早期アクセスにした理由

“Cepheus Protocol is an ambitious game still in development. While there will be bugs and issues, we hope you’ll join us in actively providing feedback. If you’re not ready to jump in yet, we completely understand and hope you’ll consider supporting us once the game leaves Early Access.

How often do we update?
We release minor bug fixes and general updates regularly—at least once a week, sometimes more. Hotfixes are deployed as needed, especially when our community identifies issues that affect gameplay. Significant updates are released every month or two, including through our experimental build on Steam. These experimental builds allow the community to test new mechanics and systems without affecting the main game. Once deemed stable and polished, these updates are rolled into the core game, where we continue refining them based on feedback.

Major Updates:
Larger updates, such as builds 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, and beyond, take longer to complete. Each build focuses on different aspects of gameplay, systems, and mechanics, such as civilian management, dynamic civilian groups, new zones (e.g., San Francisco), animations, weapons, vehicles, and character models. As we are a small team, sometimes only one person works on these features, which can extend timelines. Despite this, we always provide previews of our work, including live developer streams on Discord to keep our community informed.

Community Involvement:
As a major update nears completion, we invite the community to test and review these changes in the experimental build. After a few days or weeks of feedback collection, we assess what fixes or adjustments are needed before releasing updates publicly. Our internal testing aims to address significant issues before they reach players, but community feedback remains critical to this process.

Minor Updates and Bug Fixes:
We strive to address bug fixes quickly, although timelines may vary depending on the severity of the issue and the availability of our team. If fixes take longer than expected, we keep the community informed and express our gratitude for their patience and support.

Challenges and Development Impacts:
Unforeseen challenges—such as engine updates, learning new software, developer illness, or team changes—can affect our progress. Despite these obstacles, we remain committed to keeping Cepheus Protocol on track and maintaining open communication with our community.”

大体どのくらいの期間このゲームを早期アクセスにする予定ですか？

“We plan to stay in Early Access as long as needed to achieve our vision for Cepheus Protocol. Our tentative goal is to leave Early Access in 2025, but this depends on the resources available to our small team and the complexity of the remaining work.

Our focus is on delivering a polished, feature-complete game, so the timeline will remain flexible to ensure the best possible result. Your support and feedback during Early Access are vital to helping us achieve this goal.”

早期アクセスバージョンと計画されているフルバージョンの違いは？

“The full version of Cepheus Protocol will feature the following: Pandemic Mode, which is the current iteration of the game that is playable now. Story/Campaign, co-op, Horde Mode, and Special Operations.”

早期アクセスバージョンの現状はどうなっていますか？

“The Early Access version of Cepheus Protocol provides a solid and evolving experience focused on Pandemic Mode, where players manage squads to contain and combat a rapidly spreading infection. Key features include:

• Core Gameplay: Squad-based real-time strategy with dynamic enemy AI, base building, and resource management.
  
• Playable Content: A sandbox mode featuring diverse enemy types, squad abilities, and engaging objectives.
  
• Iterative Updates: Regular additions of new features, refinement of existing mechanics, and bug fixes driven by community feedback.
  
• Experimental Builds: A dedicated test environment on Steam where players can preview and provide feedback on new mechanics, animations, and systems before they are integrated into the main game.
  
• Active Development: AI behavior, animations, and core mechanics are continually improved. While the game is stable and enjoyable, occasional bugs and performance issues may still occur as we work to polish the overall experience.

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早期アクセス期間中と期間後ではゲームの価格は変わりますか？

“The price of the game will increase when it leaves Early Access. The exact new price will be determined closer to the full release. We will inform our community in advance of any price changes.

Those who purchase the game during Early Access will not incur additional costs when the game is fully released, as their copy will automatically update to the release version.

However, we plan to continue supporting the game post-launch with optional additional content, such as DLCs, skins, special items, and other related content. These updates will be separate from the main game and will not be included for free with Early Access purchases.”

コミュニティは開発プロセスにどのように関わることができますか？

“

• Feedback-Driven Development: Players can share their thoughts, bug reports, and suggestions through forums, social media, and our Discord server. This feedback helps shape gameplay adjustments, feature priorities, and overall improvements.
  
• Experimental Builds: New mechanics, systems, and content are first released in an experimental build on Steam, where the community can test and provide input without affecting the main game. This helps us refine features before public release.
  
• Transparency: We keep our players informed about ongoing development through regular updates, patch notes, developer live streams, and behind-the-scenes previews on Discord and other platforms.
  
• Iterative Updates: As we receive feedback from the community, we continuously iterate on systems and features to align the game with player expectations.

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