Our first testing build of CraftWorld has been made available, so now is a good time to discuss common issues, experiences and generally how it has gone so far. This is listed in a simple Q&A format, and includes a few screenshots of the gameplay of the testing Build.

A: Nope. We have run into a number of issues and are working hard to solve them.

A: The first build was missing some key files, causing a crash right off the bat. That’s been fixed in the second build. We have emailed all our testers about the new build.

A: Yes, it seems that people need to install Visual Studio 2010 in order for the testing build to operate on their machines. We will be removing the need for this soon, but it may take a few days.

A: All our testing machines have Visual Studio and the extra files already installed, so these two problems simply do not occur on internal machines!

A: We are gathering up all our older hardware, and building some testing computers. Most will double or triple boot into various operating systems so we can do a quick “simulated wild” test before we put out a release.

A: This is our very first test of an incomplete product in the real world with real people. This may explain a few of the issues. For all our games, we have always had internal tests on our own machines, sometimes ordering pizza and coke and making a day of it. This was safe previously, as we were creating Xbox and WP7 games only.

A: Yes and no. Every single one of our games has a PC build, in which we do the vast majority of our development. None of these builds have made it to public sale, or been distributed publicly as part of any test or beta. We intend to change that soon.

A: Not at the moment. We wish to work very closely with all our testers, in nailing down this first wave of issues. As the game grows and becomes more complex and stable, more testers will be required. If you are at all interested, check out our forums for more info and post your interest there.

Q: Is there anything mising from the Testiing build?
A: HEAPS. Crafting, realtime lighting, propogation lighting, item degradation, drop blocks and a pile of stuff have all been cut out. This is purely a the block engine test. Players get an infinite world, and 9 block types along with a debug camera to play with. It’s not much, but it’s very crucial that this core engine stuff works properly.

A: As many ways as we can. If there are additional ways you wish to contact us, just post a request in the comments.

A: Quite a lot in fact. Even before the first build went out, just receiving information about the kind of market and what kinds of machines they run was wonderfully usefull. We really underestimated the diversity of hardware out there, as well as the ages of people that are interested!

A: We need to get the game running on everyone’s machines. Once that is done, then we can begin to deal with game glitches and gameplay issues. Until then, it’s all stress and hard work. We want CraftWorld to be fun!

A: Yes! Thanks for all your interest and help so far, it’s really pushing CraftWorld ahead and uncovering new and exciting ground for us at 2.0 Studios. Keep up the feedback and logs, and we will have you up and playing our game ASAP.