Early Access = Beta = Y r u PAYING for IT ?!?

[RamBlade]

OMG.. u still have 2014 intro vid up. And WHY is this still called "early access"? Aren't you done yet? I am done with source funding the industries "early access." U ALL should get wise too. I am so old, i remember when BETAs was free to the people who played and submitted feedback to the DEVs.

[toebar]

Lol. get a grip mate. :roll: We've paid for a game we like playing, and it will include the story mode when it arrives.

There's a lot of early access titles out there that roundly deserves criticism for their lack of progress, snails pace development or even complete abandonment -- TLD is not one of these.

[Hatchet]

So much anger...I can only assume you made an account just to post this and it had to be done ASAP Reminds me a bit of Kanye West in all his wisdom :roll:

The three main reasons i see people paying for early access are:

-Early access

-(Fan) Support (money wise and/or feedback wise)

-Cheaper at early access compared to full release

Why did i pay for it? A combination of all of the above.

Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.

~Mark Twain

Welcome to the forums!

Wrong board, wiseguy :idea:

[KD7BCH]

Go grab yourself a copy and then come back after having played it. There is a reason it is rated 95% positive. Get a clue.

[nicko]

Don't feed the immature Troll.

[elloco999]

The way I see it:

I saw a game that looked like it could be my game of the decade if not of the century (but the century has only just started so it's a little early for that) and decided to pay a bit to help it get made.

Now for over a year I have been playing The Long Dark and although it is not done yet it is already a better game than many others. And I love playing it. So to me, it's money well spent!

If I had been as 'wise' as you I would have deprived myself of all the fun I've had during the 431 hours I've happily spend playing TLD.

[Dirmagnos]

This game, in early access, is of far better quality(in terms of both content and actual optimization) than majority of so-called AAA titles(nowadays AAA merely refers to a size of company that made/published game, not game quality) present on the market. If devs will continue in the same direction, then by release it will be a game of superb quality. I consider buying this game is to be far better investment, as far as gaming goes, to spending money on a casual mediocre garbage like Fallout 4 or Battlefront.

[PPartisan]

Game development is fast becoming a bit of a closed shop - a lot of great companies (THQ and Full Control come immediately mind, but there are definitely more) have been shut down or bought out since the last recession. Even though I really enjoy what big names like EA and Ubisoft produce, the games industry would be all the worse if it were dominated by these companies...so I'm more than happy to support independent devs whenever they have good ideas, and if that includes Early Access then so be it.

[SteveP]

Independent software development has several advantages including Agile software development. Creating software is an expensive proposition especially since you need to pay highly skilled professionals.

With early access we get to play with the software before release and provide feedback. This is a tremendous advantage! Once this full featured game comes to official release, the price will be much higher; in comparison to other games, it's still a great deal.

The industry is moving away from monolithic development teams that are burdened with a lot of overhead and often "carry" semi-skilled developers. Small, highly experienced teams can produce better quality software, faster and with better attention to what the end user wants. I've worked in both environments; the vagaries of the economy can affect both but its always much nice to work with a smaller group where one's efforts are appreciated.

We really have come a long way in the evolution of software gaming. Steam and other tools make it much easier to create truly innovative games at a fraction of the cost of development. Quality never comes easily; it must be designed into the system from the start; the biggest challenges tend to be psychological rather than technical, in my experience as a senior QA and performance test engineer.

[illanthropist]

I'd happily sign up for early access titles that support innovation and creative development in the gaming industry than throw my money at pre-order bonuses for the likes of Call of Duty Advanced Warfare 27 or Tony Hawks Pro Zimmerframer!

Pre-order is the real nail in the coffin of the gaming industry, a dinosaur from the pre-digital age, not to mention micro transactions and season passes...

Early access, I get it cheaper, it supports the dev's through to fruition if i don't like the finished result ah well didn't cost me much.

Pre-order is RRP with some garbage tagged on, the dev's sit on their laurels as they have my money and they push out buggy unfinished content, if I don't like it bend over and take it but all that early ARPU looked golden on the shareholders reports.

[shadragon]

Not sure where the frustration is coming from. You CAN play the game in it's current state. I was doing so last night. It is early access, because it isn't ready for general release yet.

Take a deep breath. Your impatience isn't going to speed anything up.

[Maninpants]

I didn't mind paying for this game and I don't mind waiting a certain amount of time for it to be finished (as long as it isn't too much longer!!). I would love to see this opened up for us being able to create maps, possibly modding and/or I'd pay for reasonably priced map packs to extend sandbox for an infinite amount of exploration...

I guess what I'm saying is that there are plenty of people that have happily paid for this game so relax, be patient and remember that good things come to those who wait.

[DenverDad]

I've logged more hours playing and have derived more enjoyment from this game in its current unfinished state than 90% of the games I've purchased over the last 6-7 years.

There are still companies out there that do free betas. Generally speaking these are established companies with large sums of money on hand which they've either accumulated from previous releases or acquired from various investors. When it comes to investors this money covers the cost of development and testing up until release with the hope that when the game ships they'll be able to repay those investors. Unfortunately this model comes with strings attached as often times those investors try to direct the vision for the game the way they see fit. It is their money after all.

The Long Dark has been funded by the community. Each of us who bought this early release title or contributed to the Kickstarter did so because we liked the vision Hinterland set forth and we wanted to help it manifest without some large investor hijacking the project. Don't like it? Don't buy it. The vast majority of people who've contributed to this project are more than happy with their decision to do so.

[DenverDad]

double post

[cekivi]

On 2016-02-17 at 6:10 AM, Dirmagnos said:

This game, in early access, is of far better quality(in terms of both content and actual optimization) than majority of so-called AAA titles(nowadays AAA merely refers to a size of company that made/published game, not game quality) present on the market. If devs will continue in the same direction, then by release it will be a game of superb quality. I consider buying this game is to be far better investment, as far as gaming goes, to spending money on a casual mediocre garbage like Fallout 4 or Battlefront.

I had to laugh at this. And also completely agree. After seeing some let's plays of Fallout 4 post release I am very, very glad I didn't pre-order it. Removing most of the RPG from the RPG-FPS is not how to make a Fallout game

As for the original post, I (like everyone else) have gotten a lot more enjoyment from The Long Dark in Early Access than I have from some AAA titles in my steam library. If the cost of that quality is Early Access, so be it. Besides, with the new Steam return policy and the plethora of Let's Plays and reviews available for The Long Dark it is really easy to make an informed decision on whether to buy in. That's what I did. FYI Loading Ready Run is an awesome site for those videos http://loadingreadyrun.com/. Early Access doesn't have to be a scam when the developers behave like Hinterland Studios.

 

[vancopower]

On 17.2.2016 at 1:54 AM, RamBlade said:

OMG.. u still have 2014 intro vid up. And WHY is this still called "early access"? Aren't you done yet? I am done with source funding the industries "early access." U ALL should get wise too. I am so old, i remember when BETAs was free to the people who played and submitted feedback to the DEVs.

You sir are no gentleman and this community is a gentleman's club so please stay out.

[Necrist]

Hey. Just saying that the people who make this are doing an amazing job. You try to make a game this good. Its an extremely hard task and the developers deserve a lot of respect. They have this in beta for fan support, promotion, and its cheeper in early access. There is a reason that this game has a 95% rating. So go try it your self. You'll love it unless your that 5%.

[Necrist]

Hey. Just saying that the people who make this are doing an amazing job. You try to make a game this good. Its an extremely hard task and the developers deserve a lot of respect. They have this in beta for fan support, promotion, and its cheeper in early access. There is a reason that this game has a 95% rating. So go try it your self. You'll love it unless your that 5%.