Why Early Access?

“As a company and family, we decided from the start that we want Trash Can Tactics to be a community driven game. While there are obviously features we would love to implement, and are in the process of implementing, we are always open to suggestions about what would make the game better. Our mission is to make games that friends and family can play together, and Early Access would allow us to get the feedback needed to make it a genuinely fun experience for everyone.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“The current plan for this game is to have it ready after 12 months of development, to be completed and in a 1.0 launch state by early 2027. We hope to have a handful of major patches, where each patch changes the nature of the map, introduces a new class with a new playstyle, or completely overhauls a previously existing class to better embody what the community feels it has become.”

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

“Our first goal is to create a handful of valid builds for both raccoons and humans that facilitate playstyles ranging from stealth/recon, to brute force, to sheer destruction. This will be done through different template "classes" for both humans and raccoons, each with unique abilities and counters to their counterpart on the opposite team.

Playing with others is the most fun when you're able to make custom scenarios and constraints, such as overwhelming forces on one side, or even just a classic 1v1. While Trash Can Tactics will be initially balanced for 1-2 humans and 1-3 raccoons, the goal is to create a dynamic system that will allow for varying lobby settings so you can create any scenario you wish, regardless of how many friends are online at the moment! Public lobbies will remain within set size ranges to ensure a fairly standard experience throughout public matches.

Depending on feedback, there are possible implications for a leveling system for each class, as well as creating unique environmental events that affect the overall way the match is played out, such as exhibit shows, and general visitor feedback/happiness impacting the museum.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“

• A low-stress solo lobby to test the different playstyles of the humans and raccoons.
  
• Multiplayer lobbies support 2-5 players, with 1-2 humans and 1-3 raccoons.
  
• Raccoons will be able to choose from 3 different classes, focusing on stealth, brute force, and destruction.
  
• Humans will be able to choose from 3 different classes as well, focusing on disruption, surveillance, and trap-laying.
  
• A few additional pieces of technology that can be used by humans, raccoons, or both.

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

“We plan to increase the price when we leave Early Access to reflect the increase in content available.”

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

“We fully intend to involve the community through polls to see what people like, dislike, and want to include. As a company, the goal is to be as transparent about the development cycle as possible, and to be in constant communication with them about all progress, set backs, and anything else that might occur throughout the development of Trash Can Tactics. We also plan on having a Discord where we talk directly to the community.

We will be looking at feedback on all social media platforms, as well as the Steam Forums, and through this feedback we will release polls on a discord server to see what the future updates and direction of the game should look like. If you would like to report a bug you found, there will be a section in the discord to do so.”