Why Early Access?

“Aubelys is being built by a single developer, and the parts of it I care about most — how a town grows, how far the world should push back, and what a session looks like when you play with or against other people — are still open questions. I have a playable foundation and a lot of directions I could take it. I would rather choose those directions with the people who actually play it than guess on my own and find out after 1.0 that I picked wrong.

Concretely, these are still undecided and I want player input to settle them:

* **How far the settlement layer goes.** Only part of the building tree exists today. Which direction it grows — deeper economy chains, a castle and royal court, naval and trade expansion, beast-taming — is a decision I want to make with the community rather than pick alone.
* **What competitive play should actually be.** PvP is early. Whether it becomes an economy-race, a raid-and-defend mode, or something objective-driven is genuinely open.
* **How hard the world should push.** Night pressure, raid escalation, and the pace of the whole session are things I can only calibrate against how a broad range of players really play, not against how I play my own game.
* **What the run is *for*.** The end-game objectives, map goals, and the reasons to start another run are the least finished part of the design.

Early Access is how I decide which of the open branches in the development plan get built, and in what order.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We hope less than a year. We are moving fast and if possible, we'd release 1.0 in early 2027.

That estimate depends on what players ask for. If feedback pushes the game toward content or systems that are not on my current plan, I would rather extend Early Access and build them than close the door early to hit a date. I will keep the roadmap public and say so plainly if the timeline moves.”

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

“The full version is meant to be substantially bigger than what ships at Early Access launch, not a cleaned-up copy of it. Planned for 1.0:

* **A much wider building tree.** Later-tier and specialist structures are not built yet — castle and royal court, trading post and port, archery range, beast kennel, dragon's nest and other advanced buildings. Which of these make 1.0, and in what order, is driven by player feedback.
* **Fully realised multiplayer.** Online co-op, PvP, and local split-screen are being rolled out in stages during Early Access. PvP in particular has no final shape yet — modes, win conditions and map rules are to be designed with players.
* **Larger maps with real objectives.** Bigger worlds, map-wide goals, dungeons, mini-bosses, and the rewards that gate the highest-tier buildings.
* **A deeper threat side.** More darkling types and behaviours, and a smarter escalation model so the world reacts to how a given player is doing, not to a fixed timer.
* **More villager depth.** Additional specializations, progression, and player-directed roles.
* **A complete end-game and reasons to replay.** Run objectives, variety between sessions, and persistence between runs — the area most likely to change based on what players tell me.

Stability and balance improve alongside all of this, but they are a consequence of the work, not the reason for Early Access.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Playable end to end, but clearly incomplete — treat it as a solid foundation with a lot still unbuilt.

**What works today:**

* Gather wood, stone, gold and other resources from a depletable, living world.
* Build and upgrade a settlement across five tiers — houses, palisades, farms, mines, towers, strongholds, mage towers.
* Recruit villagers and specialize them: lumberjacks, miners, farmers, builders, hunters, militia, mages.
* Survive the day/night cycle and defend against nightly darkling raids that escalate the longer they go unchecked.
* Fight with fists, swords, bows and spells on a full damage-type and resistance system.
* Expand outward — found new specialized towns and clear dark portals.

**What is not there yet:**

* Multiplayer is arriving in stages during Early Access; PvP is the earliest and least defined part of the game.
* Large maps, map objectives, dungeons and mini-bosses are not in.
* A significant portion of the building tree is unbuilt, including everything past the current top tier.
* The end-game and replay loop is a first pass and is expected to change substantially.
* Darkling variety is limited; enemy behaviours and escalation are still being designed.

Expect missing content, systems that shift between updates, and balance that moves as a direct result of feedback. If a change makes the game worse for you, I need to hear that — that is the point of this period.”

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

“The price will not increase when the game leaves Early Access. Players who join during Early Access are helping shape what the game becomes, and anyone who prefers to wait for 1.0 pays the same.

I intend to recognise Early Access players in-game in some form; how, exactly, is something yet to be confirmed.”

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

“Directly, and with real decisions on the table — I only get to build a fraction of what's on the list, so players get a say in which fraction.

* **A public roadmap with open items.** Buildings, modes and systems that are candidates rather than commitments, so players can see what is genuinely undecided.
* **Regular polls and design threads** on the Steam forums and Discord for the open questions above — the direction of PvP, which buildings to build next, how hard the nights should be.
* **A built-in bug and feedback reporter** in the game, so a report takes seconds and arrives with the context I need to act on it.
* **Anonymous gameplay instrumentation** so I can see where runs actually stall or end, and bring that data back to the community when we discuss what to change.
* **Public patch notes that credit the feedback behind each change**, so it is visible when a player suggestion made it into the build.

This is my first time doing this and I am one person, so I will be candid about what I can and cannot get to. Community input is not a bonus here — it is how I decide what gets built.”