Why Early Access?

“This game is a class project that had a short-term deadline and with that, one of the requirements for this game is to publish it. Even though that class is now over, I still want to work on this game because it is something that I have dreamed about for years. I do have a more advanced idea for how I wish my game to develop; however, I would love to work with the community in order to create a more enjoyable and immersive experience for my players.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“If I stick to the base idea that I have in mind, this game should be finished around the beginning of 2022. However, I anticipate there to be changes and additions as I work with the community, so I imagine it will take longer.”

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

“I plan for the full version of my game to include more interaction opportunities such as: teaching the dragon to hunt/fish, teaching the dragon to fly, teaching the dragon to defend itself, and more. As well, I plan on there being at least 3 more environment areas to interact within (the inside of a cabin, a forest, and a clearing with a waterfall and small pool). The dragon will have more forms such as an egg form, a child/dragonling form, a young adolescent dragon form, and a full-fledged adult form. The UI of my game I think needs a rework - more specifically, the journal layout and interaction will change and have more intuitive navigation. Finally, I plan for there to be interaction hints and prompts to teach the players how to interact with everything around them.

tl;dr - I plan on implementing a few more various interaction actions, a few more environments, the complete dragon stages, journal/UI rework, addition of interaction hints/prompts, and eventually, more variations of dragons to choose from and interact with.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The current state of the Early Access version has very base working interaction mechanics. The player can start a new game (or load their previous game if they have one), feed the dragon, play with the dragon, pet the dragon, check the dragon's mood & hunger stats on their watch, and exit the game. There is a finishing point for the game as well, but the factors to trigger the end state are, I feel, a little unintuitive. The ending says "thanks for playing the demo" however, this is not a demo for my game. It was just the only ending I could think of implementing due to time constraints.
As I continue to work on this early access game, the features and mechanics will improve.”

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

“I think I do plan on raising the price for my game once it is out of Early Access.”

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

“This is my first published game, so I plan on taking into consideration most if not all creative feedback I receive within reason. I do have a plan in mind for how I want the core of this game to proceed, but I do want feedback around what feels more intuitive interaction/controller-wise (basically what set of buttons feel better to use for which actions). As well, I'm open to more ideas of interactions with the dragon that is within my level of experience. And finally, I would love to get suggestions from the community on what kinds of dragons they would like to see in my game.
I welcome reviews and suggestions through email: tigerlilly2931@gmail.com . As well, I plan on making a Discord server where I plan on posting dev updates and hosting opportunities for communication and collaboration with those interested in playing and giving feedback for my game.”