Why Early Access?

“Ares Program combines underground colony survival with direct control of individual colonists in combat. Oxygen, heat, food and power management must work alongside raids, body-part injuries, rescue and treatment. Early Access will help us refine this combination with player feedback, with particular attention to combat systems, raid difficulty and balance, as well as long-session performance, save reliability and usability.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“Our current target is to leave Early Access within approximately two months of its start. This is an estimate, not a guaranteed release date. We may adjust the schedule based on stability, player feedback and the readiness of the full release.”

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

“A major goal for the full version is to develop the combat and colony-defense systems further. We plan to expand weapons and equipment, improve enemy behavior and raid variety, and refine aiming, cover, body-part injury, rescue and treatment balance. We also plan to expand research and production, refine farming and colony progression, and improve onboarding, usability, performance and stability. These are development goals and may change with Early Access feedback.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The current development build includes procedurally generated Martian terrain, tile-based mining and construction, individual colonists with skills and needs, schedules and priorities, farming and cooking, research and building unlocks, gas and liquid simulation, temperature and phase changes, pipes, pumps, tanks, power networks and industrial production. A first combat foundation is playable: draft colonists, issue individual or group move and attack orders, fight armed raiders, and manage body-part injuries, pain, incapacitation, rescue and treatment. Daily events also include mineral meteor impacts and crash survivors. Weapons and equipment progression, expanded enemy behavior and combat balance are still being developed. The game is single-player and supports interfaces in English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Russian and Spanish (Spain). Bugs and performance issues may occur during development.”

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

“We currently plan a modest price increase when the game leaves Early Access. The final price and timing have not yet been fixed.”

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

“We will collect bug reports, suggestions and balance feedback through the Steam discussion forums. Feedback on combat, colony defense, raid difficulty, injuries and recovery will be especially valuable during Early Access. Reproduction steps, save files and diagnostic logs can help us investigate problems. We plan to share development progress and explain significant changes through Steam announcements and discussions.”