What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access? “Factory Town is a complex simulation game with a ton of potential development options. As such, it's very helpful to develop this game 'out in the open' where I can chat with lots of different players about what features they'd like to see added or changed. Based on the feedback I get, I make changes, put out new versions, and listen to the response. As this process repeats, the game improves each time. Early Access is a great system for this feedback/update model.” Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access? “It is hard to say exactly when the 1.0 will be ready, as there are many features I want to add. Best guess is 6 months to a year until it is formally released from Early Access. Some of this will depend on what kind of features players are most interested in. I may save some larger features for after 1.0, if they would work well as 'add-ons' that don't limit the primary game experience.” How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version? “Factory Town has come very far since its original launch into Early Access. The biggest chunk of remaining work is about polishing what is there, adding better visual feedback & tutorials, and a wider variety of decorative options for towns. There will definitely be more buildings and items in the final version, and some additional rebalancing. I also want to add a more final endgame state as a definitive goal for players.” What is the current state of the Early Access version? “The primary gameplay is fairly settled. Most of the final buildings and items are in place, there is a definite progression through a tech tree (so it's not a basic sandbox experience) and Steam Workshop is in place so players can customize the rule set. The game is stable, but will definitely be some bugs here and there as new features are added. There are a lot of rough edges still - localization is uneven, there are some placeholder icons, some menus aren't as helpful as they could be, and more systems need good examples and tutorials. The world also needs more ambient sound & animations. Those issues aside, many players have been putting dozens or hundreds of hours into what is currently there.” Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access? “The price will be the same after Early Access.” How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process? “I run a Discord server that I use every day to chat with players and get a sense of what features & fixes are most important. I love hearing suggestions for how to make the game better, and I will continue to use this throughout development: https://discord.gg/factorytown”