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AAA publishers getting in on early access now...
- Thread starter AHA-Lambda
- Start date
Q
Queen of Hunting
Unconfirmed Member
this basically tells me we wont be needing QA tester much longer and customers instead will turn into the QA because they will willingly buy a beta of an upcoming game
I guess people aren't that aware that F2P MP only games usually have an open beta testing period. This is not something new, so I don't get what the big deal with this particular game is.
Gamers have time and time again shown that they will pay money to be screwed and ripped off. If they start getting decent sales from these things I feel like the amount of features in finished games and polish will go down.
Maybe not for the AAA top tier games but some of the more middle tier nicher stuff will suffer.
There's risk in the business model.
But so far, games with and extended (and sometimes paid) early acess model like Minecraft, prison architect or dota (and there are more examples) have tremendously benfited from it and are better games than they would have been without it. Go ask the buyers of these games how much they have been screwed over.
It enables specifically middle tier niche stuff to get funding they wouldn't have gotten otherwise and it's quite a bit more tangible than a kickstarter project.
I could argue that a bit of extra funding will actually help 'middle tier' developers to fully realize their vision rather than have to potentially take shortcuts or make compromises in the name of a stretched budget.
UnluckyKate
Member
I'm okay for early access and multiplayer / F2P games.
but early access and solo games doesn't make much sens
but early access and solo games doesn't make much sens
toddhunter
Member
Assuming people buy into early access games, and it is clear they do, it is a good way to reduce the risk of developing a game. You can use early access, push it out and then go about fixing things based on feedback without getting dragged over the coals for a bug or inadequate servers.
Remember the alternative ways to reduce the risk of game development are things like exclusive DLC and micro-transactions. Personally I'd much rather this approach where I can just wait it out if I'm not sure.
If this carries on then soon we'll get high quality companies like EA releasing unfinished games.
edit: pages late.
Glass Rebel
Member
I don't see this as a bad thing. Personally speaking, Early Access (EA, oh gawd) allows me to financially support a project that might not receive sufficient funding through other means and follow its development but as long as they follow the rules big publishers should be free to do the same. Consumers will decide with their wallet just as they do with full games.
GRO on Early Access is a bit weird and pointless but I don't think it should be removed or anything.
GRO on Early Access is a bit weird and pointless but I don't think it should be removed or anything.
nicholasbrutal
Epic Games PR Manager
Actually, Mighty Quest for Epic Loot is on Steam (someone earlier said it was not), and while it's free to play, you must buy into the game, which they're calling a "closed beta." It's $19.99 as a minimum point of entry.
Does anyone know what they're charging for Ghost Recon Online on Steam, if anything? It's available in Canada right now only, so I can't access that sucker in the Steam client.
Does anyone know what they're charging for Ghost Recon Online on Steam, if anything? It's available in Canada right now only, so I can't access that sucker in the Steam client.
Hamster Plugin
Member
The Minecraft model was that you got 50% off on alpha for supporting the development, 25% off on beta for supporting the development and full price on release. Notch gave you a bonus for supporting his game's development.
On Steam Early Access you pay full price on alpha for supporting the development but if you buy it on a christmas sale you get 75% off for some reason and after the sale you pay full price again. During the price changes the game has been on alpha the whole time. It makes no sense. Early Access started getting seen as a bad thing during the last Steam christmas sale because early access games started getting daily/flash/vote deals just like they were finished products.
edit: There's nothing wrong with what Ubisoft is doing here. But people see Early Access as a bad thing because of what happened last Christmas.
Hey if people want to pay companies to be a game tester instead of the other way around, who am I stop them?
Actually, they have my gratitude. They can ferret out all the crap in a game that’s broken or otherwise sub-optimal, and 5 months latter I get to pay for a much better game on a Steam sale for a fraction of the price they paid.
I’m ok with this.
Actually, they have my gratitude. They can ferret out all the crap in a game that’s broken or otherwise sub-optimal, and 5 months latter I get to pay for a much better game on a Steam sale for a fraction of the price they paid.
I’m ok with this.
SomedayTheFire
Member
It's free to play.
StoppedInTracks
Member
The day COD offers early access/ crowdfunding is the day this industry has officialy gone to shit.
IAmRandom31
Banned
What exactly is wrong with early access?
Basically paying to get into BETA. It is the people who do this and then complain about the bugs that crack me up.
Nothing wrong with early access, I love it.
Basically paying to get into BETA. It is the people who do this and then complain about the bugs that crack me up.
Nothing wrong with early access, I love it.
michaelius
Banned
How is that diffrent from current model ? 
I've been trying to remember the name of that game for months! Isn't this supposed to come out on Xbox One?
Huh?
Why cant Early Access games be put on sale?
A lot of them are at a reduced cost to the final product as well, so people buying in early save money. Basically like finding a good price on a pre-order, but you also get to play the game leading up to the final release if you want.
You assume the developer will listen to the random input of a varied sample pool of gamers. How cute.
Hamster Plugin
Member
That's my point. People buying in early are NOT saving money because they did not buy in early at the correct 24 hour timeslot it was on a christmas sale. Buying in early at the wrong time costs you money.
toddhunter
Member
Prison architect is a good example. I bought in early and even selected the extra tier where you could name a prisoner. It felt good to support the game just like a kickstarter more or less.
But then it was discounted, heavily and was even a featured sale item. On subsequent sales the discounts got even cheaper including the reward tiers. It should be noted that the game is still listed as early access and unlike a better deal on a pre-order, no price matching or refund is possible.
Now I don't think there is necessarily anything wrong with that, but this is only the case if developers are upfront about the pricing model and what discounts there will be before release. In this case I don't think that took place.
The end result is I have not purchased another early access game since. On the one hand, that is the power of choice in action. On the other hand, if the discounts caused me to be wary of the program, I can't really see them as a positive.
purpletentacle
Member
Yup, this!
AHA-Lambda
Member
Alot of them are at inflated costs as well, look at Wasteland 2 and Planetary Annihilation. That's the most despicable form of this. If I am buying your unfinished game and effectively funding your game, I shouldn't be paying as much, let alone more!
Like Skyrim and Battlefield 4?
because there's difference between a multi-million dollar company that can cover the expenses as opposed to indie developers who don't have that source of income.
You don't see the problem in giving these companies, who already try to nickle-and-dime us while half-assing their games, money before a finished product even releases?
I know this game is F2P, but your post wasn't just about this game.
CambriaRising
Member
Yes like these. Not sure how they invalidate his point that they now have an excuse.
AHA-Lambda
Member
I won't argue on this one, the fact that somehow unfinished games have ironically became the most expensive games on Steam is freaking unreal.
The game was already funded by the people who backed the game on Kickstarter and paid the price for the beta that you are now complaining about paying. Still fair enough I also thought the price for the beta was too high during the kickstarter so you know what I did I didn't pay it. Also looking at the Wasteland 2 page I fail to see how it can be considered despicable. They are throwing in some extra goodies for those who pay that price and then flat out tell you that they expect the final price of the game to be less then the early access price.
ArkkAngel007
Member
This is fine as long as it doesn't become the rule for game development across the board, and maybe it will help determine what folks want for these F2P games rather than trying to hamfist the features into other, full-retail priced projects.
And if shit is still broken come full release, I will find out via reviews and/or word of mouth and not buy it at all.
Still no downside for me.
AHA-Lambda
Member
Yeah, I understand that alot of that baggage does come from the kickstarter stuff so yeah they do risk alienating their backers there and there surely weren't many ways they could handle this, but I still think it's a terrible practice to charge more for earlier builds instead of less though.
Personally, I think if you've had a successful kickstarter campaign, keep that stuff for backers, reward those that believed in you first. To me it's just cheek and greed I think to ask people for £30-40 for a beta after already having received funding to the tune of millions of dollars.
As an particular example, Planetary Annihilation launched at I think £60, that was plain ludicrous.
I just think common sense should dictate the earlier the build is, the less it should be (Minecraft, ARMA 3) not more.
Well I agree with that system. As that is what the very first game I bought who used this model Mount and Blade did many years ago. Still if developers thinks the privilege of playing their unfinished game is with the full price I say more power to them. It might work for a select few, but I doubt many games will sell much and it will only end up hurting the developer in the long run if they were counting on a steady stream of cash to develop the game properly. Worse comes to worse there is always the option of just ignoring the game in early access until it launches.