Post in my early access - alpha thread

[mizzou]

I don't know how I feel about this, but it seems like so many games now are being released in a completely unfinished form.

Just some thoughts on games I've purchased (and some enjoyed GREATLY):

1. Kerbal space program
2. ARMA 3
3. Minecraft
4. Ace of Spades


Thinking/thought about purchasing/playing:
1. Sir, You are being Hunted
2. War Thunder
3. Prison Architect
4. Sim City 5 (lulz)
5. Starforge Alpha

------------------------------
I have not yet been disappointed by what I purchased....although I feel like there is something substantial missing...

My biggest problem: We will never have a game with GREAT promise be GREAT or even LEGENDARY, these games will only be GOOD.

So what is LEGENDARY? A game that is fun, well rounded, replayable, long lasting, and thoughtfully developed.
iablo
oom
:HalfLife
:Ultima VII
:COD series
:Elder Scrolls/Fallout series
:Balders Gate series

Let's look at minecraft, it is a good game with great/legendary promise. The game is obviously half-heartedly developed.

"Notch" basically gave up on programming it further after the beta release sold gajillions of copies. Notch said the game would not be "released" without several key features. Well, it took forever, but his vision was never realized. Notch wanted a game with RPG elements, adventure, etc., but all we ended up getting was the same game with more "mobs" and procedural generated homes.
- Should Minecraft had been a focused development, imagine the game with; decent AI for mobs and friendlies, varied animations, a better performing world

Minecraft, though fun and extremely successful, is a game for the history books, but imagine how dominating it could have been if some actual effort was put into it?


What about Kerbal Space Program? Here is a game that has obviously had alot of technical detail placed into it and is executed quite well, however there are huge swaths of gameplay missing. At the rate it is being updated, I just don't see a campaign mode being added anytime soon. Multiplayer option would make this game LEGENDARY, but sadly I don't think that will happen .



IN CONCLUSION:

- I just feel like we are having these potentially great games fall short. Call it a money grab or what you will, but game quality is suffering. Maybe they couldn't do it without the $ because these are small garage developers, but once the $$ comes rolling in I have yet to see a re-investment back into the original project.

Just imagine if Balder's Gate-Shadows of Amn came out saying; "purchase pre-alpha gameplay, with purchase get your own character name in gameplay world and we will let you come up with your own NPC question block and response! - Only dungeons are playable at this time, will add more quests and worlds to explore!"

Would it have been fun? Yeah! but would it have been AS fun as the vanilla game...probably not.

Alpha/beta access is nothing new, but MASS alpha/beta access on a wide scale AND paying for the full copy of the game up front IS new.

 

[surfsatwerk]

You're right.

 

[JamesV]

In my experience from playing many alpha games like Kerbal Space Program and Prison Architect, even these alphas are better than polished AAA titles. I've spent far more time playing unfinished alphas lately, than I have played any recent AAA title.

Between the titles listed above I have over 260 hours played. Tomb Raider, Bioshock Infinite, and Max Payne have only given me 26 hours in total across all three games before I'm completely bored with them.

Personally, I think this new direction of letting players buy into alphas a good thing. Not only because I get to play some great games now, but because sooner or later, AAA devs will realize there is a market for another game that isn't a shooter with RPG elements and heavy production values.

 

[robvp]

The thing is, without the early alpha releases these games might never even get past a few screenshots and videos and eventually they will fall into obscurity due to lack of funding or loss of interest, most of the times they are being developed by small teams of friends with a good idea

 

[pontifex]

how many of those games in OPs list are actually released - 2? They are all alpha stage games that aren't released yet.

 

[lilrayray69]

I think the price on some of these games is ridiculous. KSP though is a very good game with fairly regular updates, although I do sometimes doubt whether it will ever be in a truly "finished" form, and I think that's the problem with a lot of these.

A lot cost $20+ for an unfinished game, touting that you get to be part of the development of the game....but honestly, by the time it actually fully releases will you still be interested?

Now ARMA 3 I can understand, that's from a fairly big developer who you can be confident will come with a relatively finished and polished product. But a game like KSP or Prison Architect which is highly ambitious but has 5-10 people dedicated to developing it...and there are simply just to many of these games out there.

I bought Interstellar Marines and was pretty disappointed. It was/is VERY early in development with little to do.

I think of DayZ for which the mod is still technically in Alpha, with a lot of players but the promise of a standalone fully finished game...problem is, by the time it gets done (if?) people will have moved on or just keep playing the mod that is now ported to Arma 3