I propose 2024 is the year of early access games boycott.
Bring back completed games only.
Eh, early access isn't the problem. Palworld has been wrecking Pokemon despite being Early Access
Can 2024 instead be the year of bad game boycott? When an early access game is better than most AAA completed games, then there's a serious problem
If we could all just agree to not preorder, I’ll negotiate from there.
Preordering made sense when games came in nice boxes, and you wanted to be sure to play it on the day of release instead of waiting for restocking. With digital downloads now which are not limited in quantity it is just stupid.
i never preorder, and i don't think i could justify jt even if i did. buying a game for 70 bucks when you don't even know if it's any good just sounds stupid to me.
I mean, just do a little due diligence, Jesus. I've bought PalWorld, Planet Crafter, Traveler's Rest, and more in early access and had a blast with all of them. In fact, I'd say it's some of the best bang for my buck in the last ten years of gaming. I've also not bought early access games because the five minutes of due diligence suggested that it was a garbage game.
I particularly think it's fine with small, indie studios that don't have a lot of devs or resources. No way in fuck am I buying an early access AAA release.
Couldn't agree more.
Games like Valheim or Satisfactory have also been great, despite technically still being in early Access. And, looking back, Risk of Rain 2, Hades and Dead Cells developers have all done excellent job at using early access to develop their games and listen to the community.
Early access, just like any other development model, is a tool. All depends on how it is used.
Pocketpair releasing Palworld into Early Access when Craftopia is still in Early Access leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth
Right? People need to take a little responsibility. If you want early access, expect issues. If you don't want to see issues, wait. Easy. What's the point complaining about a company providing early access or other gamers purchasing it? You don't need to make it your business, just don't buy the game yet if it bothers you.
Yep. The indie boom that PC gaming experienced would not have been possible without early access funding, full stop.
Not every early access title has gone perfectly and there are some studios that have gamed the system.
Still, the stuff that managed to make it through the process and become successful has been some of the only stuff saving us from a live service hellscape
The games I have bought in early access:
Early access isn't the problem.
Minecraft.
Dwarf Fortress.
Was just gonna say I've put an embarrassing amount of hours into Satisfactory, which is an "early access" game I paid like $20 for. Nothing wrong with it. It's not an abandoned product, but even if it was I'd have a hard time complaining about it.
Project zomboid
100% the way to play video games these days.
I bought Deep Rock Galactic, Subnautica, annd Satisfactory in early access and have no regrets. These are great games and I would rather pay to be a beta tester on them than play many AAA finished pieces of junk. I think in general it’s not a bad thing to be wary about early access but I’m not sure it warrants an all or nothing approach.
The thing is, early access games aren't necessary unplayable.
If they are good enough in their current form to warrant the price, then that is a good time to buy them. The updates are only a bonus at that point.
But don't buy early access for the promised features, since they may never arrive.
I like early access games because at least you know the game is unfinished.
And the game is making money while still being in development, so the devs can take their time without having to worry about deadlines.
Early access games can also change fundamental gameplay aspects since it's in development, so if a feature sucks, they can just remove it.
RimWorld, Subnautica, darkest dungeon, streets of rogue, project zomboid, oxygen not included, starsector, skull the hero slayer, dead cells, caves of qud quasimorph and universim are games i bought in early access that I do not regret in the slightest.
I'd say the biggest problem is these big companies who release "finished" games that are clearly not finished and the people who keep pre-ordering them
Add Baldur's Gate 3 and Hades to the list
I'm very anti-pre-order, but early access I'm okay with. It comes with the same decision process as buying anything else, is what I'm getting right now worth the money I'm paying? If yes, then buy it, if no then don't. I don't buy promises, I buy products.
Baldurs gate 3 is a good example of early access done right. I knew going in I was getting the first 4 levels and roughly 1/4 - 1/3 of the planned final game, but what was there already was worth the price I paid, even if they never finished or released it, I got my money's worth imo. I put like 200+ hours into it before it released, i can't be mad at that for 30 bucks.
The biggest hypocrisy are games in early access that release a DLC before v1
Fuckin' Ark.
There's nothing wrong with buying early access games. You as a buyer just need to be happy with the current state of the game at the time of purchase.
And the price should reflect the game's current state/value, not some hypothetical roadmap.
So more like Kerbal Space Program, less like Kerbal Space Program 2.
Where does "buying it 10 years later so that it can run on whatever the modern equivalent of a teacup is" fit in?
Playing witcher 3 on steamdeck for the first time.
Relevant XKCD
Enjoying palworld quite a bit despite bugs, and the input (and money) will probably make the end product a better game. BG3 is another example of a game that was wildly successful due to EA.
I'll judge these on a case by case basis. But I think the issue is less EA titles and more titles that are released not as EA but obviously broken.
Too late. Everybody buying Palworld.
Honestly, Palworld shows how bad it is. An early access being better than many complete releases is...
Wow
Just goes to show you that “early release” is mostly just a marketing gimmick these days
Nah, I'll continue spending my money on whatever I want, thanks.
My rule is that I only buy an Early Access game if I'd still be happy with it even if the devs never made another update (because sometimes they don't).
Nah, I'll buy quality games whether or not they're EA. As with everything, you have to put in the effort to find the good shit mixed in with the bad. I've easily had at least a half dozen EA games that I've bought and played hundreds of hours, and more than a half dozen "completed" games that were absolute trash. Games like KSP, Minecraft, Factorio, Satisfactory, Oxygen Not Included, and DSP are some of my most played games, and all bought during early access/pre-release. And those are just the ones that come to the top of my head lol.
When you buy something early access you have to know what you're getting, and you have to understand this is potentially all you're getting. With any early access game I purchased, I made sure that I'm okay with the game I purchasing and that I don't feel like more justify my purchase. With that mentality I've never been disappointed in my choices for early access purchases, and the games I've purchased have all come a long way and some have even gotten to "completed"/1.0 level.
I respect people who wait for games to leave early access, but there are genuinely great indies in EA that are more polished than most AAA titles. Take each title on a case by case basis. Don't give shitty devs/pubs your hard earned money.
Palworlds mad fun though...so ....sorry!
This is more applicable to over-hyped, AAA titles. A lot of the games mentioned in comments are smaller, indie developed passion projects that get the TLC they deserve.
I've been happy with many, if not most, of the early access games I bought. But I tend to stick with cheaper indie games anyway. I don't think I've paid more than $30 dollars for a game in over a decade.
Ah yes, "completed" games like Cyberpunk, Fallout 76 or Battlefield 4.
What year is it that people don't realize the only difference between early access and AAA releases at this point is lies?
Buying early access makes you an investor. Which has the possibility of the product failing. It is a bet, treat it as such.
What % of profits do you get if the game is a success?
That's the neat part, you don't!
I'm buying 2 more copies of Palworld just because you're whining.
laughs in 🏴☠️ Palworld
Ironically, despite being version 0.1.3. it's in a better shape than some "full" releases. Looking at you, Starfield.
Yeah, after all that Baldur's Gate 3 early access thing came out terribly.
Patient gamer gang
I've been playing beamNg for 4+ years and it's been in ea the entire time since 2015, possibly the best car game you can get for 20€.
Slay the spire I've also owned since early access, it's maybe the most beautiful single player card game to exist. Although it only spent 1-2 years in ea.
Don't be the first to buy ea games I guess but if the game is already fun why not.