Why Early Access?

“Pylon Racer is an experiment, the ‘flappy bird’ of flight simulation. Short and incredibly difficult. It is a game that puts you, the player back in the pilot seat. Where the leader-board is based purely on your flying skill.
Early access is a fantastic way to communicate with players, and get feedback from the community to build a game that is very different from the rest. I am sure that the players have insights into features that I missed, or assigns different priorities.
Lastly, as a single developer in my spare time, testing the code over all the possible computer and controller configurations is almost impossible. Early Access is the only way to catch all the unique possibilities. Two points stand out

• The range of controller and joysticks is vast, and although the setup is extremely flexible, it would be amazing if we could build a database of mappings during early access.
  
• The game is extremely fast, and as a result I want even the minimum spec computer to run at 60 fps without a single dropped frame. During early access I want to push that limit as low as possible by optimizing the engine even further, and if necessary dynamically changing level of detail. By the end of this period I want the minimum specification to work rock solid.

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Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“3-4 months. The emphasis will remain on getting a single plane and a single racecourse right.”

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

“I am always open to suggestion and may change my mind if something amazing comes up, but for now the full version will only contain cosmetic updates, controller updates and speed improvements.
The flight model will remain exactly the same, no future change on the leader-board that’s not related to pilot skill.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The current state of the game is very close to the final version.

• Well tuned flight model.
  
• Very flexible controller mappings.
  
• A Generic plane very close to all the modern racing planes.
  
• One course, based on Ascot in the UK. The amount of skill needed to fly this well should provide more than enough game-play to last well into the full version.
  
• Great replay system, gives a television view of your flight afterwards. No integrated sharing. Since installing the GeForce experience on my PC I am sold that Nvidia does a better job of capturing game-play than I can. Use a 3de party app to record and share your flight.
  
• Leaderboards. There are two leaderboards at the moment. Total time, and Penalties

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

“Price will not change between the early access version and the full version.”

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

“Since the game will only be available on Steam, I want to use the store page, and forum as the main feedback platform.
Feedback from the players will help determine the direction of future versions. For a racing game to thrive we have to drive the competitive aspect. In the first version this is a lone affair with the leader-board being the only interaction between players, but between the size and skill level in the community, and player feedback, I would love to establish leagues to progress through, and more interactive racing. In all of this I want the player’s input to work towards a good balance.”