Development roadmap and business plan (OLD)
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NOTE: The planned free/paid beta model described here is no longer accurate - we are going to announce some changes to our business model shortly!
As we have said before, we are greedy bastards who want to make money off our game. We've thought hard about how to squeeze money out of you guys, and we've come up with a scheme that will surely make us stinking rich.
(Also, we think it's a sensible business model which will benefit the community and game in general and hopefully give us the opportunity to start working on the game full-time, but anyway: stinking rich!).
Please note that details of this scam plan may change in the future.
Pre-alpha (DONE)
We want to end the PRE-ALPHA PHASE by introducing the final big gameplay changes into the game, i.e. the Grab move and Weapon throwing. We will also launch our player account system.
Pre-alpha features:
-Player account system (DONE)
-Grabbing enemies (DONE)
-Weapon throwing (DONE)
Alpha <-WE ARE HERE
During the ALPHA PHASE, creating an account will probably be optional, but servers will have a setting to only allow players who are logged in. Parallel to this we will develop bots and prepare for the story mode. We will also keep adding small bits of content here and there of course.
Alpha features:
-Basic bots - we will keep improving the AI throughout development
-Better tutorial (showcasing the scripting possibilities of the upcoming campaigns) (DONE)
Beta
The BETA PHASE is where we will split the game into two versions: the free version and the paid version.
Paid beta
The PAID BETA will give you access to everything we've developed up to that point. You will be required to login to use the online features like public hosting and server browsing (as will be the case in the full game later on). Paying for the game during the beta means you will own it forever, and you will get all future updates for free even after the full version is released. We don't know what the final pricing will be, but 10 EUR and upwards seems reasonable to us.
Paid beta features:
-Local multiplayer
-Additional game modes: Survival, Capture the flag, Siege, Challenges...
Free Beta
The FREE BETA will basically be a demo, containing only the tutorial and a few versus levels. You will only be able to join games that are hosted in the free version. Some map editor features will be locked down and you won't be able to play custom maps that were made in the paid version.
Free beta limitations:
-Limited to Tutorial, Versus mode
-Can't join a game hosted in the paid version
-Can't play custom maps made in the paid version
-Some map editor features locked
During the beta we will of course keep adding small bits of content, improving the AI and polishing the game for the full release.
Full Version
Finally the FULL VERSION will come out, crammed with features and content that you've never seen before. You will be able to buy it via our website and hopefully on other platforms such as Steam. We don't know what the final pricing will be, but 10 EUR and upwards seems reasonable to us.
Full version features:
-Story Mode
-Complete soundtrack by a to-be-announced composer
-New customization items unlockable through completing challenges
-Lots of new content
-Free access to ALL future patches and DLC expansions
Demo
Parallel with the release there will be a FREE DEMO which showcases the features from the full game. It will be similar to the free beta in that you will be limited in what maps and game modes you can play, to give you a slice of the experience. Aside from versus mode and the tutorial, you'll be able to play about half the story mode. At the end there will be a splash screen advertising the full game.
Demo limitations:
-Limited to Tutorial, Versus mode and parts of a Campaign
-Can't join a game hosted in the full version
-Can't play custom maps made in the full version
-Some map editor features locked
As we have said before, we are greedy bastards who want to make money off our game. We've thought hard about how to squeeze money out of you guys, and we've come up with a scheme that will surely make us stinking rich.
(Also, we think it's a sensible business model which will benefit the community and game in general and hopefully give us the opportunity to start working on the game full-time, but anyway: stinking rich!).
Please note that details of this scam plan may change in the future.
Pre-alpha (DONE)
We want to end the PRE-ALPHA PHASE by introducing the final big gameplay changes into the game, i.e. the Grab move and Weapon throwing. We will also launch our player account system.
Pre-alpha features:
-Player account system (DONE)
-Grabbing enemies (DONE)
-Weapon throwing (DONE)
Alpha <-WE ARE HERE
During the ALPHA PHASE, creating an account will probably be optional, but servers will have a setting to only allow players who are logged in. Parallel to this we will develop bots and prepare for the story mode. We will also keep adding small bits of content here and there of course.
Alpha features:
-Basic bots - we will keep improving the AI throughout development
-Better tutorial (showcasing the scripting possibilities of the upcoming campaigns) (DONE)
Beta
The BETA PHASE is where we will split the game into two versions: the free version and the paid version.
Paid beta
The PAID BETA will give you access to everything we've developed up to that point. You will be required to login to use the online features like public hosting and server browsing (as will be the case in the full game later on). Paying for the game during the beta means you will own it forever, and you will get all future updates for free even after the full version is released. We don't know what the final pricing will be, but 10 EUR and upwards seems reasonable to us.
Paid beta features:
-Local multiplayer
-Additional game modes: Survival, Capture the flag, Siege, Challenges...
Free Beta
The FREE BETA will basically be a demo, containing only the tutorial and a few versus levels. You will only be able to join games that are hosted in the free version. Some map editor features will be locked down and you won't be able to play custom maps that were made in the paid version.
Free beta limitations:
-Limited to Tutorial, Versus mode
-Can't join a game hosted in the paid version
-Can't play custom maps made in the paid version
-Some map editor features locked
During the beta we will of course keep adding small bits of content, improving the AI and polishing the game for the full release.
Full Version
Finally the FULL VERSION will come out, crammed with features and content that you've never seen before. You will be able to buy it via our website and hopefully on other platforms such as Steam. We don't know what the final pricing will be, but 10 EUR and upwards seems reasonable to us.
Full version features:
-Story Mode
-Complete soundtrack by a to-be-announced composer
-New customization items unlockable through completing challenges
-Lots of new content
-Free access to ALL future patches and DLC expansions
Demo
Parallel with the release there will be a FREE DEMO which showcases the features from the full game. It will be similar to the free beta in that you will be limited in what maps and game modes you can play, to give you a slice of the experience. Aside from versus mode and the tutorial, you'll be able to play about half the story mode. At the end there will be a splash screen advertising the full game.
Demo limitations:
-Limited to Tutorial, Versus mode and parts of a Campaign
-Can't join a game hosted in the full version
-Can't play custom maps made in the full version
-Some map editor features locked
Do you think the hacker, who could make the free game with Utorrent ?
