Early Access

Hello, my fellow Cheerful Ghosts. I just thought of a new discussion topic, that I think could generate some dialogue. I want to know what your thoughts are on Early Access games. I'm curious as to what your opinion and experience with them has been. Have you been disappointed or delighted with any? Are there any Early Access stories you'd like to share?

I continue to watch my interest in them increase. For instance, Starbound, Salt, and Stranded Deep. I think they are good games and I'm looking forward to watching their development. I think that's the good part of it, knowing (or hoping) that there's new content coming and bug fixes to be applied. The bad part is getting tired of a game a bit too early due to lack of content and issues. There is also the bit of time waiting for a game to be completed or at least coming out of the alpha and beta development cycles.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/04/2015 at 05:33am

My experience with Early Access has been limited to a few titles and I really can't comment on anything new. Overall it seems somewhat hit or miss, but there are great standout successes.

Starbound - I was disappointed with it and since then haven't really tried it. Even the recent update. I kind of want to put a bit more time down and try it when it's closer to 1.0. That said you and a few of my friends have had a blast with it.

Prison Architect - As seen through my continued coverage of all the Alpha releases on the site, it's obvious I love this game. Whereas many of the continued updates increase the games complexity, for serous fans of the game this gives them WAY more to do. I'll admit when I got into the game at the time I hit the top of what I could do in a week and with the new updates you have a ton of more game. I'd say Introversions Prison Architect is a good example of Early Access done right.

Broforce - Whereas I don't own this due to my aversion to Early Access they keep adding great stuff to the game and from what I have played it's already pretty great.

Darkest Dungeon - This game REALLY makes me want to break my "no early access" rule and buy it. I've watched some streams and it seems incredible already.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 03/04/2015 at 05:42am

I was a bit aware of your opinion on this subject, but it's good that you spelled it out here. I was aware of how you felt about Starbound. I don't blame you, honestly. It was fun after a while, but then I hit a "ceiling" and it got boring. The newest update added more to the game, which I think resolved that "ceiling" issue. It gave purpose to exploring other planets and collecting things, which I thought was definitely needed. Still, it's incomplete, but I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops further.

I also knew that you loved Prison Architect. So, yeah, I can see how Early Access can be hit or miss.

So far my only disappointment (not including previously mentioned Starbound "ceiling") has been with Edge of Space, but it's been a while since I've played it, so I should give it another try.

I've been watching at least one person on YouTube play a few different Early Access titles, which has gotten me interested in them. Still, it's a bit of a gamble. That's why game demos are great, because you can try them out before deciding to buy them.

Travis Admin wrote on 03/12/2015 at 02:46am

I think with Early Access, demos should be more prevalent. That way you can demo the game in its current state and decide if it's a gamble you want to take,.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 03/12/2015 at 02:51am

I agree, Travis, sadly it doesn't seem like many of them release demos, or at least that has been my experience. Luckily, Salt (an Early Access game I wrote about) has one. I wish other games would follow that example.

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