What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access?

“Gameplay balancing: Rotten Apple involves combat and survival elements, requiring careful balancing to ensure a fun, challenging, and engaging experience. Launching in Early access allows us to gather player feedback and fine-tune these elements for a more polished final product.

Technical optimization: VR is resource-intensive, and achieving optimal performance on various hardware configurations is a significant challenge (especially with new hard-ware continuously launching). Launching as an early access title will help us identify and address compatibility and performance issues before the game’s official release.

Bug fixing: It’s rare that a game is entirely without bugs. We have our established QA processes, but by releasing as an early access title not only are we able to continue to identify and fix these problems but also leverage the playing community to help us do so.

Content creation: We’re still full of ideas when it comes to the game’s content, in areas such as level design, narrative, and game mechanics. Player feedback will help us shape the game’s direction and ensure that the final product meets player expectations.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“Our primary goal is to ensure that our game reaches completion without lingering indefinitely in the early access phase.

We plan to transition from early access to a full release once the game achieves a level of polish and stability that meet our high-quality standards.

In terms of a timeline, we anticipate that early access phase will not exceed one-year. This projected timeframe allows us to effectively address player feedback, optimize performance, and implement additional content while staying on a clear path towards an official release.”

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

“The full version will differ significantly from the early-access iteration, as we continue to explore, develop, and refine various elements.

We have plans to introduce new game modes, weapons, and additional content that are currently under evaluation and testing. While some of these concepts show a lot of potential, it is essential to acknowledge that not all of them may make it to the final product.

Our main goal is to ensure that the final release offers a fun, enjoyable and polished experience, incorporating only the most well-received and fitting elements from our ongoing development process.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Rotten Apple is currently in a promising stage of development, with core gameplay mechanics and immersive VR experiences already in place.

Players can expect to face hordes of terrifying zombies across a variety of environments, using an array of weapons and tactics to survive in both the first chapter of our Story and the Wave-Mode of the game.

Both game modes fully-support Co-op Multiplayer.

While the game is still under active development, it offers a solid foundation for an engaging experience, with some rough edges that are being continuously polished.

We’re highly receptive to player feedback and are committed to making regular updates to refine the game, optimize performance, and add new content. As the game evolves, players can look forward to an increasingly rich and immersive experience, with their input playing a crucial role in shaping the final product.”

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

“During early access, we plan to our game at a discounted price to encourage players to participate in the development process and provide valuable feedback. As we work on the game, to tweak and improve it, this will also lead to an increase in the game’s value. Due to the enhanced content, polished gameplay, improved performance and comprehensive support we will be slighly raising prices as we leave early access.”

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

“We believe that involving the community in the development process is crucial to the success of “Rotten Apple.” We know that players have valuable insights and ideas that can help shape the game and improve the overall experience. Here’s how we will involve the community during early access Development:

– Regular updates and dedicated feedback/suggestions channels in our Discord (https://discord.gg/ScR3JtUkCv)
– Regular updates and devlogs to keep the community informed about the game’s progress
– Live Q&A sessions and AMAs that our development team will host
– Public roadmap / Kanban board (https://trello.com/b/a9l1WdeX/rotten-apple-roadmap)”

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