Why Early Access?

“We want to find out what kind of final product the majority of our players is looking for:
Is it a game like our Fish Farm series for mobiles? Is it another kind of game, for example, involving elements of strategy or tycoon games, etc?

It might also be the case that the "creative mode" available now is all what the audience is waiting for and traditional game elements are not needed at all. In this case, do players actually prefer to simply build beautiful tanks without worrying about, e.g., water parameters and water chemistry? Or is it a more realistic approach, simulating various real-life aspects of a fish tank, what is wanted by the community?”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“As we are not certain what in-game aspects our audience is actually looking for, this is hard to project. Considering about one year is the best guess we can give as of now.”

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

“We will certainly add more species, decorations, and aquarium types. An improved light configuration was added with the first update. There might be a simulation of water currents inside tanks. Depending on the player responses, there will either be more game-like or more simulation-like additions. UPDATE: We now include a simulation mode, letting you configure various equipments, involving growing plants, fish, and algae, as well as simulating water chemistry.

We will enable cross-breeding of fish. Even if this is not possible in real life, this is an option users can enjoy on their PC. UPDATE: Cross-breeding is now available.

We might be able to make each fish unique in shape and texture, even fish from the same species. This needs to be carefully considered though, as to the large amount of work involved in this and the performance impacts it will have.

We might add gender differences. This would basically double the amount of work on our side for each supported species. Whether this will be realised strongly depends on game success and player needs.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“This version offers a fully operational Aquarium Simulator and Editor (allowing you to aquascape your tanks, as well as to simulate water chemistry and to configure equipment) with a still limited amount of 80 species of fish/crabs (now increased to 193 species). Cross-breeding and recoloring added in the meantime allows for an unlimited number of fish :-)”

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

“When leaving Early Access, the price will be higher than it is now -- Early Access consumers will thus both be able to shape the final product and to pay a lower price.”

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

“We will be checking the Steam Forums regularly where you can post feedback, ideas, suggestions, bug reports, and the like. We will reply on there, but the Steam Forums are most likely not the best place for longer and fruitful discussions.

We will also be using a Discord server to chat, share progress, and probably have detailed discussions: //discord.gg/kGYS4BHpmz

Get in touch on Facebook: //www.facebook.com/behindglassaquarium

Get in touch via e-mail: [email protected]

Get in touch while playing: Use the Open Player Support button in the Settings menu.

Please always bear in mind that the time we spend communicating reduces the time we can spend to actually realise and implement the things we learnt from communicating -- we are just a small team; no communications officer involved here. Your advantage: your feedback is heard by the right persons.

If anyone is actually interested and able to help us with anything apart from "things that need to be done by the creators", feel free to get in touch! Not sure what this could be right now (apart from localising the game), but if you are the right person, you can surely tell us...”