Why Early Access?

“The core game mechanics and features for the game have been completed and it is fully playable. However, rather than keeping people waiting, I thought it would be better to involve the community to get feedback and ideas for continually improving the game, that way the features and gameplay can evolve with what the community actually want.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“Time estimates are incredibly difficult to give, however based on the development progress over the last year, I anticipate a version 1.0 being released in the summer of 2024.”

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

“For the full version I plan to implement online multiplayer and Steam Workshop integration which would allow players to design custom vehicles, probes and possibly even entire storm chasing scenarios. It is also anticipated that full controller support will be added.

UPDATE: Steam Workshop support added as of 19th July 2023”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The following features are currently implemented:

Single Player Career Mode

You start with a slow truck, slow internet connection, and clunky probe for intercepting tornadoes. You can earn money by deploying probes and warning residents in danger, this money can be used to upgrade your truck, radar and probes.

Procedural Tornadoes, Towns, and Destruction

The tornadoes are rendered volumetrically (i.e., not using particles) and their shape, size, texture, debris cloud, motion and so on are all randomised, so each tornado will look unique.

When the game first loads, towns will be populated with houses, barns, farm buildings and other features procedurally. Each time you visit a town it will be different, and when the town is hit by a tornado the damage is also procedural: there are no pre-broken models used in this game!

Settings

The goal from the start has been to make this game run well on as many machines as possible. In order to achieve this it is possible to tweak the game's settings so you can choose to prioritise performance or visuals depending on your hardware.”

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

“The price will increase with each major feature that is implemented and completed, and will likely increase when version 1.0 is released.”

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

“I am very active on the official discord server, and I'm constantly looking for feedback to improve the game and also interesting ideas to make the game more fun. When deciding which major feature(s) to work on next, I typically hold a poll on the discord server and let the community influence the direction of the development of the game.”