Why Early Access?

“Echo Lake (formerly ‘Observatorium’) has been in part-time development since Summer 2014. Since inception, our team has grown from 1 to 3 members and our goal has changed from a simple puzzle game to a deeper adventure experience with a rich world and story. We still have a long road ahead but now is a great time to get others on-board for feedback as we refine existing mechanics and add new content.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We expect to spend [at least] 9-12 months in Early Access but this estimate may increase as we add new features and react to feedback.”

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

“In addition to balancing and improving the existing content, we plan on expanding our current feature set with all-new elements. These will be presented in the form of smaller updates (containing minor fixes and improvements) and larger upgrades (containing greater leaps in functionality). Our tentative release ordering is shown below:

• 1.0. ASTRONOMER - an ambient puzzle/exploration mode - navigate the sea
  
• 2.0. ASTRONAUT - an intense action/scavenging mode - blast through space
  
• 3.0. VOYAGER - a thoughtful adventure mode - uncover the main story

Our end goal for Echo Lake is an adventure experience which includes gameplay from the current build alongside new scenarios therefore most of our updates will be geared towards this. We're open to addressing community feedback and, in addition to gameplay changes, we'd like to improve accessibility and add more Steam-specific functions.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Our current version is Alpha 3.0 which previews our puzzle, action and adventure gameplay styles. Astronomer (puzzle) mode contains 96 constellation puzzles spread across 8 levels and a few hours of gameplay; Astronaut (action) mode introduces a new vehicle, environment and gameplay within a procedurally-generated galaxy. Voyager (adventure) mode merges gameplay from the first two modes and is a work-in-progress.

Since our debut release, we've expanded our puzzle interface (1.1), added some collectable story teasers (1.2) and revised our puzzle progression (1.3). The 2.0 upgrade introduced action/space gameplay segments whilst 2.1 added scavenging mechanics. Our recent 3.0 upgrade blends rowboat and rocket gameplay and is currently in-development.

There may be bugs or balancing issues and it's likely the current levels and mechanics will go through various revisions before leaving Early Access. Additionally, all artwork and audio are placeholder and subject to change as we expand our world and story.”

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

“The price will change as we leave Early Access (relative to release content). We only recommend purchasing the game at the current price if (1) you are keen on the current content and (2) you are willing to help us improve our product. We cannot promise incremental versions will be perfectly balanced or free from bugs so if you'd rather play a more evolved experience please wait for the full release.”

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

“Our primary aim is to react to existing gameplay feedback; we intend to work alongside the community to improve our core gameplay mechanics which may lead to changes in numerous areas. Secondly, we wish to gather feedback on new items, mechanics and challenges as they become available. Finally, we aim to collate any accessibility and compatibility issues so we can consider ways to address them.

We aim to use the Steam Community forums to gather bugs and suggestions: whilst we can't respond to all comments directly we'll certainly be reviewing all feedback. We'll strive to keep the community updated of any developments and delays as best as we can via regular patches and announcements - C3 Team”