Why Early Access?

“The core mechanics of the game are done (multiplayer, VR, controls, abilities). Now the work left is purely aesthetics, art assets, level design, UI, and other more normal game aspects, which, as a one-man team, I would struggle most with. By releasing the game in early access, I hope that as players experience and enjoy the game as it is already, the game might attract the attention of others who may want to help further build out the game.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“The game will remain in early access until the aesthetics and production quality of the game is closer to that of release-quality. Ideally it would be no more than 1-2 years max.”

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

“The final version of the game would ideally have better quality models/graphics, more fully developed levels and landscapes, and more interactable vehicles or objects within the game. For example, one concept I had in the beginning was that there would be many maps to choose from, the in-game story being that each player is in the real world a tourist departing Earth to another planet of their choosing with the experimental jetpack technology as the means of travel once landed on the planet.

Players would also be allowed to customize and upload their own character skins; some might want to fly as their favorite superhero. This would be something that I would let the community completely take over on rather than the usual model of the game providing the skins. Given that people can upload 3D models on Shapeshift and other sites now to print their own designs in real-life, I think it only makes sense that you could do the same for game items now in a virtual world.

Lastly, the most exciting feature in the game, and one I literally dreamed of when I first conceived of the game idea, is that there would be abandoned gigantic mech suits throughout the map that you could land on and pilot. That alone would create a point of focus for the game even if the game never ends up having any real objective or scoring system, as the player who gains control of a mech suit suddenly towers over everyone else like something out of Shadow of the Colossus.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The core mechanics of the game are done. Players can fly and interact with each other online in VR with realistic physics-based controls. It doesn't rely on teleport or D-pad controls of most VR. You can do anything you'd imagine you physically could do - hover, drift, spin, flip, burst through the sky like Ironman - all based on how you position the controllers. People who normally get dizzy from VR have said they had no issue here because it feels natural.”

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

“Currently I have no intention to profit from the game. However, I have no sense of what it would cost to maintain the servers to support the online play, so it's difficult to say whether it will be entirely free or if things like custom skins or extra maps might cost in the future. I think at a minimum the base-level and single player would always be free. If I can, I would keep the online play free as well, but that depends on how things look when I get there.”

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

“Building more of a community effort around this game would be ideal for me. I would love to be able to just focus solely improving the core mechanics and flying controls, while everyone else builds out landscapes and models to populate the game with. In a way, this goes back to games like Rollercoaster Tycoon, Age of Empires, or Starcraft, where the base game is left open-ended enough that entire communities form around building additional levels/maps and custom mods. Here, I would like that to be a core feature of the game rather than a subcommunity.”