Why Early Access?

“The decision to put "Software Company" into early access was made after considering several factors.

First of all, I am a single developer with a vision of creating a high-quality game. During development, it became clear that some of the features I wanted to include in the game would take time. These features include a large number of dialogues, randomly generated news and review articles, and randomly generated box art for each game developed by either the player or AI companies. Currently, these features are taking up most of the development time while the rest of the game is in a good playable state. Since the community feedback has been a pleasant surprise for me (I honestly didn't expect so many people to be interested in my little game), I don't want to delay the game any longer.

This brings me to the second factor:

Community feedback. Further development of the game requires more insight into how people perceive the game, what features they like and dislike, and most importantly, what features they would like to see in the game that I haven't even thought of yet. The game is programmed in a modular way so that it will be easy to implement highly requested features from the community in the future.

This feedback is vital to realizing my vision for "Software Company".”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“If I learned anything during the game development process, it is that estimating exact time frames is always difficult. However, I am confident that "Software Company" will not remain in early access for longer than 6-9 months. I definitely plan to have the final release by the end of 2023.”

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

“The goal is to realize the vision I started with "Software Company". As mentioned previously, the game is in a stable and playable state.

For the final version I plan to include more dialogues, more random events that impact the game's economy, and additional maps that are currently in development.

One significant feature I plan to implement in the future is the ability to build your own office complexes.

Balancing a game with so many variables is always tricky, but with the help and feedback of the community, I am confident that the final release will simulate the economy as closely to real life as possible.

Last but not least, I am currently developing more game types, including larger projects such as MMOs, and a system that will allow players to create their own consoles and sell their hardware.

Furthermore, I am looking forward to the community sharing their ideas with me for features that I haven't even considered yet. I am sure that at least some of them will make it into the final version!”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“At the Early Access release, "Software Company" will provide players with the following features:

Graphics:

• Full low-poly 3D environments and character models with custom-made anime-style shaders.
  
• Customize your character with different skins and skills.
  
• Day/night cycle.
  
• Seasons and changing weather.
  
• Two different office buildings suited for different team sizes.
  

Gameplay:

• Create your own video games from a multitude of different options, including different genres, themes, systems, engine, and gameplay features. Every game also has its own unique and randomly generated box art, allowing you to recognize each game just by its cover.
  
• Research engine and gameplay features.
  
• RPG-style dialogue system: Hire and manage employees through dialogues. Responses and dialogue options change dynamically during a conversation depending on the mood of your conversation partner, the reputation of your company, success of your games, and your choices during the dialogues.
  
• Review website with randomly generated reviews and news from the gaming industry, sales charts, and more.
  
• You can either play the game with default settings to reflect gaming history close to the real-world events from 1982 until today, or play with random values to have a different experience each time you start a new campaign.
  
• Small tutorial to introduce you to the game's base mechanics.
  
• Steam achievements.

”

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

“The price of the final version will be slightly higher than that of the early access version. My current plan is to increase the price by approximately 30% from the early access price.”

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

“In addition to fixing bugs, as I mentioned before, your feedback is vital to me and my vision for the game. During early access, I hope to gather many insights about your likes, dislikes, and overall experience with the game.

Please fell free to share your thoughts and experiences through the steam community pages, email or discord.

I plan to conduct surveys for much-requested features and ideas, which will be implemented into the game during early access. All in all, early access will bring the game to an audience that will hopefully be as enthusiastic about a different approach to the game development-tycoon genre as I am.”