A. Right now we’re in a pre-alpha testing phase, in which we’re periodically adding folks from our community. With our eternal gratitude, Kickstarter backers of the Reacher tier ($30) and above will be at the head of the line for the remainder of our closed testing phase. During the testing phase, the servers will not be open 24/7, and wipes will be frequent, but players will have daily access to the dev team as we add features and make changes based on player feedback.
Once we are ready, we plan on releasing to Early Access first, which will require a paid supporter pack. The great news is that supporters of our Kickstarter at the Reacher tier and above will also get admission to Early Access included, plus the additional Kickstarter-only benefits as described in the Rewards section!
After we’ve had plenty of time to iterate with our Early Access audience, we’ll be going to full Launch at which point the game will be Free to Play. We’ll do a few days of Head Start to ensure a solid and stable launch, which is typical for MMOs, and as is typical, this Head Start period will cost a bit of money.
From that point forward, our plan is that ongoing development will be supported by:

  • Optional Supporter Packs – Every few months, we plan on releasing supporter packs that people can choose to purchase to help support Stars Reach. These won’t be a requirement. We think of these as an entirely optional way to kick in support for the game and team and get some cool rewards in return.
  • Property Passes – Building homesteads is an important part of Stars Reach. To start a Homestead or to be a long-term landowner in general will require a Property Pass. These passes also include getting a first look at new Shop items, awards of unique items, event passes, and more. Kickstarter supporters at the $30 tier or higher will have this ability through all of testing and early access. After launch we expect this will be a monthly paid pass.
  • MTX store – We do plan on having store support post-launch once we are free-to-play. We’re going to be very intentionally avoiding anything that could be perceived as pay-to-win! We think of this as another optional way for people who feel like it, to toss in some support, either on top of or separate from the Supporter Packs. People have different preferences, and we want to be able to support them.
  • Social Currency – We plan on having a social currency that rewards people for being regular players. We get that microtransactions and passes may not be for everyone (but really are important to keeping the lights on). So this is a way to reward people who play loyally, letting them earn a special currency for shop purchases.