2025 Dev Diary #4 - Early Access Plans [message #310] |
Fri, 24 January 2025 19:25  |
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Horemheb
Messages: 37 Registered: October 2022
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Member Administrator |
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Hello all. This dev diary will likely be the last before we launch early access on February 14th, which is also the topic for today:
Early Access Phases
Our Early Access journey is divided into three phases, which we've dubbed "Bones", "Meat", and "Skin".
Phase 1 - "Bones"
The first phase ensures fundamental functionality and core systems "just work":
Core Gameplay Systems:
-Scrolling the map
-Zooming in and out
-Using interfaces
-Tile system
-Taking control of characters
-Playing on different display resolutions
-Save/Loading Games
Campus Construction
-Build / delete tools function correctly
-Rooms do not overlap
-Stairs auto-adjusting themselves correctly
-Limitations respected (i.e. - cannot build a 6th floor without a 5th floor)
Validating Basic Simulation and Character A.I.
-Can characters path-find?
-Do characters use stairs correctly?
-Are characters sprites visually assembled properly?
-Are character schedules generating correctly and are characters following them?
-Do characters behave according to assigned traits?
-Basic C.P. functionality
Stress Testing:
-Handling hundreds/thousands of simultaneous characters
-Determining minimum system requirements
-Identifying performance bottlenecks requiring optimization
Player Feedback Refinements
-Possible refinements of gameplay, interfaces, etc based on tester feedback.
Phase 2 - "Meat"
The second phase will focus on perfecting the game simulation, namely:
-Refining character A.I.
-Implementing more complex character actions
-Expanding interaction scenarios (screenplays)
Phase 3 - "Skin"
In this final stage, the game is essentially feature-locked. We'll be working on:
-Bug fixing
-Gameplay balancing
-General polishing
-Starting the Android port
Early Access Timeline
While precise scheduling is challenging, we estimate approximately 1-2 months per development phase with a project v1.0 release sometime between mid-June to mid-September 2025.
Post-Release Plans
-Our immediate priority will be fixing any bugs and resolving performance issues should they arise.
-If the Android port was unable to be released alongside the Windows/Mac/Linux desktop version, we'll be continuing work on it.
-Should the game perform well sales wise, then we'll start development on add-on content/expansions, both free and premium.
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