Why Early Access?

“We at Dark Machine have chosen to use Early Access as a way to get feedback throughout the development process. There’s a long way to go still, and we feel it’s important to include the community in that process.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“White Knuckle is planned to be in early access until it is content complete and polished, which we currently estimate to be about a year. The game is fully funded and will be launching into 1.0 regardless of the success of Early Access.”

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

“Over the course of development our goal is to slam as much content as possible inside of White Knuckle, new creatures, regions, secrets, game modes, the whole works. We really want to cram it in there.

We plan to launch Early access with the first 3 of a planned 7 regions for the Campaign. Beyond that, we are planning on new game modes: Challenge and Sandbox. And further than that: New Items, creatures, secrets, shortcuts, and on and on.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The game includes polished content up through the three current regions: Silos, Pipeworks, and Habitation, with plenty of items, hazards, creatures, and secrets. The game also has Endless modes for each region, and for the current content as a whole. And finally, the game contains various progression based unlocks, including perks, levels, and items.”

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

“Yes, the game will enter early access and incrementally increase in price for the v1.0 release as we release updates with new content and features.”

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

“We directly communicate with our community through the game’s discord and the steam forums. We further involve the community by keeping open channels of communication with the playerbase, accepting feedback and bug reports, and showing them in-development content to gauge opinions.”