Why Early Access?

“Starcore already has the foundation of the game we want: voxel building, structural physics, waves, mining, research, hives, mechs, and voiced radio systems. It is also very much an alpha. Early Access lets us test balance, pacing, performance, onboarding, and late-game progression with real players building things we would never predict internally.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We expect Starcore to stay in Early Access for at least 12 months, and possibly longer depending on how much the game grows during public testing. We would rather leave Early Access when the fortress, wave, research, and late-game loops feel strong than commit to an artificial date.”

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

“For the full version, we plan to improve balance, performance across a wider range of PCs, onboarding, UI clarity, controller support, enemy and boss pacing, region progression, late-game goals, and overall polish. We also plan to refine the existing co-op, save/resume, and Steam features through broader player testing. Plans may change as Early Access feedback shows what needs the most work.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The current Windows alpha has a playable first- and third-person voxel fortress-defense loop with freeform building, shaped blocks, structural stress and collapses, mounted weapons, orbital support, mining, field research, voiced radio, procedural regions, wave defense, hives, bosses, mechs, saves, and legacy progression. Four-player co-op is available through Steam lobbies, LAN, or self-hosted dedicated servers. Steam co-op has been tested with another player. Steam Cloud sync across PCs and leaderboard submission during a full run still need broader testing. Paid cosmetics and managed official hosting are not live. Balance, onboarding, hardware performance, audio tuning, and late-game pacing remain active work. ”

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

“Starcore is free to play in Early Access, and we intend to keep the base game free after Early Access. Local play, core progression, research, exploration, armor, mechs, fortress building, and leaderboard competition are intended to remain available without buying power. Future optional purchases, if added, are planned around cosmetics and hosting convenience rather than damage, armor, resources, progression, or competitive advantage. No paid cosmetics or official hosting subscription is currently available. ”

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

“We want community feedback on fortress designs, confusing UI, performance, balance spikes, overpowered strategies, boring waves, favorite weapons, co-op friction, save/resume problems, and the parts of the game that produce great stories. Steam discussions, update posts, and controlled friends-and-family testing will be the main places for feedback, bug reports, patch notes, and roadmap priorities.”