Early access games

[rob4001]

Can someone explain to an old fart like me why people spend so much time and money on early access games which are forever in development?

For example ARK has 50,000 plus reviews on steam some new ones are quite negative and the players reviewing have 1200 plus hours on record. What's up didn't they get their moneys worth?? Ok so a balance patch went wrong...its early access!

I also seem to think a lot of these games seem quite empty like H1Z1, dayz Rust etc

Me I'm old school I like to play completed games that have post release patches on but what do i know!

[AGTDenton]

I'll admit I got addicted to Rust and loved its first incarnation so much that I was running a server for 8 months.
I recently went back to it on the newer edition and yes its not bad played it for a couple of weeks on and off. But I wasn't getting the same thrill and the hacking issues are a big problem.
If you are going to play one of these games you need dedication. You're going to spend a lot of time with other players if you want to survive for a long time, working as a team is beneficial and more fun. I got to know quite a few players in my time and met a couple of them in person, so overall its been a good experience. (Obvious maturity is needed here).

When Rust was first out it was quite cheap, I think 9.99 and I've definitely got my monies worth even if it hasn't been released yet.

The endless development is definitely a big trend with survival games. I think the problem is they have so many ideas, too few developers and no set in stone goals. Following the Rust development blog is chaotic, they really cant focus on certain aspects for long. Its a bit of this, a bit of that, add a little something else... but before they finish any of it they've moved onto something else entirely.

However, take a game like Cities: Skylines which wasn't in Early Access for very long, they had got quite far with development before putting it out to Early Access. They clearly had a solid team from the beginning that set out the rules and limits of the game with goal posts to aim for.

Then on another hand look at Takedown Red Sabre. This completely failed...

So it is a bit hit and miss sometimes

[abaxas]

The cost of produce games is increasing while the sales price is descreasing. If we look back to the 90's and used inflation, your average 'AAA' title would come in at over 100 quid!

People need money to develop games, this is another way they can try and get some.

[rob4001]

I would say that counteracted slightly by game engines now being free unity etc. But yes they need money. AGTDenton I can see his point of view it was a solid social and fun gaming experience for him and communities do build up around these games.

Maybe I'm watching too many trolling vids on youtube . I find these games hard to get into.

[agodin]

Tried soooo many Early Access games and very few have been worth it, only game I can think of that I followed all the way through to release with War of the Overlord

[big_hairy_rob]

I suppose it's whether you consider the game heading in a direction that you are happy with.
Some, I have enjoyed are Folk Tale, Prison Architect, Kerbel Space Program, Minecraft.
Others, such as Godus I have not.

Prior to purchasing them I did some research and fully understood exactly what buying these would entail. A number of times significant invested hours were wiped out during patches, but this is nothing that I'm also not used to when buying AAA Games. Numerous times I've had saved games corrupt & had to restart across different formats. Plus with constant patches updating content during most modern games lives, why should this be any different for developing/early-access games?

While I can understand the frustration that this could cause, I quite like the opportunity to revisit a game multiple times and even potentially see it anew. Currently I'm exploring Rust and though the reviews are mainly negative, the experience on the whole has been good. It's challenging and I like that. There is risk and after all what is a game without risk? Sure it's not polished and there are numerous bugs/glitches, but I'm looking forward to getting back in to build up my base.

[jimbouk]

So Rust is £5.09 currently from the humble bundle site. Together with a bunch of friends we got it an jumped on a public server. Can't say I personally had fun. Spent some time walking around trying to find landmarks near my friends, then getting killed. Spent some time hitting trees and rocks, crafted myself a box and a lock, look for somewhere to put it, then get killed. I left them huddled in someone else's little hut they'd stolen refusing to open the door to strangers. Odd game, could do with a 'humanity meter' or something, after a while hurting rather than helping fellow humans you lose control of your character as they become 'wild'.

We rent a small server for other games but you can't rent Rust servers with less than 50 people which makes the cost prohibitive. Looking at hosting locally instead.

Back to the early access side, it looked a bit rough round the edges with things clipping, and I had it crash once. Will it get released ever? It's getting updates but has been early access for a long time.

[Disturbedguy]

can't rent Rust servers with less than 50 people which makes the cost prohibitive. Looking at hosting locally instead.

You can - http://www.multiplaygameservers.com/...e-server/rust/

[roorooroo]

Tried a few early access games..some have been developed well and some have been all but abandoned. Luck of the draw i suppose, though i would prefer them to have been in the latter stages of development before parting with my hard-earned.

[big_hairy_rob]

Rust is a way of dealing with frustration. It's soul destroying to see what you've painstakingly built up get taken over by someone else.

That said, it is a challenge. It's a great example of risk vs reward vs BEAR. Yes the landscape can screw you over. People can screw you over. Your friends can turn on you in a heartbeat, but it's a challenge; and I like that. For me the great experience is seeing a game that once more makes it easier to die than to live and fundamentally, that's what a game should be. If there's no challenge, where's the fun in that?

What I don't like is how every time I hear footsteps or a helicopter I now get panic attack. That would probably be less of an issue if I didn't live next to a walkway and under a flight path...

[Jacob1]

Prison Architect was a great game in early access and I've definitely got my moneys worth but I cant say the same for DayZ.

[StayedSpark]

The only early access game ive sunk 100's of hours in has got to be Rust, played a few hundred hours in legacy and a fw hundred hours now!