Devlog #3: What to Expect in Early Access
Devlog #2: Hotel Galactic and Public Demo
2025-04-16
Hey there, travelers!
We couldn’t be happier with the incredible amount of valuable and in-depth feedback we received after last month’s demo release. In this devlog, we wanted to go over the most important bits that we gathered from you all, and the key differences that you can expect from the Early Access release of Hotel Galactic scheduled for later this year. Reading through all the reviews, forum threads, messages on Discord and other platforms, we’ve seen a few prevalent points being raised by multiple players. We’d love to give you more details on our plans so you know what to expect at launch day.
TL;DR: Early Access Release vs March Demo
For those in a rush, here’s a quick rundown of all the different changes and additions you can expect from the upcoming release in comparison to the demo:
Major Additions
Entirely new story and starting sequence
15–20 hours of story content
Farming Island with new zones (Creature Pen & Serenity Garden areas unlocked throughout EA)
Research tree (yep, the goo-piping system underground is there for something!)
Sandbox mode with customizable settings
Cooking system (with the ability to make your own dishes!)
VIP character visits
New NPCs to meet and befriend
6+ alien species that both work and visit you as guests; each with different roles and traits
15+ room types (including the Arcade Room)
Worker Systems & Simulation
Advanced worker skill system
Worker gear (tools, outfits, hats)
Worker aging, retirement & return visits
AI reworks: priorities, task assignment, and behavior
Spirit Chimes (automation helpers)
Advanced guest rating and feedback systems
Monthly inspections and hotel star ratings
Crafting & Economy
6+ new alien crops to grow
Loads of new furniture and craftables
New resources on the main island
Supply processing systems
Selling items to the merchant
Quality of Life & Customization
Save/load system and player profiles
Galactic Compendium
Controls & UX improvements and Alert UI
Room customization (walls & floors)
Color variants for most items / furniture
Performance & stability improvements
Now, with that out of the way let’s get into the meat of it all.
What Went Right
Let’s start with a quick look at what went right because there’s no way we’re glossing over that incredible 96% positive review score for the Hotel Galactic demo! Seeing all the amazing feedback has been a huge morale boost for the whole team here at Ancient Forge, and now we all feel more excited than ever for the upcoming Early Access release later this year. We couldn’t be more grateful for your heartwarming response!
It seems that the demo actually nailed what we were aiming for – which was to see how well Hotel Galactic delivers on the premise it makes to the players. We already knew that visuals were drawing people in, but we needed to find out whether the art style and first-glimpse vibes actually matched the gameplay experience.
Thankfully, the response to both gameplay and story delivery has been overwhelmingly positive. We’ve seen a lot of love and praises for the dialogue, pacing & flow, characters, animations, and the overall consistency of the world and the simulation. That makes us feel assured in the direction we’re taking with Hotel Galactic and even more excited for the next big step on our journey: June’s Next Fest.
That said, alongside all the glowing reviews, we’ve also received some much needed constructive criticism, which we’re more than happy to dive into next.
What Went Right
After reading through hundreds of reviews on top of all the lengthier forum posts, Discord threads, and after catching up on all the YouTube coverage of the game, a few key concerns kept popping up. Understandably, with a 1.5 hour long demo, a lot of you were wondering how certain mechanics hold up over longer sessions or how the gameplay and balance plays out past the 10+ hour mark.
Worker AI
One of the most common points of feedback was around worker behavior – how tasks are prioritized, and whether things feel responsive or a bit off. We hear you loud and clear!
There’s definitely a lot to unpack there and we’re working on some major system changes for the upcoming release, but some of it should make its way through for the June demo!
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming:
- Smarter drag-and-drop behavior: Right now drag and dropping simply moves the worker but we’ll make sure they get prompted to handle nearby tasks if there’s something to do in the area, overriding the priority table.
- Better task grouping and prioritization: Tasks will be more tightly linked to worker skills, and we’ll introduce finer-grained prioritization within categories.
- Queued actions: Workers will be able to line up tasks before they finish their current one. This will help in cases where for example watering two side by side plants calls for a worker from the other side of the island.
- Improved focus on priorities: Workers will first go through all their highest-priority tasks, before moving on to lower-priority work.
- Focus and avoid zones: We’ll implement the ability to mark areas you want specific workers to focus on or avoid entirely, giving you a second layer of AI control. Picture assigning two chefs to different kitchens without them wandering off.
Work Automation
This is another totally fair concern, especially given the limited scope of the demo. Our design approach is that, in the early game, players will need to handle more things manually before the game opens up with more things happening. Over time, as you unlock new tech and your hotel staff levels up, more automation becomes available.
First off, once a worker reaches a certain level in a skill, they’ll start picking up some tasks on their own. A good example would be a waiter with a high Service skill level assigning themselves to take orders from restaurant guests and in turn saving you the headache of keeping tabs on everything.
Additionally, advanced research unlocks the so-called Spirit Chimes, a key tool for offloading some of the more routine aspects of hotel management. These come in different variants with each one focused on a specific domain. For example, there’s a spirit that you can “install” in your guest rooms and watch it take care of cleaning, changing sheets, and general upkeep. Another variant helps with farming, keeping your plants watered and assisting with harvesting when possible.
With Spirit Chimes and higher-level staff, both you and your workers can shift your focus to the deeper, more strategic parts of the game, leaving the busywork to, well, the spirits.
Save/Load System
We may have underestimated how important the save/load functionality is, even in a short demo. There’s still a bit of work left on our end, which is why we ended up disabling it for the initial demo launch. We’re currently working on ironing out a few lingering issues and making the overall system as stable as possible, and our intention is to have it working fully for the June’s Next Fest.
Controls & QoL
Another aspect that comes up quite a bit in both reviews on forum threads are the controls, especially controller support, though mouse-based camera movement got a few mentions too. We knew it wasn’t perfect, but after spending so much time developing a game, you naturally get used to all the quirks and stop noticing them. Thanks to all the feedback, we now have a solid understanding of the changes that we need to make before our Early Access launch.
We’ll be tweaking the controller button layout and camera controls to make them more intuitive and smoother to use. We’ve already made some tweaks to how worker selection works (which seemed to be an issue for some of the players) both with a mouse and on a controller, but there’s definitely more that can be done here. There are also some additional shortcuts and key bindings that we plan to introduce, based on all the feedback we have received.
In-Game Encyclopedia
Apart from various changes and improvements being asked for, we’ve seen one “new feature” request appearing more often than any other. Many of you have asked for some kind of built-in guidebook or knowledge base. We hear you!
We’re introducing the Galactic Compendium, a growing archive of useful info that fills up as you explore the world, meet new characters, and progress through the story. It contains entries on alien species, plants, creatures, traits, preferences and much more. A quick look at the compendium and you’ll be running the place like mister Hilton himself – if his hotel was a floating rock the Galactic Peace Corps is weirdly obsessed with but can never truly pin down.
All right, now that we’ve gone over your feedback, let’s give you a sneak peek of the big things coming with the upcoming release.
Story
The initial Early Access release will feature Act 1 of the main storyline, one out of the full three acts planned in total. This part of the story will take you through the slow beginnings of renovating the long-forgotten hotel, meeting most of the key characters, unlocking the Farming Island and eventually culminating in… something. Well, you’re going to have to play to find out!
Throughout Act 1, you’ll host two major VIP visits, each connected to vital parts of the hotel and its environment. The first VIP will impact your work on the Farming Island, while the second one will open the door to the glitzy world of space entertainment.
You’ll also get to spend more time with the core cast of Hotel Galactic: recruit Captain Marietta to your cause, get to know Silver & Knuckles, and speak more with the bubbly Captain Mogumo accompanied by his loyal mate, Gulliver. There’s also Ayaka, the Grass Keeper who lends you a hand while you find your way around Satori Island (also referred to as the Farming Island), and a few more odd-balls left to discover. And of course, you might have a few… tense encounters with the GPC, as both Gustav’s story and your own begin to take shape.
The remaining two acts will roll out as parts of the planned Early Access updates.
We’ve talked about our plans for worker progression, equipment and customization in Devlog #1, but here’s a quick refresher:
In Hotel Galactic, your workers are more than just background characters – they’re the heart of your hotel and the foundation of your little colony. Each worker has their own needs, traits, skills, and preferences, and managing their well-being is just as important as keeping your guests happy. You’ll set up proper living spaces, manage schedules, prepare food rations, and eventually retire older workers (hopefully with a parting gift, if they liked you enough).
As your staff gains experience, you can pair them with newbies through the Mentorship System, letting your veterans pass on their knowledge. And yes, there’s a whole system for crafting vital equipment items and tools to make your workers, well, work better! There’s even a cargo slot to equip various backpacks instead of running back and forth to store each individual fruit after a harvest (who likes that?).
Content
In mechanics-heavy games such as Hotel Galactic, we often say that features are content. But it’s best not to forget that actual content is still just as important. So don’t worry – we’ve got plenty lined up for the Early Access launch.
Let’s start with the aliens. In the demo, you met a few of our favorites already: Derrets, Maklovians, the adorably round Pingtons, and the slow-and-steady Toravi. At launch, we plan to include 6 to 7 alien species total, so plenty to get excited about! Also, both Derrets and Maklovians will be unlockable as guests during the main story. Eventually, the full game will feature around 12 unique alien species.
But all those cool aliens won’t show up to a half-baked hotel – you’ll need to go big to impress the picky ones. Beyond your core rooms like bedrooms, restrooms and dining rooms, the real fun comes with the more advanced public rooms. We’re aiming to launch with around 16 different room types, plus the usual connectors like elevators and stairs. We’re not quite sure just yet on the final count for all the craftable items, but we want to make sure that there are at least a few different furnishing options for most of these room types, as well as multiple interactive stations for each room type.
Some of the rooms we’re especially excited about include the iconic Spa, where your guests can unwind and relax with massage tables or saunas, and the Arcade, which lets both you and your guests blow off some steam with fully playable minigames. Get ready to fend off all those contending to claim your spot on the leaderboard!
Alas, interior areas are not the only ones getting more love. We’re adding new resources to the main island’s backyard area, so apart from the usual trees and stone nodes, fibergrass and sandrocks will join the core set of materials available in the early game.
One thing that we’ve only shown a glimpse of in the demo version is the crafting system. On top of the trusty Crafting Station that you’re already familiar with, there’s a whole suite of supply processing workstations that will be available come launch day. High-tier furniture and items require higher-tier resources, which can be obtained by processing them in the aforementioned stations, such as the Furnace or the Weaving Machine. All this, combined with the merchant merchant, should make for an intricate, yet approachable in-game economy.
Farming Island
A major turning point of Act 1 is definitely the acquisition of the Farming Island. And yes, we do mean that quite literally. (You’ll find out why.) Not only does it add new walking space for your workers and guests to explore, it introduces you to the satisfying world of alien farming. We aim to launch with around 7 different plants, each with their own growth cycles and harvest mechanics. And that’s just the beginning. Later in Act 2 and 3, the island will expand with new areas like the Creature Pen and the Serenity Garden, giving you more systems to dive into.
Farming produce is directly tied to the hotel’s kitchen operations, as most guests will prefer dishes that use home-grown ingredients over merchant-bought ones. So not only does it save you some coin, but it also makes your guests happier. A clear win-win!
Cooking
Since we’ve already touched on kitchens and ingredients, let’s talk about the teased cooking mechanics. A deeper dive into the system is coming in a future post, so we’ll keep it brief here.
In the demo, you could choose from pre-made recipes and observe your chefs follow them step-by-step. While that still exists in the main game, the core of cooking is creating your own recipes using an intuitive drag-and-drop system. You’ll mix and match ingredients with different cooking stations, each of which adds unique effects to the resulting dish.
Sometimes, your experiments might even lead you to accidentally recreating one of the game’s hidden recipes, some of which can also be obtained from NPCs or various quests. All in all, our goal is to unleash your creativity and give you the tools to create rewarding and satisfying custom-made dishes.
Customization Galore
And while we’re on the subject of creativity, we can’t ignore one of Hotel Galactic’s core pillars: customization. We strive to make sure that you can make your own version of the hotel feel truly yours.
Starting with the things most visible from afar, in the launch build of the game you’ll be able to purchase and craft new flooring and wall variants. Put up a new wallpaper and you can change a room’s vibe before even getting into the finer details. Keep in mind that these materials are limited resources, so making a standout headline-worthy hotel will take time and effort.
Later on, after researching and building the Color Lab, you’ll gain the ability to recolor nearly everything in the game. That includes almost all the furniture, items, and even your workers! Well, maybe fur dye isn’t on the table (yet), but you can deck them out in whatever color scheme suits your hotel’s vibe.
Last, but not least, for those who want total creative control right from the start, we’re introducing Sandbox Mode. Whether you want to skip the story, test wild layouts, or tweak gameplay settings to match your pace, Sandbox Mode lets you do just that. Want to turn off crafting costs? Done. Want to play without high-maintenance guests? No problem, set it up any way you please and enjoy the game in a way that fits you.
Even in sandbox, we don’t want to leave players completely directionless, so we’re preparing a lightweight questline built around the goals you set for yourself. It kicks off with naming your own hotel, selecting the starting three workers from a randomized pool, and from there, it’s all up to you.
All in all, we hope this gives you a clearer picture of where Hotel Galactic is headed and why we’re so excited about it. From cozy room makeovers and intragalactic cuisine to spirit-powered automation and ghost-fueled drama, this is a world we’ve built with heart, humor, and a whole lot of alien goo (kidding, didn’t use that much).
The Early Access launch isn’t just about adding more stuff, it’s about shaping a deeper and fuller version of the simulation systems we’ve always dreamed of making. And with your help, we’re getting there.
Your feedback is invaluable, so please continue to share your thoughts and suggestions. And don’t forget to wishlist the game and join our community as we embark on this cosmic journey together!
Thank you,
Ancient Forge
