Pre-Alpha Reflections: What We Built, What Broke, and Where We’re Going

By Ashton Data Publishing, LLC — proudly surviving pre-alpha with minimal screaming

Greetings, travelers who stuck with us through the chaos!

Welcome to Dev Blog #14! This marks an important milestone for AD Galaxy Traveler:
our first complete pre-alpha development cycle.

This week wasn’t about adding new systems. It was about stepping back, looking at everything we built, and asking the hard questions:

• What worked?
• What didn’t?
• And why did that NPC think it was a chair?

Let’s talk honestly.

The Pre-Alpha Build: A Snapshot in Time

At this stage, AD Galaxy Traveler includes:

• Fully playable FPS combat
• RPG progression and career paths
• A functional orbital station hub
• Dynamic mission generation
• Faction systems and reputation
• Planetary exploration with hazards and biomes
• Vehicles and spaceflight
• Trade, crafting, and economy
• Polished UI and accessibility options
• Stability and performance improvements

It’s rough.
It’s incomplete.
And it’s absolutely a game now.

What Worked Better Than Expected

Some systems surprised us — in a good way.

Mission Generation

• Produced meaningful, replayable content
• Created emergent stories we didn’t script
• Integrated well with factions and economy

Planetary Exploration

• Biomes meaningfully changed gameplay
• Environmental hazards added tension
• Players had to think before landing

Player Agency

• Choices felt impactful
• Reputation systems created long-term consequences
• Different playstyles felt viable

That’s a strong foundation.

What Needs More Work (A Lot More)

Pre-alpha is where weaknesses show.

AI Behavior

• Smarter reactions needed
• Better group tactics
• Less enthusiasm for walking into danger

Content Density

• More missions
• More NPC variety
• More handcrafted story moments

Polish

• Animation transitions
• Audio balancing
• Visual consistency across environments

All expected. All solvable.

Lessons Learned the Hard Way

Some takeaways from this phase:

• Systems first, content second
• Modular design saves sanity
• Procedural systems need boundaries
• Debug tools are heroes
• Players will always do something unexpected

Always.

Community and Transparency

We’re committed to sharing development openly — bugs, setbacks, and all. Dev blogs like this exist so backers and players can follow the journey, not just the highlights.

You’re building this galaxy with us.

What Comes Next: The Road Ahead

The next phase of development will focus on:

• Expanding planetary variety
• Deepening narrative content
• Improving AI combat behavior
• Adding more ships and vehicles
• Refining faction storylines
• Preparing public demos and playtests
• Kickstarter campaign rollout

This is where the galaxy grows.

Final Thoughts for Dev Blog #14

Pre-alpha is messy, exhausting, and incredibly rewarding. AD Galaxy Traveler now has a soul — and a lot of room to grow.

Thank you for reading, supporting, and believing in this project.

Next up:
Dev Blog #15 — “Alpha Goals, Feature Priorities, and Player Feedback Integration”

Until then:
Keep exploring, keep asking questions, and remember — every great space game starts with controlled chaos.