Why Early Access?

“Cryptr is currently stable with basic game progression in dungeon crawling and exploring outside of dungeons. The autosave, leveling up, and most Steam achievements are also stable. I would like to continue working on Cryptr based on player feedback at this point for best improvements and areas of most interest for the player. For example, some ideas I have are to add more terrains for dungeons. Based on community interests, I would like to add at least 5 more dungeons to start with and could anticipate adding many more.

In terms of enemies, I would like to continue adding as many as possible to give the game an unexpected feel when the player encounters them for the first time. There is also the potential for custom created classes that would be configurable by the player. I hope to get new ideas for abilities players would like to see added whether for a new class or for existing ones.

Beyond adding new maps, dungeons, enemies, and playable characters, I also would like to gauge player interest in adding side quests to the main story. The side quests would help facilitate powering up stats (e.g. adding more strength, health, or magic damage). I want to continue working on the in-game inventory since this is still relatively new. Players can expect new items will be added to the game, most likely as quest rewards or as rewards for completing dungeons, or also as a reward for solving new types of dungeons that involve puzzles.

I will consider player feedback for improving lighting, FPS, rendering, music, and any other metrics of interest. As long as there is community interest in seeing new improvements there will always be dedication from me to realize those improvements!”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“Early Access will approximately be 2 - 4 years.”

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

“After Early Access, depending on community interest and feedback then further changes will be made. Aside from that there will be changes between Early Access and after Early Access such as adding additional items and other features new environments, zones, dungeons, and enemies. There are many ideas for future development even including more player progression in terms of playable classes and talent trees. Based on community feedback I have been able to optimize FPS to work from 60 FPS to 240 FPS depending on the input. In the full version of Cryptr, players would see changes like FPS improvements and new content (enemies, dungeons, helmet armor) as a reflection of the early access process. Note that there will never be any features such as cryptocurrency, blockchain, NFTs, lootboxes, in-game purchases using real money, or other similar concepts. In the full version, Cryptr aims to be a simple and fun dungeon crawling game that isn't overly complicated.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Early Access currently offers six dungeons in a minimal state along five classes (Mage, Warrior, Necromancer, Ravager, Archer), which can be further upgraded by leveling up and purchasing items from the in-game vendor. Enemies currently also have a random droprate for various items, presently this includes mana and health potions, and coin (currency for the vendor). The core of the game with Steam achievements and player progression such as leveling up, talent tree upgrades, and stat increases are also stable with plenty of room for improvement. The autosave is also stable and requires no saving efforts by the player. The game will autosave whenever a dungeon is completed, or whenever the player clicks on the Save button in the Settings menu. The profiles are saved to JSON files that can be opened by clicking on the "Open Profile Folder" button on the Character Select menu. If players like, they can edit the JSON file to change the values of their stats, such as health, regen, strength, etc.”

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

“Cryptr will not be priced differently after Early Access. While there will be more features, especially as there may exist community demand for new content / DLCs, the goal for Cryptr is to put the challenge in creating a fun game over profits.”

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

“Comments, email, paid testing and other general means of feedback from the community and experience developers will heavily influence the evolution of Cryptr.”