With the completion of the shared technology between the base game and the Expansion, the base game has also finally left Early Access. Most of the goals from the original 2016 Early Access launch announcement and the later Launch Roadmap Sep 2016 Launch Roadmap had been reached within the first 18 months or so, although the game remained in Early Access for twice that period.
In response to thoughtful community feedback and feature requests, the following lists some of the additions made to the base game while in Early Access.
- Some players felt the game was too easy. A complete hard mode was added to the base game. The monster AI was extensively modified to accomplish this.
- Following the initial launch, some players requested additional free content. A new mid-game dungeon with a 2-story maze, 2 new mining caves and 3 new outdoor combat/exploration areas were added. This added 17 new monster combat encounters, 3 new puzzles and riddles, and introduced a new type of two-handed weapon. Steam reports average playtime for the game is 3 hours 50 minutes.
- Some users felt Teleportation movement broke VR immersion for them. New locomotion was added to the game, including continuous smooth/gliding and Snap Turning options.
- Some players struggled with aspects of the belt-based inventory system, others requested advanced features. The inventory system was simplified and upgraded and the ability to 'hot swap' weapons was added.
- Players requested more interaction with world items such as skulls, stones, candles, books etc. The majority of world items were updated to allow grab/throw interactions.Flammable cloth, leaves, webs, straw were added. The new interactable items were integrated into the game as hiding places for treasure, secret keys, etc.
- Climbing was added as an additional movement mode and retrofitted to the dungeon areas, with items added as climbing rewards.
- Achievements were expanded and integrated with Steam.
- Many players requested better support for more types of VR hardware. Hardware support for Oculus and Index was added and integrated into the training room.
- Some players reported frame rate drops in certain outdoor areas, especially those using the initial round of VR gaming machines. The game engine was upgraded and its rendering performance improved.
- Some players felt the game was beginning to appear outdated as the Early Access period extended beyond 2 years. The wild/outdoor areas were updated to include a higher level of detail. Ground which previously showed 'painted' grass now contains tall, 3d grass. Most trees maintain higher resolution at greater distance and no longer 'pop' to a different level of detail. The entire game was relit and shadow distance and resolution were improved. The appearance of many treasure items was updated with a newer generation of metalic/gold shaders.
- Player-reported bugs were fixed throughout the Early Access period, contributing to a stable base game.
The most recent update includes the following changes in the base game:
- Index Controller Improvements. Index controllers should be better recognized when activated after the game starts.
- Item Drops. It's no longer possible to drop certain critical items, such as special keys or, for instance, the last mining pick in player inventory.
- Item Grab Improvements. There are two ways to grab items, you can click outside the item, then 'sweep' through it, or you can click within the item. This update improves the second case - all items should now respond to either method.
- The price of the Dragon Fire wand has been lowered so players who spent gold on the Giant's Bane weapon can more easily afford it.
- Monster AI. Many changes to improve the agility of monster movement, especially in outdoor areas.
Here's an excerpt from the Early Access description of the game, posted on the storefront page when the game launched in 2016, and remaining for the duration of the Early Access period:
Why Early Access?
"There are still content and features I'd like to include in the full version of Chapters 1 & 2, and Early Access gives me time to respond to community feedback.”
Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?
“4-8 weeks for Chapters 1 & 2.”
How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?
“Performance tuning to support a wider variety of lower-end graphics cards, customize some assets, integrate the game's achievements with Steam, address any major bugs or design issues early players may find.”
What is the current state of the Early Access version?
“Fully playable.”
I am extremely grateful for the feedback and support received from the community during Early Access. At this point, development focus will shift to updating the base game and new Expansion as needed to fix any new playability issues and bugs folks may encounter.
