Starbase Closed Alpha
Can I play Starbase now?!
No. We are starting a "Closed Alpha", which means a closed (private) test of Starbase with a small group of users outside the development team. We will be expanding the amount of players in the Closed Alpha gradually over the course of the coming months.
While everyone is excited for Closed Alpha, for us developers it's an important tool to make the game better and prepare for the eventual Early Access release. During Closed Alpha the game will break often and many features are missing or not fully functional - the game is not yet ready for the majority of gamers to join in. That's why we're doing a Closed Alpha instead of e.g. an Open Beta.
For most gamers, we would recommend wishlisting game on Steam, that way you will get notified when the game enters Early Access.
That said, read on to find out more about the Closed Alpha.
How can I join the Alpha?
You will have to wait for an invite from Frozenbyte. Invites are currently hand-picked and there is no "fast track" to get invited.
However as we progress further, we will be extending the invites to larger groups of players.
How will I know if I have been selected?
You will receive an email inviting you to the Closed Alpha.
What else do I need to know?
We ask all participants to agree to an "embargo", which means that any talk of the Alpha or participation in it should not be discussed in the regular Starbase community.
The process works so that we send an email and ask to agree to the embargo and other terms. After the reply, we will send a Steam key that unlocks the Alpha version of Starbase, and provide access to a secret Discord channel and the Alpha forums. In some cases we may do the Discord or Alpha forums invite before the Steam key.
How many people are being invited in the Alpha now?
Our first batch of invited users is 105. The next batch is similar in size. We'll continue inviting more people throughout the process.
Getting in Closed Alpha
Have the first Alpha participants been picked out?
Yes. Not all of them have received the invites yet, and we will expand to more users as we make progress.
When will you select more participants?
We are selecting more players on an active basis at the moment. There's no typical day or week for selections - they happen based on what we need at any given time.
How are invites sent?
We will send the invites primarily by email.
What if I made a typo in my email in the survey response?
If we get a bounced email, we will look at the Discord username and contact that way.
Can I still signup for the Alpha?
You can fill out the Starbase Survey which is currently the only way to indicate your interest in Closed Alpha.
We also pick people from Discord based on their activity and contribution to the community (not a scientific process and definitely not a popularity or activity contest!).
We may make a separate Alpha signup available soon.
Do YouTubers or streamers have a priority?
No. They are not at a disadvantage either, but receive no special treatment. We may at some point later during the Alpha do a more focused invite to streamers but that's not happening yet.
How can I increase my chances of getting in?
We are active in our community and prefer people who have been part of the community for longer. We have handpicked many users who have been with us since the announcement of Starbase. This process was by no means scientific and we probably missed a few people who in hindsight could've been invited, but for our first batch of users we nevertheless achieved our goal of inviting Starbase fans who work well together and act friendly towards each other, and most importantly can help us develop the game further and start the journey towards the eventual Early Access release.
Going further we will choose more participants based on multiple criteria - community contribution, specific feature interest (space ship building, combat, etc), computer hardware (high/low/certain specs), interest or knowledge in other games (to see how Starbase feels in comparison), and so on.
Finally, we will start inviting people randomly. This is the most likely way in for the majority of people already signed up in our survey.
General information about Closed Alpha
What's up with the embargo? Can't Alpha players just post information now?
We ask everybody in the Alpha to keep their participation and any information about the game to themselves until the embargo date has lifted. If anybody breaks the embargo, we may revoke their Steam key.
The embargo date can be checked at https://www.starbasegame.com/embargo/
We wanted to have an embargo so the first group of players have time to e.g. create their videos and get a feel for the game before talking to the larger fanbase.
Read more about embargo vs NDA at https://gyazo.com/f7c2c56c2499362e72878335efa878b2
How long will the Closed Alpha last?
Closed Alpha will last an undetermined amount of time. Possibly even up to the launch of Early Access (we have no ETA for Early Access).
When is Starbase going to release?
We will release Starbase in Early Access sometime in 2020, but we have no ETA for that. Closed Alpha is a clear signal that we are getting closer, however it took us a year from announcement to get to Closed Alpha, and the game definitely still needs work on many areas before we're ready for an Early Access launch, so we're not making any promises at this stage.
Rules for Alpha participants
General rules
Please do not talk about the Alpha (or your participation in it) publicly until the embargo is over, see https://www.starbasegame.com/embargo
The Steam key is intended only for your personal use, do not sell or give your Steam key to anyone
Please behave responsibly and act kindly one endo to another
Keep any Kingdom/Empire/other banter to a civil degree, no flamewars or over-the-top roleplaying during Alpha! We are building the universe together at this point.
No teasing or taunting
Please don't harass or taunt people in any way, whether it's in the Alpha channels or in the regular Starbase community. It's not cool to rub it in and we may reconsider our invitation if you do. Please do not post screenshots in the public channels.
Can I lose my access?
Yes. We can revoke the Steam key given to you at any point if we feel you have gone against these rules. Cheating and bad behavior are obvious reasons.
Will I get Starbase for free if I participate in the Closed Alpha?
No. Having access to the Alpha does not give access to the actual game when it enters Early Access, so you will have to pay for the game eventually.
Will my progress and character transfer to the full game/Early Access?
Nothing is decided yet.
Can I play Starbase now?!
No. We are starting a "Closed Alpha", which means a closed (private) test of Starbase with a small group of users outside the development team. We will be expanding the amount of players in the Closed Alpha gradually over the course of the coming months.
While everyone is excited for Closed Alpha, for us developers it's an important tool to make the game better and prepare for the eventual Early Access release. During Closed Alpha the game will break often and many features are missing or not fully functional - the game is not yet ready for the majority of gamers to join in. That's why we're doing a Closed Alpha instead of e.g. an Open Beta.
For most gamers, we would recommend wishlisting game on Steam, that way you will get notified when the game enters Early Access.
That said, read on to find out more about the Closed Alpha.
How can I join the Alpha?
You will have to wait for an invite from Frozenbyte. Invites are currently hand-picked and there is no "fast track" to get invited.
However as we progress further, we will be extending the invites to larger groups of players.
How will I know if I have been selected?
You will receive an email inviting you to the Closed Alpha.
What else do I need to know?
We ask all participants to agree to an "embargo", which means that any talk of the Alpha or participation in it should not be discussed in the regular Starbase community.
The process works so that we send an email and ask to agree to the embargo and other terms. After the reply, we will send a Steam key that unlocks the Alpha version of Starbase, and provide access to a secret Discord channel and the Alpha forums. In some cases we may do the Discord or Alpha forums invite before the Steam key.
How many people are being invited in the Alpha now?
Our first batch of invited users is 105. The next batch is similar in size. We'll continue inviting more people throughout the process.
Getting in Closed Alpha
Have the first Alpha participants been picked out?
Yes. Not all of them have received the invites yet, and we will expand to more users as we make progress.
When will you select more participants?
We are selecting more players on an active basis at the moment. There's no typical day or week for selections - they happen based on what we need at any given time.
How are invites sent?
We will send the invites primarily by email.
What if I made a typo in my email in the survey response?
If we get a bounced email, we will look at the Discord username and contact that way.
Can I still signup for the Alpha?
You can fill out the Starbase Survey which is currently the only way to indicate your interest in Closed Alpha.
We also pick people from Discord based on their activity and contribution to the community (not a scientific process and definitely not a popularity or activity contest!).
We may make a separate Alpha signup available soon.
Do YouTubers or streamers have a priority?
No. They are not at a disadvantage either, but receive no special treatment. We may at some point later during the Alpha do a more focused invite to streamers but that's not happening yet.
How can I increase my chances of getting in?
We are active in our community and prefer people who have been part of the community for longer. We have handpicked many users who have been with us since the announcement of Starbase. This process was by no means scientific and we probably missed a few people who in hindsight could've been invited, but for our first batch of users we nevertheless achieved our goal of inviting Starbase fans who work well together and act friendly towards each other, and most importantly can help us develop the game further and start the journey towards the eventual Early Access release.
Going further we will choose more participants based on multiple criteria - community contribution, specific feature interest (space ship building, combat, etc), computer hardware (high/low/certain specs), interest or knowledge in other games (to see how Starbase feels in comparison), and so on.
Finally, we will start inviting people randomly. This is the most likely way in for the majority of people already signed up in our survey.
General information about Closed Alpha
What's up with the embargo? Can't Alpha players just post information now?
We ask everybody in the Alpha to keep their participation and any information about the game to themselves until the embargo date has lifted. If anybody breaks the embargo, we may revoke their Steam key.
The embargo date can be checked at https://www.starbasegame.com/embargo/
We wanted to have an embargo so the first group of players have time to e.g. create their videos and get a feel for the game before talking to the larger fanbase.
Read more about embargo vs NDA at https://gyazo.com/f7c2c56c2499362e72878335efa878b2
How long will the Closed Alpha last?
Closed Alpha will last an undetermined amount of time. Possibly even up to the launch of Early Access (we have no ETA for Early Access).
When is Starbase going to release?
We will release Starbase in Early Access sometime in 2020, but we have no ETA for that. Closed Alpha is a clear signal that we are getting closer, however it took us a year from announcement to get to Closed Alpha, and the game definitely still needs work on many areas before we're ready for an Early Access launch, so we're not making any promises at this stage.
Rules for Alpha participants
General rules
Please do not talk about the Alpha (or your participation in it) publicly until the embargo is over, see https://www.starbasegame.com/embargo
The Steam key is intended only for your personal use, do not sell or give your Steam key to anyone
Please behave responsibly and act kindly one endo to another
Keep any Kingdom/Empire/other banter to a civil degree, no flamewars or over-the-top roleplaying during Alpha! We are building the universe together at this point.
No teasing or taunting
Please don't harass or taunt people in any way, whether it's in the Alpha channels or in the regular Starbase community. It's not cool to rub it in and we may reconsider our invitation if you do. Please do not post screenshots in the public channels.
Can I lose my access?
Yes. We can revoke the Steam key given to you at any point if we feel you have gone against these rules. Cheating and bad behavior are obvious reasons.
Will I get Starbase for free if I participate in the Closed Alpha?
No. Having access to the Alpha does not give access to the actual game when it enters Early Access, so you will have to pay for the game eventually.
Will my progress and character transfer to the full game/Early Access?
Nothing is decided yet.