Q: What is it?
A: Achron is a multiplayer real-time strategy (RTS) war game designed around the ability to time travel anywhere along a timeline. Jump back in time to save that production facility, or add a flanking maneuver to an attack! It's entirely up to you.

 

Q: It's a trick, right? You're going to throw a flashy visual effect on the screen and then make me wait for another level to load, aren't you?
A: Nope. Fiddle with the past, present, and future to your heart's content. The engine smooths the changes you make down the timeline, leaving you free to twist your enemy's strategy to your advantage.

 

Q: This is going to make my head explode, isn't it?
A: Achron is an RTS, but was designed with ease of use and simplicity foremost in mind, the idea being to create something that's easy to use but difficult to master. What you did 2 minutes ago is still very fresh in your memory. You should be able to wrap your head around it just fine.

 

Q: It's a neat concept, but is it actually fun?
A: We've been playtesting this for years, regularly playing multiplayer games, from big maps with large numbers of resources, many strategic locations and hundreds of units per player, to small resource-constrained levels. We still can't get enough of it.

 

Q: What platforms are you supporting?
A: Right now we're only supporting Windows XP, Vista, and 7 with an ATI or Nvidia graphics card from the last 3 years, a dual core processor, and at least 1 GB of RAM. We are planning on offering Linux and Mac support soon, as well as support for Intel graphics cards that are OpenGL 2.0 capable (See our calendar). We may support more platforms in the future as well, such as consoles, depending on how things go.

 

Q: Achron has a long way to go before it's done. What am I buying?
A: You're buying a license to what Achron is and will become. You get access to every major build of Achron, as well as the mod and development tools when we release them (see our release calendar). We're using a business model based on community funding of game development, in which early purchases of licenses help to finance game development and completion. Other indie game developers are using similar business models, such as Wolfire Games (Overgrowth), Data Realms (Cortex Command), TaleWorlds Entertainment (Mount and Blade), and Unknown Worlds Entertainment (Natural Selection 2). You can find the EULA for Achron here: EULA

 

Q: What forms of payments do you accept? Do you accept orders from outside the USA?
We accept virtually all major credit cards, and use a secure payment method with a major payment processing company. Hazardous Software does not retain your credit card information in its databases. Yes, you can purchase from outside the USA.

 

Q: How do I know you will finish the game? How will you decide when to say something is not included with Achron like a sequel?
A: Our reputation as an indie developer depends on Achron! Hazardous Software is comprised of industry professionals that have invested significantly in bringing Achron to the state where it is now. Our employees and contractors have significant experience, such as performing key roles in producing AAA games and holding PhDs in computer science.

 

If that weren't enough, we have carefully structured our contracts and business framework to make sure that everyone on the team has an incentive to finish Achron quickly and to a high degree of quality. Achron is currently planned for approximately 35 single-player levels spread across 4 campaigns, as well as multiplayer modes and accompanying mod tools.

 

However, our success and ability to complete Achron depends on your support! Spread the word, get your friends to order Achron, get involved in our online community, create Achron mods, and help us with Achron content; the more support we have, the better the game will be and the faster it'll get done. If for some reason we run out of money and aren't able to complete it, at the very least we'll make available what we can and you will still keep everything that you've downloaded. You can find the EULA for Achron here: EULA

 

Q: So wait, you're making me pay you to test your product?
A: No. By purchasing Achron, you have no obligation to test or give us feedback, and you will receive all future versions of Achron including the full release. You don't have to sign any NDA; if something is included in a release, you're free to talk about it. We'll make features and content available when we feel that users will have a good experience with it. That means that we won't be releasing things the instant they're working, but rather, once they're polished just enough to be fun. In fact, we are planning to hold off on releasing final versions of the single player levels until a campaign is finished; that way we ensure that the story is conveyed coherently and without too many cliffhangers.

 

We're giving you everything early so that you can try it for yourself, use the mod tools, and give us feedback on the game if you like. Remember that our studio is very very tiny and self-funded.

 

Q: Why should I buy now, rather than wait and see?
A: There are a number of reasons to buy now:
1) So you can play the game now!
2) It's cheaper than our planned price for the final version.
3) Buying early will earn a lot of gratitude from us, meaning that we'll think of you first when deciding who to offer special deals exclusives in the future for Achron or other products.
4) If you don't buy it and we can't afford to continue, Achron may not be completed for a long time.
5) Your support will help us create more new and interesting games.

 

Q: Will you be distributing Achron via [some digital distribution platform like Steam or Impulse]?
A: Probably, but not at least until Achron is closer to completion. A couple of digital distribution providers have expressed interest in the possibility of distributing Achron.

 

Q: These mod tools you're releasing... what can I do with them?
A: We invite you to make your own mods of Achron, or, even better, your own full games with time travel using Achron's Resequence engine! If you upload your mods to our site, then anyone with a copy of Achron can download and play them. Uploads to our site are essentially contributed to the community, and we and other users will be able to modify and extend your work without charge. If you want to charge for your mod and sell it to people who own a copy of Achron, that's perfectly fine, but don't upload it to our site without discussing it with us first. If you're looking to sell your mod and it is good enough, we may even offer to let you sell it on our site.

 

If you want to license Achron's Resequence engine to make and sell a full fledged standalone game using time travel, we'll be reasonable with the licensing terms. If you're planning on making a full standalone RTS (MTS), we ask that you wait to release it at least 6 months after Achron's final release. (Note: we might be willing to make an exception to this rule given the right business proposition, but it'd need to be a good one.)

 

See our calendar as to when mod tools will be available.

 

Q: Does this mean I can recreate [insert some other popular RTS] with time travel on the Resequence Engine?
A: You can only do this if you get written permission from the respective copyright owner(s).

 

Q: What is this about being able to contribute to Achron?
A: <DwarvenAccent>AND MY AXE!</DwarvenAccent> Oh, sorry, got carried away there...

 

As you can see, Achron still has a long way to go, especially with regard to art. If you submit your own work to Achron and we decide to use it, then, at a minimum, your name will be included in the credits along with the work you contributed, and you will get licenses for 2 free copies of Achron to give to your friends. If you do enough quality work that we use, then we may, at our discretion, offer you monetary contracts or include you in our profit participation program. Note that in order for your work to be included, you need to:
1) create or improve work from a description or concept that fulfills a particular need we have for Achron (even though Achron is far from complete, it's pretty well planned out, and the remaining work is both outlined and budgeted in our contracts);
2) unquestionably own the work you submitted; and
3) transfer copyright over to Hazardous Software Inc. (our contract allows you to show your work in portfolios, etc.).
You never know, if Achron does well enough, maybe your submissions will turn into a job at Hazardous Software or elsewhere!

 

Q: Aren't you worried about piracy?
A: No — Hazardous Software doesn't own any shipping vessels and our core business functions don't directly depend on overseas shipments. We are, however, worried about ninjacy and zombicy, as ninjas and zombies can and will strike on land.

 

Q: No, I mean do you worry about people who copy your games and stuff without buying it?
A: The illegal act of copyright infringement definitely harms us as a company. We're a tiny studio, so it affects us a lot.

 

However, DRM has many disadvantages, such as incompatibilities and annoyances. If we were to include restrictive DRM in Achron, it's virtually guaranteed that someone will crack the DRM and illegally distribute Achron anyway. In short, we believe that restrictive DRM harms the paying customer and does little to protect against piracy.

 

To download updates, mods, and other media, we do require a valid Achron account at Hazardous Software, which is acquired when you purchase a license to Achron.

 

Q: When is the final version coming out?
A: This depends on your support, but we are currently aiming for 1/1/2011.

 

Q: How stable/buggy is this game? I can't imagine a game engine this complex without bugs!
A: The Resequence Engine is very stable. We have taken quality assurance extremely seriously because of how complex time travel is, and we have been testing multiplayer games since 2005. The bugs that we typically encounter usually have to do with unusual hardware or driver configurations.

 

Q: I found a bug...
A: There is a area of the forums specifically for letting us know. We'd appreciate it if you checked other topics first to see if it has already been acknowledged or addressed. Note that if your computer crashes or reboots, that this is due to a driver bug (e.g. graphics card driver), as Achron does nothing with the level of permissions required to cause a system crash. We are not currently aware of any such bugs, but they have been known to appear when graphics card vendors update their drivers.

 

Q: Achron is fun, but it would be better if you changed...
A: We are very interested in hearing constructive criticism about Achron, however, remember that we may or may not take your suggestion. We have a long list of planned improvements and features for Achron and the contents of our development plan are nearly all charted out, so there is a chance that we might be planning to address your issue but haven't gotten around to it yet.

 

Gameplay and time travel both have intricate balances, and people don't have infinitely fast computers. Suppose you're suggesting that some unit is too powerful and that we should weaken that unit. It may be the case that there is a strategy already available that would mitigate the unit's strength, and perhaps we just need to make that strategy more obvious or easy to use. Maybe we think your suggestion is awesome, but it isn't technically feasible due to memory requirements. We will read all suggestions on our forums even if we don't reply, so you can be certain that we've at least thought about your suggestion.

 

If you feel strongly about your suggestion, perhaps you could make a mod and let other people try it out!

 

Q: What about playing in the future of the timeline?
A: Playing in the future has several purposes such as scouting, finding out about a large battle that has not yet happened, or building units with resources you don't yet have in the present.

 

Q: Many RTSs are won by rush-strategy masters, what about this one?
A: Though rushing is still a viable strategy, using time travel affords several viable counter strategies to rush attacks.

 

Q: Many RTSs are won by super-fast clickers, what about this one?
A: Being a fast-clicker helps, but since changing the past uses up chronoenergy, the clicker is limited to a set number of issued commands, thus decision making is more important than the speed of clicks. Also since all players can progress at different speeds, a 'slow clicker' can actually pause their progression through time, issue several commands to different units while they are frozen, and then play in fast forward to catch up and watch the outcome of their commands. Testers who excel at using time travel are sometimes able to beat others who are otherwise better RTS players.

 

Q: Dude, paradoxes?! You know, grandfather paradox, units fighting side by side?
A: Paradoxes can exist, but since the window of time is limited (e.g., an 8 minute window) all events eventually fall off. A paradox will oscillate between its different states until one of the states reaches the edge of the time window, leaving the players locked into one of the two states. Example: in the case of the grandfather paradox (where you use a factory to build a tank, have the tank time travel to before it was built, and then use it to destroy the factory) you will play with the paradox until it 'falls off' the time window, at which point there is a 50/50 chance of either the tank lives and the factory is destroyed (because the tank destroyed the factory), or the factory remains and the tank goes back in time and is lost. All paradoxes are nicely resolved with time.

 

Q: Is it true that I can keep sending units back in time to have them fight along side themselves and duplicate an entire army?
A: Yes you can, but not without consequences. It costs chronoenergy to command units from the past to travel further into the past, and obviously you use more chronoenergy to control more units in the past. Also you are using up your playing time to manage this instead of building units or controlling your armies. And finally, if the original 'parent' units are damaged, the time traveled version will wind up being damaged and if the original units are destroyed and don't travel back in time, you wind up undoing the entire cycle.

 

Q: My head is exploding already. Are you sure this is easy?
A: Yes, though grandfather paradoxes are the most complicated aspect of the game, they don't tend to happen much in actual gameplay. The rest is super quick to learn. It's like learning to use a DVR control to rewatch a tv show or using your DVD control to jump around chapters in a movie - once you start using time travel it's really simple, but if you've never picked up a remote controller before, those play and 'next-chapter' buttons look scary. We've been play-testing for 4 years and have learned how to make this game accessible, taking people who never played an RTS before and have them effectively using time travel 5 minutes into the game. We do this by unveiling time travel gradually to the player, so you are not fully thrust into it right away, but can learn to play it one step at a time.

 

Q: I am so good at RTS games that I have strategies named after me, and my head has not exploded. I wonder how the game would resolve this complex example: Player A sends units back in time and destroys player B's factories. Before the timewaves reach the present, player B sends his army back in time and destroys player A's factories.
A: This is definitely a paradox. You should check out this page: Paradoxes.

 

Q: Oh man, I wonder what this would be like in an MMORPG...
A: Imagine coming home from work, sitting down, and participating in a raid that happened 5 hours ago in your favorite MMORPG game. Well, it would probably work better with an MMORTS or an AI-driven MMORPG. We are currently working on Achron, but we are considering using or licencing this technology for other types of games including casual, core, serious, and online.

 

Q: Can you command buildings (e.g., resource processors and collectors) to travel back in time using a chronoporter?
A: No, but this is not a limitation of the engine. This was an explicit choice for gameplay reasons. However, buildings can be sent to the future with a chronobomb.

 

Q: OK, what is a chronobomb?
A: A bomb that sends everything in an area to the future. This is useful to bottleneck your opponents, and is a weapon that the Grekim (one of the alien races) have.

 

Q: How does one player beat another (when does the game end)?
A: While we have a variety of end-game conditions for the single-player campaigns, we have two primary modes for multiplayer games. The first mode is: your game is over if you lose your ability to attack or produce units at any point in time. This yields interesting strategies where one player can be losing in the past, but rush in the present and still win. The second mode is: your game is over if you lose your ability to attack or produce units at the oldest position on the timeline, as it is impossible to recover from this. However, this second mode can obviously add time to the end-game.

 

Q: Do you have a computer AI?
A: Yes, we do. We use a multiagent system that produces quite a range of behaviors. It does not cheat by looking under the fog of war or having extra resources. Instead, it plays reactively in the timeline, much as if you were playing against an opponent that had chronoporters but was not an Achron. We also have a meta-time planning AI in early development that will play like an Achron.

 

Q: I see that the chronoenergy refills really fast in the demo videos. Does it refill this fast in the actual game?
A: No, it refills more slowly and is configurable. We made it refill fast to make the demo videos flow nicely and to prevent out-takes.

 

Q: Does watching the past cost chronoenergy?
A: No, watching is free, but changing the past costs chronoenergy.

 

Q: You only have like 10 units. Your RTS gameplay must be wafer thin.
A: (As read in Alex Trebek's voice) I'm sorry. This is a FAQ: and you didn't phrase your answer in the form of a question.
We do have a diverse set of units, we just currently don't have much artwork. For now, we're only showing and releasing the units for which we have prototype models beyond billboarded sketches.

 

Q: In a multiplayer game, what do other players see when you jump around in time and change history?
A: They continue to see exactly what they saw before. Your changes to the past will be propagated by a time wave. These changes are not reflected on the opponents screens until that time wave passes by.
For example, Greg and Konrad are both playing in the present. Greg attacks Konrad's base with a small army and destroys two of Konrad's buildings, but Greg loses all of his attack force to Konrad's defences. Greg decides that this attack was not worth the loss of his army, so Greg jumps to 30 seconds ago and undoes his attack. Greg is at -30 seconds, and on his screen, he never attacked Konrad, so his army is still there. Konrad is at the present, and on his screen, he has two destroyed buildings and damaged defences. He continues to build more units. Let's assume that for this 'example' level, time waves are configured to move at 3x the speed of time. As the next time wave sweeps past Greg (still at -30 seconds), it propagates the undoing of Greg's attack. While Konrad is playing in the present, after 15 seconds, that time wave sweeps by Konrad's screen, blurring it, bringing back Konrad's destroyed buildings and undoing the damage to his defences. Note that Konrad would have seen the damage undone on the timeline before this time wave passes, and so he probably would have been expecting to get his buildings back.

 

Q: Ok, so all players can independently be at any point on the timeline they want. Do the players act as a time wave?
A: Yes.

 

Q: So a player can bring changes on the timeline along with them?
A: Yes, and we've sometimes found that strategy very helpful in our multiplayer testing. It's one of those strategies that turns out to be pretty instinctual not too long after you've started playing. It's also useful to replay over battles (making minor edits) at double speed.

 

Q: How did you guys pick the spacing, rate, and timing of the time waves?
A: We're still tuning this for gameplay. So far, we have been most happy with time waves moving at about 1.5 to 2.5 times the present and around 30 seconds to a minute between each time waves passing by. This will also be configurable for multiplayer games. Frequent time waves bring changed history continually and gradually whereas infrequent time waves bring changed history occasionally and drastically. Larger gaps between time waves give each player a set block of time to play before the next time wave arrives, giving them opportunity to act, plan, and react.

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