or ordering the Mayor AI to build a city a specific way. We also want to integrate the game into Steam’s workshop so that the community can create their own content for the game easily. There is of course of lot of other creature comforts and smaller features that are already being implemented that it isn’t practical to list them here.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“At launch the player is limited to starting on Mars and cannot yet leave the planet during play. The player can build a city, research technologies and items, gather resources, custom build a ship/fleet, order said fleet to attack other ships or cities. The AI can do all these things too. The player can fly any ship they produce first person and order their fleet to fly beside them and attack what they wish. This works in single and multiplayer, Co-op, PvP, and PvE at the same time because of the ability of each player to play different roles in their empire, or other players to be their own empire with friends. There are three tutorials still under development, labeled as Prologues. The first one is basically completed. The first covers the flight simulator, the second RTS gameplay, and then the third the larger 4X-style empire management. These tutorials will familiarize the player with the many roles they can take on both in single and multiplayer. There are various screens needed to run your empire that are completed too, including the Navigation Screen, the Asset Screen, the Research Screen, the Factory Screen, and the Shipbuilder Screen. The Warmaster AI, Admiral AI, Mayor AI, Ship AI, and Turret AI are functional. The Storyteller AI that manages events is in early stages. Damage is done on a granular level, allowing satisfying disabling of ships as well as salvage. Players can instantly jump between ships in their fleets as ships are disabled, allowing them to stay in the fight during larger fleet engagements without worrying if their personal ship is lost.”

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

“There is a discounted price for Early Access and there will be a modest increase in price when the game comes out of Early Access.”

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

“We intend for the Community to have a major role in the development process to provide necessary feedback as each feature is released through comments on our Discord server, the Steam Discussions, and the forums on our developer blog. We want to make a game that's really unique and fun for all fans of the Sci-fi genre and the best way to ensure that is with a constant dialogue with the Community that supports us.”