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To alpha or not to alpha, that is the question.
So, listening to both sides of the debate, I am still undecided as to whether I should take the jump and purchase the $150 AA package. Here are the list of pros and cons for going in, as far as I can tell:
Pro: The value of what you get is worth the $150 dollars. Alpha access, a free mount, $75 dollars in store credit, pots and an armor set, along with the ability to add your own logo. three months of paid subscription
Con: How many of these things will be in the cash shop, and how much will they cost? Your character will be wiped from the live servers once the game goes live. There is no release date, meaning that it could be six months before the game goes live, in which case, if you've played the alpha that whole time, you will have 6 months of replaying to get back to where you are...
Pro: You get head start on learning about the game: Where to go, what to do, how the systems work, etc.
Con: There is no telling if this game will end up being pay to win, in which case will I really want to stick around long enough to make the investment worth it? I doubt it.
The $150 is worth what you get, the problem is how do you know what you will end up with once the game goes live?
In any case, just for fun, I've tossed in this little poll to see how the pro and anti AA prepurchase folks stand. Feel free to throw in your two cents after you vote.
Comments
My justification for getting it now was:
I hate playing alphas. Lack of features, bugs, downtime+ crashes. Not my idea of fun when trying to play a game, so I just don't and wait till it launches ( I don't even pretend like I'm a beta tester ). This is just the publisher alpha so you really wont have any input into the game. Like always when a company uses a publisher for another region it's just a matter of collecting money and adding patches with a whole lot of " we'll ask the real devs about that " answers.
The actual value of the items is probably worth it if you really want to play the game and can put up with playing in an alpha. I'm sure they'll have other deals once the game goes live if you wait.
Epic Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAigCvelkhQ&list=PLo9FRw1AkDuQLEz7Gvvaz3ideB2NpFtT1
https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos?&sort=-downloads&page=1
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you playing an MMORPG?"
That doesn't work too well for us introverts. If we said no every time we had to ask a question, most of us would have starved to death by now, once we were asked "What do you want for [meal X]?" Hah.
A lot of good input in these posts. You folks are giving me food for thought (It must be lunch time). Keep 'em coming.
I think people already know my views on the subject , but you make very good points OP , you don't actually know what the value of the package is really and if P2W items appear in the shop on release then you might be very upset. I think I will vote maybe wait a few weeks , but this is just because of what you typed for other people who I haven't read any preferences of then no as charging that amount of money is stupid for an alpha and perks for a F2P game , so that we show these companies we aren't falling for it.
You could try the RU version OP or try and find out how to get on the list of free alpha invites.
Cheers ,
BadOrb.
PSO 4 years , EQOA 4 months , PSU 7 years , SWTOR launch ongoing , PSO2 SEA launch ongoing , Destiny 360 launch ongoing.
"SWG was not fun. Let it go buddy." quote from iiNoSkillzii 10/18/13
The original propoganda pixie dust villain :[]
I am an introvert. I think quickly on my feet and this is too simple of a question to get hung up on. BTW, Introvert are inward thinking the real determination is if they gain/lose energy in a social situation. Extroverts gain Introverts lose.
Epic Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAigCvelkhQ&list=PLo9FRw1AkDuQLEz7Gvvaz3ideB2NpFtT1
https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos?&sort=-downloads&page=1
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you playing an MMORPG?"
I have played the Russian version and really like the game so this was easy for me.
I have no idea how long it will be before release, this could effect if it is worth to you as well.
If the release is going to be this fall you get months of play for FREE and the game is very playable now unlike some Alphas.
If the games release is 30 days and you are on the fence I would say wait.
I can tell you there are a lot of people who bought alpha, I do not know how many A LOT is but the starter areas have people everywhere. It feels like a release and the game for me is running smooth while using DX11 and looks amazing. Most of the people who have problems seem to stem from the DX11 and the easy fix is just play in DX9.
Trion has said there are a limited number of Alpha slots available, no clue how many but there is a real chance they will run out of them in my opinion. If you wait long enough your choice might be made for you.
I think the alpha package is a decent deal if you have the cash to spare.
As much as I'm looking forward to ArcheAge I won't be buying into the alpha or beta. Elite: Dangerous takes that slot.
I have trouble deciding that myself. If I play archeage F2P I'm probably going to spend money on patron status anyway, so buying the Alpha wouldn't be a super bad deal.
The problem is that I'm not so sure if I'll actually want to be playing Archeage and for how long.
Might try the Russian version in the next weeks to determine that.
Feel free to use my referral link for SW:TOR if you want to test out the game. You'll get some special unlocks!
I am torn also. As alpha's/beta's go on they usually have better offers with more stuff.
Plus it is cheaper just to buy the 3 months sub and 75$ worth on credits than to pay 150$.
These items dont have a huge impact on you or your character. Most times you out grow the "special" stuff within the first 10 or so levels. The gliders you can get later on are better, im sure the outfir wont be top of the line as the game goes on, and locked boxes normally have junk in them. Really cant justify paying 150$ for a month and a half of alpha that will be wiped. Beta starts in June I do believe.
I struggled for a day or so, but ended up doing it (and downloading client now).
It is a steep price, but considering that the only game I play right night is Path of Exile, which is FTP, it made the decisions easier.
There seems to be a somewhat steep learning curve with respect to this game, therefore I tend to think that having ahead start before the official release will make you are more efficient player at the onset, regardless of the wipe. Instead of trying to figure out the game for a few weeks at launch, I can get up to speed and efficiently reach my goals immediately upon official release.
Anyways, that is how I justified the cost to myself lol. Had to charge to my credit card so my girlfriend didn't see the charge in our joint bank account ha ha.
It's up to you. Only you can say whether it's the right choice or not for you.
lack of features and bugs shouldn't be an issue. This is already an established game in korea. All trion is doing is localizing it. It should already have a years worth of content published into it when it launches.
Just purchased Alpha access myself, and downloading now, i think its worth it, as i have cancelled my sub to ESO, im not interested in wildstar, star citizen is a year off atleast and my only other game is GW2 which is free to play.
Basically as im not paying for a sub at the moment im going to get my 3 months of play time out of it before anything else pops up im interested in at the very least.
i wont vote because its not my money that will be spent.
Although the game will be F2P i will probably purchase the game after launch, that should be enough support until i find some cosmetic stuff i want from the cash shop. Alpha you say? not at those prices, ty.
It's not a typical alpha, it's a pretty much a finished game, except for some Korean text in cutscenes and voice overs in Korean. It's the smoothest running, most amazing Alpha I've EVER played in my life.
Life is too short. If you CAN afford it, throw caution to the wind and go for it
The question comes down to this:
"How sure are you that you want to play this game and spend some money on it?"
Basically you are prepurchasing 3 months of patron status and $75 in cash shop credit, getting some goodies and alpha access.
Aside from the goodies and alpha that accounts for about $120, so, when the game comes out, how sure are you that you would spend this $120 anyway? For myself I know I would buy a couple months of patron status up front in a package for a small discount. and I would buy a larger package of cash shop credit to get bags, a mount, maybe some house items and a costume. I almost always get at least a few things from the cash shop if it is a game that I like.
But you have to ask yourself that question. Will you be spending this money anyway?
After being sure that I would spend the $120 anyway, is the last $30 worth it? I see it as buying continuous access to the game for the next 3-6 months. That is a pretty modest prices from that perspective. $10 or less per month to have access to a game that most don't have access to? You bet. And you still get the other goodies.
But remember to first ask yourself if you would spend that $120 anyway. Otherwise you are paying $150 to try the game out and that is a pretty steep for trial. Better in that case to wait for a beta weekend.
All die, so die well.