Why Early Access?

“New Stars is a 4X galactic strategy game / passion project mostly developed by one developer over 2 years with a small budget. The game will hopefully improve in in stability and be more polished in the long run, but in the short run there will be lots of bug fixes / hotfixes and focus on implementing urgent player feedback. When/if the community is happy with the state of the game, we can consider adding improvements such as releasing full multiplayer support, as the game is already built on a multiplayer foundation.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“New Stars may be in early-access for several months at the minimum, although the duration will greatly depend on player feedback and the overall state of the game. I want to ensure that the game is polished, refined, and ready for release, but this may take a while.”

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

“The full version of New Stars will feature more refined mechanics, improved gameplay, and a greater variety of content. During Early Access, I will be focusing on addressing player feedback, bug fixing, and implementing additional features and improvements based on the community's suggestions. I feel it may take a while for the game to feel truly special, and that's why we will improve it in iterations, based on player feedback.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“There will be lots of bugs, but the game should be playable to the end. The new saving system should be more robust and fixes many bugs with the old saving system. Therefore you can save and reload your progress. New Stars may at first be confusing for new players to the genre, but those with experience with similar games should have a much easier time learning.

Refer to the second early-access post for more info, regarding the future scope of the game:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2231270/view/3824179810337651248”

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

“Yes, the base game will be priced 10-15% lower during Early Access to reflect its current state with less content, stability, and gameplay refinement. As we approach the full release in the distant future, with added features and improvements, the pricing may be adjusted accordingly, although a full release is not guaranteed to occur.”

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

“Community involvement is crucial to the development of New Stars, although I am the only developer as of writing, there may be some delay before it is humanly possible to implement player suggestions, although they will be prioritized. This is because the TODO list will most likely be full well into early-access, and there are hundreds of things to possibly do as of writing. I plan to continue to actively engage with the community through Steam discussions, Discord, and playtesting opportunities to gather feedback, address concerns, and prioritize the most impactful changes.”