The new Alpha demo will be available only between 7-11 August.
So try it out fast or you'll have to wait for the next open window!
The current state
Gameplay was our priority, therefore:
✅ Ready
Core gameplay mechanics done
Up to 3 hours of demo content — 1 factions, 5 maps
Most major UX, quality of life issues resolved
Competitive AI with 4 difficulty settings
Decent gameplay balance (as a start)
Low friction "Sandbox-style" tutorial
⚠️ Unpolished areas
UI aesthetic
Many sprites are stand-in version
Game feel and visual effects
Audio
No settings & configurations
There will be bugs!
These will be sorted by Open Beta, after we finalise the gameplay from your feedback 🙏
The direction
From heavy playtesting, here's what we learnt:
✨ Repeatable moments that hooked our testers
1st impression: the art is playful, cozy and inviting
1st time using a broken ability (and enemies can use it too?!)
The fun of collecting sparkly treasures
"I can play the as aliens too?!" / "I will protect my alien friend at all cost!"
Moments of wonder and discovery on the story, treasures, and encounters in the map
The varied mission objectives and distinct future Campaigns
Exploiting tribes to attack enemies, or bribing them with food
Achieving the 1st broken combo setup (economy or military), start thinking "meta"
Playing the different factions, and finding a favourite — we have 3 solid starters, more coming!
Stealing enemy faction's unique abilities by capturing their city
Mastery of advance tactics = roads, farm adjacency bonus, units, buildings etc.
Beating a seemingly "impossible" map — "I am a genius!"
Ultimately, becoming a "comfort food" game to return to (gateway to multiple TBS sub-genres)
We hope you find these moments of joy in our demo as well ☺️
⚒️ Key questions at close alpha
Does this new direction have momentum and a big enough audience?
Right to focus on single player rather than multiplayer?
Potential for mods-support and editor? Are they essential at Early Access?
📈 Being an indie dev is hard, what we could have done better
Share more gameplay!
Communicate more updates
Should have started with a smaller game 😅
See you at our demo and feedback. Thanks!
Ahsaurus team 🤘
