In this 2020 GDC Summer talk System Era Softworks' Aaron Biddlecom & Elijah O'Rear walk fellow game makers through the process of deepening their understanding of Astroneer's existing design.

They explained how and why this reflective process helped them make extensive changes to its crafting system without destabilizing the game. 

Together Biddlecom and O'Rear offered some intriguing perspective on how teams making meaningful, lasting changes to live games (whether in Early Access or not) can do so without significant upset. It was an interesting talk, and now you can watch it for free via the official GDC YouTube channel!

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its accompanying YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC or VRDC already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page.