EDIT: Steam doesn't have a 'neutral' recommendation. I want to stress this: keep an open mind and read through some other reviews before deciding.

I know this is early access, but I can't really recommend it in its current state. Top is cons, bottom is pros
I haven't had any crashes, or bugs, but there are some glaring issues in design. Do not let my review deter you, I strongly believe you should read through several before deciding.

1. effects cannot be applied to single layers within groups. If you place an effect, it affects everything. EDIT: You can change this by making a new preset for each new layer. For example, if one group is using a preset called *orange lighting,* then any time you edit *orange lighting* it will affect that group of layers. If you select a new layer and make a new preset, it will affect that new group or single layer only (depending on whether you selected a group or a single layer respectively). I still find it a tad disorganized. I feel like the list of effects should be its own 'section' for each layer instead of having them all mixed in.
2. Placing objects locks to the grid. You can't free place anything unless you use the object brush EDIT: I have been informed that there is a way to change this option, but I have yet to find it. I'll keep looking for it.
3. Save locations do not exist and the program only remembers where the last 'thing' was saved. For instance, if you save the whole project under a self-made directory, if you want to save an effect preset, it will show up under that same directory, so you need to switch back and forth constantly.
4. When you press Ctrl+Z to attempt to undo an effect, it will undo EVERYTHING up to the point that you last touched a layer. So if you fixed all of it the way you like it but made a minor mistake at the end, all the effects are gone and the last object you placed/moved will be removed/moved back respectively. On top of that, the camera moves to the last position it was at when you moved that object which can be really jarring.
5. the elipse ground placement will snap to the grid (which is fine) and so will the rounded wall placement (which is fine). What isn't fine is that they do not line up when trying to place the wall around the rim of the ground. My work around is to place the wall piece-wise as best you can then to take the ground brush and cover the missing spots.


Lets look at some positives, though:

1. The effects are really nice (which is why I want to use them. really adds depth).
2. if you use the objects creatively, they can act as stand-ins for things that aren't part of the original objects. Like I use the bath scaled down as a bucket of water.
3. object grouping works fine, so you don't have to sift through hundreds of layers if you organize them appropriately. (although having layers work differently would be nice. As it is, every object is a new layer. It would be fantastic if a layer acted as an empty group and all objects and ground placed while it is selected would fall under that group heading.)

This has a lot of potential and it is still being developed. It has plenty of use and I can honestly say it is fun to use, but there are issues that I cannot look past.

EDIT: Steam doesn't have a 'neutral' recommendation. I want to stress this: keep an open mind and read through some other reviews before deciding. I know this is early access, but I can't really recommend it in its current state. [b]Top is cons, bottom is pros[/b] I haven't had any crashes, or bugs, but there are some glaring issues in design. Do not let my review deter you, I strongly believe you should read through several before deciding. [h1]Cons[/h1] 1. [strike]effects cannot be applied to single layers within groups. If you place an effect, it affects everything.[/strike] EDIT: [b]You can change this by making a new preset for each new layer.[/b] For example, if one group is using a preset called *orange lighting,* then any time you edit *orange lighting* it will affect that group of layers. If you select a new layer and make a new preset, it will affect that new group or single layer only (depending on whether you selected a group or a single layer respectively). I still find it a tad disorganized. I feel like the list of effects should be its own 'section' for each layer instead of having them all mixed in. 2. [strike]Placing objects locks to the grid. You can't free place anything unless you use the object brush[/strike] EDIT: I have been informed that there is a way to change this option, but I have yet to find it. I'll keep looking for it. 3. Save locations do not exist and the program only remembers where the last 'thing' was saved. For instance, if you save the whole project under a self-made directory, if you want to save an effect preset, it will show up under that same directory, so you need to switch back and forth constantly. 4. When you press Ctrl+Z to attempt to undo an effect, it will undo EVERYTHING up to the point that you last touched a layer. So if you fixed all of it the way you like it but made a minor mistake at the end, all the effects are gone and the last object you placed/moved will be removed/moved back respectively. On top of that, the camera moves to the last position it was at when you moved that object which can be really jarring. 5. the elipse ground placement will snap to the grid (which is fine) and so will the rounded wall placement (which is fine). What isn't fine is that they do not line up when trying to place the wall around the rim of the ground. My work around is to place the wall piece-wise as best you can then to take the ground brush and cover the missing spots. Lets look at some positives, though: [h1]pros[/h1] 1. The effects are really nice (which is why I want to use them. really adds depth). 2. if you use the objects creatively, they can act as stand-ins for things that aren't part of the original objects. Like I use the bath scaled down as a bucket of water. 3. object grouping works fine, so you don't have to sift through hundreds of layers if you organize them appropriately. (although having layers work differently would be nice. As it is, every object is a new layer. It would be fantastic if a layer acted as an empty group and all objects and ground placed while it is selected would fall under that group heading.) This has a lot of potential and it is still being developed. It has plenty of use and I can honestly say it is fun to use, but there are issues that I cannot look past.