Why Early Access?

“EonDeluge's core duel already works. One player draws the attack in real time, the other dodges it, and the two swap roles each round until someone runs out of energy. What we are still building is everything around that duel: the progression, the content, and the tools that let players share what they make.

Those are the parts we cannot design well on our own. The ranked ladder, the research trees behind it, and the way player-made shapes and flows enter the game all depend on how real players actually play — what they find unfair, what they ignore, and what they invent. Early Access lets us put a working game in front of players now and build the rest of it with them, rather than guessing and finding out after launch.

We have a plan for the remaining work and a clear picture of what the full version needs to contain (see below). Early Access is how we make sure that plan stays pointed at the right target.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We expect to stay in Early Access for at least a year. We will move to the full version when the content and systems we consider essential are finished: the full local opponent and stage roster, the research trees filled in and stable, content sharing live through Steam Workshop, and online play solid enough for everyday ranked matches. We will not set a date until that work is close to done.”

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

“The full version is planned to add more local opponents and stages; the research trees filled out, with their effects and progression; story content and visual effects that bring the world setting into the game; Steam Workshop support for sharing shapes, flows, and stages; and the final soundtrack. The core duel is already in Early Access — the full version is everything built around it.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The core of the game is in and playable. Drawing an attack in real time, dodging it, swapping roles, the objection system, and the energy-based round win all work. The tutorial and a first roster of local opponents are in, along with the pixel shape editor and the flow editor. Ranked play, free matches against local opponents, LAN play, and online play are all available.

What is still being built is the content and the systems around the duel. The opponent roster is small — six local opponents at the moment — and there are only a few stages; more opponents, stages, and story content are planned for Early Access. The research trees behind ranked progression exist as a framework, but most of their content is still being written, and the rules around them may change once players are actually climbing. Content packs for shapes, flows, and stages can already be exported and imported as files, but Steam Workshop integration is designed, not live yet. Online play works, but it is the roughest part of the game right now.

We fix bugs as we find them, but most of the work in Early Access is building and changing systems while players are using them. Expect things to move — and expect part of that movement to come from what players tell us.
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Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“We do not plan to change the price when Early Access ends.”

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

“Players affect what we build in three ways.

First, through play. We watch how people actually play — which attacks feel unfair, which rules never get used, where the ladder gets stuck — and we change the design based on that, not just fix bugs.

Second, by telling us what to build next. Systems that are still in progress — the research trees, matchmaking, the editor, content sharing — get discussed on the Steam forums before they are finished, and every update note says what changed because of that feedback.

Third, by making things. The game is built around creating your own shapes and flows. We plan to feature the best player-made content in the game itself, credited to its creator, and Workshop support is planned so that sharing is one click. If you build something good, we want other players to see it.

We read the forums, we answer questions, and we tell you what we changed and why.”