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🪐 HIRAETH — Early Access: Launch Recap & What’s Next

[h3]Launch Recap • Sales & Support • Recent Updates • Crash Fix Progress • Community Feedback • What’s Next • Closing Words[/h3]

Hello Survivors of Ahra Prime — brave pioneers of Early Access!
[h3] Welcome aboard, and thank you for being part of this unfolding journey. Your presence means everything.[/h3][p]
On September 3rd, our shared journey to Ahra Prime officially began. I want to thank everyone who joined HIRAETH in Early Access — especially those who understand what this phase of development truly means. As a solo developer working on such a complex project, I deeply appreciate every piece of feedback, every bug report, and every moment you spend in the world of HIRAETH.[/p][p]🎮 ☵ HIRAETH had its initial testing phase as a Steam Playtest, but it’s only now — in Early Access — that the game has truly come alive. Player activity has increased dramatically, and the median playtime speaks for itself. I’ve received tons of valuable feedback from thoughtful players who understand that Early Access isn’t just about playing early — it’s about building the game together. This is the stage where bugs are identified and fixed, new features are tested, and gameplay is refined based on real player experiences. It’s clear that HIRAETH has landed in the right hands — and that gives me huge motivation to keep going.[/p][p][/p][h2]📊 Sales Report — Straight Talk[/h2][p]HIRAETH was created and released without any funding for advertising. The only investment was my time — and the incredible support from YouTubers who specialize in survival games, some of whom had already featured HIRAETH on their channels. I’m truly grateful to them and want to thank them here.[/p][p]Because of that, sales may not look impressive on paper — but to me, it’s a huge success. It allows me to continue developing the game at the pace you’ve seen since launch.[/p][p]Big titles often need massive revenue upfront to cover marketing costs and large teams. In HIRAETH’s case, every cent goes directly into development. If more players join the journey, I’ll gladly expand the team — which will help development move even faster.[/p][p]A lot depends on you — your Steam reviews and word-of-mouth recommendations. If funds allow, I’ll invest in promotion too, which will definitely help the game reach more players and evolve further.[/p][p][/p][h2]🔧 What’s Already Happened[/h2]
  • [p]The demo and pre-launch testing helped lay a solid foundation.[/p]
  • [p]Daily updates (0.9.7.x) have improved many aspects of the game — from UI to stability.[/p]
  • [p]New features added just before Early Access have been well received:[/p]
    • [p]Mini-games: hacking, lockpicking, repairing[/p]
    • [p]A new base to explore: Comm Center[/p]
    • [p]And many other improvements[/p]
[p]Some of these additions introduced minor but annoying bugs — but fixing them is just a matter of time. After three years of solo development, I can confidently say we’re on the right track.[/p][p][/p][h2]⚠️ Stability Issues on Some Devices — Fix in Progress[/h2][p]Player reports helped identify rare but serious crash issues — especially on specific hardware configurations. This is currently my top priority.[/p][p]In response, I’ve migrated the project to Unreal Engine 5.6.1, which in early testing has shown that the crashes are resolved. This version still needs internal testing before it’s released on Steam as an official update — but it’s coming soon.[/p][p]If you’re experiencing crashes and enjoy testing — join us on Discord and contact me. I’ll share internal test builds using UE 5.6.1. The more devices we test on, the faster we can solve this globally.

Thank you for your patience — the fix is on the horizon.[/p][p][/p][h2]💬 Your Feedback Matters[/h2][p]There’s a lot of emotion in the comments — especially from those who’ve run into technical issues. At the same time, I know many of you are enjoying the game and sharing positive feedback on Discord, forums, and elsewhere.[/p][p]Many of you — even though it’s only been a few days since launch — have already spent hours immersed in the game. That’s incredibly motivating for me, and it’s just the beginning of what’s coming your way.[/p][p]If you’re enjoying HIRAETH, please leave a review on Steam. It’s the only form of promotion I have right now — and it directly affects how fast and far the game can grow.[/p][p][/p][h2]🚀 What’s Next[/h2]
  • [p]Fixing current bugs and crash issues — that’s the first step.[/p]
  • [p]A new region to explore, vehicles, and a difficulty progression system — already in development.[/p]
  • [p]Save system for the Training Center, and fixes for save/load bugs (like duplicated items, medkits, and oxygen tanks).[/p]
  • [p]A detailed roadmap will be announced once the new Unreal Engine version is confirmed stable.[/p]
[p]Thanks again for being part of this journey. Stay curious, stay safe on Ahra Prime — and see you in the next update![/p][h3]
Warm regards, Paweł Solo developer & creator of ☵ HIRAETH[/h3][p]
* solo for now — but with your support, that might change soon!
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