Posted June 10, 2020
Dear Tinkerers & Tycoons,
With a major update for Good Company closing in, now is a good time to share some important information with you, which will also be valid for future development phases. So please read on carefully and don't hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any questions or remarks!
General Early Access Information
So far, our journey through Early Access has been a great one. With your help, we are constantly improving Good Company with each update. While we hope that as many players as possible will enjoy the changes, we're aware that we won't be able to please everyone. For us, we always aim to live up to the bigger picture – the vision for Good Company. With that in mind, some larger changes are crucial to improving the existing gameplay, and they will also set a foundation for even more updates in the future.
Such new features/changes can alter the way the game is currently played quite a bit, and we are looking forward to your feedback for what we have in mind. That said, we are open to evaluating ways to take into account players who liked the previous approach better, as well as those who might prefer specific alterations.
Save Games & Profile Data
Depending on the scope of changes introduced by a major update, it's highly likely that older save games will no longer be compatible. We will try to limit this as much as possible. We will add warnings in case you try to load an outdated save game version.
Please note, this only affects the game data of sessions. Your profile data, unlocks and progression will remain intact. You will be able to switch back and forth between versions without this data being affected.
Game Versions
We want to ensure that you can keep on playing with your old save games regardless of any new updates. We have already added branches on Steam & GOG so that you are able to switch to an older version of Good Company at any time.
You can access the branches in the game properties. Following game versions/beta branches will be available in time:
- NONE/Latest -> Latest Stable Version
- _latest_beta -> Latest Stable Beta Version
- v0.6 -> permanent branch for v0.6
- v0.7 -> permanent branch for v0.7
- ...
Permanent branches will be added as soon as a new version is available. If you want to stick to a specific version, you can select a fixed branch (for more details see FAQ below).
Public Beta Test
As soon as we are ready we will activate the Public Beta branch for everyone. You are free to switch to that branch at your own risk, at any time. Please read further and learn about the risks.
Save Game Incompatibility:
As previously mentioned, especially around major updates, some of our changes might render your save games incompatible with the final version of the major update or with earlier versions of Good Company. The risk of the beta version of an update not being compatible with its final version is low, but please be aware that it is a possibility..
Limited Content:
While we are working on updates it may be the case that certain levels, challenges, or features are not functioning. If you are playing a beta version, we recommend that you join our communities on REDDIT or DISCORD to stay informed about the latest changes.
English Only:
Beta content is only guaranteed to be available in English. Intermediate translations might be implemented, but final translations are usually not included before the final update version is ready to go live.
Feedback & Iterations:
For us, public betas are a very useful approach to catch feedback early on before we finalize an update. We encourage you to communicate openly and you can expect us to do so, too. If you are posting beta feedback, please clearly refer to the current beta, and not the current stable version!
Also, please note, we might introduce quite drastic changes to Good Company during a beta test, especially for major updates. However, depending on the community feedback, the final version might differ from the beta version.
Bugs & Issues:
We try to avoid including critical bugs on the beta branch, but please understand that those versions are not tested extensively. You experience game blocking issues more often than usual. We will try to resolve problems ASAP, so please feel free to report anything you encounter.
FAQ (will be updated over time)
Q: How can I change version branches for Good Company on GOG?
Right-click on Good Company in your GOG library and select "Manage installation" then "Configure..." and use the dropdown menu for "Beta channels" to pick your preferred branch/version.
Q: If challenges change, what will happen with high scores?
A: High scores will be versioned with every major update, meaning you will only see and submit scores for the current version you are in. Old high scores can be viewed by changing the game version via the (beta) branch options.
With a major update for Good Company closing in, now is a good time to share some important information with you, which will also be valid for future development phases. So please read on carefully and don't hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any questions or remarks!
General Early Access Information
So far, our journey through Early Access has been a great one. With your help, we are constantly improving Good Company with each update. While we hope that as many players as possible will enjoy the changes, we're aware that we won't be able to please everyone. For us, we always aim to live up to the bigger picture – the vision for Good Company. With that in mind, some larger changes are crucial to improving the existing gameplay, and they will also set a foundation for even more updates in the future.
Such new features/changes can alter the way the game is currently played quite a bit, and we are looking forward to your feedback for what we have in mind. That said, we are open to evaluating ways to take into account players who liked the previous approach better, as well as those who might prefer specific alterations.
Save Games & Profile Data
Depending on the scope of changes introduced by a major update, it's highly likely that older save games will no longer be compatible. We will try to limit this as much as possible. We will add warnings in case you try to load an outdated save game version.
Please note, this only affects the game data of sessions. Your profile data, unlocks and progression will remain intact. You will be able to switch back and forth between versions without this data being affected.
Game Versions
We want to ensure that you can keep on playing with your old save games regardless of any new updates. We have already added branches on Steam & GOG so that you are able to switch to an older version of Good Company at any time.
You can access the branches in the game properties. Following game versions/beta branches will be available in time:
- NONE/Latest -> Latest Stable Version
- _latest_beta -> Latest Stable Beta Version
- v0.6 -> permanent branch for v0.6
- v0.7 -> permanent branch for v0.7
- ...
Permanent branches will be added as soon as a new version is available. If you want to stick to a specific version, you can select a fixed branch (for more details see FAQ below).
Public Beta Test
As soon as we are ready we will activate the Public Beta branch for everyone. You are free to switch to that branch at your own risk, at any time. Please read further and learn about the risks.
Save Game Incompatibility:
As previously mentioned, especially around major updates, some of our changes might render your save games incompatible with the final version of the major update or with earlier versions of Good Company. The risk of the beta version of an update not being compatible with its final version is low, but please be aware that it is a possibility..
Limited Content:
While we are working on updates it may be the case that certain levels, challenges, or features are not functioning. If you are playing a beta version, we recommend that you join our communities on REDDIT or DISCORD to stay informed about the latest changes.
English Only:
Beta content is only guaranteed to be available in English. Intermediate translations might be implemented, but final translations are usually not included before the final update version is ready to go live.
Feedback & Iterations:
For us, public betas are a very useful approach to catch feedback early on before we finalize an update. We encourage you to communicate openly and you can expect us to do so, too. If you are posting beta feedback, please clearly refer to the current beta, and not the current stable version!
Also, please note, we might introduce quite drastic changes to Good Company during a beta test, especially for major updates. However, depending on the community feedback, the final version might differ from the beta version.
Bugs & Issues:
We try to avoid including critical bugs on the beta branch, but please understand that those versions are not tested extensively. You experience game blocking issues more often than usual. We will try to resolve problems ASAP, so please feel free to report anything you encounter.
FAQ (will be updated over time)
Q: How can I change version branches for Good Company on GOG?
Right-click on Good Company in your GOG library and select "Manage installation" then "Configure..." and use the dropdown menu for "Beta channels" to pick your preferred branch/version.
Q: If challenges change, what will happen with high scores?
A: High scores will be versioned with every major update, meaning you will only see and submit scores for the current version you are in. Old high scores can be viewed by changing the game version via the (beta) branch options.
Post edited June 10, 2020 by ChasingCarrots