Why Early Access?

“Despite the fact that the application is already usable every day, the final goal is to make it a central place where people would come to, in order to improve their chess skills. For that, many more features will need to be implemented and smoothly integrated with the current version of the application.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“2 to 3 years (with a single developer) would be a first target”

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

“A few features are already planned for the near future:

• Allow multiple smaller opening sets for specific training and better exploration of the continuation lines
  
• Manage games and positions databases with import, export and background analysis features
  
• Allow commenting any position encountered within the application
  
• Add a module dedicated to learning from your mistakes
  
• Collect statistics on your progression
  
• ... Of course, suggestions from the community will all be welcomed

”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The application should already be stable and usable every day.
The application already provides the following content in a minimalist way:

• A module to train your openings using various sets of parameters for you or the computer and the possibility to restrict the opening lines to specific variations (like the "Queen's gambit accepted" variation)
  
• A module to train your tactics level per level (11 levels in total) and pattern per pattern (38 patterns in total), with the obligation to pass tests to unlock the higher levels.
  
• A module to train your endgames using various sets of parameters for you or the computer: like the strength of your opponent (12 preconfigured levels + 1 customizable level), or the fact that you want to be assisted by a chess engine to always find the best move.
  
• A module to play against the computer (again 12 preconfigured levels + 1 customizable level here). You can again choose to be assisted by a chess engine to find the best moves while playing.

”

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

“Yes!
the price should slightly increase while new features are added to the game.
But the goal is to keep the price as low as possible : Improving your chess level should not be expensive and should certainly not be bound to any subscription!”

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

“The input of the community will be very important to us.
We want to bring the best possible features, with the best possible quality at a cheap price.
For that we plan to use the Game Forums to collect as much information as we can in order to lead the future developments (we do plan to be active ourselves on these forums).

There, we can have general discussions about the future of the application, you will be able to suggest new features, or report bugs, or simply ask any question related to the application.
If needed, for complex matters, we can also setup separate 'workshop' discussions.

There will also be the possibility to contact us directly on our website . There, you will also be able to post messages for reporting any bugs that you might have encountered, as well as requesting new features.

We will work with major and minor releases.
Major releases will mainly focus on introducing new features.
Minor releases will be used for solving annoying or blocking bugs and stabilizing the software.
We do plan to do 2 to 3 major releases per year. The content of each major release will be communicated before the start of the release, so you know what to expect :-). This communication will always happen in the game forums.”