Why Early Access?

“Tech Legends Simulator is made by a solo developer. Development started in early 2026, and the core of the game is already playable: you can run a tech shop, build PCs by hand, hire staff and grow six other careers alongside it. Early Access lets me put this version in players' hands now and shape the rest of the game around how people actually play it.

My goals for Early Access:
- Find and fix bugs and performance problems on a wide range of PCs, which I can't do testing alone.
- Tune the economy, prices, wages and levelling speed using real player feedback.
- Polish the careers that are already in the game and add the new content and careers I have planned (see the next answer).

I intend to keep working on the game throughout Early Access, post regular updates with patch notes, and see it through to a full 1.0 release.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“I expect Early Access to last between 6 months and 2 years. The exact length depends on how much feedback comes in and how long the planned careers take to build. I would rather take the extra time and release a polished 1.0 than rush it.”

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

“The Early Access version already includes the full shop loop and seven careers. For the full release, I plan to:

- Add new careers from the game's original design, including running your own game development studio (make and release your own games) and taking on software engineering contracts.
- Add more depth to the existing careers, such as more IT Helpdesk ticket types, more LANline Café upgrades, and more to do in Stitch Streaming and MeTube.
- Add more products: more graphics cards, processors and other parts, plus more PC cases and peripherals to build with and sell.
- Add long-term goals for the late game, so there is still something to work towards after reaching the maximum level.
- Add more ways to customize your shop, such as decorations and wall and floor styles.
- Add more customer variety and events, such as busy sale days and special customer requests.
- Add more staff roles and more ways to manage your crew.
- Improve performance, especially in large and busy shops, and keep improving graphics, animations and menus.
- Rebalance the economy and progression based on player feedback.
- Add translations into other languages if there is demand.

These plans may change based on player feedback, and ideas suggested by the community may be added along the way.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The core game is fully playable. Everything described in the "About This Game" section above is in the game now, including:

- Stocking: order cartons on Amazoom, store them on metal storage racks, unpack them onto your shelves and set prices in the Pricing app.
- A hands-on checkout with item scanning, cash, change and card payments.
- Part-by-part PC building, with real compatibility between sockets and memory types.
- Hiring cashiers, stockers and PC builders who work alongside you.
- 7 careers (PC Building, LANline Café, Crypto Mining, Stitch Streaming, MeTube, Trading and IT Helpdesk) and 50 player levels that unlock new parts, stations and rooms.
- Expanding your HQ up to a second floor with an elevator, a build mode for laying out your shop, and a custom shop name and sign.
- A day and night cycle, weekly bills and an end-of-day report.
- An in-game phone full of apps, and PaneOS, a retro desktop operating system on the PCs you build.
- 3 save slots with autosave, Steam Cloud saves and 24 Steam achievements.

What to expect right now:
- The game is single-player, Windows only and in English only.
- You may run into bugs, odd NPC animations and balance issues. I fix these as they are reported.
- Busy shops with lots of customers and workers are demanding on the CPU. Performance is an ongoing focus.
- The game development studio and software engineering careers are not in the game yet.”

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

“I don't plan to change the price when the game leaves Early Access. Everyone who buys during Early Access will get the full version at no extra cost.”

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

“Player feedback will decide a lot of what I work on next. I plan to:
- Read the Steam discussions and reviews, and keep dedicated discussion boards for bug reports and suggestions.
- Post patch notes with every update, so players can see what changed and which suggestions made it into the game.
- Ask the community for input on bigger features before I build them.”