Alpha 2 is here! Get your FREE key:

If you are interested in Gears of Eden Early Alpha Access, please read this page carefully. This is NOT A GAME or even a DEMO… not yet. But, we’d love to get your feedback on our development builds early on, and we need your support to develop more quickly. To play Gears of Eden Alpha, you need a client and a key. The latest client info can be found on our client page.

There are two ways you can obtain a key for our alpha releases
Please note: keys might take up to 24 hours to arrive (bug us on Discord to get it more quickly)

Current Release: Alpha 2

Alpha 2 is a public build, meaning keys will be distributed to subscribers – but it may take 24-48 hours after signing up to receive your key. Backers will be prioritized and given immediate access. If you have a question about obtaining a key, visit our Discord page.

Platforms: PC (Mac build is currently experiencing issues making it unplayable)
Changelog: View the changelog for the latest update information details

Controls

Twitch Stream Chat Integartion

In the settings/help menu (accessible via the main menu, or by pressing ESC in game), you can set Gears of Eden to connect to your Twitch channel. You will need an oauth token, which you can find here. You will need to enter the entire oauth token, including the “oauth” in the oauth entry field. You will also need to enter your channel name, with no spaces, in the channel field (example: GearsOfEden).

There are two timers related to the chat integration. The first is the time, in seconds, before the chat voting window opens. The default is 180, or 3 minutes. The second timer is how long the voting window will stay open. The default is 30 seconds.

When prompted by the game in chat, your users can vote using the commands !luck, !flare, !zap and !turbo. !luck will increase your mining proficiency, !flare will create a solar flare that boosts your battery but damages all other parts, !zap is a straight 50% power drain on your battery, and !turbo will send your rover racing across the asteroid (and possible up into space)!

Stuck?

If you flip over off your wheels, wait a few seconds and then press any movement key and the rover will flip back onto it’s wheels. You can also use the BACKSPACE key to reset your character to a prior position. If you need additional help, stop by our Discord server and let us know!

Report all bugs and issues to our #eww-bugs channel on our Discord or the website issue tracker!

Expectations

Our alpha releases are actually more similar to a pre-alpha testing candidates. It’s important that you understand this is not yet a game. This release is an invitation to come “backstage” and participate in testing an internal build that demonstrates Gears’ most basic physics and game mechanics. Here is what you can expect in our current release:

1. Playability. Control a rover character which you can navigate completely around a single 3D asteroid location.
2. Resource discovery. Using your spectrometer scanner, you can locate various resources (iron and water for now) on the asteroid. Upgrading your spectrometer allows you to find additional types of resources (currently 7 in game).
3. Resource collection. Using your drill and drill bits, you can collect discovered resources from beneath the surface. Upgrading your drill allows you to reach further into the ground, upgrading drill bits allows you to collect harder/more dense materials, both upgrades increase your efficiency and reduce collection times.
4. Crafting. You can craft drill bits and fuel cells on your rover, and you can additionally craft rover upgrades at your SINTER Forge.
5. Upgrades. The crafted fuel cells can be consumed for energy, and crafted drill bits can be equipped (reducing drilling times). Rover parts can be equipped which increase your performance and abilities.
6. Power management. Rover systems (lights, spectrometer, drill, motor, etc.) all use power and drain the battery. The battery can be recharged by deploying solar panels, though at the penalty of a reduction in speed, or by visiting a charging tower.
7. A “day/night” system as the asteroid rotates on its own axis. Solar panels do not work at “night”! So plan accordingly!
8. Points of interest (decorative only) such as a base, towers, and tunnels.
9. Three different camera modes: chase view, orbit, and free cinematic.
10. Dialogue. The rover where talk (via text for now) and respond to items around the asteroid, revealing small bits of game lore.
11. Scavenging. You can find boxes littered across the landscape. Some of them will hold valuable parts or resources!
12. 8 collectible lore items that provide a deeper glimpse into the world of Gears of Eden. Can you find them all?

Feedback

That’s about it! It’s not much! We understand that, and we cannot reinforce enough that this is a very early release in the beginning stages of our development process. Some players may not wish to see the game at such an early state, which we completely understand! For those of you who would, there are several areas we will be requesting feedback on in a post-release survey, including:

1. Drivability. How does driving around feel? Do you get stuck? Flip upside down? How’s the movement speed?
2. Resource collection. Do you enjoy collecting resources? What do you think of the frequency of resources? Too many? Too few? Are collection times too high/low?
3. Crafting. Are crafting costs too high/low?
4. Power management. What do you feel about the energy consumption and recharge rates?
5. Camera systems. Do all three camera modes work for you, and do you use all three?
6. User Interface. Do you have any problems with the UI?
7. Control. Do you have any feedback on the default mouse and key binds?
8. Stability. What kind of bugs have you encountered?

As an added incentive, players who participate in our post-release surveys will be prioritized for alpha keys on future releases, which brings us to the final bit of important information.

How our Alpha System will work

Backers who have pledged at the Early Access level will be given priority and first access to all our early releases. If you’re interested in securing a spot and supporting future development of Gears of Eden, please check out our rewards page.

Following Early Access backers, we will be randomizing groups from our pool of subscribers who have indicated on signup that they are interested in alpha testing. If you haven’t subscribed yet, please be sure to do so here. Subscribers who have completed a post-release survey on previous releases will be placed in a priority queue.

All alpha releases will be open for limited windows of time, and players will need a live internet connection, as well as a valid access key, to participate. Gameplay data will be collected, giving us insight into things like amount of time played, distance driven, resources collected, etc.

If you have any feedback or questions on this system, let us know in the comments below, on Discord, or on social media (Twitter and Facebook)!

FAQ

Q: Why can’t I log into the website after receiving an Alpha key!?
A: We apologize for the confusion on this. When you sign up for the newsletter/enroll for alpha testing, that does not create a website account for you (unless you select the option to do so). The login for the alpha and the website login are TWO DIFFERENT SYSTEMS! We are working to merge this into a single account. So, if you are having trouble signing into the website, it’s likely you need to create a new account. Then sign in. Alternatively, you can download the game client here, and activate the game with your email and alpha key.

Q: How can I drive when the battery is empty?
A: There is a small amount of reserve RTG power generated to keep you moving, barely, when the main battery dies. Future releases will let you craft battery upgrades at the SINTER forge.

Q: Why can’t I reach some resources?
A: There are two components that affect drilling, the drill and the drill bit. You need to upgrade the drill body itself to reach further into the ground. This is done at the SINTER forge inside your base.

Q: Am I able to record and post Gears of Eden gameplay testing from alpha releases to my stream, video channel, or website?
A: We’re making this game with you and for you. As long as you are keeping expectations in check with what we are publishing on this page, we are happy for you to share your experiences online. Please let us know if you do, and we will check it out and try to cross-promote. We do want to hear your critiques as well—just be sure to keep it constructive and respectful.

Q: Do I need to sign an NDA to play GoE Alpha?
A: Nope! Please share your gameplay and experiences on your channel or stream! Obviously, the intellectual and property rights belong to Cubit Games, but for the purposes of participating in testing, we don’t require a Non-Disclosure Agreement. We just ask you be respectful, provide constructive criticism and feedback, realize we are at a very early stage, and review this page thoroughly.

Have a question? Ask us on Discord, Facebook or Twitter!

Overview/Tutorial

A Note on Early Access

It’s no secret that some early access games have caused a lot of confusion, disappointment, and frustration over the last few years. Indeed, this method of game development is a double-edged sword with plenty of successes alongside plenty of failures. We’ve seen amazing games come to life through this model from independent developers who otherwise may not have had the resources required to achieve their vision. At the same time, we’ve seen all too many cases where customers felt taken advantage of, due to a lack of transparency or unfulfilled promises.

We believe one of the major keys to success using an early access plan is good communication between developers and customers. We’ve created this page to communicate clearly what our intentions are and what you can expect in our early releases. Since the beginning, we’ve worked hard to earn your trust, and in return we ask for your continued patience and understanding alongside measured expectations. It is all of us together that will make Gears of Eden truly a success.