Why Early Access?

“Papership has a lot of moving parts. Over 150 blocks, block sets and affixes to build around, dozens of bosses, and a whole Atlas endgame, all feeding into each other. Getting the balance and the feel right across all of that takes more eyes than just mine.

Early Access lets me finish this game alongside the people actually playing it, so the weapons, the bosses, and the endgame get to feel as good as they can be.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“Around three to six months. I want to use that time to grow the endgame, add bosses and blocks, and especially dial in the balance off real feedback.
The honest answer is that it ships when it's right, and I would rather get there a little late than a little unfinished.”

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

“The bones are all here. The full version is about making it bigger and sharper.

I plan to grow the Atlas endgame with more map types, improve bosses with their unique phases and tricks, expand the block roster and the sets you build around, and keep refining the crafting so it feels fair and rewarding.

The goal is a game that is still throwing you something new dozens of hours in. But where it all lands will depend a lot on what players tell me matters most!”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Papership is complete and fully playable right now. This is not a demo or a vertical slice.

The whole loop is in and working:
- Set out on a Voyage run that rolls a fresh roguelike map every time, with dozens of levels and a final boss.
- Fight through a big roster of enemies and bosses that each fight their own way.
- Build and upgrade your ship block by block, with over 150 blocks to pick from.
- A full Atlas style endgame, with its own block crafting and map modifiers for extra challenge.

There are dozens of hours in it today.

It is stable and polished, with a finished interface, audio, and save system. What is still ahead is more content and especially a lot of balance tuning across the whole range. That is the part I want your help with.”

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

“The price stays the same for the whole of Early Access. It will go up when the game hits 1.0, so buying in during Early Access is the cheapest it will ever be.”

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

“Closely, especially on balance and feel. I expect players are going to break things in ways I never saw coming. Balance is one of those things that gets better the more people are hammering on it from every angle.

I will be in the Discord and on the Steam community hub, reading bug reports, watching which builds everyone gravitates to, and paying attention to where runs fall apart.

When a weapon is too strong or a boss is making people rage quit, I want to hear it and fix it fast. The blocks, the sets, the Atlas, the enemies, all of it sharpens quickest with you stress testing it.”