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Unfinished games... Worth the pain?


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So i recently bought Prison Architect from Steam... Looked like fun... Sims in a prison, what could be more cool? but... it's in Alpha... 0.90 i believe... and... god god... it's... nearly unplayable...

I wont bore you with a wall of text, but it's so glitchy and unresponsive... the worker can't get anything built in a reasonable amout of time, and i end up having to start new prisons every 10 minutes because they can't build anything in time for the prisoners...

Not to mention there's very little conveyance on what is needed... Your prisoners whine about being homesick and yet they enver use the phones you post around the prison...

So yeah, is playing a game in alpha worth it? I got minecraft before 1.0, and i DID have fun with that, even moreso later on.. .but... this... ugh...

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I usually stray away from Pay to Play Alphas/Betas because I usually gain little to nothing in the long run, the only exception being Minecraft. I mean heck, it had a demo, a nice discount AND a lot of my friends were playing it. THIS game, doesn't have any benefits or demo, the only perk being that you can play the alpha early... This seems like an under handing tactic to have players (in a sense) pay to test their game when in reality they should be paying dedicated testers to test out their game.

But honestly, I don't mind buggy games, I've accepted that all games will have some sort of collection of bugs. But what really turns me off to the idea of Pay to Play Alpha games is just for the fact that so much of the core concept can dramatically change as the game continues to be updated, sometimes to the point that the original vision can be lost along the journey. Of course game breaking/annoying bugs themselves can ruin a game, but those can be fixed in due time. Yet if I lose what originally interested me in the prospect of the game (especially after putting money down) I'll feel as though I was cheated or wasted my money as I would buying a digital hat in TF2.

Either way, I don't plan to purchase games that encourages the P2P Alpha model with a 10 ft. pole because i'd rather play a complete project instead of risking the possibility of playing the game 'twice.'

I just find that it's just not worth paying for an Alpha of a game and would rather wait for a finished project before purchase.

Edited by Accellerant
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It's annoying that there is no real standard for what makes a game 'alpha' or 'beta' or if there is, it is fluid enough to be useless. I don't mind the principle of getting a game in alpha for a discount but it is worth looking into, (if possible), to see exactly how serious problems are. For example, I like the idea of the prison sim but from reports I'll wait 'til beta or finished product whereas 'Don't starve' actually played better in alpha than some finished products I've paid for.

Sadly, the way of the world seems to be 'do personal research on everything before you get it'.

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Beta games are worth it if you are looking forward to the particular game in question. However, if you have just seen the game and feeling indifferent about it. I doubt you would enjoy it really.

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I depends on how they present the alpha, really... For example, Overgrowth is still in early alpha, but instead of releasing the half-finished game itself, they are releasing the editor of the game. It's a great idea to get used to the mechanics and all-around fun and unique engine that the game has to offer, without dealing with all of the early release bugs.

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I usually stray away from Pay to Play Alphas/Betas because I usually gain little to nothing in the long run, the only exception being Minecraft. I mean heck, it had a demo, a nice discount AND a lot of my friends were playing it. THIS game, doesn't have any benefits or demo, the only perk being that you can play the alpha early... This seems like an under handing tactic to have players (in a sense) pay to test their game when in reality they should be paying dedicated testers to test out their game.

But honestly, I don't mind buggy games, I've accepted that all games will have some sort of collection of bugs. But what really turns me off to the idea of Pay to Play Alpha games is just for the fact that so much of the core concept can dramatically change as the game continues to be updated, sometimes to the point that the original vision can be lost along the journey. Of course game breaking/annoying bugs themselves can ruin a game, but those can be fixed in due time. Yet if I lose what originally interested me in the prospect of the game (especially after putting money down) I'll feel as though I was cheated or wasted my money as I would buying a digital hat in TF2.

Either way, I don't plan to purchase games that encourages the P2P Alpha model with a 10 ft. pole because i'd rather play a complete project instead of risking the possibility of playing the game 'twice.'

I just find that it's just not worth paying for an Alpha of a game and would rather wait for a finished project before purchase.

Ywah, i suppose this will be a good learning moment for me... Avoid games in Alpha, buy a finished product...

I'm already in the mindest of not preordering games unless i KNOW they're going to be great... after The Conduit, and Paper Mario Sticker Star... I dont think i'll be trusting anyone anymore...

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  • 3 weeks later...

Paying for a Alpha or Beta feels like I'm being scammed, I'm my opinion. The developer no longer need to make a competent game due to the fact I've already given them my sale. Additionally, I feel as though it's a manipulation of the psyche: the ability to play in the alpha/beta is sort of a non-reward. It seems as though it's something valuable at first, a reason to risk the down-payment for a game that may or may not pan out.

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