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| {{Quotation|[[Yoshi]], ''[[Valve Corporation]]''|We want to develop the game with you all and release regular updates. We will do a better job at that the more input we get from everyone.
| | The Early Development Build is the open alpha of ''[[Deadlock]].'' It is currently the build in which the game is played. It possesses a wide array of placeholder designs and models. In order to access the build, one must first receive an invite from someone who already has access. |
| }}{{Quotation|[[Yoshi]], ''[[Valve Corporation]]''|We want people to complain, so that we may improve things.
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| }}[[File:Early Development Build 2025.jpg|thumb|Early Development Build, [[Update:February 25, 2025|February 2025]]]]
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| The Early Development Build is the closed beta<ref>Listed as ''"Deadlock - Closed Beta Access"'' under Steam user licenses</ref> of ''[[Deadlock]].'' It possesses a wide array of placeholder designs and models. In order to access the build, one must first receive an invite from someone who already has access.
| | === Curfew === |
| | | The build's servers are up for a limited amount of hours a day, adjusted by region. This limit can be circumvented by switching servers, which is permitted by the developers. |
| The official [https://forums.playdeadlock.com/ ''Deadlock'' forums] were created on April 3, 2024, and the first posts on the forum were made on April 16.<ref>2024-04-16 - [[Yoshi]]; Deadlock Forums - [https://forums.playdeadlock.com/threads/early-development-build-privacy.2/ Early Development Build Privacy]</ref> The [https://discord.com/channels/1231286446472691825 official Discord server] was created on April 20. Matchmaking was opened for the first time on April 24.<ref>2024-04-24 - [[Yoshi]]; Deadlock Discord - ''"Reminder that matchmaking games start tonight at 8PM PST. Matches will start one after the other as the queue fills up. We are excited to start playtesting with you all."''</ref>
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| Players can create a forum account and join the Discord server through the Player Feedback button in the lower-left corner of the main menu (<code>Esc</code> by default).
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| == Invitation Process == | |
| During the beta an invitation tree system is used to handle access to the game.
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| When invited, players would receive an email containing details for logging into the game's official forums as well as instructions on how to activate the game via Steam.
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| Initially, players with access to the game could invite others by manually sending a request to an official address or by submitting recruitment requests on the forums. The initial intention with this system was to gradually expand the player base to allow Deadlock players to play the game with their "usual friend group" so long as they were trusted and could play on U.S. servers.
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| In the [[Update: May 3, 2024| May 5th, 2024 Update]] the game client was updated with the Recommend A Friend system which involved submitting the invitation recipient's email address, region and a short piece of information about who was being invited. Until additional server regions were added starting with EU servers in the [[Update: June 20, 2024|June 20th, 2024 Update]], only U.S. region requests were accepted though no verification was in place to prevent non-U.S. players from being invited by setting the region falsely.
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| The Recommend A Friend system was then reworked in the [[Update: June 6, 2024|June 6th, 2024 Update]] to instead utilise Steam. The new system had a recency requirement, meaning that the inviter needed be friends with the invitee for a specific amount of time before sending an invite was allowed and limited accounts could not be invited.
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| In the June 20th, 2024 Update, the recency requirement was removed due to concerns about inviting friends who weren't initially added as Steam friends as well as additional systems being added allowing the developers to better filter invitations.
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| == Embargo ==
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| Despite various leaks, an embargo was initially in place preventing sharing of information about Deadlock by those with access. On August 23rd, 2024, Yoshi announced via the forums and official Discord server that this restriction was being lifted and allowing for sharing of information about the game including creating videos and streaming. Subsequently, the official forums were made publicly viewable.
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| == Curfew ==
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| Until the [[Update: September_12,_2024|September 12th, 2024 Update]] matchmaking and PvP server uptime was restricted to specific periods for each server region. It was possible to circumvent this by changing server regions via a console command (which was allowed though discouraged by the developers).
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| Following the update, servers and matchmaking for all regions were set to be open 24/7.
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| == Feedback Process ==
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| During the beta, feedback is heavily encouraged. However, due to developer concerns about echo chambers of opinions being formed, it is best that all feedback be given via the game's [https://forums.playdeadlock.com/ official forums]. The forums have private sections for different kinds of feedback, in which users can only view their own posts. This helps the developers better identify points where several players have independently given the same feedback.
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| Players can also report bugs, suggest new features, heroes and items for the game via the public forum sections, some of which have been added, such as {{ItemIcon|Magic Carpet}}.
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| == References ==
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| <references />
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| {{Development History}}
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| [[Category:Gameplay]]
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| [[Category:Updates| ]]
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| [[Category:Deadlock development history]]
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