Why Early Access?

“Early Access is an opportunity for me as a solo developer to improve Vactics using supportive feedback from the player community. During this process I want to learn where the game can improve and be as fun an experience as possible. I also understand that live service games need to be able to adapt and change to how players are playing the game and I want Vactics to be the best game it can be by embracing that approach.

Vactics has a lot of game content that I have built to interact with one each other and with the enemies in consistent ways. This means as well that they might also combine in ways I don't expect. I'm hoping that players will be able to help me find when the unexpected events are unbalanced or not fun so I can fix them.

I also want to keep adding new content to the game during development. Having the opportunity to share that new content as soon as possible will ensure that the game improves steadily and every change introduced is improving the fun and increasing the tactical options in line with what has been established already.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“The development plan is for 5-6 months from the Early Access launch. This timeline might change with new work and features that result from the feedback received during this period.”

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

“The full version of the game will build upon the foundation I have already established by:

• adding new tech, tech mod and arcane tech content for the player to build mechs.
  
• new achievements added alongside new tech and gameplay systems for players to test their understanding.
  
• full balancing of the content in the game so that players there are many viable builds to discover and enjoy.
  
• mech and enemy art will be going through a polish phase to better communicate information to the player about what might happen - this is key for good turn based tactical gameplay.
  
• more visual polish will be giving to the game environments to distinguish them from each other.
  
• a full custom soundtrack will be added with music for each district.
  
• additional narrative content to explain the story of the Vactic uprising in Solitude City and how it affected the different districts.
  
• localization into more languages.

”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The game is fully playable and stable in Early Access. The current features of the game include:

• 12 unlockable Tech options for the player to combine when building the mech.
  
• Dozens of Tech mods that can be applied to the tech to change how they function.
  
• 16 Arcane Cores that further modify the game rules and actions.
  
• A full campaign mode where the player must try and save Solitude City by fighting through a randomly generated city with 7 different district types.
  
• 17 Escalation Protocols that can be applied by the player to modify their game or increase the gameplay challenge and score multipliers.
  
• A daily challenge mode providing a quick puzzle challenge each day that can be completed with extra optional escalations to add more challenge.
  
• An endless option in the campaign mode for players to try and push themselves further for higher scores and more challenge.
  
• Over 50 achievements for the player to complete.
  
• Tutorial content that explains the core gameplay systems with a menu to review them at any time.
  
• A Codex where players can review all the tech they salvage and enemies they defeat.
  
• 18 unlockable color palettes.
  
• Full support and remapping for mouse, keyboard and gamepad input.

”

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

“The price for Early Access is recognition that players will be getting the game before it is fully completed. This price will increase once new features and updates are added on the path to 1.0.”

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

“The Steam forums will be a valuable source of detailed feedback about the game. I want to hear how players are building mechs and what gameplay options are created by their choices. These stories will help me make decisions about new tech to be built and how to balance the game to make sure it is fun as possible.

Additionally, I have built an in-game feedback form so players can provide direct feedback and bug reports that I can address.”