Why Early Access?

“With Roadside Research we want to make sure that the game not only follows our vision, but also take into account community expectations. The game features simulation-heavy systems which are adaptable and modular, meaning these systems can be expanded upon over time, and even make them more interconnected so the game feels more rewarding the deeper you go.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We are keeping the Early Access period to around a year. We plan on providing regular, smaller, updates on a frequent basis with large systems-wide updates every 3-4 months. Regularly updating the game every so often and creating new features for players to try are planned and vital to the game’s development.”

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

“The current version of Roadside Research is fully playable and cohesive in its own right. However there is a lot of room for expansion as well. This means: alien research tech, multiplayer interactions, extending and upgrading the gas station, new NPCs and behaviors. There are still many areas we want to explore and having the community involved every step of the way is important to us.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Currently Roadside Research features fully playable areas and systems. The gas station is customizable with over 25 items, each placeable wherever in the station. Key items and store-based mechanics have upgradable tech trees for players to unlock. NPC customer behaviors are implemented, they come into the store to purchase items, use the facilities, and refill gas. There is also the customer satisfaction and suspicion meters in-game already. Players will have to balance accelerating their research without humans finding out, or else agents come to the gas station to investigate.”

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

“Yes, Roadside Research will be at a lower price during Early Access. As more major systems and features are added the price will also reflect the time and effort put into developing the game!
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How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“We've already implemented certain requests from the community, like being able to control how many toes the aliens have in-game. Yes that really did happen, please rejoice at being able to choose from 1, 2, 3, or 4 toes (per foot) now. Player feedback and opinions are very welcome as ultimately it is what matters to make the game the best it can be.

Our Discord has reached over 5000 members, so please join us there if you'd like! We run events there like: drawing your own alien mask, sharing gas station layouts, and we’ll be running more activities there during the development of Roadside Research.

There is also a beta sign up form where players can test our features and systems before they are publicly released.”