Dev Blog #3 - Closed Early Alpha Coming Soon

Hey everyone,

Big one today. We're getting ready to run the first closed early alpha test and we wanted to give you the details.

The Plan

This is Alpha Wave 1, the first of 4 planned waves. We're going to select 100 players from the waitlist to get access to an early build of the game. This won't be the full experience, it'll be a single region with enough content to test the core systems and get real player feedback on how everything feels.

Each wave after this we'll bring in more players, expand the content, and keep iterating based on what we learn. Wave 1 is the smallest and scrappiest, and it only grows from here.

If you're on the waitlist, you're already in the pool. We'll be reaching out directly when we're ready to go.

What We're Testing

Pretty much everything. Combat, skilling, crafting, the economy loop, social features, how the server handles real players doing real things. We've been testing all of this internally but there's no substitute for actual players poking at your game and finding all the stuff you missed.

We want to know what feels good, what feels bad, what's confusing, what's broken. This is a real feedback test, not a marketing beta where everything is already locked in. Your input will directly shape how the game develops from here.

When?

We're estimating about 2 months out. The systems are ready. What we're waiting on is art. As we mentioned in Dev Blog #1, the game is still running on placeholder art and we're not trying to rush showing it off before our custom art is actually in. You only get one first impression and we'd rather people see the real thing, not a bunch of programmer sprites held together with duct tape.

Our artist is working through it and things are coming along, but it takes time to do it right. Once we've got enough of the custom art in for that first region to feel like an actual game and not a prototype, we'll lock a date and start sending out invites.

What To Expect

Let's set expectations now so nobody is surprised:

• One region. This is not the full game. It's a slice of it, enough to test the core loop and get feedback.
• Things will break. It's an alpha. There will be bugs, balance issues, missing polish. That's the point.
• Progress will be wiped. Nothing from the alpha carries over. This is purely for testing.
• Small group on purpose. 100 players keeps it manageable so we can actually read and respond to feedback instead of drowning in it.
• No download required. The game runs in your browser. You'll get a link, you click it, you're in. No launcher, no client, no install.

How To Get In

If you haven't already, sign up for the waitlist. That's the only way in. We'll be picking from the waitlist when the time comes.

What's Next

We're heads down finishing up the art and polishing the build for the test. More updates coming as we get closer to a date. When we know, you'll know.

Thanks for sticking around. This is the first time other people are going to get their hands on the game and we're honestly both excited and terrified. That's probably a good sign.

- The ERO Team