Poll: Would You still Early Access / Pre-Order a game today?

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

I can tell if I'll like a game or not due to having very specific tastes so if something that fits the bill comes around I'll preorder it. Early access is pointless though. I wanna play the full game. I can wait. I have a huge backlog as is.

That sounds a bit like a contradiction - why would you preorder a game, despite your backlog, but not get an Early Access game? Makes no real sense to me - surely, preordering is as pointless, if not more. I mean, I don't preorder, because I've got a big backlog myself and I see very little reason to, even if I didn't.

I have, however, bought Early Access games. It seems less pointless to me, assuming I actually want to play them right now. Crypt of the NecroDancer is lovely, for example and I've played it every day for the past couple of weeks. Even though I initially got it for the soundtrack, which rocks. I also just got Darkest Dungeon, as I intend on playing it today. On the other hand, titles like War for the Overworld or Nekro I haven't bought yet.

The backlog consists of games that while I do want to play, don't entirely fit the bill as much as a game I would preorder does. Also, early access games are like gimpy versions of the final game and I wanna experience the ultimate experience once, not go back to the same game and search up and down for improvements. That kind of thing fits the bill even LESS than the stuff that's currently backlogged.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

I actually thought about adding Kickstarter games into the mix as well (they are, but I didn't single them out specifically) The reason being games like Star Citizen... it has made just shy of $74 Million according to their site as I type this. That is a HUGE amount of money, it is what some games won't even make after they are released. My question becomes, what will they do for income when they do actually release the game? everyone who wanted the game, probably has it save for those who won't do beta/alphas.

the game still has many units to be sold. The number of backers was no more than 100k ish (in the basis that the Oatmeal guy's venture broke the record for most backers). As such, even if you double it to say 200k copies going out "free"to backers, it's entirely likely that they'll sell many more units. A good game can sell 750k-1.5m units and this is effectively an indie game produced with a AAA budget. I reckon they've easily got at least 1m unit sales to look forward to easily.

On topic, my issue with alpha/early access games is that I may have my one and only experience with them in that state. For example, a couple of hours exploring the world or gameplay in whatever form it's in, and that's it. It's a shame actually...as a player the only impression I'll ever have of my experience is not what the dev envisioned. Saying that, the dev probably doesn't care since they've made a sale.

 

[barbzilla]

Not only am I willing to purchase Early Access and/or Alpha games, I actively seek them out when purchasing games. That said, I am very selective about which ones I will spend money on. I research the game as thoroughly as possible to try to avoid any nasty surprises, but when all goes well I typically have just as much fun with an EA/Alpha game as I do with a new release AAA title (and I get the added benefit of being able to make a video for my website that will help encourage traffic.

 

[Dr. Thrax]

Honestly, my biggest problem with games, especially on digital storefronts, is that there just are no demos.
I just can't justify spending $30+ on a game when I don't know if I'll even like the damned thing.
Give me a demo, for fuck's sake.
I need to see how it handles, how it feels, what it plays like, the story, shit like that.
This is stuff I can't get from watching other people play it.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Yes, but only if I think that the game has enough content as is for me to enjoy it and not feel like I wasted my money.

I bought Darkest Dungeon today. It's fucking great and I'm completely loving it. Going in I knew how it plays from watching a couple of lets plays, and I knew that it does not currently have an ending and only has 4 of the areas finished. I still felt that it was worth my money and I just couldn't want to play it, so I bought it. It's really that simple. I didn't buy it based on the promise of more features or more content, I bought it because I feel that it has enough content that I am satisfied with my $20, and any further additions down the road is just icing on the cake if it happens.

That's the way early access games should be approached. Buy them not on the promise of more content, rather buy them based on the content that's already available and decide if the content that's available is worth the asking price. It's quite simple really.

 

[Gypsyssilver]

Depends on the game.

If I'm buying it when it's in Alpha or Beta, then it needs to have enough gameplay that I can jump in and start playing it.

I don't want to feel like I've purchased a demo. I want to feel like I've purchased a full game - that still has room for improvement.

Like Minecraft - I bought that while it was in Beta. It didn't matter that it was in Beta, because you could still play and enjoy the game.

I recently bought 'Stranded Deep', even though it's in Early Access. Why? Because what they have so far - I like. I'm happy derping around on my island, building shacks, killing sharks and getting poisoned by Sea Urchins. I'm having a lot of fun, and there's enough content, even in this early stage, that if they never developed it further - I'd still be happy with what I'd bought.

I didn't buy it right away though. I watched a few let's plays first - to make sure I really knew what I was getting into.

That said, those are the only two games I've actually bought before they were fully released.

Every other time I've seen a game in Early Access that I liked the look of - I've just added it to my wishlist and waited until they finished it.

It has to be something really special (or really appealing to me) to make me do otherwise.

 

[zzrhardy]

Pre-release operates on trust, just like a fiat currency. Trouble is, the first thing some gave devs did was to calculatingly wipe their ass with this new "currency".

Trust broken, the currency has fallen over. It is value-less.

 

[L. Declis]

Only after I research the fuck out of it.

For example, Darkest Dungeon is the Early Access game I'd happily use to show that both Kickstarter and Early Access are concepts that CAN be done well. Amazing game. But I did watch about 5 playthroughs from both Super Best Friends, Sterling and a couple of others before I decided to buy it.

Other games? Endless Legend is pretty good.

Massive Chalice has proven to be a massive disappointment, but that's what I get for trusting when people said Tim Schafer and just listening to the pitch. Double Fine has become a massive "do not touch" company for me, same with anything Peter Molonuex. Total War has lost my trust with Rome 2, but I'm hearing good about Atilla and I shall likely pre-ordered Warhammer Total War for simply being a game I have wanted forever. But it's very much trust based, and once you fuck a customer over, I mentally blacklist you.

Believe it or not, I've only had good experiences with E.A., at least most of their stuff WILL get fixed and is almost always of decent quality. I'm now playing Sims 4 and SimCity with decent enjoyment. I'll pre-order ME4.

However, to buy a £40 as a pre-order? I basically have to both trust you AND have always wanted the game. E.g. MGS5 will get my money because Kojima always gives a working, solid game and he has my trust AND it's a Metal Gear game. SquareEnix has burned me too often (thanks, FF12, 13-3) for me to pre-order FF15, however.

 

[Shocksplicer]

I have Bloodborne and The Witcher 3 pre-ordered, due to my absolute faith in both studios.
I have purchased 3 games in Early Access, all after careful consideration that there is already a game worth buying, and deciding that these were developers that I wanted to support:
Darkest Dungeon
Sunless Sea
The Long Dark
All excellent games by people I trust.
If everyone actually put some thought into their purchases there wouldn't be a damn problem.

 

[BarryMcCociner]

More and more it seems the risk is far outweighing the reward in this case.

I suppose it'd depend on pricing. Pre-ordering a $60 game? Fuck no! Are you insane? Shelling out 20 dollars for an already competent looking early access game? Well, maybe.

Preordering digital should be a sin though you know all those preorder DLC's are just going to be released much later as normal DLC or part of the GOTY edition, plus it'll be much cheaper by the time all the DLC's out.

 

[Neonsilver]

I bought a few early access games on steam. In two cases it was before early access games were obviously marked as such in their description. Still liked those games, but in one of those cases the development has ceased. I kind of regret falling for Godus.

I don't mind early access that much, but I'm careful.

edit:
Concerning pre-orders, I rather take an early access game. Early access should allow the developers to get additional funds, for small developers that is in some cases probably necessary. Pre-orders seems more and more like a scam by big developers to sell bad games and it's not like the big developers really need the additional money during the development.

 

[Woiminkle]

Hmm difficult poll to answer OP. I feel like none of the options adequately represent the nuances of my feelings on two very different issues, so I rather uselessly flapped about a bit and voted Depends on Genre because one of my rules of thumb for early access is to rule out certain genres right off the bat. Nothing narrative focused. No RPGs. Nothing reliant on multiplayer. No more zombies. No first person horror and so on.

Up until recently I've had mostly good experiences with early access games, with the exception being The Long Dark. But that one is on me because I broke the cardinal rule. I bought it based off of the potential of what I thought it could be rather than taking an honest look at what it was and asking myself if that version was worth it.

The other three I bought all gave me more than enough value for the money they were asking. Minecraft and Kerbal Space Program are still games I keep coming back to even after 100s of hours. Don't Starve I will admit I did actually have enough of before it was finished but I still had a good 60 or 70 hrs of entertainment out of it before I reached that point so no regrets.

So for me the biggest downsides to early access (when I behave like a responsible consumer and not like a silly man with a silly head full of dreamy dreams) are the occasional bouts of update fatigue and waiting quietly but impatiently for mods to update and work again.

Pre-order bonuses used to be useless cosmetic stuff I never cared about but could see how others might enjoy as a little extra bling. But lately they seem to have shifted tone to feeling a bit more like some sort of sinister bait. Designed to encourage me to act like the aforementioned silly man that I'm so obviously, perfectly capable of all by myself. So no, no thank you Mr Publisher, I will forego your bonuses (and quite possibly your whole game) and take my dreamy dreams, my subtle nuances and my modest wallet far away from your perverted gaze and awkward advances. Good day Sir!

 

[Summerstorm]

So far i am very happy with the games i supported in early access. (I don't pre-order EVER though)

Of the ... dozen-or-so many games i supported through early-access many became great, a few good, and i think two or three crashed and burned and were unfinished messes.

Overall i think the whole early-access flood of the last four-five years was overall positive. we are drowning in "good" games by gamers for gamers, innovative styles and also failed ideas, which nonetheless furthered gaming in general or appeal to small fringe groups. Pumping early money into small projects broadened our access to so many games. Hell i usually refer to the early 90ies as the golden age of gaming... i am now pressed to call this now the platinum age *g*.

Wasting a ten or fifteen dollars on a crappy game or a lazy/slow (or incompetent or overworked) developer is such a small price to pay for this amazing time to be a gamer.

I mean - just the first game i remember where i shelled out 14 dollars after a sleepless night with the demo became great: "Mount & Blade" gave me hundreds of hours of enjoyment.

After Kickstarter and "Early Access"/"greenlight" on Steam became a thing it was a bit confusingly much, i guess. You have to be careful and need a lot of time and research to grade the overwhelming amount of offers...

 

[DrunkOnEstus]

Nope. I have to admit, darkesthe dungeon looks right up my alley, but it doesnt have an ending. I don't want to spend money on a game that doesn't formally exist yet when there's literally hundreds of games that are finished and need my attention. If the developer needs testing or beta information...well that used to be a job. I'd gladly play an unfinished game for free so that I could help the dev iron things out, but I'm not paying to be a beta tester because it's framed as some kind of privilege.

As far as preorders go, that really really depends. As a general rule of thumb, it's a stupid idea to hand over money to a publisher sight-unseen and hoping that the game turns out good, when there's a thousand ways to determine if it's good the day it comes out.I also hate this concept of publis hers banking the success of a game on the pre-order and day-1 numbers, with studios knowing they'really going to get shut down as a game releases.

But...there's times when it makes sense. If it's a physical product (particularly special editions), there's a very good chance that one couldn't get their hands on it if they didn't preorder. There's also the incentives, which both insult and entice me. If there's a significant discount for the preorder and you know you're buying it anyway, that makes sense. Hanging a bunch of cosmetics on display won't do it for me.

I last preordered RE Revelations 2, because it was discounted, a sequel to a raid mode (and campaign) I very much enjoyed, and included useful DLC that I likely would have bought for the raid mode, making it kind of an additional discount. If publishers are going to be obsessed with a game living or dying on the preorders, they need to discount, offer meaningful incentives, and actually show what experience the consumer can expect; not bullshots, pre-rendered trailers and obfuscation of actual game play with buzzwords.

Apologies for errors, sent using my phone.

 

[Elfgore]

Yep, I just bought one a week ago and don't regret it at all. I bought Beseige. Game as it is now is fun as shit, all that needs added are more levels and parts.

For pre-ordering, I usually wait for reviews nowadays. If I know it will be good, *cough* Pirate Warriors 3 *cough*, I'll be picking it up day one. But unless it has an awesome pre-order bonus, I think Pirate Warriors 3 unlocks a character early, I don't see a point.

 

[DoPo]

if you weren't rubbing your nose at me, then my apologies

I wasn't, actually, and I apologise myself. That post was written just before I went to sleep at 3 o'clock. My intention was to actually ask if anybody, presumably underage, could have a bank account which they can use with PayPal. I wanted the question to come across in a joking manner, but now I see I failed. Thank you for your answer, nonetheless.

 

[Dragonbums]

I still preorder my games. Granted most of them are just Nintendo first party or second party games.

Also the handheld market in general isn't full of as much lies and shifty bullshit as the console and PC market is. Case in point I had no issues putting down a preorder for Monster Hunter and Bravely Default. Granted it's not like the companies behind those games have a history of releasing broken shit. (whether the game is good or not now that's another debate.)

The motto is to simply preorder smart. Don't just slap down a preorder simply because they give you a figurine or a weapon mod.

 

[Sounga]

I have never pre orderd a game. Usually because i didn't have the money to set aside. But i have bought a few things in early access. The rule of thumb i use is I treat the games like what I'm buying now is all I'll ever get from it. If its worth the price they are asking I'll get it otherwise I'll wait till it is.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

if you weren't rubbing your nose at me, then my apologies

I wasn't, actually, and I apologise myself. That post was written just before I went to sleep at 3 o'clock. My intention was to actually ask if anybody, presumably underage, could have a bank account which they can use with PayPal. I wanted the question to come across in a joking manner, but now I see I failed. Thank you for your answer, nonetheless.

fair enough I was in a drunken nearly asleep mode myself, and if I remember correctly, as long as you provide the bank information correctly (routing number, etc..) then their shouldn't be any problems...(I *may* have lied about my age on the account when I was that young, but herp derp who hasn't lied about that...at least if you're young enough where that started to become a big thing on the internet.)

paypal may have changed it's policies since then, who knows...as of recent, I know it's that easy when I'm setting up my loan payments, so I wouldn't assume too much has changed.

 

[Seishisha]

Voted no because it aligns with the questions asked for me more so than the other options.

I have pre-ordered in the past but that was before the advent of steam/digital products, in those instances it was to secure myself a copy on launch rather than risk the store running out, which did happend quite regularly at my local shopping district.

The reason i wont do it now is because of digital stuff, much less hastle to buy no storage needed for discs. As for early access im in two minds about it, personaly i take the approach of if the game is good in it's current state it may be worth purchase.

That's what i did with minecraft, watched videos and read some review type materiel, looked into it's development history and eventualy purchased when it was still in beta. Though stating minecraft as the example is pretty bad considering it is the exception rather than the rule when it comes to early access development.

I wont buy somthing on a promise of future content or completion because it may never happen. Even a good trusted studio with years of experiance and a history of consistent updates can still run into unexpected problems during development. For me the risk is not worth getting early access to an unfinished product unless im satisfied with the way it currently is.

To me only real appealing idea behind early access is providing active feedback during development and having a chance to help improve or change somthing before it becomes final, having to pay for that privilage is a point of contention for me but realy who am i to judge the buisness model of another's product, even game dev's need to eat.