Miksi Early Access?

ProtoMasons has been built to be a unique multi-player experience, and going through Early Access is an opportunity to find out what players want to see in the game, and what could be improved and enhanced to make the experience more enjoyable.

Miten kauan peli tulee arviolta olemaan Early Access -vaiheessa?

I don't have a definite time frame in mind. It is my intention to keep the game in early access until I've reached the end of my early access roadmap. Beyond this, there is every intention to continue feature updates and improvements.

Millä tavoin lopullinen versio tulee eroamaan Early Access -versiosta?

Because ProtoMasons is an open-ended sandbox game, there is ample opportunity to add in new features and ideas to compliment the existing gameplay experience. During Early Access, ProtoMasons should adopt a number of new features and content additions, influenced by player feedback. The full version will also further build upon the base game mechanics and improve the overall experience.

Mikä on Early Access -version tila tällä hetkellä?

ProtoMasons has been developed to the scope of the initial design as described during the Greenlight campaign. It offers a playable experience that is ready for people to dig into. Specifically, these main features are available immediately:

• You can save and load building designs and build structures on servers. The game includes one texture pack and a small range of doors and windows, with more planned. Custom texture packs will be available in a future update.
  
• You can host your own non-dedicated worlds on a single map at this time. Servers are run as Steam lobbies (no port forwarding required) and support custom gift files (below). You can join other players who are hosting too.
  
• You can make and download 'gift mods' from the Steam Workshop, that allow you add custom furniture and objects to the game. A simple packager is included in the game that helps you create content. The advance editor will be available shortly as it needs some tweaking.
  
• Several interactive minigames are available and working (as per the trailer). Food cooking is currently limited to two foods, but this can be expanded with the mod system. More default food content is planned.
  
• All standard game features work; decorating, chatting, the pseudo-web system, weather, life sim, the market, basic character customisation (there are a limited range of body pieces and faces currently). The game trailer is an accurate representation of the things you can expect in the first release of the game.

Some of the features I'd like in the game are not yet implemented. There are also parts of the game which have had some no-frills implementation, and are subject to future change. You may find evidence of game features which are currently under construction and are limited (or disabled), namely the following:

• The medical system is undergoing work. Medical tools and the virus / disease system are limited at this time. Surgery is temporarily disabled for bug fixing.
  
• We have plans for plant farming, space research, ghost haunting, and other concepts mentioned during the Greenlight campaign. These are not available in the game at this time.
  
• The fun box menu on the server only has a firework option. NPCs have been disabled in online mode pending a rewrite. More funbox tools will be added during updates.
  
• The Robotic Assembler tool has no animations and the interface is incomplete. However, it can still be used in the game.

Make no mistake; if you like the ideas this game brings to the table, now is a good time to invest in a copy. You can help influence the development of the game (see below).

Muuttuuko pelin hinta Early Access -vaiheen jälkeen?

There is no intention for the existing price to change at this point in time.

Miten yhteisö otetaan mukaan kehitysprosessiin?

It will be crucial to have a dialogue with the community. ProtoMasons will benefit from feature suggestions and constructive feedback on existing aspects of the game, so it can better suit fans of the sandbox genre, and evolve as a multi-player experience. I'd really like to take on board feature suggestions and try to develop the game to be a great experience for people who like casual online games.

Reporting any hidden bugs is also helpful, to continue making the game stable and enjoyable.