Is early access starting to go a bit too far?
Last edited by MetalSoup; 30-06-2014 at 11:51 AM.
"Announcement, we need to package our product!"
"But our product is not complete, sir/madam. We could use the funds for development and maybe even..."
"Nonsense!"
It is getting a bit silly. The other annoying point for me regarding this game is that it's been on sale on Steam for $16.99 which, for the first time is below the original backers amount of $20 - this is before the game is properly released. There are still features that need to be completed and polished and so when the game finally is released it'll probably land up being $5 in a Steam sale. The most frustrating thing is because the AI is handled server-side it becomes horribly laggy when the unit count gets higher - so even though I've had access to the game, it's been pretty much unplayable. This will probably only change once they setup client side hosting, but that's only at release
/rant over
Last edited by DarthMol; 30-06-2014 at 04:25 PM.
It's a free market, if you don't like the concept don't buy the product.
When an anti-piracy method is affecting the game for people who legitimately bought it and causing other people not to buy the game, there is obviously something wrong with it!
Does anyone else find it ironic how applicable Wyzak's posts are to his own rants in the SimCity and Diablo 3 threads?Originally Posted by Wyzak
This, exactly. I don't see having a box, which clearly states its early access is any different from buying it on Steam. In fact its kind of cool since some people might not have a great internet connections to download the full game.
Its a kickstarter project and they had okes on early access alpha (!) and early access beta.
Don't see anything wrong with it as long as it a kickstarter...they can't afford a team of testers so its a valid approach in my eyes (if declared). Companies like EA doing "EA wants you help to fix BF4"...just no.
40 pounds...damn. Paid 20 USD for it...no early access though.
Still can't play it though (to this day)...crashes.
#hashtag #anotherhashtag #bonushashtag
I saw this on reddit yesterday. It's a rather distasteful move. What if the buyer doesn't have internet connectivity, how can they download any updates?
Early Access was already pushing it, this is just plain ludicrous. Selling an unfinished game at retail, where there is a greater chance of an uninformed person buying it that doesn't know what Early Access entails, just so that you can make a quick buck to finish the game (apparently). There's nothing stopping them from not finishing it and screwing over everyone.
I've only ever bought 1 Early Access game, and that was Divinity: Original Sin. Considering it was releasing the following week, and was basically finished, it was worth the gamble. I usually recommend people stay away from Early Access, there are more than enough complete games on Steam to keep you busy, without having to buy incomplete ones. This type of business practice, coupled with excessive dlc's and retailer/platform specific content is what is going to cause a crash in the video game market. Publishers and developers are being horribly shortsighted, and the majority of consumers are eating it up, even after getting burned several times.
Unfortunately, the only way to get this kind of behavior to stop is to vote with your wallet, which many people don't seem willing to do. You'd think with Steam basically opening the flood gates to the piles of utterly garbage software, people would be more careful with their money.
This image sums it up rather nicely:
Although, in the case of Early Access, you're only getting a quarter of the game, and expected to throw down money in hopes that you'll get the rest.
Last edited by The_Imp_ZA; 01-07-2014 at 01:50 AM.
Why buy it then?
When an anti-piracy method is affecting the game for people who legitimately bought it and causing other people not to buy the game, there is obviously something wrong with it!
Unless the box states that it requires internet connectivity, in a clear and easy to understand way, how will the customers know? The majority of people interested in games don't read forums or articles. We are the minority in that regard. They see and cool looking game, and assume it's finished because it's being sold at retail.
We can only see the front of the box, but it's almost misleading advertising.
"Early Access Version: Includes free update to full game"
Game Company: Hey, buy our unfinished Early Access game and we'll give you the full version for free! Aren't we so nice, we're doing you a favor pal
Uniformed Customoer: Wow thanks man! What cool guys
Then when said customer gets home, and the game doesn't work or is in a broken state, what do they do then? How do returns work with retail Early Access games? It sounds like a nightmare. To me, this seems like they are seeing are far over they can screw consumers.
When you back a game on Kickstarter, there are no legal obligations for the developers to deliver on what they have promised. When you sell a game on Steam or at retail, you are under legal obligation, in most countries, to provide the features you have outlined in your product description, otherwise it is false advertising and you can get hammered for it. That's my understanding of it anyway.
This is exactly the problem. Does the box state how big the updates will be? Early Access games usually get updated a lot. Even if the buyer doesn't have good internet and thinks it's a good idea, when the updates hit, he's going to be out of luck.
Not to mention that after a couple of updates, the stores will be selling outdated copies of the game. Seeing how massively some Early Access games change during development, it could even lead to a game being falsely advertised. For example, say a game promised co-op support, then during development, cuts had to be made. The box states there will be co-op support, but the game will never have it. What happens now?
Early Access games already have too many 'what if's'. Selling them at retail is insane.
Last edited by The_Imp_ZA; 01-07-2014 at 01:56 PM.
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