Q: Why should I buy into Early Access?
A: If you’re asking this question, the correct answer is that you probably shouldn’t.
Buying into EA is mainly recommended for people who wish to be a part of the development: helping us finding bugs, coming up with suggestions or are curious to see how a game develops over time. If you prefer to play a finished game, we highly encourage you to wait with your purchase until it’s properly released!
Q: Co-op is cool, but I live in space… will it be online?
A: Yes, the co-op will be online, so you’ll be able to play with your friends regardless of location!
Q: When will the game be released and on what platforms can I play it?
A: The release date is currently TBA. We won’t release the game until it’s the game we want, and we’ve decided to refrain from giving further estimates and keep it as TBA until close to release in order to avoid disappointing our fans!
As of now, it will be for the Windows platform only.
Q: Can you remind me when the game is actually released?
A: Yes! We have this mailing list for this very purpose. Just add your mail through that page and we’ll send you a reminder once Secrets of Grindea leaves Early Access :)
Q: Why is the development so slow? Are you just lazy?
A: The reason for the development appearing slow is that it’s a hand-made RPG made by 3 people who have no interest in rushing the development only to release a subpar product. Instead, we put in the hours we need to make this game as good as we possibly can.
That means, if we need to add another week of development time to fix some unforeseen bugs, that’s what we’ll do (and this is why we won’t give a proper release date until we’re 99% sure we can make it)!
Q: Can I play it with a gamepad?
A: Yes, the game can be played on a gamepad just as well as on a keyboard!
Q: What is this game made in?
A: The game is programmed in C# and XNA. All the graphics are made with Adobe Photoshop, animations included.
Q: You have Grind in the title. Is this a boring and repetitive game? :/
A: In the world of Grindea, people are obsessed with collecting items. Imagining how many hours they must spend hunting loot it’s no wonder they named their entire world Grindea. However, you won’t be forced to grind at all, unless you choose to.
Of course there are thousands of items waiting to be farmed, hidden puzzles in need of solving and mythical beasts roaming the fields… But if you prefer you can just go straight on with the main quest.
Q: Why don’t you have sales?
A: The most important thing for us during this Early Access period is that buyers are aware of what they purchase in terms of stability, content, etc (which is why we only recommend EA for people who want to be part of the development process in some way). The idea behind a sale is the complete opposite of that philosophy, as it creates an impulse to buy something before it gets more expensive again. Therefore, a sale increases the risk of people buying the game without reading our EA disclaimers, and as such end up disappointed that the game isn’t completely finished, or simply not what they expected.
Once we’ve added everything we want to the game and it’s properly released, we will begin having sales, but until then we don’t want to lure people into Early Access with time-limited offers.
For a more thorough answer, see this post on the Steam forums!
Q: Who are you guys and how long have you been working on this?
A: We are a trio game design students from Sweden and we have been working on the game since the summer of 2011.
Q: Can I help?
A: Right now we have all positions filled!
Q: Can I make videos of this and upload to YouTube?
A: You are allowed to stream, make videos and take screenshots of the game, and do whatever you want with them. Upload them to YouTube, monetize on them, paste them onto your dog, make a tattoo with them, and so forth. No license required!