In a recent Letter from the Producer, Alessandro from Clockwork Labs announced the end of Pre-Alpha 9 and provided a glimpse into the plans for Pre-Alpha 10. The team has been hard at work analyzing feedback and fixing bugs that surfaced during the test. Despite the inevitable server crashes, Clockwork Labs expressed gratitude to testers for their support and input.
The team also shared that they learned some valuable lessons from Pre-Alpha 9, including how seemingly harmless tutorial steps can uncover various bugs that would have gone unnoticed otherwise. The clock is ticking for the last big Pre-Alpha milestone, Phase 10, which is set to introduce an improved backend system for server-side BitCraft.
With the transition to the new system requiring considerable brainpower, the team will use Pre-Alpha 10 to add more content and polish what they already have. This will include more crafting recipes, more customization options, and more diverse fauna and flora. The art team and game designers will also have a chance to catch their breath and work on areas with placeholders in the game.
Despite focusing primarily on content and polish, the team will complete the UI revamp during Pre-Alpha 10, which will require some programmer hours. Once Pre-Alpha 10 is wrapped up, the team will conduct two more tests in the coming months. The first test, Pre-Alpha 10, will primarily focus on testing the additional tiered content and player engagement over an extended period of time. The second test will specifically test the stability and performance of the new server-side software.
Clockwork Labs promised to keep players updated as they prepare for the next phase of BitCraft’s development. The community eagerly awaits the future updates, excited for what the team has in store for the game.