Why Early Access?

“To recruit the team needed to build Total Rendition with the original plans we had in mind and do so within a workable timeframe will require massive outside investment, which in turn is intended to come from outside backers (i.e. outside of Steam).

However, to convince these backers, we will need "social proof". We mistakenly believed Early Access was the way to go to accomplish this. Experience has shown the opposite occurred: Due to the Early Access release, we lost much credibility as we rendered the project vulnerable to trolls to such an extent they were able to pronounce a heckler’s veto.

As such, we have discontinued Early Access.”

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. On https://www.schizotypy.com, you may find information on 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 tens of hours of gameplay to rival big-budget narrative-driven 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.

Total Rendition has been released to early access at an exceptionally early stage of development compared to most other Early Access titles. This, we believed to be necessary to convince outside backers that expansive narrative-driven games continue to offer a credible alternative to the multiplayer titles which have become fashionable these days.”

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

“During this stage of development, Early Access for Total Rendition primarily revolves around the goal of generating interest and engagement from players rather than focusing on immediate sales. As the project is currently self-funded and lacks external investor backing, the primary focus is on building a dedicated player community and gathering valuable feedback.

By purchasing an Early Access copy, you will additionally gain access to the upcoming full version when that becomes available. Do note that you get what you pay for: Early Access, that is to say, an insight in how we work. Getting the full version upon release date is an additional perk which may or may not realised. Note that the current price is also the gold status release price.

Visit https://schizotypy.com/how-we-fight-back-against-the-big-bois/ for more information on (the considerations behind) Total Rendition’s pricing strategy.”

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

“We need your help for us to be able to complete Total Rendition as close to perfect as possible: However, our capacity to develop Total Rendition ultimately does not depend on the amount of sales during early access and rather on the amount of overall anticipation of the full version.”