Buy an Alpha version of Galactic Civilization III for $100

[Maria Caliban]

Pay twice as much for a game you know will not be anywhere near polished or even finished, and that the developer admit has large amounts of missing content. In fact, they say that playing it isn't even fun yet.

 

Alternatively, they're going to offer a $49.99 version when it's close to finished that will include early access on Steam.

 

While lurking on forums, I've often seen fans claim they'd pay to be beta testers, but I always assumed that was nonsense. Live and learn.

 

Available on Steam

 

 

[Malcador]

Fools and their money.

[Keyrock]

Hey, if there are suckers people out there willing to pay that then more power to them.

[Gfted1]

That reminds me, I still have to play Gal Civ II. It just looks so intimidatingly detailed...

[Serrano]

That reminds me, I still have to play Gal Civ II. It just looks so intimidatingly detailed...

 

If you can play Civilization then that's about as in-depth as you need to go to win matches of GalCiv except perhaps for the highest difficulty settings.  

[teknoman2]

once upon a time, game makers payed people to play test their games (8h full time job) in the beta stage to find and record all bugs and glitches so they can be fixed by release.

today people pay to be beta testers... or even alpha testers

well played gaming industry... well played indeed!

[Valsuelm]

once upon a time, game makers payed people to play test their games (8h full time job) in the beta stage to find and record all bugs and glitches so they can be fixed by release.

today people pay to be beta testers... or even alpha testers

well played gaming industry... well played indeed!

 

Ayup. I've been in a beta test group for a well known game from a well known company for about a year now. The game has been released but they kept the beta folks on for future patching. It's not my first beta (been in a few in the last 10+ years) but this one astounded me at how much work that the beta folks are doing beyond even testing bugs. Little do many of the folks who play this game know how much of the game design (both good and bad) is actually suggested and fleshed out by beta testers, all unpaid.

Edited March 28, 2014 by Valsuelm

[Hassat Hunter]

This...

 

From a respectable company to go EA+... it's a sad day.

[melkathi]

Not all that different from kickstarter though when you get down to it.

[Humanoid]

But where's the T-shirt?

[melkathi]

Just pretend you got a high tier and chose not to take the physical rewards so as to leave more money for the project

[Elerond]

This two perks make me think that it could be moneys worth investment

A lifetime subscription to all GalCiv III DLC and expansion packs
Create your legacy* – Suggest a star name and get special thanks credit

 

As Galactic Civilization II got two excellent expansion, which together with game cost about $100 if you bought them when they were released. And Stardock has quite good track line with its games and when they fail like with Elemental War of Magic they usually make it so that buyer is satisfied at the end, for example they gave Fallen Enchantress (sequel to Elemental WoM)  and Fallen Enchantress Legendary Heroes (expansion to FE) free to at least to every one that preordered Elemental WoM to compensate that game was buggy at start and it wasn't everything that they promised. 

 

And it is always nice to have your name in game's credits

[Noviere]

I don't have an issue with Early Access... but charging double the price for the "privilege" of testing their product seems asinine. That's just my gut reaction though... If someone is a super-fan of the series, maybe it's worth it to them.

Edited March 29, 2014 by Noviere

[WorstUsernameEver]

I don't have an issue with Early Access... but charging double the price for the "privilege" of testing their product seems asinine. That's just my gut reaction though... If someone is a super-fan of the series, maybe it's worth it to them.

I'd guess they saw there is a convergence between uberfans that pay a lot and uberfans that want to get involved really early on and exploited it. I don't see the appeal, but I suppose we'll see if others do.

[AGX-17]

While lurking on forums, I've often seen fans claim they'd pay to be beta testers, but I always assumed that was nonsense.

That's because it is nonsense. It's not a sensible thing to do at all.

[Bos_hybrid]

As much as I want the game, I'm not willing to pay that. I will be buying the $50 close to finish early access.

 

Although in AUS, $100 is quite often the price for a new game from a store.

[Wombat]

If they were actually willing to exploit Early Access, then, wouldn't it be unwise for them to tell that the price will go down at the release?  To my eyes, they only need to have dedicated fans who understand alpha testing.  Personally, I wouldn't pay a hundred bucks for GCIII but, I paid more than that for PoE and another project, though.

How could we have objective standards for the price of our subjective fun?  Some people even don't understand why we pay for a game at all, which is nothing but waste of time for them.  There have always been being those who would get scornful of the fact I play video games.  In fact, the majority who directly know me don't know the fact since I won't tell…Kickstarter?  Probably they would think I must be mad or, at best, childish.

In any case, one of the reasons why I began to find visiting so-called RPG fan boards is less worth my time, most of people who spend their time on browsing internet boards don't seem to pay much to support developers.  I don't know what you value in your lives but do you really know enough to laugh at other people who put their efforts/money based on different interests?

You can just let those "fools" spend their own earnings/time and wait and see a few to several years to get your bargain at humble bundle or any other digital sale?  The thing is, every single time you write negative comments about EA and crowd-funding while aimlessly browsing nets, you would discourage others and less chance to get your clever bargain rather than more.  If you are happy with the publisher deals, it won't be a problem, though.  In fact, as a pricing pattern, is it so different from pre-order pricing and digital sale pricing few years later in the conventional model?  If you have a problem with the current pricing of a game, why not just wait and see?

[Bryy]

 

While lurking on forums, I've often seen fans claim they'd pay to be beta testers, but I always assumed that was nonsense.

That's because it is nonsense. It's not a sensible thing to do at all.

 

You don't pay to do a job.

[Hassat Hunter]

@ Wombat;

 

It can't be that we dislike buggier games at release due to 'free' beta-testing rather than professional and just earlier than ready releases? It can't be we dislike raising prices for less quality/gametime? It can't be we dislike the DLC nickle and diming, season passes, on-disk DLC etc. etc.

 

No, it can't be any of that, it's because it's not RPG... well, you would be wrong.

The more people happily let themselves be exploited, the more we will see developers aim for that, as DLC and micro-transactions have already definitely proven.

[Bryy]

I don't know what you value in your lives but do you really know enough to laugh at other people who put their efforts/money based on different interests?

 

1) Be more condescending, please.

2) Nobody here is making fun of anyone. People are free to do with their money what they wish, and others are free to call that stupid.

 

People giving their opinions =/= mockery.

[Wombat]

@ Wombat;

 

It can't be that we dislike buggier games at release due to 'free' beta-testing rather than professional and just earlier than ready releases? It can't be we dislike raising prices for less quality/gametime? It can't be we dislike the DLC nickle and diming, season passes, on-disk DLC etc. etc.

 

No, it can't be any of that, it's because it's not RPG... well, you would be wrong.

The more people happily let themselves be exploited, the more we will see developers aim for that, as DLC and micro-transactions have already definitely proven.

Actually, that's exactly my point.  Why do some people appear to spend their money on DLC business, while they criticize this?  Electronic Arts, under which Bioware is, is infamous of that.  So, from my point of view, you are stating things just reversely.  What we are saying is basically same, at least, as far as the similiarity of the system.

 

That said, if some people are willing to spend their money on alpha testing, it's their money and their own judgement.  If they know what they will have, then, how could you think they are being "exploited"?  Also, I doubt there are too many people who would pay $100 for it.

[Hassat Hunter]

It's in the Steam topselling list.

That, by itself, is concerning... for ALL of us.

[Wombat]

Not at the very top of the list and I wonder how it will last.  At least, at the moment, the most recommended Steam review gives a healthy dose of caution, with which I won't disagree.  Also, I'm not against opinions that these new trends such as Early Access and crowd-funding will need some time testing, at all.  However, at the same time, I don't think conventional publisher model is healthy.  Personally, I just hope something like PoE or other crowd-funding games humble success, which just allows the devs to live on.  Money can be a good motivation but, at the same time, it can ruin intimal motives, too, in many different ways.

[Drowsy Emperor]

Pay twice as much for a game you know will not be anywhere near polished or even finished, and that the developer admit has large amounts of missing content. In fact, they say that playing it isn't even fun yet.

 

Alternatively, they're going to offer a $49.99 version when it's close to finished that will include early access on Steam.

 

While lurking on forums, I've often seen fans claim they'd pay to be beta testers, but I always assumed that was nonsense. Live and learn.

 

Available on Steam

 

The first time I saw the price for Planetary Annihilation early access I thought it was a mistake, didn't understand why half a game cost as much as two games.

 

Later, it turned out to be an epidemic. I still don't understand who buys this. 

[IndiraLightfoot]

But, but... You get to name a star!

 

Disclaimer: There are billions of them just in the Milky Way.

Edited April 5, 2014 by IndiraLightfoot