Early access/kickstarter games

[Marenghi]

i'm interested to see what everyones thoughts are with early access games - do you buy them or stay clear until there's a finished product available?

for kickstarter although it's a great idea i've only backed one project on there (Prison Architect), the fact the devs have no obligation to finish/make the game after receiving the money is a huge gamble and a risk i'm not prepared to take. i would only consider backing a project if they were a well known group/person with a history of finishing projects they start.

for early access i follow the same rule of thumb, i've purchased 2 games that are still in early access but they're being made/published by companies i can trust, to a certain extent anyway. Rust (Gary from Garry's mod) and DayZ (Bohemia Interactive) are my early access purchases but again like the kickstarter games i'm not going to purchase an unfinished product from a company that has no or very little history behind it's name. i realise that a lot of the game developers/publishers that follow this business plan probably wouldn't get their game to see the light of day without such a model and there are some games i'm keeping an eye on but i'm not prepared to throw money their way just because the game has promise. i think this attitude stems from being burnt by pre ordering games in the past, Rome 2 & BF4 are my most recent bad buys.

the other problem i see with early access games, probably not so much with the more mature demographic that Hexus has, is that you can overplay an unfinished game and by the time it comes out of development you'll most likely be too bored with the game to play it in its full glory. i've seen on the DayZ reddit people who have pumped 800+ hours into the game already and it's still at least a year off being a finished product. to me that's a complete waste of time, why spend so much time playing something that's buggy and unfinished?

so if any of you do purchase early access games why? to save yourself some money? you've played everything you want to play and can't wait for the finished product?

[outwar6010]

It depends on the game. If I'm really excited about or I'm positive that it will go through I will fund it. However i do tend to go for the bigger titles. So far i've funded blade symphony dreamfall and star citizen.

[aidanjt]

It's a bit of a hit and miss. I got Kerbal Space Program on early access and I've absolutely loved it. Easily the best money I've ever spent on a game. But I know there've been some early access games that have been a deep disappointment for others. So if a game gets your interest, I'd do a bit of Googling about to see what owners are saying about it and weigh things up.

[wasabi]

Been bitten by Elite beta. Pay more for absolutely dreadful support and a beta tag meaning you've thrown all your consumer rights down the toilet. Managed to get it working in the end kinda sortofish. But no thanks to Frontier Developments who only bother to get back on support ticket after I raise a refund on paypal.

Wait for final product is my post-being-stung advice. Paying extra for a game that won't even launch is rather disheartening.

[SUMMONER]

Bought 3 games early.

Arma 3, StarDrive and Infinite Space 3.

Arma 3 is brilliant, StarDrive is okish (game was never finished properly by the maker) and Infinite I haven't had the time to play as of yet.

I do think that buying into the "idea" for a new game helps getting more small developers to give it a go. I also absolutely love logging into the makers forum to see what new concepts they are working on and over time watch it all come together. I may not be the one making the game, but I do feel somewhat involved.

Of course there is going to be the odd botched/abandoned project, but I would be surprised if that wasn't true. Early access/funding development is only for enthusiasts. If you want a guarantee with your purchase, buy a TV.

[mynameissi]

My philosophy is to buy the game when its officially released
I think there is maybe 1 game I would consider buying if in alpha/beta and that would be the new Mount and Blade which was announced 2 years ago and is still in development. Seen as I absolutely love M&B warband and would love to get involved in the early stages of the game to help improve it.
Otherwise I don't think its worth the risk. I'd rather play the game to what it should be instead of a bug infested version.
So if you are passionate about a certain title, I would say yes for sure buy into it early, otherwise naaah.

[Tallflip]

I've funded several kickstarter games, mostly ones that I have history with (Elite Dangerous, Star Citizen, Project GODUS and obduction). Trying to limit myself to not burn interest in beta or early access. I feel confident when done these will play well, an if not it's given something extra back to the developers responsible for lots of fun from my childhood. I funded Elite Dangerous and Star citizen early on as I wanted these to be a success

I've funded 2 others which I feel have great potential, but not that much and I'm waiting on those before considering more. I usually wait until the price drops after release.

[AlmightyJoygasm]

Ive been completely drawn in by Star Citizen.

Backed way more than I should have done, but I'm confident it will succeed. If not I will certainly be more wary in the future.

I think if you want a game to make it through, its good to back it, as your giving it more of a chance of making it. How much do you back? I guess that's up to your enthusiasm for the game and how deep your pockets are. You can see a $15, 000 pledges for Star Citizen if you look at the website!

Best regards
AJ