Alpha 2 Preview - Citadel Studios is Building a True Sandbox World - Legends of Aria Interviews

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Alpha 2 Preview - Citadel Studios is Building a True Sandbox World - Legends of Aria Interviews

Legends of Aria Alpha 2 is bringing a lot of big changes to the game including an updated UI, a dynamic map and a smoother, more polished client. We spoke with Citadel Studios' Derek Brinkman to get the inside scoop about the most recent additions to LoA and what it means for players.

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Borluc

I'm patiently waiting. Only game I've pledged on and I've not seen a lot of wasted money. The designers seem concerned with steadily completing their vision for a sandbox.

Kyleran

When will it be fully "released" and not in some alpha or early access state? Any guesses?

SpottyGekko

I'm sick of "testing" games, I want to PLAY games, not test them.

It's alpha, you can't complain about the bugs !
It's Early Access, you can't complain about the lack of content !

Pffft !

SEANMCAD

SpottyGekko said:

I'm sick of "testing" games, I want to PLAY games, not test them.

It's alpha, you can't complain about the bugs !
It's Early Access, you can't complain about the lack of content !

Pffft !

I very honestly feel sorry for folks with your point of view.

They are really missing out on the best 'revolution' in gaming history right now. Lots of great games

CrazKanuk

SEANMCAD said:

SpottyGekko said:

I'm sick of "testing" games, I want to PLAY games, not test them.

It's alpha, you can't complain about the bugs !
It's Early Access, you can't complain about the lack of content !

Pffft !

I very honestly feel sorry for folks with your point of view.

They are really missing out on the best 'revolution' in gaming history right now. Lots of great games

Are they going to do a server wipe? 

Did you ever think that some people might not have 100 hours to put into a game only to have that progress disappear? 

The problem is not with the people waiting for the game, but the people putting games into a perpetual state of testing. My assumption is that if something is in Early Access, it will be wiped at some point. That's not cool with me. 

Spiider

I'm in alpha ever since this was called shards online. And I have a feeling that this step took it two steps back. I'll be patient (no refunds after so much time) but this is stretching a lot. There is potential but it seriously lacks content.

SEANMCAD

CrazKanuk said:

SEANMCAD said:

SpottyGekko said:

I'm sick of "testing" games, I want to PLAY games, not test them.

It's alpha, you can't complain about the bugs !
It's Early Access, you can't complain about the lack of content !

Pffft !

I very honestly feel sorry for folks with your point of view.

They are really missing out on the best 'revolution' in gaming history right now. Lots of great games

Are they going to do a server wipe? 

Did you ever think that some people might not have 100 hours to put into a game only to have that progress disappear? 

The problem is not with the people waiting for the game, but the people putting games into a perpetual state of testing. My assumption is that if something is in Early Access, it will be wiped at some point. That's not cool with me. 

I play early access games all the time
I play hundreds of hours
I have had game files wiped.

 Now given that I have direct experience in these matters and you do not, what would you like to know from me about the subject?

winghaven1

CrazKanuk said:

SEANMCAD said:

SpottyGekko said:

I'm sick of "testing" games, I want to PLAY games, not test them.



It's alpha, you can't complain about the bugs !

It's Early Access, you can't complain about the lack of content !



Pffft !

I very honestly feel sorry for folks with your point of view.

They are really missing out on the best 'revolution' in gaming history right now. Lots of great games

Are they going to do a server wipe? 

Did you ever think that some people might not have 100 hours to put into a game only to have that progress disappear? 

The problem is not with the people waiting for the game, but the people putting games into a perpetual state of testing. My assumption is that if something is in Early Access, it will be wiped at some point. That's not cool with me. 

Are you against people testing it so that it comes ready and unbroken into your hands, at day of release? I don't get your viewpoint. You're fine to prefer not testing unfinished products - but are you against people making sure that the finished product is the best possible it could be?

What mate...

SEANMCAD

Nyctelios said:

winghaven1 said:

CrazKanuk said:

SEANMCAD said:

SpottyGekko said:

I'm sick of "testing" games, I want to PLAY games, not test them.



It's alpha, you can't complain about the bugs !

It's Early Access, you can't complain about the lack of content !



Pffft !

I very honestly feel sorry for folks with your point of view.

They are really missing out on the best 'revolution' in gaming history right now. Lots of great games

Are they going to do a server wipe? 

Did you ever think that some people might not have 100 hours to put into a game only to have that progress disappear? 

The problem is not with the people waiting for the game, but the people putting games into a perpetual state of testing. My assumption is that if something is in Early Access, it will be wiped at some point. That's not cool with me. 

Are you against people testing it so that it comes ready and unbroken into your hands, at day of release? I don't get your viewpoint. You're fine to prefer not testing unfinished products - but are you against people making sure that the finished product is the best possible it could be?

What mate...

Member when Q&A teams were paid to properly test something instead of people paying for supposedly test it where in fact they are only playing it? I member.

Every time I see a game using "alpha", "beta" and "Early Access" as a sticker to it's splash art to avoid addressing anything to it's community I can't stop seeing it as that jerk that every party has which not even drink or sip a beer but start to slap girls butts and brake stuff then saying "Go easy on me, I'm drunk". 

I tried her...and she was amazing! far exceeded my assumptions

ManWithNoTan

I pledged and have played off and on since February 2016. I've had a lot of fun with this game recently. The updates have improved the player experience a lot. I really like being able to switch gear via an item bar. Non-instanced housing is cool. Wandering around exploring is fun. (Lag is still an issue.) The map has been getting huge. The developer streams are fun to watch, I really like how the developers also play the game with non-God characters, so they can experience it themselves.

However, after classes were introduced (regardless of what they are called, they are basically classes) I lost much interest in playing. Want to play a warrior with a sword and shield and also train hiding (like you could in Shards)? - nope, hiding is a rogue class skill. (Unless I'm misunderstanding how this works.) Leveling skills is still use based, which I like - but limiting what skills you can use via classes really limits options for how you can play. Yes, it is easier for developers to balance skills with classes limiting the options. Some people have also said "why have a hundred skills when you only use 3?" Why? Because, then I get to choose how to play and what I want to level. If I want to be limited by classes, there are 100s of other games that do that already. Just my opinion. In the recent updates, instead of a skill bar where you pick what you want to use, there are now 2 skill buttons that are tied to what you have equipped in your hands. Once you pick a class, you get 3 more buttons.

I may still play this game after launch, but am less excited about it than I was. Who knows, maybe classes will grow on me?

Ozmodan

Sounds good initially until you see how the servers are designed.  You are at the mercy of the hosts connection speed.   Unless you are playing with a few friends that is going to be a huge issue.  Forget trying to play in the evening in this game, it will be one disconnect after another.

Miphon_CS

ManWithNoTan said:

I pledged and have played off and on since February 2016. I've had a lot of fun with this game recently. The updates have improved the player experience a lot. I really like being able to switch gear via an item bar. Non-instanced housing is cool. Wandering around exploring is fun. (Lag is still an issue.) The map has been getting huge. The developer streams are fun to watch, I really like how the developers also play the game with non-God characters, so they can experience it themselves.



However, after classes were introduced (regardless of what they are called, they are basically classes) I lost much interest in playing. Want to play a warrior with a sword and shield and also train hiding (like you could in Shards)? - nope, hiding is a rogue class skill. (Unless I'm misunderstanding how this works.) Leveling skills is still use based, which I like - but limiting what skills you can use via classes really limits options for how you can play. Yes, it is easier for developers to balance skills with classes limiting the options. Some people have also said "why have a hundred skills when you only use 3?" Why? Because, then I get to choose how to play and what I want to level. If I want to be limited by classes, there are 100s of other games that do that already. Just my opinion. In the recent updates, instead of a skill bar where you pick what you want to use, there are now 2 skill buttons that are tied to what you have equipped in your hands. Once you pick a class, you get 3 more buttons.



I may still play this game after launch, but am less excited about it than I was. Who knows, maybe classes will grow on me?

Parrying, Hiding, Stealth and all core skills associated with your characters effectiveness are and always will be part of our skills system. Hiding and Stealth are not yet in game but will be added in our content patch next week.

Prestige classes allow us to give characters a greater selection of meta abilities ontop of their skill selections at the cost of skill points. Seperating this from the skill system gives much greater flexibility in combat than bringing the balance of individual skills into question. Giving individual skills a wide range of unique abilities can very easily create a class dynamic inside of a skill orientated game and this is something we wish to avoid.

Prestige classes are also designed specificallt to not become compulsory; adopting a prestige class comes at the cost of building tailor made characters (such as a parry warrior stealther). Legends of Aria is a skill based game and rest assured we will keep it this way!

Kyleran

I recall this game now, how many players can inhabit a "world" these days? (and who hosts them?)

DavodtheTutt

"Gone are the earlier days of having to sift through multiple interfaces and menus to find the things that you want to use." Oh, I like the sound of that. It's always seemed to me that changing weapons, getting items from your backpack, etc., should have a simple, natural, immersive way to do them.

"Citadel has taken advantage of the Google Maps API to create a gorgeous new world map with several locations marked on it for players, particularly new players, to be able to find locations for hunting, where dungeons are and so forth. But don't go thinking that hands will be held. Derek is insistent that Aria is a sandbox world and every effort is being made to provide players with the most immersive experience possible. . For instance, there is no general or regional chat. ... Overhead names toned down to reduce clutter and keep immersion as maximized as possible"

Sounds GREAT! But all the screenshots and the Teaser video seem to indicate that the game is designed for playing with an almost-overhead view, certainly at some distance from your avatar. How immersive can it be if you don't play First Person or at least over-the-shoulder?

One other thing that concerns me is "Kill boards - "Any time a player is involved in a player's death, it comes up on the online board. Red names are murderers. There's a lot of PvP going on" combined with the Teaser's advertising, "Play by your own rules." Sounds like it could become a happy hunting ground for grievers, PKers, etc. I know there are a lot of players who would just love to turn it into a medieval GTA with real people behind their victims, and seeing their names in red high up on that list.

MightyUnclean

I was looking forward to Shards Online releasing in, oh, maybe 2020.  With this re-boot, I may have something to look forward to in 2023 instead!

ConstantineMerus

CrazKanuk said:

SEANMCAD said:

SpottyGekko said:

I'm sick of "testing" games, I want to PLAY games, not test them.

It's alpha, you can't complain about the bugs !
It's Early Access, you can't complain about the lack of content !

Pffft !

I very honestly feel sorry for folks with your point of view.

They are really missing out on the best 'revolution' in gaming history right now. Lots of great games

Are they going to do a server wipe? 

Did you ever think that some people might not have 100 hours to put into a game only to have that progress disappear? 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_mandala

Not teasing you or anything. I was like you. But then there was no MMO for me to invest my time. So I became like this. I treat them like singleplayer games that I plan to do a replay in a few years. I'm happier now. 

It's not like we can change this. If we stop supporting these indie studios no AAA is going to make anything we want to play, it might happen the other way around though. 

So it's better to enjoy the journey, rather than getting frustrated about the distance of the destination. 

Distopia

Nyctelios said:

winghaven1 said:

What mate...

Member when Q&A teams were paid to properly test something instead of people paying for supposedly test it where in fact they are only playing it? I member.

Every time I see a game using "alpha", "beta" and "Early Access" as a sticker to it's splash art to avoid addressing anything to it's community I can't stop seeing it as that jerk that every party has which not even drink or sip a beer but start to slap girls butts and brake stuff then saying "Go easy on me, I'm drunk". 

IN many cases I don't notice much difference in the end. In some it's been better. Comparing some of Obsidian's past works to Pillars and Tyranny as an example (the latter are far more polished than most of the former). OR the overall quality of Larian's Divinity 2 vs Divinity:OS (OS is leaps and bounds a better product).  


Just because a product is put through "professional Q&A" doesn't mean it's going to be better off than with public EA testing and Feedback. In a lot of cases like those above they actually get less time and resource allocated to that under a publisher's umbrella. 

In the right hands and used the right way EA simply allows for a product that releases at a standard the studio would like it to. 

Konfess

Let's look at two features:

1. Local Chat Only (LCO).
2. Minimal Map Functionality (MMF).

I feel these are community breaking systems.  Maybe there will be a lot of close proximity chat going on.  But having played Star Wars Galaxies (SWG), the great grandfather of sandbox MMOs.  I fear that LCO will hamper grouping in the wild, that isn't setup in advance and in city.  Maybe they expect LoA to play like Guild Wars 1 (GW1).  LCO will make the wilds seem more like an instance.  There is a reason why Trade chat & Barrens chat have become icon chat channels.  Tells were such a common tool in SWG, that I feel they are mandatory to any sandbox game.  Back then we would use tells to seek help with game play mechanics.  In the SWG sandbox, new players were constantly asking how to I get one of the 30+ XP types, or to get training, or form groups for help.  Immersion should be handled by game play mechanics, not chat functionality.

With the chance of MMF, I must again go back to SWG.  We had a data-pad filled with way points (wps).  These wps were visible on all maps (3 mapping systems, world, over head, and radar).  The UI even had a pointer to your current active wp.  In SWG we were constantly asking the UI to locate a wp to the closest Trainer, mission terminal, bazaar, or bank.  We kept a list of shops that had items in stock and that we bought from once before.  Maybe this game will be unlike any of the rest and have paved safe roads, with signage that is readable and identifiable to various useful locations.  Part of the find UI was a dynamic ribbon from your location to the found destination.  So you would follow this "you see only" ribbon to the public crafting station you need.

If your Engineers are not masters of the "Third Part Licensed" Game Engine API, then you might to trust them to develop need community tools.  Or you may not want to spend the time or money right now.  

CrazKanuk

SEANMCAD said:

CrazKanuk said:

SEANMCAD said:

SpottyGekko said:

I'm sick of "testing" games, I want to PLAY games, not test them.

It's alpha, you can't complain about the bugs !
It's Early Access, you can't complain about the lack of content !

Pffft !

I very honestly feel sorry for folks with your point of view.

They are really missing out on the best 'revolution' in gaming history right now. Lots of great games

Are they going to do a server wipe? 

Did you ever think that some people might not have 100 hours to put into a game only to have that progress disappear? 

The problem is not with the people waiting for the game, but the people putting games into a perpetual state of testing. My assumption is that if something is in Early Access, it will be wiped at some point. That's not cool with me. 

I play early access games all the time
I play hundreds of hours
I have had game files wiped.

 Now given that I have direct experience in these matters and you do not, what would you like to know from me about the subject?

 
Listen, son. I have likely participated in more beta programs than games you've played. I really don't need to know anything from you because you're a pup, an infant. Talk to me in 10 or 15 years. If you still don't get what I'm talking about at that point then it will be quite obvious you made nothing of yourself. 

CrazKanuk

winghaven1 said:

CrazKanuk said:

SEANMCAD said:

SpottyGekko said:

I'm sick of "testing" games, I want to PLAY games, not test them.



It's alpha, you can't complain about the bugs !

It's Early Access, you can't complain about the lack of content !



Pffft !

I very honestly feel sorry for folks with your point of view.

They are really missing out on the best 'revolution' in gaming history right now. Lots of great games

Are they going to do a server wipe? 

Did you ever think that some people might not have 100 hours to put into a game only to have that progress disappear? 

The problem is not with the people waiting for the game, but the people putting games into a perpetual state of testing. My assumption is that if something is in Early Access, it will be wiped at some point. That's not cool with me. 

Are you against people testing it so that it comes ready and unbroken into your hands, at day of release? I don't get your viewpoint. You're fine to prefer not testing unfinished products - but are you against people making sure that the finished product is the best possible it could be?

What mate...

Nope! Not at all! I'm a huge supporter of early access and crowdfunding. I've tested numerous games. I'm even happier that there is a very enthusiastic crowd who is more than willing to invest hundreds of hours into testing a game. I'm just at a point in my life where time carries a high value, since it's at a premium. My kids play plenty of early access, but they've also played hundreds of hours of Pay Day, so they obviously have time to burn  

SEANMCAD

CrazKanuk said:

SEANMCAD said:

CrazKanuk said:

SEANMCAD said:

SpottyGekko said:

I'm sick of "testing" games, I want to PLAY games, not test them.

It's alpha, you can't complain about the bugs !
It's Early Access, you can't complain about the lack of content !

Pffft !

I very honestly feel sorry for folks with your point of view.

They are really missing out on the best 'revolution' in gaming history right now. Lots of great games

Are they going to do a server wipe? 

Did you ever think that some people might not have 100 hours to put into a game only to have that progress disappear? 

The problem is not with the people waiting for the game, but the people putting games into a perpetual state of testing. My assumption is that if something is in Early Access, it will be wiped at some point. That's not cool with me. 

I play early access games all the time
I play hundreds of hours
I have had game files wiped.

 Now given that I have direct experience in these matters and you do not, what would you like to know from me about the subject?

 
Listen, son. I have likely participated in more beta programs than games you've played. I really don't need to know anything from you because you're a pup, an infant. Talk to me in 10 or 15 years. If you still don't get what I'm talking about at that point then it will be quite obvious you made nothing of yourself. 

so is that a no? you dont want to hear from someone who has actually hands on experience with early access games and instead tell me what early access games are like even though you have no experience with them?


you also lack the experience to understand that early acccess and beta programs are not the same thing I might add

oh and for the record I have been playing video games for 37 years.

SEANMCAD

CrazKanuk said:

winghaven1 said:

CrazKanuk said:

SEANMCAD said:

SpottyGekko said:

I'm sick of "testing" games, I want to PLAY games, not test them.



It's alpha, you can't complain about the bugs !

It's Early Access, you can't complain about the lack of content !



Pffft !

I very honestly feel sorry for folks with your point of view.

They are really missing out on the best 'revolution' in gaming history right now. Lots of great games

Are they going to do a server wipe? 

Did you ever think that some people might not have 100 hours to put into a game only to have that progress disappear? 

The problem is not with the people waiting for the game, but the people putting games into a perpetual state of testing. My assumption is that if something is in Early Access, it will be wiped at some point. That's not cool with me. 

Are you against people testing it so that it comes ready and unbroken into your hands, at day of release? I don't get your viewpoint. You're fine to prefer not testing unfinished products - but are you against people making sure that the finished product is the best possible it could be?

What mate...

Nope! Not at all! I'm a huge supporter of early access and crowdfunding. I've tested numerous games. I'm even happier that there is a very enthusiastic crowd who is more than willing to invest hundreds of hours into testing a game. I'm just at a point in my life where time carries a high value, since it's at a premium. My kids play plenty of early access, but they've also played hundreds of hours of Pay Day, so they obviously have time to burn  

anyone who thinking playing Early Access games is most 'testing' has no experience at all in early access nor has a grasp of testing.

its not remotely like that and I should know because I am the only person on this forum who appears to actually play early access titles and in large amount of time

CrazKanuk

SEANMCAD said:

CrazKanuk said:

SEANMCAD said:

CrazKanuk said:

SEANMCAD said:

SpottyGekko said:

I'm sick of "testing" games, I want to PLAY games, not test them.

It's alpha, you can't complain about the bugs !
It's Early Access, you can't complain about the lack of content !

Pffft !

I very honestly feel sorry for folks with your point of view.

They are really missing out on the best 'revolution' in gaming history right now. Lots of great games

Are they going to do a server wipe? 

Did you ever think that some people might not have 100 hours to put into a game only to have that progress disappear? 

The problem is not with the people waiting for the game, but the people putting games into a perpetual state of testing. My assumption is that if something is in Early Access, it will be wiped at some point. That's not cool with me. 

I play early access games all the time
I play hundreds of hours
I have had game files wiped.

 Now given that I have direct experience in these matters and you do not, what would you like to know from me about the subject?

 
Listen, son. I have likely participated in more beta programs than games you've played. I really don't need to know anything from you because you're a pup, an infant. Talk to me in 10 or 15 years. If you still don't get what I'm talking about at that point then it will be quite obvious you made nothing of yourself. 

so is that a no? you dont want to hear from someone who has actually hands on experience with early access games and instead tell me what early access games are like even though you have no experience with them?


you also lack the experience to understand that early acccess and beta programs are not the same thing I might add

oh and for the record I have been playing video games for 37 years.

Are you saying that Early Access games don't wipe? 

I'm quite aware that Early Access doesn't necessarily mean that there will be wipes, or that they aren't of good quality. Ark and 7DTD are both titles which are, for all intents and purposes, released, but they remain in Early Access because there are important features still missing, like pooping (for real, that was just added to Ark). However, they feel that they are "release-worthy" enough to put out expansions, retail copies, etc. 

So if what you're trying to inform me is that early access is a clusterfuck right now, yeah, I get that. I also find it difficult to advocate for games in that state because they simply remain an example for people who want to trash early access programs. Furthermore, beta and alpha programs are no better these days, unfortunately. They deliver something that is much too polished to actually lead to any real change to the systems without massive re-writes. However, I suppose they traded those "true" test programs for a million monkeys-style methodology where they just throw millions of people at it and hope that they get enough data to make a good game. I'm not saying it's wrong, it's effectively crowdsourcing, but you get THEM to pay YOU, so kudos for that. I'd rather see the money go to the developer than some random ebayer. 

Wow! 37 years? Fuck me! So you probably have lots of knowledge then. So why do you seem so ill-informed? 

What I will say is I sincerely hope that when I'm your age, I'll have as much free time as you seem to. I am quite envious of you if you're putting in hundreds of hours in early access games. I hope to get to a point where I can put hundreds of hours into my steam backlog. 

SEANMCAD

CrazKanuk said:

SEANMCAD said:

CrazKanuk said:

SEANMCAD said:

CrazKanuk said:

SEANMCAD said:

SpottyGekko said:

I'm sick of "testing" games, I want to PLAY games, not test them.

It's alpha, you can't complain about the bugs !
It's Early Access, you can't complain about the lack of content !

Pffft !

I very honestly feel sorry for folks with your point of view.

They are really missing out on the best 'revolution' in gaming history right now. Lots of great games

Are they going to do a server wipe? 

Did you ever think that some people might not have 100 hours to put into a game only to have that progress disappear? 

The problem is not with the people waiting for the game, but the people putting games into a perpetual state of testing. My assumption is that if something is in Early Access, it will be wiped at some point. That's not cool with me. 

I play early access games all the time
I play hundreds of hours
I have had game files wiped.

 Now given that I have direct experience in these matters and you do not, what would you like to know from me about the subject?

 
Listen, son. I have likely participated in more beta programs than games you've played. I really don't need to know anything from you because you're a pup, an infant. Talk to me in 10 or 15 years. If you still don't get what I'm talking about at that point then it will be quite obvious you made nothing of yourself. 

so is that a no? you dont want to hear from someone who has actually hands on experience with early access games and instead tell me what early access games are like even though you have no experience with them?


you also lack the experience to understand that early acccess and beta programs are not the same thing I might add

oh and for the record I have been playing video games for 37 years.

Are you saying that Early Access games don't wipe? 

no I am saying exactly what I said
 1. Early Access and Beta Testing is not the same thing.
2. I am asking you a question, would you like me to tell you what eraly access is like given I have actually played early access and you havent?

 I am not saying anything other than those two things, and its pretty clearly stated

CrazKanuk

SEANMCAD said:

CrazKanuk said:

SEANMCAD said:

CrazKanuk said:

SEANMCAD said:

CrazKanuk said:

SEANMCAD said:

SpottyGekko said:

I'm sick of "testing" games, I want to PLAY games, not test them.

It's alpha, you can't complain about the bugs !
It's Early Access, you can't complain about the lack of content !

Pffft !

I very honestly feel sorry for folks with your point of view.

They are really missing out on the best 'revolution' in gaming history right now. Lots of great games

Are they going to do a server wipe? 

Did you ever think that some people might not have 100 hours to put into a game only to have that progress disappear? 

The problem is not with the people waiting for the game, but the people putting games into a perpetual state of testing. My assumption is that if something is in Early Access, it will be wiped at some point. That's not cool with me. 

I play early access games all the time
I play hundreds of hours
I have had game files wiped.

 Now given that I have direct experience in these matters and you do not, what would you like to know from me about the subject?

 
Listen, son. I have likely participated in more beta programs than games you've played. I really don't need to know anything from you because you're a pup, an infant. Talk to me in 10 or 15 years. If you still don't get what I'm talking about at that point then it will be quite obvious you made nothing of yourself. 

so is that a no? you dont want to hear from someone who has actually hands on experience with early access games and instead tell me what early access games are like even though you have no experience with them?


you also lack the experience to understand that early acccess and beta programs are not the same thing I might add

oh and for the record I have been playing video games for 37 years.

Are you saying that Early Access games don't wipe? 

no I am saying exactly what I said
 1. Early Access and Beta Testing is not the same thing.
2. I am asking you a question, would you like me to tell you what eraly access is like given I have actually played early access and you havent?

 I am not saying anything other than those two things, and its pretty clearly stated

Cool, thanks. I don't actually need your explanation. Also, I already acknowledged that Early Access and Beta aren't the same. Mostly because beta is a means to an end, it's part of a release cycle, and early access is specifically intended to give the developer free reign to do whatever they want, absolving them of any sort of accountability which might require them to stamp a game as released. As much as the idea is a sound one, and I support the idea of early access because I feel that community feedback is seriously underrated, the implementation is too messy and open-ended. The evidence is in the differentiation between games in the program. 

For the record, I have played early access games, and I own a couple that are in early access right now, and I'm looking at buying another. Not sure why you're making those assumptions.