Why Early Access?

“Sintopia is an unusual game, to say the least. The hybrid genre of a management / builder / god-game is not something that has been done many times before. We want to confront our vision to the players' experience and feedback, measure if everything clicks just right, and iterate with players up until final release. By giving the community a first version of the game as soon as possible, we make sure the game becomes as good as it can be.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We intend the Early Access to last a little more than a year. Our goal is to finish developing the planned content, but also to take into account players feedback. If the first can be measured precisely today, the latter is still to be determined.”

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

“In Early Access, Sintopia allows players to play one game mode with randomized objectives, setup and challenges. The main addition of the full version will be the narrative campaign, articulated around scripted missions, as well as a purely sandbox mode for players who like to customize their experience. New game systems will also be part of the final release, such as hiring Demons, Overworld endgame crisis, Cultists, or the altered behaviors of deviant Humus, but we don’t want to give too many spoilers. Of course, the variety of gameplay elements and options is meant to increase on all fronts: new Hell buildings, Humus lifepaths, Spell procedures, game maps, game situations, and so on. Note that we may progressively roll out some of these changes during Early Access so players can have their hands on them before final release.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Players can experience the “Challenge” mode, which randomizes setup (map layout, gameplay elements, etc.) and objectives, providing a replayable experience. Progression within this mode (Hellish Role Models) allows players to unlock and customize their experience via game altering passives, while facing specific challenges which force them to strategize. Even though we’re super hyped by the other game modes to come (Campaign & Sandbox), we believe Challenge fits Early Access the most, providing players with unique gameplay situations and emergent storytelling.
Sintopia is a “systemic” game, meaning that a lot of underlying systems interact with each other. Some of them are still to be developed, but we wanted to have as many of them as possible playable in Early Access: sins sources, demons, procedural development for Humus, buildings destruction, fire propagation, etc. The gameplay experience of the game loop is fully representative of the final game, even though some (really) cool stuff is yet to come.
In regards to gameplay variety and horizontal coverage, we’re somewhere around halfway done. In Early Access, you have access to 16 Hell buildings (out of 30), 3 Spells, 3 Role Models, several playable maps, most of Humus lifepaths, etc. We intend to update the Early Access regularly with new content, to keep things interesting for returning players. As a general rule of thumb, the content available in Early Access is about the most “straightforward / early-mid game” of what’s planned. Stuff to come later, such as new spells & buildings, may get a bit… wild.”

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

“Yes, we will increase the price at release to align with the increased work and scope of the title at 1.0.”

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

“We see players as people who hold the answers we need to make Sintopia incredible, and we intend to get those answers by all means necessary! We’ll be present on as many communication channels as possible (Discord, Steam forums, etc.), and we will read every feedback we receive. We already planned a substantial amount of production time dedicated to treating players' ideas, making them work with the planned content, and implementing them when possible. Even if the reality of production prevents us from integrating all cool ideas during Early Access, we’ll provide a clear roadmap of what we intend to do at final release and beyond. If our community likes Sintopia and wants to take part in its future, we will be very happy to see this happen. Let’s make an incredible game together!”