Why buy it then?Originally Posted by The_Imp_ZA
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Not to mention that after a couple of updates, the stores will be selling outdated copies of the game.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.
I don't think update size is necessarily such a big problem for most people. What is problematic is that a simple box cannot provide all the information necessary to convey exactly what Early Access is and how it works. You're telling people your game is Early Access, but they need to actually go to Steam to see what exactly Early Access entails.
This again takes us back to the uninformed majority/informed minority thing we were discussing in the Watchdogs thread. This is simply taking advantage of gullible people, who are a lot more numerous in the physical retail sector.
Early Access is a blank slate. Steam's terms state that the game can change entirely throughout its development and even that the developers are under no obligation to finish the game. You buy it as-is and that's the end of it. The developers are under no obligation to add anything past your purchase date. Steam won't do anything if these people decide to stop development tomorrow. Are retail customers going to be made fully aware of this when they purchase it?
Nail on the head.
This is a crummy move by a developer who has already made a series of crummy moves.
According to a post on Rock Paper Shotgun, there is no explanation of Early Access of the back of the box.
"There is no explanation on the back of the box when I checked them in GAME today."
So yeah, these guys are trying to trick gullible consumers into buying their half finished game. If I was a kickstarter backer I would feel pretty crap right now.
That is what I would feel like if they try to sell me an Early Access game in a box. A dressed up, uniformed custo-vlieg-in-jou-moer... Well said!
(I know spelling mistakes creep in when we type in rage, but this is the most fitting one yet!)
I did that on purpose.
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