Larian Studios - What’s Wrong with Early Access?

[zakhal]

The problem I have with early access is that in steam they are sold next to released games. Once almost half of the front page games were early access and all of them were of course unplayable (since they are early access) if you checked the status from forums and without release date like they were project that had no ending.

Release date would help but I guess its too much to ask. The project is so early that they dont even know if its going to be released.

Also people are stupid. They will buy these games since they are sold together with released games and then always complain later on.

Personally I totally ignore if I see words early access. I dont add them to the wish list anymore even. The list is too big allready.

 

[Myrthos]

I think this article on the success of DayZ's early access: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/...sales_A_shots_fired_moment_for_publishers.php might convince developers that Early Access can be a good idea to raise funds

 

[Stingray]

No question it's a good thing for developers. Sell $30M+ worth of a game you haven't even finished yet? And people now pay you to QA test your product, instead of you having to pay people to do it. Amazing.

It's just a bad deal for many (obviously not all) gamers, for reasons mentioned previously by various posters including myself.

 

[Drithius]

FYI, it's up now on Steam.

This reminded me, though... has Larian yet sent out emails asking for backer address info? I recently moved and am wondering how aggressively I should seek out a change of address form for my hard copy of Original Sin.

 

[azarhal]

FYI, it's up now on Steam.

This reminded me, though… has Larian yet sent out emails asking for backer address info? I recently moved and am wondering how aggressively I should seek out a change of address form for my hard copy of Original Sin.

There was a Kickstarter update a while back to enter your information on the Larian Vault.

 

[Drithius]

Ah, there we go - thank you. It seems there's still no option for inputting personal [address] information.

 

[azarhal]

hmm, I have a "Your Account" tab with an editable address section on it, but I had a Larian Vault account before the kickstarter so I don't know if everyone has that.

 

[Drithius]

Hmm, yeah, that works. I was expecting to see a query for it in the Kickstarter-related details, not the vault account itself.

 

[sakichop]

Maybe people don't dislike early access as much as the think. maybe it's more of the vocal minority?

they are #4 of steam's top seller list and 6 of the top 10 are early access.

 

[JonNik]

If I buy early access (I did it with Blackguards), I do it with the exact same mindset I back games on Kickstarter: To support the Developer, pre-release, If I feel they and their game are worth that money and support. I only download/play the games when they are done anyways.

In the same vein I have given more money than a full release game would cost on several of the KS projects I backed (Dead State and PoE in particular and DoS too but I also got Dragon commander there) quite a bit in some cases. No one twisted my arm. I felt like it and I believe that if my little bit helps make a better game (or indeed help make it possible. period) I will indeed be well served from that contribution. Especially if it produces a gem that I will replay many times down the years (As I fervently hope that projects like DoS, WL2, PoE, Dead State and Torment will produce)…

Now If someone wants to spoil the final game experience (or indeed fool around and help with QA that I could do in my youth when I was practically made of time) then the strictly optional option is there

 

[DArtagnan]

Again, I see absolutely no logic in being against early access as a concept. Well, except for the acronym being EA

But people need their tirades and I guess this the the new trendy target.

That said, like most anything - it can be exploited and it can be misused, but I like to personally see that on a game-by-game basis instead of making a sweeping judgement call on the entire concept.

Unlike DLC, I don't see early access as being that easy to exploit. You're not going after impulse buyers - because it's too expensive for that, and it's clearly not a finished product either.

I have a really hard time seeing what kind of person would be exploited in that scenario.

Nah, I'm going to have to write off the passionate naysayers as being foolish in this case - unless someone can provide me with a logical explanation of why it's a bad thing.

Certainly hasn't happened in this tread yet.

People knowing about the game is no different from people having played a game before you - as it's always been. Unless you plan to be THE first person on the planet for some stupid reason. Tell your friends to shut up - and they will if they're your friends. Avoiding spoilers will always be an issue - and using it as an argument against early access is pretty weak, I have to say.

That would be like saying games that aren't entirely new are worse because other people have played them.

Come on!

 

[lostforever]

One argument against early access is that people see an unfinished game and then form negative impression. However the same negative opinion can be formed with game betas (i have seen it happen in this boards!) but no one is arguing against betas so they can't use "negative opinion" as an argument against early access as well!

 

[yllaettaevaet]

Maybe its a more general thing. Speaking for myself I can say I feel uncomfortable with the increasing number of business models, which receive the flood of money before the job is done (Kickstarter, Early Access, pre-orders). That maybe is conservative and I hope (time will tell) that after all it was, overall, helpful concepts. And no, I'm not a naysayer. I say 'lets see'.

 

[TomRon]

A KS like Sui Generis does not back the same vision and do not back the vision as it is given.
Various backers expressed their priorities in a number of outlets and it shows that they do not put forward the way the game is supposed to get a self generating gameworld.

The lobbying is nothing imaginatory. Or if it is, it means that feedback is not taken into account. Because developpers do not take into account feedback on an individual basis. If they take it, they take it through groups.

Alright, now I understand what you're getting at. BUT a Kickstarted game is funded by the backers, so it's perfectly understandable that the developers will listen to feedback, and alot of times the strongest "lobby" will win. Which I think is perfectly fine, maybe I won't get excactly what I want every time, but MOST of the backers probably will. It's up to the developers to decide which parts of the game vision that they can change, and what parts are non discussable.

Many times I myself have been part of the strongest "lobby" (although it' kind of weird using that word since we're talking about individuals who share opinions, not some organized group), and I've been really happy by some of the changes that has been made to games in EA or Beta. Some times it's the other way around, and then I just accept the fact that my opinion is in minority.

I STILL agree with Jonnik, Dart and others who've pointed out that there's really no logical way to discard EA as something bad. Can in hurt the game? Absolutely. Can it hurt the gamers? Probably. But can and does is not the same thing.

 

[ChienAboyeur]

If it is perfectly fine that some pay to subsidize others in their leisure, well, that is fine as fine.

I am planning to go on holiday. Just set a location and I will back it. Of course, I'll come with enough people to put your vote to a minority so we can choose to go where we want, using your money to reduce our fees.

By the way, some EA end with no game. Sure, you get a software but it is not even a game. So yes, it wont hurt the game because there is no game to hurt.