There are countless great games in early access, too. The right early access game that is regularly updated can be the same as getting a game with a shit-ton of free DLC. In fact, sometimes buying a game that will continue to grow over time is better than buying a game that is done and will no longer change.
It can be a viable model for a smaller studio to raise the income they need to complete their game. Of course, as with anything humans do, there are shitheads who exploit the model for financial gain.
I guess I'm the problem for sure, I have bought well over 50 early access games. That said, I don't understand why people get their panties all in a twist about it. A lot of the time it is small developers, and they're up front about their plan and progress. I get being pissed at games being released as "complete" when they're definitely not, but it just seems petulant to shit on early access as a concept.
Personally, I really enjoy seeing a game grow into something which has been directly influenced by its users. It's a fun experience to me, and I rarely feel like I have been burned. So yeah, maybe chill out.
If developers didn’t abuse early access I might be more sympathetic but too many seem to think it’s a catch all excuse for not having to address problems in the game. Especially when it’s been early access for years.
Yeah, I get that there are some bad actors there, and its a gamble. Just feels like you're an old dude yelling at the clouds. It's an outlet for small developers, and obviously it's a popular avenue for that. People can invest in games they believe in, and if they can't take the gamble they can stay away from it. There's no logical reason why you care about what the rest of us do if you're not into buying early access games.
If game developers can release games that they get paid for but aren’t actually complete I think that has a negative effect on everyone.
My broad view is that early access is actually anti-consumer. You pay for a subpar product with the ‘promise’ of future improvements.
As a consumer you can vote with your wallet but you’ve already given them your money, what pressure realistically can you apply to a developer that abandons a project? It was early access after all, what did you expect?
I have no problems paying for early access indie games even if they never gets full playable game. I have problems with established game devs putting billions into advertising shitty half assed games
I'll buy indie games early access if I'll be satisfied with the price if it never gets finished. I never ever preorder and am generally in the patient gamers camp for triple A games.
Examples of EA games I got and were satisfied with:
I legit am scared about Microsoft attempting to acquire Nintendo. They're the only developer left that isn't on this enshittification train to hell. Even Nintendo-adjacent developers (GameFreak/"The Pokemon Company") are falling into these traps.
I just want to buy a $70 game that's feature-complete and isn't full of tricks of human psychology to try and wring another $150 out of me later...
Not every fucking game has to be a monthly service. Why the FUCK would I ever pay a console company $X/month to access my own fucking internet?
Fuck Microsoft. Fuck modern game studios. Return to monke. Buy Indie titles.
True. The thing is, most of the people would never care and would preorder the next CoD, AC or whatever every time. Unless there's some huge scandal involved (the one that people talk about outside of Reddit)
Pay for games? My local library gets at least a half a dozen copies of every new AAA game at release. I place a hold, get it for 3 weeks, extended to 6 weeks if nobody wants it right away. I don't like to pickup new games though, I wait for patches.
I have never had a bad experience with an early access game. I generally only buy early access games from indie studios I am already familiar with, and have never purchased an early access AAA game. I genuinely enjoyed the early access aspect of several games, playing them through different stages in development extends the playtime in my opinion. Every new update feels like free DLC, but the game I purchased felt complete already. In my opinion, early access is far better than kickstarter for games, since at least there is a game you are purchasing and gameplay footage is publicly available, but sometimes these are legitimately the only ways to fund a game.
29 Comments
Broken_Monitor@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 2y
Elden Ring.
Psaldorn@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 2y
Preordering is not the same as early access.
Unless it's AAA EA, then it's just called getting robbed.
III@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 2y
There are countless great games in early access, too. The right early access game that is regularly updated can be the same as getting a game with a shit-ton of free DLC. In fact, sometimes buying a game that will continue to grow over time is better than buying a game that is done and will no longer change.
CADmonkey@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y
Satisfactory is a good example of this.
Transcendant@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 2y
It can be a viable model for a smaller studio to raise the income they need to complete their game. Of course, as with anything humans do, there are shitheads who exploit the model for financial gain.
Custoslibera@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y
DayZ comes to mind as a large studio that still screwed with this.
Transcendant@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y
coughs Cloud Imperium / Star Citizen
Absolutely ridiculous level of feature creep!
Beardsley@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 2y
I guess I'm the problem for sure, I have bought well over 50 early access games. That said, I don't understand why people get their panties all in a twist about it. A lot of the time it is small developers, and they're up front about their plan and progress. I get being pissed at games being released as "complete" when they're definitely not, but it just seems petulant to shit on early access as a concept.
Personally, I really enjoy seeing a game grow into something which has been directly influenced by its users. It's a fun experience to me, and I rarely feel like I have been burned. So yeah, maybe chill out.
Custoslibera@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 2y
If developers didn’t abuse early access I might be more sympathetic but too many seem to think it’s a catch all excuse for not having to address problems in the game. Especially when it’s been early access for years.
LemmyFeed@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y
Looking at you Rust...
Beardsley@lemmy.world · -1 pts · 2y
Yeah, I get that there are some bad actors there, and its a gamble. Just feels like you're an old dude yelling at the clouds. It's an outlet for small developers, and obviously it's a popular avenue for that. People can invest in games they believe in, and if they can't take the gamble they can stay away from it. There's no logical reason why you care about what the rest of us do if you're not into buying early access games.
Custoslibera@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y
If game developers can release games that they get paid for but aren’t actually complete I think that has a negative effect on everyone.
My broad view is that early access is actually anti-consumer. You pay for a subpar product with the ‘promise’ of future improvements.
As a consumer you can vote with your wallet but you’ve already given them your money, what pressure realistically can you apply to a developer that abandons a project? It was early access after all, what did you expect?
MotoAsh@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y
GrammatonCleric@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y
Same experience here, they must've only played the bad ones
sturmblast@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y
well this is obviously all your fault
Kraivo@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 2y
I have no problems paying for early access indie games even if they never gets full playable game. I have problems with established game devs putting billions into advertising shitty half assed games
pixeltree@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 2y
I'll buy indie games early access if I'll be satisfied with the price if it never gets finished. I never ever preorder and am generally in the patient gamers camp for triple A games.
Examples of EA games I got and were satisfied with:
Slay the spire
Risk of rain 2
Deep rock galactic
Hardspace shipbreaker
Peglin
Satisfactory
Phantom abyss
EvolvedTurtle@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 2y
I read EA as in Electronic arts and I was like Bro how does ea own peglin
big_slap@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y
peglin is fantastic, play it all my phone all the time
TootSweet@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 2y
I pre-ordered Tears of the Kingdom, though not until just a couple of months before it released, and do not regret it at all.
Not all game developers are like Nintendo. And Nintendo certainly has its problems. But releasing unfinished games isn't one of them.
thantik@lemmy.world · -1 pts · 2y
I legit am scared about Microsoft attempting to acquire Nintendo. They're the only developer left that isn't on this enshittification train to hell. Even Nintendo-adjacent developers (GameFreak/"The Pokemon Company") are falling into these traps.
I just want to buy a $70 game that's feature-complete and isn't full of tricks of human psychology to try and wring another $150 out of me later...
Not every fucking game has to be a monthly service. Why the FUCK would I ever pay a console company $X/month to access my own fucking internet?
Fuck Microsoft. Fuck modern game studios. Return to monke. Buy Indie titles.
SlothMama@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y
I'm not sure you understand. There is basically zero chance of Nintendo being bought by Microsoft, I mean actually almost literal zero.
thantik@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 2y
You've seen the court documents right? Microsoft is going to try.
SlothMama@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 2y
You're literally making this up
thantik@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y
https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/19/23880146/phil-spencer-microsoft-xbox-acquiring-nintendo -- really? One of the MS Board of Director members, ValueAct (Mason Morfit) as he's been steadily acquiring Nintendo shares to push this effort along.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nintendo-valueact-exclusive/exclusive-valueact-eyes-nintendo-with-stake-of-over-1-1-billion-letter-idUSKCN2232VT
I'm literally making this up am I?
Ginkko117@kbin.social · 4 pts · 2y
True. The thing is, most of the people would never care and would preorder the next CoD, AC or whatever every time. Unless there's some huge scandal involved (the one that people talk about outside of Reddit)
hamburgers@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y
Factorio felt complete way before it left early access.
Son_of_dad@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 2y
Pay for games? My local library gets at least a half a dozen copies of every new AAA game at release. I place a hold, get it for 3 weeks, extended to 6 weeks if nobody wants it right away. I don't like to pickup new games though, I wait for patches.
GrammatonCleric@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y
MountingSuspicion@reddthat.com · 1 pts · 2y
I have never had a bad experience with an early access game. I generally only buy early access games from indie studios I am already familiar with, and have never purchased an early access AAA game. I genuinely enjoyed the early access aspect of several games, playing them through different stages in development extends the playtime in my opinion. Every new update feels like free DLC, but the game I purchased felt complete already. In my opinion, early access is far better than kickstarter for games, since at least there is a game you are purchasing and gameplay footage is publicly available, but sometimes these are legitimately the only ways to fund a game.
GiovaMC@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y
Baldur's Gate 3