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We’ve all seen the glut of games that are begging for your money in the guise of early access but where did they come from? Rob tries to tackle that topic this week.
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On the other hand, Early Access can actually hurt game titles. You say not to look for completed games in the Early Access program, but Black Death is not even ready to be exposed to the vast majority of gamers.
So, gamers watch some footage of these pre-Alpha Early Access games on Twitch or YouTube and they judge the game at that moment. I know, it's early access. Things are going to change and all that, but we're talking about human beings here. First impressions still matter.
I'm not sure what the rules are around Early Access, but maybe developers should go back to the old NDA system for games that are not yet in open beta. Get the benefit of the players without blowing it prematurely in the hype train.
Not sure the mention of DBG because imo they have not done a single thing yet,except acquire a failing business.H1z1 was not DBG it was Smedley quick cash grab before the changeover.The ONLY thing DBG has done is take a VERY shallow unfinished H1Z1 and split it into two parts in hopes of scamming gamer's for two sales.
These ideals now being practiced by developers has allowed thousands of new wannabe upstart developers rise from the ground up.The whole idea behind all these studios now works great for them but does nothing to enhance our gaming experience.
I can look at any game and instantly sees many ways to improve them,it really looks like devs are selling us not even average effort but instead FAST early access effort which is like less than a year of effort.
My biggest problem with early access is the monetization,they are treating them like full on for-sale games with full on cash shops.If you have a product that is in the first year of development you have no business asking for money nor selling a cash shop,instead you should be BEGGING gamer's to help test your product.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
This early access BS (customers also to blame, but does not relieve developers and publishers of their responsibility) is a great example of why I don't believe industries can really police themselves.
It's brilliant is what it is. It never fails to amaze me how a little twist in wording and bit of marketing BS can make someone believe they're actually missing out if they don't play it early!
And then we get the soft release Beta's from Korean companies.
And now Early Access is a slipshod mess with few gems and piles of crap.
With inflation being an actual thing, I don't feel too burned by Season Passes as long as they actually provide content.
I weep for the video game industry.
To me its a matter of trust and the will to help the drive for innovation.
The successful crowdfunding projects often originate from teams with well known industry experts (with proven histories of excellence) that want to go into a new direction or revive sadly neglected genres. The Early Access programme however is full of me-too clone projects (Survival Game Nr. 34, Team shooter Number 98, Zombie Apocalypse Nr. 51 etc.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Steam_Early_Access_games
and some dubious development teams (sometimes also with industry veterans - but those more often than not with abysmal track records). Some of those teams dive out of sight of their supporters for many months when the going gets tough. Others aggressively censor their Steam forum boards.
Personally I have more trust into crowdfunding compared to Early Access. And IMHO the crowdfunding projects are usually much more innovative than the average Early Access title (caveat: there are exceptions to that rule on both sides of the fence).
Have fun
I'm not an IT Specialist, Game Developer, or Clairvoyant in real life, but like others on here, I play one on the internet.
I came to the conclusion that my "Early Access" game play will in future be confined to the week before launch, lol
As for Alpha access, never again.
It is not as if ' Finished' games are a safe buy. They can be just as bad as the worst Early Access games. Only have to search this website for all the disappointed ppl who preordered a game before any gameplay was shown.
I do my homework. And I love Early Access and kickstarter for all the great projects that otherwise would have never had a chance from the mainstream gaming companies.
Gone also are the days of when buying a game meant a trip to the computer store. Now they know they can release a game unfinished and complete it later. Also break up the game into parts and sell those parts as DLC.
Some players use early access simply to find the fastest ways to level or bugs to exploit when the game goes live.
Still gaming is still my favorite pastime and I feel lucky to live in a time when I can research buy and play a game within an hour without leaving the house. No more hunting around for the game cd and hoping it still works.
"We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." SR Covey
These "improvements" as you call them. Could they also just be different and not necessarily better?
Epic Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAigCvelkhQ&list=PLo9FRw1AkDuQLEz7Gvvaz3ideB2NpFtT1
https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos?&sort=-downloads&page=1
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you playing an MMORPG?"
When they fail, the customer is stuck with an unfinished crap game that is no longer supported.
It is one further step removed from pre-ordering games and an even worse deal for gamers.
You could argue that you are getting early access if you are testing the game, but there is already a term for that called testing. I am an older gamer and remember being paid by gaming companies to test games, not the other way around.
I fully believe in supporting companies that have proven track records but this whole we need your money before the game is even in an alpha has gotten way out of hand. It looks like every company now is asking the consumer to pay to make a game for them so they basically just walk away with the profit.
In many ways this is just a facet of the same changes that reflects the wider adoption by the gaming industry of practices from other industries. The assumption that if it works in Pepsi it must work in gaming is of cause questionable, but when you create a new business norm the nodding heads of the executives to coin a phrase, make it so.
No thx, I'll just have chicken tonight.
Take Master of Orion 4, they are charging big money for early access and the general consensus is the game at this point in time is crap. I almost bought it, but I am glad I did not. Will they iron out the major issues and make a decent game, who knows? The initial negative impressions of the early release version will prevent many from purchasing it later. They may have damaged the perception of the game and cost them a lot of potential income.