Why Early Access?

“After two years in development, we're ready to share what we're working on with the community. We know there are devoted fans of this franchise worldwide, and it means something different to each of them. We want feedback from as many players as we can get, so we can incorporate as many improvements as possible before we bring this ambitious project to completion.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“Based on current scope and resources, the dev team anticipates Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord being content-complete and leaving Early Access before the end of 2024. However, this is far from guaranteed; there are often unforeseen factors and various surprises that might lengthen the development process. As we navigate changes and obstacles, we will keep the players informed.”

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

“In addition to replacing WIP assets with updated ones, we plan to update other in-game graphical and audio elements. We will also explore adding text localization, a guide to in-game enemies, and other features we believe will benefit players.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The entire core game is playable, though there will likely be some bugs, and some visual elements are not 100% complete. The team is still working on additional environment and object textures, audio elements, and character animations; some existing elements will be replaced or upgraded during development. Incomplete assets are marked with a special icon to let you know they are still in active development.

More content and updated assets will be added over time, but some elements may change or stop working in the process. Save games, for instance, are something we expect will break between major updates. During Early Access, Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord should be considered an early build that you can play before it's done, so you should expect and prepare for some inconveniences associated with a work-in-progress.”

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

“Yes -- as the team adds more content to the project, the price will increase. Anyone who has already bought the game during Early Access will receive all additional content at no additional fee; it will simply arrive in title updates.”

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

“Steam and its discussion forums make the most sense for us as a central hub for communication. Our players are already here, so we'd like to meet you where you play. Bug reports will be very much appreciated, with as much detail as you feel motivated to provide — we want to squash as many as we can, with your help. We will also try to incorporate any player suggestions for features and improvements, as long as they can be implemented within the scope and resources of the project. In other words -- we're all ears for your hopes and dreams, but we'll need to see what's feasible, so let's keep talking.”