Interesting read: "Let's stop pretending that "done" is an aspirational state."

[Regina]

Interesting read from Polygon: "When I reviewed the strategy game Crusader Kings 2 in 2012, I enjoyed the game quite a bit. But it's changed a huge amount in the past two years — it lasts 50 percent longer, almost every faction on the map is playable and quite different from one another (only feudal Christians were playable on release) both politics and religion have been given significantly more depth. And this isn't even mentioning the mods. Is it the same game that it was on release?
Yes, but also very much no. Every few months, something new gets added, I start another game, and lose another week to taking over Europe. And Paradox said late last year that they had two more years of expansions planned. Crusader Kings 2 has gone through so many iterations that I can't tell what the conceptual difference between it and an "Early Access" game might be.

Games have been massively changed since their supposedly finished release for decades now well beyond what might be termed "the DLC era." We just happen to be used to the form, like Civilization releases getting major expansion packs, or Blizzard patching and rebalancing Brood War for over a decade after its release."

Read the full article here:
http://www.polygon.com/2014/1/24/53...he-lie-that-the-best-games-should-or-even-can

cheers,
regina

 

[Lord Finnish]

I express great suspicion towards Early Access. I do not like the idea because it is one that can be used for exploitation. Paying to be a beta tester does not encourage future developers to spend their own money to making a functional release. Crusader Kings 2 is different because it was fully functional and tested before release, I don't think it compares to Early Access games.

 

[unmerged(133356)]

"Early access" is just a way to milk money out of customers who don't know better.

It's like making a big deal out of being able to buy a car 6 months before model year release... but the car you get doesn't have AC or windows installed, the brakes glitch out because the ABS code is still being refined, you have to take the car in to be "patched" every week... and oh yeah, you have a sign a document that you can't let anyone see the car.


Of course, I also don't think way in which patching is now trivial and DLCs are an accepted part of the system has been good for the state of games upon release, either. I bought CK2 in its original form, and I wasn't very impressed with its "finished" state and how much tinkering under the hood it needed.

 

[Summercat]

I have to disagree with the first two posters.

Early Access is a critical step that allows for smaller developers and smaller publishers to maintain an income stream while still making certain that they are developing a product their base customers will want. I don't think major AAA titles or the like ought to be going for it - but in the end, it can be essential to retain creative control over a product and have an income stream, while still making certain that your core audience can will be enjoying your product.

 

[Lord Finnish]

I have to disagree with the first two posters.

Early Access is a critical step that allows for smaller developers and smaller publishers to maintain an income stream while still making certain that they are developing a product their base customers will want. I don't think major AAA titles or the like ought to be going for it - but in the end, it can be essential to retain creative control over a product and have an income stream, while still making certain that your core audience can will be enjoying your product.

I agree that it helps small developers, but once Early Access becomes a mainstream practice it allows bigger developers to start exploiting the system. Not unlike DLC - a well intentioned idea but then we have on-disc content being released separately for extra money, day 1 DLC and other crap like that. Most DLC is acceptable, but there's a lot of dirt as well.

 

[donaldduck]

Let's stop pretending that MotE is "done". We need patch or DLC

 

[delra]

Just don't make it into a universal excuse for releases like let's say X Rebirth that are broken by bugs and by design at the same time.

 

[smeggy]

In addition to what Lord Finnish said Early Access is showing good games are in a sellers market: there's much more demand as there is supply. Over cropping on future entertainment. I fear this year or the next will be one of deception where a lot of promising projects that have usurped investments will die prematurely.

 

[NewbieOne]

I can definitely tell the difference: While I don't know about how it was intended, CK2 certainly wasn't sold or advertised as an early access game.

I like the fact that the game evolves. Less so the fact that there are conceptual changes like the way the de iure system has taken a U-turn. Or the fact that some things just change and change and some changes aren't even tested properly. I'd prefer less of a beta/still figuring it out kind of feel. And I'd rather not see that feel NLP-reframed into something positive.

The positive thing is rather the fact that support is still there and DLCs keep coming.

 

[Keanon]

Let's stop pretending that MotE is "done". We need patch or DLC

The game was bad and sold horribly, so it isn't happening. Hope Paradox learned something from it.