Frequently Asked Questions: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 11:00, 9 April 2026

In this FAQ we will try to answer all the frequently asked questions about PlanetSmith and it's development state.

Discuss changes to this page in the page's discussion tab before updating the FAQ !

Due to the Kickstarter launching, newcomers have a lot of questions!
Try reading this FAQ first before asking your questions in the discord server.

Kickstarter

You can find the most frequently asked questions related to the Kickstarter campaign here.

When does the Kickstarter end?

April 30th, 2026.

Should I back the project?

It is up to you to back it, and if you have the funds to do so ! As of right now, the Kickstarter is fully funded, which means the game is getting out no matter what. We are now having stretch goals to get more content and allow for faster development.

When will I get my Kickstarter rewards?

Once the Kickstarter ends !

I backed Alpha Tester or more on Kickstarter, when do I get Alpha access?

You will obtain the alpha testing build and discord rank once the kickstarter ends !

I backed for World builder/Block designer and more, when do I have to submit my designs?

At the moment there is no hard deadline for your structure designs. So you can wait until there are more hexcells that better fit your ideas!

Is there a limit to the type of block I can design?

Yes, there are limits. We want blocks to fit with the game, although we can be very flexible we can't accept designs that infringe another IP, are political/offensive or are overly complex. But generally any decrotive block will be just fine.

Why are the stretch goals so expensive?

That's because we would need to hire more staff in order to reach those goals in time for game release.

The Game

This section relates to the state of the game, what you can expect of it, along with some general knowledge for demo purposes.

When is the planned release of the game?

Early Access is Projected Q2 2027.

What engine is the game being developed on?

unity Engine.

Playtests

This section is about playtests, how to join them, when the next playtest will be held, and what to expect of them.

When is the next playtest?

We expect to have the next playtest in August 2026 (but it might be delayed we want to have enough in the game to make it worthwhile).

Usually, playtests happen roughly every 6 months.
During these playtests, you can expect a weeklong access to the game.

How can I join the playtest?

Depending on your situation, here is how to join a playtest.

I have already participated in a playtest before

You already have a playtest key linked to the Steam account you used to play the game, simply wait for a playtest to come around and install the playtest version once it is available!

I have never participated in a playtest before

If you have backed the Kickstarter, you will be provided a playtest key (starting at Game Supporter) once the Kickstarter campaign ends!
If you have never participated in a playtest prior to April 2026, you cannot join playtests anymore.

Demo

This section relates to demo content available during the ongoing demo (30/03/2026 - 30/04/2026)

How to

This section is a quick Survival 101 crash course: it will teach you the absolute basics if you want to survive long enough to get to the next day.

Craft

Crafting is (temporarily) available in the campfire. A campfire can be put down by holding down the right click button on any hexcel surface.

Access the crafting menu through the hammer icon (top right)

Cook

Cooking is available in the campfire. A campfire can be put down by holding down the right click button on any hexcel surface.

Place the meat in the meat slot (top left), once you have done so, left-click in the fire area. This will drop a meat above the fire, use your left click to maintain it roughly around the middle. Once the left bar is in the cooked area, right-click to flip it and do the same with the other side.

By the end you obtain cooked meat.

Beware, overcooked meat can taste a bit like coal... (meat disappears when overcooked).

Find unstable matter

In the ground, it is a glowy, purplish ore.

Finding it is easier done in an Arctic ocean, due to the ground being uncovered and ores being visible from afar.

To obtain it, use a primitive hammer

My game is running poorly, why is that?

Try lowering your render distance and lowering the quality setting. This is an older version of the game as many of the performance updates aren't yet stable enough for a full scale playtest. Because of this the game is also a lot more ram hungry, try closing other apps (especially internet browsers) to give yourself more ram.

Features

This section is about what the game will offer upon release.

Mod support

Mod support is planned at some point. We are still evaluating how this will work and more information will come in the future.

Will other languages be supported?

Yes we plan for supporting multiple languages in the future. At this time the game is not far enough along to translate additional languages, however we currently have English and Spanish available.

Where are all the new features shown in the devlogs?

While those features are decently far along in development, we do not feel that they are ready for a full scale playtest and thus, have not yet been made available.

Will there be multiplayer?

Yes, you can expect that feature to be in the base game once it releases. It is a late development goal, meaning that it is not the main priority at the moment.

Supported Operating Systems

At the moment we only officially support windows. However that is just for the playtests, for the full release we plan on having native linux and mac builds as well.

Will PlanetSmith come to console/mobile?

If the game is a success we will be releasing mobile and console versions. However it is not guranteed!

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-In this FAQ we will try to answer all the frequently asked questions about PlanetSmith and it's developement state.
+In this FAQ we will try to answer all the frequently asked questions about PlanetSmith and it's development state.
+<div class="box info flex-center text-center">
+Discuss changes to this page in the page's [[Talk:Frequently_Asked_Questions | discussion tab]] before updating the FAQ !
+</div>
+<div class="box success large flex-center text-center">
+Due to the Kickstarter launching, newcomers have a lot of questions!<br>
+Try reading this FAQ first before asking your questions in the [https://discord.gg/eSS2pYU7Nw discord server].
+</div>
 == Kickstarter ==
-You can find the most frequently asked question related to [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/incandescentgames/planetsmith the kickstarter campaign] here
+You can find the most frequently asked questions related to [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/incandescentgames/planetsmith the Kickstarter campaign] here.
-=== When does the kickstarter end ? ===
+=== When does the Kickstarter end? ===
-April 30th 2026.
+April 30th, 2026.
-=== Should I back the project ? ===
+=== Should I back the project? ===
 It is up to you to back it, and if you have the funds to do so !
-As of right now, the kickstarter is fully funded, which means the game is getting out no matter what, we are now having stretch goals to get more content and allow for faster developement.
+As of right now, the Kickstarter is fully funded, which means the game is getting out no matter what. We are now having stretch goals to get more content and allow for faster development.
+=== When will I get my Kickstarter rewards? ===
+[[#When_does_the_kickstarter_end_? | Once the Kickstarter ends !]]
+=== I backed Alpha Tester or more on Kickstarter, when do I get Alpha access? ===
+You will obtain the alpha testing build and discord rank [[#When_does_the_kickstarter_end_? | once the kickstarter ends !]]
+=== I backed for World builder/Block designer and more, when do I have to submit my designs? ===
+At the moment there is no hard deadline for your structure designs. So you can wait until there are more hexcells that better fit your ideas!
-=== When will I get my kickstarter rewards ? ===
+==== Is there a limit to the type of block I can design? ====
-Once the kickstarter ends !
+Yes, there are limits. We want blocks to fit with the game, although we can be very flexible we can't accept designs that infringe another IP, are political/offensive or are overly complex. But generally any decrotive block will be just fine.
-<!-- TODO: Explain why -->
+=== Why are the stretch goals so expensive? ===
+That's because we would need to hire more staff in order to reach those goals in time for game release.
 <!-- ################################################################## -->
 == The Game ==
-This section relates to the state of the game, what you can expect of it along with some general knowledge for demo purposes
+This section relates to the state of the game, what you can expect of it, along with some general knowledge for demo purposes.
+=== When is the planned release of the game? ===
+Early Access is Projected Q2 2027.
+=== What engine is the game being developed on? ===
+unity Engine.
 === Playtests ===
-This sections is about playtests, how to join them, when the next playtest will be held and what to expect of them
+This section is about playtests, how to join them, when the next playtest will be held, and what to expect of them.
-==== When is the next playtest ? ====
+==== When is the next playtest? ====
-There is no fixed date, however expect a weeklong playtest that happens every 6 months.
+We expect to have the next playtest in August 2026 (but it might be delayed we want to have enough in the game to make it worthwhile).
-==== How can I join the playtest ? ====
+<div class="box info small">
+Usually, playtests happen roughly every 6 months.<br>
+During these playtests, you can expect a <b>weeklong</b> access to the game.
+</div>
+==== How can I join the playtest? ====
 Depending on your situation, here is how to join a playtest.
 ===== I have already participated in a playtest before =====
-* You already have a playtest key linked to the steam account you used to play the game, simply wait for a playtest to come around and install the playtest version once it is available !
+* You already have a playtest key linked to the Steam account you used to play the game, simply wait for a playtest to come around and install the playtest version once it is available!
 ===== I have never participated in a playtest before =====
-* If you have backed the [[#kickstarter|kickstarter]], you will be provided a playtest key (starting at Game Supporter) once the kickstarter campaign ends !
+* If you have backed the [[#kickstarter|Kickstarter]], you will be provided a playtest key (starting at Game Supporter) once the Kickstarter campaign ends!
-* If you have never participated in a playtest prior to April 2026, you '''cannot''' join playtest anymore.
+* If you have never participated in a playtest prior to April 2026, you '''cannot''' join playtests anymore.
 <!-- ------------------------------------------------------------------ -->
@@ Line 41: / Line 71: @@
 ==== How to ====
-This section is a quick Survival101 crash course : it will teach you the absolute basics if you want to survive long enough to get to the next day.
+This section is a quick Survival 101 crash course: it will teach you the absolute basics if you want to survive long enough to get to the next day.
 ===== Craft =====
-Crafting is (temporarily) available in the [[Hexcel:campfire]], a campfire can be put down by holding down right click on any hexcel surface.
+Crafting is (temporarily) available in the [[campfire]]. A campfire can be put down by holding down the right click button on any hexcel surface.
 Access the crafting menu through the hammer icon (top right)
 ===== Cook =====
-Cooking is available in the [[Hexcel:campfire]], a campfire can be put down by holding down right click on any hexcel surface.
+Cooking is available in the [[campfire]]. A campfire can be put down by holding down the right click button on any hexcel surface.
-Place the meat in the meat slot (top left), once you have done so, left click in the fire area, this will drop a meat above the fire, use your left click to maintain it roughly around the middle. Once the left bar is in the cooked area, right click to flip it and do the same with the other side.
+Place the meat in the meat slot (top left), once you have done so, left-click in the fire area. This will drop a meat above the fire, use your left click to maintain it roughly around the middle. Once the left bar is in the cooked area, right-click to flip it and do the same with the other side.
-By the end you obtain a cooked meat.
-Beware, overcooked meat can taste a bit like coal... (meat disapears when overcooked)
+By the end you obtain cooked meat.
+Beware, overcooked meat can taste a bit like coal... (meat disappears when overcooked).
 ===== Find unstable matter =====
-In the ground, it is a glowy purple-ish ore.
+In the ground, it is a glowy, purplish ore.
-Finding it is easier done in an arctic ocean, due to ground being uncovered, and ores being visible from afar.
+Finding it is easier done in an Arctic ocean, due to the ground being uncovered and ores being visible from afar.
-To obtain it, use a [[Item:primitive hammer]]
+To obtain it, use a [[Item:primitive hammer | primitive hammer]]
+==== My game is running poorly, why is that? ====
+Try lowering your render distance and lowering the quality setting. This is an older version of the game as many of the performance updates aren't yet stable enough for a full scale playtest. Because of this the game is also a lot more ram hungry, try closing other apps (especially internet browsers) to give yourself more ram.
 <!-- ------------------------------------------------------------------ -->
@@ Line 68: / Line 102: @@
 This section is about what the game will offer upon release.
-==== Will we have multiplayer ====
+==== Mod support ====
-Yes, You can expect that feature to be in the base game once it releases.
+Mod support is planned at some point.  We are still evaluating how this will work and more information will come in the future.
-It is a late developement goal, meaning that it is not the main priority at the moment
-==== Will there be pvp ====
+==== Will other languages be supported? ====
-<!-- TODO add pvp answer -->
+Yes we plan for supporting multiple languages in the future.  At this time the game is not far enough along to translate additional languages, however we currently have English and Spanish available.
-<p style="
-    color: #ca982e;
+==== Where are all the new features shown in the devlogs? ====
-    background: rgba(202,153,46,0.25);
+While those features are decently far along in development, we do not feel that they are ready for a full scale playtest and thus, have not yet been made available.
-    border: 2px solid rgba(237,182,55,0.5);
-    border-radius: 2px;
+==== Will there be multiplayer? ====
-    text-align: center;
+Yes, you can expect that feature to be in the base game once it releases.
-    padding: 10px 0;
+It is a late development goal, meaning that it is not the main priority at the moment.
-">
-    <span>Hang tight !</span><br>
+==== Supported Operating Systems ====
-    The <b>dev team</b> is thinking hard about this...
+At the moment we only officially support windows. However that is just for the playtests, for the full release we plan on having native linux and mac builds as well.
-</p>
+===== Will PlanetSmith come to console/mobile? =====
+If the game is a success we will be releasing mobile and console versions. However it is not guranteed!
 <!-- ################################################################## -->
 == Discord ==
-<!-- TODO add discord section -->
-<p style="
+=== How do I obtain the Kickstarter roles? ===
-    color: #fd7865;
+The roles will be given out [[#When_does_the_kickstarter_end_? | once the Kickstarter ends !]]
-    background: rgba(245,71,57,0.25);
-    border: 2px solid rgba(245,70,57,0.5);
+=== I bought the founder role, how do I get my role? ===
-    border-radius: 2px;
+==== I am already in the PlanetSmith discord ====
-    text-align: center;
+Contact a helper or an admin to get things sorted out.
-    padding: 10px 0;
-">
+==== I am not in the PlanetSmith discord ====
-    <span>Section under construction</span><br>
+Join the [https://discord.gg/eSS2pYU7Nw discord server], you will automatically get your role!
-    it will be ready <b>Soon™</b>
-</p>
+=== I want to get involved in the development ===
+As generous of you as it is, we are not looking to hire anyone at the moment.