Release Strategy

*** Release Plans ***

Did a separate post and some stars at the beginning get your attention? Good. This is a key piece under looking forward that I want to communicate with players. 

I've had plans to deploy by the end of the year since starting the game. That looks mostly on schedule. I've been so excited to get so much feedback about the story of the game, which when I started I didn't think that players would be so interested in. With NPCs getting added in, I have an opportunity to add some more story and dialog around them, including new maps, and a reason to try to revamp combat again.

With those new additions, I think that it's still possible, but a Jan 2023 release would be more realistic.

When I do release v1.0, I was planning on putting a price on it. Currently I'm targeting no more than $9.99. It will definitely be released here on itchio, and I'm exploring a game studio name and setup before I make a Steam account to make it under that.

In addition, since supporters have been gracious enough to provide the funds needed to break even on art costs, I'm also trying to make sure that there is value their contributions. With that, every supporter will be getting an access key for the game, acting like Steam Early Access. 

This will begin to apply to the game starting with the general release of v0.10. When it is released, anyone who buys the game will get all updates up to and including v1.0. In addition, supporters are also getting benefits for their contributions. I'm still brainstorming (and definitely looking for ideas) on what those are. Currently, supporters will get an access key for later versions of the game and final release based on their contribution:

Supporter ($3/month) - If you have supported two or more months to the project

Patron ($5/month) - If you have supported one or more months to the project

Esteemed Patron($10/month) - If you have supported one or more months

This also allows me to focus on one version at a time, instead of handle bugs and new features across a general and early access version.

I'm looking for input so feel free to ask any questions. Thank you for your support on my first game!