Why Early Access?

“The scope of Kodas Nereus is still being defined and currently driven by a team of 2 people with a passion for collecting, processing, and visualizing ocean data and the travel around the world for extended periods of time to accomplish ocean surveys. The current version has one wreck dive debuted at PAX East 2025 and one coral reef dive in development for PAX East 2026. We have engaged the scientific, higher education, and gaming communities but need time to fully scope the vision of the game.

Kodas Nereus is pushing the boundaries of how real-world oceanographic data can be used in a game engine. Because we are simulating complex variables—buoyancy physics, gas management, and 1:1 bathymetric environments—we need a wide range of hardware configurations and player feedback to get the 'feel' of the water right. Early Access allows us to fine-tune the diving simulation and VR comfort features with a dedicated community before finalizing the full expedition career mode.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We anticipate it will take another two to three years to achieve the initial release. This timeline allows us to process and implement additional LIDAR, sponar, and photogrammetry datasets, expand the catalog of dive sites, and refine the VR interactions based on community feedback.”

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

“The full version aims to be a complete scientific career experience. Planned features include:

Expanded Atlas: A significantly larger collection of real-world dive sites, including deeper wrecks and distinct coral biomes.

Advanced Equipment: Progression systems unlocking technical gear like DPVs (scooters), ROVs for safe depth scouting, and advanced rebreather configurations.

Full Research Loop: A complete 'preservation' economy where data collected is used to upgrade the Kodas Institute facilities.

Polished VR Mechanics: refined hand-presence and interaction systems for specific VR headsets.””

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The current version is playable but unrefined and contains one wreck dive and one coral reef dive with limited interaction with the environment. It supports VR and PC with basic menus, inventory, and settings management.”

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

“Yes. We plan to launch at a lower price point to reward early adopters who help us shape the simulation. The price will likely increase upon full release to reflect the expanded base content library and features.”

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

“We plan to engage and collect feedback from everyone using their unique perspective of how they interact with the world's oceans. We view our players as fellow divers and researchers. We will be active on the Steam Forums and our official Discord server to gather feedback on:

Flight Model: Tuning the swimming and buoyancy physics to feel natural in VR.

Hardware Compatibility: ensuring our high-fidelity data renders smoothly across different rigs.

Feature Wishlist: listening to what tools or specific real-world wrecks the community wants to see added to the database next.”