Why Early Access?

“As of now, this is a solo developer project, and the scale of the game has grown beyond what I initially planned. I want to get the game out in front of players to get their feedback, playtesting, and a sense of what they want in a game like this. I'm making the game I want to play, a blend of realistic, complex sandbox flight sims, and games with deep, interesting mechanics in an immersive world. I have a clear vision for the game, and releasing Lakehopper in early access will help achieve that vision!”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“I plan for Lakehopper to be in development for a few years. The scale is ambitious and I want there to be lots of content for players to enjoy and explore. As mentioned above, this is currently a solo dev project. I've got really high standards for the game, so it'll take as long as it needs to become the rich experience I want it to be.”

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

“There are a lot of new systems I want to build to make a rich and lively world to fly around. I plan to add an entire system of NPCs, trust, reputation, and storytelling. The communities you visit should be vibrant and dynamic. I plan to add more planes and more parts so players have a lot of control over what they fly, and how the planes they fly are customized and maintained. I plan to add systems for weather, the passage of time, seasons, etc. so the world itself is dynamic and challenging. I've planned for these systems to be added, and they're part of the core vision for the game. I've prioritized building systems that can have a lot of content added to them in the future. Focusing on these systems will make it much quicker for me to add this content myself, and also for the game to support an active modding community.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“As of now, the game consists of a plane you can build, fly, inspect, maintain, repair, and disassemble. There are simple cargo jobs you can do, flying from community to community. There are some basic weather systems, and a satisfying, complex, realistic, but incomplete flight model and water model. Flying is fun, building is fun, and you can fly indefinitely. Content is definitely limited, but is in active development.”

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

“The price will gradually increase as more content and features are added to the game. The price will always be something I feel is reasonable for what's currently in the game, and price increases will be announced ahead of time.”

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

“Bug reports, feature requests, and feedback can all be submitted through the Steam discussions forum. I'll be active there responding to quality bug reports and participating in community discussions.”