Why Early Access?

“Early Access gives me an invaluable tool for gathering community feedback on what works and what doesn't. DASHPUNCH is coming to Early Access because I want people to have their hands on the game as soon as possible; now that the game's core concepts are in place, feedback from real players can act as guiding rails for what directions to take them, and what needs tweaking.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“Early Access is planned to last somewhere between 6 months and a year; the shorter the better.”

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

“DASHPUNCH is coming to Steam in an early access state; it is NOT done yet, and there's plenty more content to come! And if there's anything I know about browsing Steam, it's that the people love roadmaps. So what's the roadmap for DASHPUNCH look like? The current release schedule looks something like this:

• Early Access is planned for Winter 2024. Details on what that will likely entail are below!
  
• After the Early Access release, there will probably a week or so of hotfixes, then I'll shift focus towards major updates; there will be at least two, one for each of the remaining two worlds. Each of these major updates will contain it's respective world and everything associated with it, along with new items, legacies, NPCs, or whatever else comes up along the way.
  
• Following the Early Access releases will be, ideally, the 1.0 official release. This will have the final boss and ending sequence, and the final pieces of visual and audio polish for the rest of the game. At this stage, the game will be considered "complete", and any further plans would depend on more factors than I can predict at the time. But if there's demand for more, I'll do my best to provide it!

Of course it should be stated that all of these plans are subject to change, and it's difficult to predict an accurate timeframe for how long these updates will take. I'm just one person after all, and unexpected things happen!

The final game will feature five worlds, each with dungeons, bosses, music and NPCs, along with the final boss and a complete story. Items, legacies and cross-run ("meta") upgrades should also be fully fleshed out by then.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“

• Currently, the main gameplay loop and combat is more-or-less done, but will likely receive some minor polish and tweaks as the game progresses. This includes the moment-to-moment gameplay as well as things like meta-progression and dialogue.
  
• The first three worlds of the game are more-or-less done, complete with dungeon rooms, enemies, bosses, NPCs, music, etc.
  
• Ideally Early Access will also include a tutorial, story cutscenes, secrets, and some other planned content.
  
• The soundtrack is in! Composed by the lovely entertextinthe, this will receive additions as the remainder of the game is released.
  
• Sound effects need some work, but it's been a steady process and most of the essentials are in. This should be done by Early Access.
  
• Dialogue and writing for all the current characters will be done by the time of the Early Access release.

”

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

“There aren't any current plans to change the price unless significantly more content than planned ends up being added.”

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

“I'll be keeping my eyes and ears open and listening to community feedback; I believe this is hugely important to developing a good game, and part of the reason for releasing an Early Access version in the first place!”