Planetary Annihilation costs 90$ (right now)

[RoonMian]

Here is the message and the accompanying steam forum thread: http://steamcommunity.com/games/233250/announcements/detail/1658730021561594175

And because some of the first posts there were cussing out the developers as "Jews" I don't really want to discuss it there.

So, the gist of it is that early access to Planetary Annihilation costs now 90$ and will decline step by step till the actual release in December, going the opposite road than most other early access/preorder schemes.

I can't really make up my mind between understanding why they're doing it and scratching my head in confusion... What do you make of it?

 

[Anathrax]

I think they want to limit the Alpha Access. Dirty Bomb is doing the same thing right now.

 

[WoW Killer]

I had to immediately look the game up based on the title. Lo and behold, this really is a spiritual successor to Total Annihilation. Cool, might need to check it out. No Chris Taylor though? Not sure how I feel about that. Wait... no Jeremy Soule?!? Blasphemy!

No seriously I'll check it out. No way I'm paying for an alpha though.

 

[Gatx]

I don't get it... well I mean I guess it makes sense to pay more for early access in theory but the idea behind the current trend is that you're rewarding early adopters by giving them a discount because they're investing in you as well as helping you find bugs. I guess it all comes down to how finished the game is before you can decide whether they're doing you a favor by letting you play early or the other way around.

 

[eBusiness]

So their test user base is going to be some mix of die-hard fanboys and people feeling even more entitled than they usually do. What could possibly go wrong?

 

[generals3]

How greedy can one be? Firstly they already invested no money whatsoever in the game (considering it's funded through kick-starter) and now they go ask 90$ for early access? Aaaaahahahahaha.

 

[Colt47]

Total Annihilation was the RTS version of the Elder Scrolls when it came to the modding and unit making community. I can't wait to see what the community for the game comes up with for planetary annihilation.

 

[Smooth Operator]

It's a shady one to be honest, I get that this price was running on kickstarter but there you are actually making a partial donation for development not to mention getting all the extras.

Also while I love their concept and have backed it myself this game even when finished isn't anywhere near that value, I doubt it will be good for anything above $30.

 

[Wyvern65]

Don't see the problem with it in of itself. It's for 'early access' which is essentially paying for the bragging rights and excitement of being 'involved' with developing the game. Not something I'd ever consider paying for myself.

Really it's not all that different from those uber collector's edition pre-orders or some of the high-end bonuses on kickstarters. If you have the cash to blow and want to do so, go nuts. No one's being forced to, and I'm not seeing it hurts anyone if the game itself will be cheaper on release.

The thing with kickstarter-type games is that they have to squeeze every cent they can out of the small number of people interested in their product. It's a more naked version of capitalism so it looks a bit uglier I suppose.

 

[GoaThief]

No problem with the idea whatsoever, same price those on Kickstarter paid for the alpha.

The fact that so many have got enraged by this is mind-boggling to me, especially as some are calling it a scam (I don't think they understand the definition) or even blaming Valve or "Steam" for the pricing as if they had anything to do with it.

 

[CriticalMiss]

I saw it myself and thought it was hilariously odd. They're getting people to pay shocking amounts to test a broken game! I liked the Minecraft system myself, getting a discounted price then ramping it up as you pass through each stage of development. That way early adopters benefit and it encourages people to play the game. But if this works out for them then great, obviously they wanted things to match up with their Kickstarter goals to keep it fair.

But I won't be paying nearly a hundred quid to take part in an alpha test, plus the system requirements would melt my laptop but that's beside the point.

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

Here is the message and the accompanying steam forum thread: http://steamcommunity.com/games/233250/announcements/detail/1658730021561594175

And because some of the first posts there were cussing out the developers as "Jews" I don't really want to discuss it there.

So, the gist of it is that early access to Planetary Annihilation costs now 90$ and will decline step by step till the actual release in December, going the opposite road than most other early access/preorder schemes.

I can't really make up my mind between understanding why they're doing it and scratching my head in confusion... What do you make of it?

Actually the price is what the Kickstarter backers paid for to get Alpha Access.

$90 Tier

A game key e-mailed to you & digital download
Exclusive wallpaper download
Exclusive PA Asteroid Pin & PA Asteroid Belt flair items for SMNC
Early download and access to the game during alpha & beta stages
Digital download of the soundtrack
Access to the exclusive backer forums
Limited edition in-game Progenitor commander, only available to backers
Limited edition in-game Alpha commander, only available to backers
Digital art book
Your name in the credits

The store states that you get many of the items an Alpha Access backer also gets, such as the Soundtrack, Wallpapers, and Artbook.

 

[Callate]

I know people who love TA like the child they never had. My own experience with it was limited; it seemed a fun enough game, before it started to suffer from the M:TG syndrome of "What's that...? What does it do? How does it fit in with everything else...?"

If people want to pay $90 for what they view as early access to the successor to a beloved series, I can't entirely fault them for that... But to me, it still seems like you're paying extra for the privilege of being a beta tester, which seems faintly wrong. The "here's a lower price to thank you for helping get our game into shape before its full commercial release and for funding its development" model seems, at the least, a little more polite...?

 

[major_chaos]

And because some of the first posts there were cussing out the developers as "Jews" I don't really want to discuss it there.

Are you surprised? The Steam forums are a hive of entitled whinny jackhats.

OT: That's what alpha access cost when the game was on Kickstarter, so lowering the price now would be a massive dick move. I would also mention that they are not the first ones to do something like this. While its not quite as expensive, Grim Dawn costs 50$ to get into alpha even though it would appear the game only costs 20$.

 

[Lazy Kitty]

If they made the alpha cheaper than the actual release, it would make more sense.
Why make people pay more to have them help you get the bugs out of your game?

 

[Tyran107]

My thought is, they asked for 900k, got 2.2 million. So they made way more than what they 'needed' plus they made all their stretch goals. To me it seems pretty ballsy to then, after they've made so much, ask for $90 to get early access on steam. That just smells of greed to me. If they'd just barely made their kickstarter goal or maybe not even made it I could understand the high price to help fund it, but when they've made so much extra money I don't see what logic there is in charging so much.

 

[Balimaar]

How greedy can one be? Firstly they already invested no money whatsoever in the game (considering it's funded through kick-starter) and now they go ask 90$ for early access? Aaaaahahahahaha.

who says they didnt invest any of their own money into it?

 

[Candidus]

No Chris Taylor though? Not sure how I feel about that.

I feel pretty glad that he's not shitting up Planetary Annihilation. The disgusting betrayal and disaster that was Supcom 2 demostrated quite well that Supcom Forged Alliance (which was superb) was either a total fluke, or the last gasp of his fading talent depending on how generous you're feeling.

As an unrepentant sucker for shinies, I've already bought access (and the delta commander skin) at a far more exorbitant price than 90 dollars. No regrets at this stage, despite the limited features and bugs.

 

[RoonMian]

Actually the price is what the Kickstarter backers paid for to get Alpha Access.

$90 Tier

A game key e-mailed to you & digital download
Exclusive wallpaper download
Exclusive PA Asteroid Pin & PA Asteroid Belt flair items for SMNC
Early download and access to the game during alpha & beta stages
Digital download of the soundtrack
Access to the exclusive backer forums
Limited edition in-game Progenitor commander, only available to backers
Limited edition in-game Alpha commander, only available to backers
Digital art book
Your name in the credits

The store states that you get many of the items an Alpha Access backer also gets, such as the Soundtrack, Wallpapers, and Artbook.

Yeah, I know all this. That's why I wrote that I understand why they're doing it. It's just that seeing an indie game on steam for 83? (110$) left me in a very deep state of "huh?!?"

Are you surprised? The Steam forums are a hive of entitled whinny jackhats.

I'm not surprised, no. But me not being surprised has nothing to do with not wanting to talk about it there. That place is just... yuck!

I totally thought he meant wiping out all mankind for 90$ when I read the title. Didn't help that the second comment mentions 'dirty bomb.'

I really need some sleep...

Hehehehe, I'm sorry about that. That reminds me of a scene from a popular movie. A guy is sitting in his car and listens to the news on the radio when thehost says "Turkey: In Istanbul today a nuclear bomb detonated (in German: "Atombombe")." The guy in the car goes "WHAT?!?!?!" and the news guy in the radio says "Oh sorry. In Istanbul today a car bomb detonated (In German: "Autobombe")."

XD

 

[Carnagath]

But I won't be paying nearly a hundred quid to take part in an alpha test, plus the system requirements would melt my laptop but that's beside the point.

Don't worry, it's not just your laptop, it melts everything and doesn't even look that good. Hopefully they will improve the performance by, like, a LOT during the testing.