One of the major goals of taking this project past the initial prototype phase was to make this game a full release on Steam, and we're getting awfully close. So today, I'd like to dive deep into the plans for the full release.

One of the major pains with indy development is that playtesting is limited, and this goes beyond bugs. Core Design features and "Fun Factor" are made through a large testing pool.  Even within these small itch.io prototypes, we've had several major shifts:

• The "Deck Building" aspects were removed in favor of an easier-to-read equipment system
• The "Override" mechanic went through several redesigns as player's reacted to the overwhelming feeling of the flashback. The slowdowns, the visuals, the respawn timer all we're built through Itch.Io feedback.
• The core game did evolve from the initial 2D psychic game to an entire virtual world hacking into new game mechanics.

All of this is to say is that I've decided to go for an early access release rather than gambling on limited feedback.

Final Game Plans:

For those on here, y'all have scene the Chapter Skip options for four out of a planned five total chapters.  Let's dive into what each means:

1. Citizen Defense:  (Functional) This focuses on randomized missions and the Cog story. This is mostly intended to teach you the ropes without overwhelming the player.
2. Avatar On the Streets: (Functional, more content needed)  This part of the game opens up and allows you to create a character. This character interacts with individuals and doing jobs. Random missions are still a good source of money.
3. Genetic Engineering:  (Functional, needs more testing)This part adds the incremental game classic "Ascension" system. Rebuilding your character will allow you to boost your max stats and improve your base stats, also increasing your payouts and NPC affinity. 
4. Corporation:  (Early Prototyped) At this point, you are building a corporation, hiring employees, and trying to take over districts. Since you're rolling in the money, you should be able to afford nearly all personal equipment relatively quickly. This mode still uses the core shooter mechanic for some missions, avoiding assassination attempts, plus aspects of NPCs and Genetic engineering from chapters 2 and 3.
5. The World: This is the one mode without a solid prototype. You intend to use your corporation to expand to other cities. 

Early Access Plans:

You'll see that most of the mechanics ARE functional. We have weapons, level-ups, metagame levels, etc. 

Ideally, I want to use the early access time to add content. I want to focus on the storyline, new weapons and characters, new events, etc.  

With early access the plan is to release one chapter at a time, with a preview into the next stage. So for release #1, you'll have the citizen defense and a limited implementation of the Avatar system. This will allow me to gather feedback on chapter two as I focus on filling in the content for the next chapter.

Approximately 2-3 months later, I'll release the next chapter with the next preview:

• New clients/factions/maps
• New random Events and event sets for more varied action
• New Story missions and Datalogs
• The new chapter mechanic(s)

When to Expect it?

I don't want to name a specific date, but ideally, it should be this month or late next. 

For now, a little teaser: