So, early access is one of those things a lot of people have negative views on, and I can understand that. However, with Insurgency's latest update I started playing again and am so glad I bought into the game when it was very first released on Insurgency with it's solid but plain gameplay and promises to go beyond the mod (which I had never played) They've added guns, gamemodes and a damn good matchmaking and menu system and the game just feels better. Everything has tightened up, less glitchy (but not perfect) and it's just better. It's a great example of what can happen with a good early access. So, I'm curious if people have had similiar feelingsh with early access games. You may disagree with me on Insurgency (but those of you who don't, Im always looking for more people to squad up with!) but with another game. Or maybe you've had an awful experience. Share!
For me, when I look at possibly purchasing an early access game, I consider the quality and credentials of the developer moreso than the game itself. Sure, the game has to be interesting to me in some way, but what really determines if I back it or not is what the developer brings to the table, and whether I think my money and possibly my voice/testing/playing metrics will help the developer make the game better. This is why I instantly backed games like Star Citizen and Elite: Dangerous; I grew up on these space sim games, and they're being made by new companies run by the original developers of said games with proven game development history. These gentlemen and their companies deserve my money, in my opinion. Now on the other side of it, lets look at a game I've been considering playing called ArcheAge. It's a Korean MMO being translated and developed by Trion Worlds (RIFT, Defiance) and is in early access right now. While the game seems really interesting and I'm chomping at the bit to get my hands on it, I certainly will not be supporting this game's early access program with my money. First of all, it's a game that has already been released, and while I understand that the company needs money for infrastructure, translation, and employees, the amount that it will require is far less than developing a game from the ground up. Also, Trion Worlds is an established game company that has a good amount of cash flow already, and investors to fund new projects, so they certainly don't -need- my $50-150 to make the game happen. Finally and subjectively, I feel that by being an established company with (most likely) a large contracted QA team, most of my feedback will go unnoticed. Derak's $0.02. Insurgency though, this game is great! I played it on free weekend and have been considering picking it up. So much to play right now though, and with college starting tomorrow, I doubt I'll pick it up for a while.
