Why Early Access?

“While working on Caretaker Sacrifice for the last year I had a pretty clear vision in my mind about what it should be and then I got it in front of people at some shows to play. Their reaction was good, they enjoyed the game but watching them play it showed to me that my vision of the game wasn’t actually the vision they got to play – to them it was something else, something far wider than I had expected and I want to explore that more.

I’m a lone developer and getting Caretaker Sacrifice out to a wider audience to explore before actually releasing it isn’t that easy but this is why (at least to me) early access exists. In reality I’d love to release the full game on May 26th but it wouldn’t be the game it could be. So I want to make use of early access to help shape the game through your help into the greater potential it has.

This is also not about getting money, I’m lucky in that I have funding to make Caretaker Sacrifice but be assured that any revenue generated while in early access goes into making the game even better.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“I'm working on the game full time and I am currently pulling stupid hours to get it complete. So based on the level of feedback I would hope it would not be in early access more than 2 months. I actually had a nearly complete version of the game already but I could see from people playing it that there were areas I need to address and I can only do that with people playing it and then adapting.”

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

“Early access at this point is more about getting the game right rather than trying to build the game from scratch. So I want to make sure the levels are the correct pacing, length and difficulty so from the start they may not be right but by the time we come out of early access based on your feedback they will be better. At the moment I was planning on an initial release with 10 very large levels but what if based on your feedback it only needs 5 or needs 20? That's why Caretaker Sacrifice is going through this process.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“As of right now (26th April 2016) the game is going through an art revision based on feedback from taking the game to a large consumer show in London, UK and talking to people who played it there. That art revision is going to lead to some changes in level layout but there are 7 base levels to begin with and I aim to enter early access with at least 3 of those in a state that's fully playable and then adapt based on feedback.”

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

“If I ever thought making games was hard then pricing them is even harder. I wouldn't feel comfortable charging a full price game while in early access so it's going to be at a lower price in early access and then increase in value if I see the value is there. This is completely going to be based on the feedback I get from you all.”

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

“I want full involvement. So far I've been completely open about the development of Caretaker Sacrifice on twitter (https://twitter.com/xiotex) and the current art style was based on an informal poll I did there by showing A/B pictures. I get the community involved in all aspects that I can - mainly because I don't see myself as having all the answers but the starting vision of what this game can be. Not all the changes have been to my liking to begin with but I've had to admit they were better than what I had originally done. I recently changed the player's laser based on feedback. I aim to continue that throughout the development.”