Why Early Access?

“I'm a solo developer, and DustCrow is built around a live, player-driven economy. Prices move with what the community sells, and a system like that can only really be tuned with players in it. The core loop is complete and playable now. Early Access lets me grow the rest of the game (more locations, more tools, MORE LOOT, and work on multiplayer with crossplay) with players in the world and their feedback, as I want to build something the players feel like they have a voice in.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“Somewhere around a year or two, but treat that as an estimate. I'd rather leave Early Access when the planned features are solid than rush to hit a date and then have to clean up a rough, unpolished mess.”

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

“I plan to add cross-platform multiplayer so you can run salvage shifts with a crew, along with new POI types and stations, cosmetics and customisation, more tools, more voiced content, and expanded lore. The single-player salvage loop is the foundation. The full version is planned to be a bigger, busier version of the same game, not a different one.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Fully playable in single player, with the complete salvage-to-sell loop. Procedural wrecks and enterable, pressurised stations; a wide range of industrial tools for cutting, breaching, and hauling, all at a range of prices and unlock levels. A hangar hub with a store, your tools, booster tuning, and more. Daily quotas and weekly contracts with driving income and SARIS clearance progression, with a live player-driven economy that's already been running throughout the demo.”

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

“I plan to raise the price a step when the game leaves Early Access, once multiplayer and the planned content have shipped. Buying in Early Access gets you everything that follows at the lower price.”

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

“DustCrow's testers have shaped it since the first builds were accessible. A private testing group has and will always be behind the scenes moving forward, as it has already shown its worth in these stages of development. The weekend-only public demo on Quest, where everyone clocked in together, gave the economy a good stress test. After Early Access release, the demo will retire, but the private testing builds with unreleased content will continue, as that's critical to be tested by the community before it's shipped to live. I post weekly devlogs, keep a public changelog, and I'm in the Discord daily. If something is broken or boring, tell me, and you'll usually see it change in the next update.”