Name some good early access games.

[uncle_yuri]

Right, so Early Access is usually something of a bad word, what with all the shoddy games of that type crowding up Steam. A lot of people say that they have no idea why early access games even exist. Which is fair, if you're talking about the broken messes all too common on Steam these days, usually something about crafting or zombies. But sometimes it's really not that bad. Here are my two examples, off the top of my head. Admittedly they're pretty mainstream and easy to call out, but whatever. They're both pretty good choices in my humble opinion.

Kerbal Space Program. I would have accepted this as a full game in the late alpha, pre-beta state it boasted when I got it. I thought it was worth the price of admission as it stood, but it keeps improving with each update. So that's a win.

Prison Architect. I jumped on this bandwagon shortly after Alpha 28, and it's the same story, albeit a bit less refined. If this were advertised as a completed game on Steam, I would accept it as a buggy but solid entry.

What are some early access games you got and didn't regret?

 

[VoidOfOne]

I kind of like to think that the absence of answers to your post should be all the answer you need.

But just to add content, I haven't gotten a game on early access that I didn't regret.

Probably because I haven't gotten a game on early access.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

The only one I can think of is Minecraft, which was early access before early access was a thing. It's also the only game I've ever bought before it was fully released.

 

[Elfgore]

Only one that comes to mind is Kerbal Space Program. I've had fun dicking around with it and plan to get serious at some point and try to make it to orbit and the like.

DayZ, Rust, and Caribbean have all proven to be a waste of money. The only one out of those three with potential is Caribbean, but that game currently has nothing to do and runs like ass.

 

[Redryhno]

Dwelvers is good. Even lets you play the current patch for an hour in a sandbox mode if you want to check it out with the demo. It's another Dungeon Keeper-like, but it's pretty good, though my only real complaint is the camera angles need some work I think.

The Long Dark's another good one. Basically a pretty pure survival game where the only real enemies are the occasional wolf and a shitload of Canadian Wilderness.

Overgrowth, 3rd person fighting ninja animal game.

Viscera Cleanup Detail. Space Janitor Sim, really relaxing and alot of fun to play with friends and make up what happened that got you hired.

War for the Overworld. Another Dungeon Keeper-like, unfortunately you have to buy this one.

Dragon's also looking alright so far(I do not recommend you buy it just yet, there's still alot of UI bugs). The title is all you really need to know, you make a dragon and then play as it, doing all the dragony things.

 

[Neverhoodian]

Viscera Cleanup Detail turns the FPS concept on its head by making you a space janitor tasked with cleaning up the gore-spattered messes a heroic space marine leaves behind (I like to imagine it's the Doom marine). It's just you (and a partner if you're playing multiplayer), some cleaning supplies and various levels filled with all manner of blood, body parts and bullet casings. I find it strangely compelling, though I recommend limiting oneself to short play sessions so the novelty doesn't wear off.

 

[aozgolo]

Gnomoria is a really fun game and is pretty feature complete and I've put 200+ hours into it with no game crippling bugs. It's like a graphical lite version of dwarf fortress and is tons of fun to play in my opinion. Updates on it have slowed a lot but it feels pretty complete to me.


Starbound has to be mentioned, just due to the developer support. Chucklefish, who makes the game, have given multiple updates every single week since the game launched, have nightly unstable build releases, and are very transparent with every design choice and actually talk to their fanbase. The game itself is playable and most serious bugs have been squashed however at the rate new content keeps getting added it's a bit overwhelming.

 

[Teoes]

Well.. it's not on Steam so is not Early Access in that sense; but Rimworld is in a playable Alpha just now so technically counts.

It has to be one of the most stable, complete Alphas I've seen. Rather like Dwarf Fortress (though personally I've never played that..) it is just a ton of fun and I adore the sort of stories that can arise from the events surrounding my colony/colonists.

The AI is a bastard though. Of course she waits until I dismantle half my killbox (needed the steel elsewhere, was replacing with slate) to drop a Mechanoid attack on that exact spot.

 

[Nazulu]

XenoRaptor, Nekro, Ziggurat and Dex are my favourites so far. Check 'em out, they do function well. Ziggurat is done now but it was very good in early access.

 

[Valagetti]

Come on guys, H1Z1. You know, if you don't have time to find guns in a survival game, why not just buy one. Its such a good idea, ammo too. And guess what everyone is buying it, so why not ride along with the borderline scam train choo choo. Isn't 2015 off to a great start. Haven't we learned so much from the past three years of gaming.


(shallow breathing)... Next Car Game is a good romp.

 

[f1r2a3n4k5]

It's not on Steam yet... for some reason. But I bought into Unreal World [http://www.unrealworld.fi/] like.... half a decade ago.

It kind of follows the Minecraft model of early access. "Buy one version. We're gonna keep updating this forever." Except that Unreal World predates Minecraft & Early Access by 20-something years.

It's hard to say I regret it. It's more detailed than most games and it's still getting major updates every month. It's clearly a labor of love.

 

[raeior]

In addition to the games already mentioned I'd like to name "Factorio". It isn't on Steam though. Still it's technically early access. It's kind of a topdown survival game, where you start alone on a planet and start building factories (Hence the name), putting machines and conveyor belts together producing more and more complex products. It's already worth the money and they are working on a lot of stuff. Right now for example the implementation of multiplayer, one of the last updates brought oil as another resource and associated refineries etc. It has a demo that already shows quite a bit of the gameplay so maybe give it a try.

 

[laggyteabag]

Prison Architect. The only early access game that I own on Steam that I actually enjoy playing. It is like Hotel Giant but for people who stab other people. It works remarkably well for an early access game, has mod support, and has monthly content updates. It is also a lot of fun to play. So there's that.

Come on guys, H1Z1. You know, if you don't have time to find guns in a survival game, why not just buy one. Its such a good idea, ammo too. And guess what everyone is buying it, so why not ride along with the borderline scam train choo choo.

...

You can buy guns in that game? Like, with real money?

Ew. Icky.

Never going to touch that piece of crap then.

 

[uncle_yuri]

In addition to the games already mentioned I'd like to name "Factorio".

This looks really interesting. I'm going to try the demo.

It's not on Steam yet... for some reason. But I bought into Unreal World [http://www.unrealworld.fi/] like.... half a decade ago.

It kind of follows the Minecraft model of early access. "Buy one version. We're gonna keep updating this forever." Except that Unreal World predates Minecraft & Early Access by 20-something years.

Fascinating... Looks like a distant relative of Dwarf Fortress's Adventure mode. I'm way too lazy to figure out which one came first, but at first glance one of them seems to have heavily influenced the other.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

If you like ARPG titles, I'd recommend 'Grim Dawn'. It's from the same guys who made the wholly underrated "Titan Quest", and so far I love it. It's been on early access for a while now so it's greatly improved, and I've run into almost no issues with it so far and am having a ton of fun.

I'm probably in the minority here, but I definitely don't regret getting "Warmachine: Tactics". It definitely has its flaws and needs more optimization, but overall I'm having a lot of fun with it.

 

[TheArcaneThinker]

Risk of rain ! Its a great game !

Nuclear throne . Another great game .

Broforce ! For the Bro in you !

 

[Mister Eff]

The Forest is pretty good, if you like your survival games. Unlike most other early access games, it's updated every couple of weeks, new features added all the time. Plus they recently added multiplayer.

 

[crotchdot]

I have a ridiculously large backlog of games thanks largely to cheap bundles, so the idea of playing anything that isn't finished when there's a better than average chance I'll only play it once doesn't hold a lot of appeal. I tend to let them sit in my library until they're done.

That said, I have found myself playing Delver quite a bit, a 3D retro graphic roguelike. As someone who cut their teeth on Nethack it's lacking a lot of depth, but it's definitely a fun diversion.

 

[bliebblob]

I don't buy early access on principle, but if I had to gamble away some money on it I'd go with massive chalice and/or invisible inc.