Here's a few answers to some of the questions I've been getting over the past couple of days while I get the game ready for release on Steam.
How much is RPG Tycoon going to cost?
At launch it will be $4.99 with a 10% discount for the first week. From then on it will remain that price whilst it's in early access alpha until enough content is added to warrant a raise in price. The game will never cost more than $9.99 at its final release.
Why early access?
I think as an indie developer it's important to get feedback from the people that will play and enjoy your game without access to big market data it's a great way to get quick and current information back about what works and what doesn't to help make something that lots of people can enjoy. It's nice to be able to be supported whilst I'm developing the game and I think fortunately the game suits the model too, but it's only really worth investing in if you want to support the product. If not I'd suggest waiting a while.
Will you pay me to review your game?
No.
What if I only say good things about it?
No. I do not negotiate with journalists.
I can promise you you'll get an increase in sales if I can take a cut?
I like to trust and be honest with the internet, leaving it to make up its own mind about my game without the help of Yogsdiscovery, MCN's or similar. If people like the game and think it's good then I expect they'll probably just play it and if not, then it's my fault for making a bad game isn't it?
Can I upload game-play footage of your game and monetize it?
Sure. Just be sure to mention how awesome the game is, or if you tear it to shreds be sure to mention that it's still in alpha and only being developed by one guy. Please... Pretty please? Cut me a little slack.
Will you send me a review code for Steam?
Possibly. The game is fairly cheap though, it would be nice if you could support it but if for whatever reason there's some circumstance where you really feel it doesn't justify a small donation from you then feel free to send me an email and we might be able to work something out.
Is your game DRM Free?
Yup. See, if you really want to play it but don't want to support the game then someone has probably uploaded it somewhere...
Will there be multiplayer?
No. RPG Tycoon is a single player experience.
Why is it only in English?
Because I'm an idiot and I only speak English.
Seriously, there's no other language options?
There may be, possibly. The game would be fairly easy to translate as most of the main dialogue and text in the game is loaded externally so most of it could be translated. But the game isn't finished yet and I'd like to focus on getting as much content in as possible first. So it's very possible that later down the line other language options will be added if the circumstances are right.
Will there be achievements?
Possibly. Because the game is built in Adobe Air it's a little difficult to work with the Steam API. There's a few things in place that might make it work and if I can get that working then yes! I love extra achievements and it would be very cool to do that. If I don't manage to get it working I'll probably end up integrating some in-game ones or something similar.
Will there be Dragons?
Does a dragon breathe fire?
How often will you update the game?
Regularly, I've currently been updating it every week with little bits. However, as the game progresses and releases wider I'll probably only update the game when the right amount of content has been added to justify an update.
Did you know that this is a bug?
Yes. Probably. If it's a regular thing. It's probably a bug I'm aware of. Whilst developing the game I happen to let a few things slip because I'm prioritising content over other things right now. It's possible in the next update I'll probably have fixed it. If for whatever reason the game seems to crash randomly once, or twice, but then doesn't next time or something happens that never used to happen that's probably something I'm less aware of and it's worth letting me know.
I have a feature request, would you like to hear it?
Sure! One of the reasons I'm using early access is to help shape the game and make bits better. So be sure to get in touch. There'll be a community discussions page for things like this when the game launches.