Why Early Access?

“We need to use an early access version to verify numerical balance, including whether the attributes added by various systems match the strength of the monsters, whether the difficulty of enemies across different levels aligns with the player's growth rate, and whether the power of skills provides a satisfying experience for players with different playstyles. All of this requires feedback obtained through testing in order to make adjustments. Until this series of numerical balance has been validated, the game version cannot be officially released to players.

Additionally, we also hope to gather feedback on whether the combat intensity and story length of each map meet players' needs, and whether the difficulty of obtaining materials aligns with player expectations.

We aim to use the early access version to validate and collect feedback on all these aspects, ultimately presenting a more polished version to players.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“The Early Access phase is expected to last 3 to 5 months.”

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

“We plan to significantly expand the scope and depth of the Liangshan Marsh in the full version. The following are our current directions (without making absolute promises):

We plan to expand the currently available main story maps to over 10, adding classic locations such as Zengtou City, Qingzhou, Daming Prefecture, and Dongping Prefecture. Each map will feature a complete side story branch from Water Margin, and introduce a "Map Weather & Time" system — infiltrating Gao Qiu's mansion at night versus storming it during the day will trigger different trap and enemy configurations.

We plan to add 8 to 10 new functional NPCs. In addition to the existing Wu Dalang, He Jiu, Wang Po, and the County Sheriff, we will invite Lu Junyi to open the "Jade Qilin Martial Hall," teaching combo techniques; Shi Qian to run the "Flea on a Drum" secret passages, offering map shortcut unlocks; and An Daoquan to take charge of the "Returning Spring Hall," developing mysterious prescriptions that temporarily boost critical hit rate. Each NPC's system will require unique materials for development and will be tied to main story progress.

We plan to introduce a complete "108 Stars of Liangshan" collection system in the full version. By recruiting each hero (through completing their personal quest chain), you will obtain their "Loyalty Token." Collecting a certain number of tokens will activate the exclusive "Heavenly Spirits & Earthly Demons Array" — greatly boosting the attributes of your entire team and summoning corresponding heroes' assist skills in battle.

We plan to add a cross-server "Uphold Justice on Heaven's Behalf" alliance war. Organized by server, players will form the "Liangshan Allied Forces" to jointly battle giant world bosses representing the "Four Wicked Ministers" (Cai Jing, Gao Qiu, Tong Guan, and Yang Jian). Based on the alliance's total damage, all players on the server will receive different tiers of "Merit Chests," containing rare cosmetics and exclusive titles.

We plan to open multiple endings for the "Dragon-Slaying War God" storyline. Depending on your choices regarding brotherhood bonds, the order in which you complete maps, and decisions made during the final trial (such as whether to spare Gao Qiu's family), the story will lead to at least 3 different endings — from "accepting amnesty" to "crowning yourself king," or even "disappearing into the martial world, living in anonymity." Each ending will unlock a unique permanent skill or cosmetic.

We plan to introduce an "industry chain" upgrade for the streetside eccentric systems. When Wu Dalang's pancake shop reaches max level, it will unlock the "Yuncheng County Pancake Headquarters," allowing you to set up branches in various maps that automatically produce some materials. He Jiu's inquest studio can be linked with the County Sheriff's wanted board — through inquests, you can obtain "fatal clues" to accelerate the capture of high-value fugitives. These linkages will create a complete resource circulation network among the four systems.

The above are our current planning directions. Specific content may be adjusted based on development progress and player feedback. We will not promise that "everything will definitely be implemented," but we will strive to make every plan satisfying for everyone.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Streetside Eccentric Systems: Wu Dalang's Pancake Shop (attack), He Jiu's Inquest Studio (HP), Wang Po's Marketplace (both attack and defense), and the County Sheriff's Wanted Board (all attributes) are all available. You can upgrade them by consuming corresponding materials (food coupons, inquest notes, silver, and wanted tokens). Materials are obtained through map quests.

Multiple main story maps: Each map has its own exclusive quests, which must be completed to progress to the next map.

Combat system: Currently, 4 skills have been designed for players. Skill balance is still being iterated upon.

No forced payments in the current version — all materials can be obtained through in-game gameplay. We are fully aware that combat feel and quest guidance still need polishing. Therefore, we sincerely invite every heroic warrior to join us and co-write this martial world together.”

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

“The game will remain free-to-play throughout.”

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

“We will release "Assembly Hall Dev Logs" every two weeks via Steam announcements, Bilibili/YouTube, and Discord channels, reporting progress with images, text, or short videos — showing new map drafts, NPC design sketches, and balance adjustment plans — while opening polls and comment sections to gather feedback.

Dedicated feedback channel: A "Carrier Pigeon Message" button will be integrated into the game, allowing players to submit bugs, balance suggestions, or story inspirations with one click. Each week, we will select the 3 most valuable pieces of feedback (the "Most Valuable Heroes"), prioritize them in the next update, and list the submitters' names on the "Loyalty Board."
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