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[Column] General: Should Developers Sell Early Access?
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
Welcome back to Player Versus Player, the column where two MMORPG writers enter to debate before handing it to you. Please note, Player Versus Player is a LIVE product but if you would like early access to PVP 2.0, alpha packs can be purchased for $19.99. Readers should be aware that alpha articles may be missing critical features such as paragraphs, capitalization, and proper grammar. This only works for video games, you say? I think we’ve found our topic: Should developers sell early access?
Read more of Christopher Coke's Player vs Player: Should Developers Sell Early Access?
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Comments
from past experiences? no.
i realize that the game gets a more fair review once its officially ready from release. and only the fanboys praise the game on the forums which drown out the actual concerns of potential playersfor that game.
Companies need money, and gamers are dumb with money. So they will buy games unfinished and come here and create threads that will claim a game is garbage due to bugs.
Roses are red
Violets are blue
The reviewer has a mishapen head
Which means his opinion is skewed
...Aldous.MF'n.Huxley
They can so they should....I guess.
I don't think gamers have ever been a positive part of making a game good and the beta testing process to me is a joke. The valuable feedback most often gives is, it's too hard, it takes too long and the class that killed me is OP.
The only real testing I ever see going on in a beta is ...get enough people looking in the hey stack and you'll eventually find all the needles.
If people really want to let them test a game in the very early stages then let them.. at the end of the day it is their money and they can do what they want with it..
I cant see any reason why a publisher would not want to offer early access in this day and age.
Selling early access is actualy one of the most harmless ways to monetize a game. FAR more harmless then RMT cashshops in general since it doesn't have any long lasting effects on how the game plays once it's designed. As long as a Developer is absolutely clear and upfront about what the gamer is buying into with thier access ticket and what stage the game will be in, I just don't see the problem.
For most games, I personaly, don't have much interest in playing the game before it's finished and ready for full production launch but I have made a couple of exceptions for specific reasons. In general though, it's not business of mine if another player wants to pay to get an early peak and as long as the Developer feels that won't hurt thier product, who am I to say different?
If you don't like it, the solution is simple....don't buy early access...it won't effect your ability to buy or play the product once it's fully launched at all....or not, as you choose. Problem solved.
they will buy games unfinished and come here and create threads that will claim a game is garbage due to bugs.
if its beta or alpha the devs better be on top of their game communicating changes and responding to concerns of the game while this process is ongoing with its players.
even so- that may not be enough and may hinder the game from gamers who do not understand what an alpha is.
Yes.
If people are willing to buy a game they know the risks.
If will purchase a game before it is out if I am willing to risk not feeling as if I got my money's worth.
If you do not feel comfortable with the payment... don't do it.... if you do then you can blame nobody but yourself.
No,they should only sell win.
(non-gamers love it)
So, did ESO have a successful launch? Yes, yes it did.By Ryan Getchell on April 02, 2014.
**On the radar: http://www.cyberpunk.net/ **
Biggest thing is, if you don't like it, don't pay for it! Problem solved, why care about the people who are buying early access. How does it hurt you if I am playing alpha and happened to pay for access?
This is true... I think it is funny people paid $100 to be in EQ:L "ALPHA" and as soon as the server goes down they are on here complaining and trying to figure out error codes... what makes it worse is they come here to complain and figure out the error codes, rather than just reading the games actual forum.
Alpha/Early Beta - HELL NO, devs and professional testers only (maybe friends and family)
Late Beta/Open Beta/Stress Tests - sure why not
I think yes.
A lot of the mules are moving game to game during beta because then they still get to game freely without paying. I think paying for early access is a great thing and will only help to segregate the mules from whales.
I think everyone, no matter what they pay, should be on equal footing first day. Keep the extra orders having their statues and cloth maps or whatever. Someone still paid xyz company 60 bucks or w/e. It would be nice to either allow any preorders early access or push all to the same date.
I don't really care a whole lot, just a thought.
I don't mind selling early access as long as it's part of the package for the finished game too.
If they want us to pay for alpha, pay for beta, pay for release, then no, I'm not okay with that.
"Pay for early access. Pay for the box. Pay for..."
Hmm. When you pay for early access don't you get the game (such as it is) at that point? Who makes you pay another time for the release version of the game?
http://jamesykai.hubpages.com/hub/my-top-5-mmorpgs
Lost my mind, now trying to lose yours...
I am one of the EQ Enthusiasts (fanboy) who bought a Trailblazer pack.
While I admit that there is too much whining on the forums, I think that the EQNL team has gained some valuable information about how their game performs and they have been able to make some good adjustments much earlier in the development process than if they had waited to load test in open beta. What company could seriously field 20K testers to load test a game and I don't mean simulated loads. While unconventional, I think that they may be on the right track with inviting people to participate in the development of the game and give feedback early on.
Since most players aren't being charged extra money, but rather are being charged what they would pay on the game anyway, just much sooner than the game's release, it's more like being charged as soon as you bring your car in, and getting to watch them work on your car while you wait. Except in the case of the mechanic, you're a lot more likely to get your car back in working order. Not so much with video games and MMORPGs.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
Should Developers Sell Early Access?
Yes.
The more important question is: Should GAMERS buy into Early Access schemes ?
There I'd say NO. It is a very bad trend at most. There'll be developers that sell endless alpha stages. They can get away with it since there are no guarantees of any kind.
This road to hell started with exclusive beta access sales.