Question about the certainty of this game

[TomatoSupra 207]

Ok, im going to make this as quick and painless as possible.Let me make myself clear first. I am not bashing, or complaining or bitching or whatever you want to call it, i am just simply asking a question.

And if this question makes you un-easy as a Dev or Forum Mod, feel free to move it to the graveyard.

 

Is there any legal binding contract that the Devs have to finish the game and release a full version of some day? Seems like every time i ask something, i get the "You will get a full copy once the development is done". But is that something you can say if there is no way to actually hold the team accountable? By law does this game have to keep going until its finished so the alpha players can get their promised "Discount" off of the full retail copy?

 

 

[frosti 2165]

 

Is there any legal binding contract that the Devs have to finish the game and release a full version of some day?

 

No.

 

PS.

 

They can however say that the game is "finished" any time they want.

Edited July 7, 2014 by Frosti

[TomatoSupra 207]

No.

 

PS.

 

They can however say that the game is "finished" any time they want.

Lovely.

 

And there is no contract with STEAM? Seems highly unlikely to me that steam would allow a team to sell a game without signing some kind of contract.

[SFRGaming 718]

Lovely.

 

And there is no contract with STEAM? Seems highly unlikely to me that steam would allow a team to sell a game without signing some kind of contract.

How about you quit worrying about that $30 you agreed to spend AFTER being told to not buy the game. Sorry not sorry. I don't have sympathy for people that ignore that giant DO NOT BUY sign on the game's steam page.

 

And for the record: You buying it in early access means you will have the game when it goes full release. There is no "Discount Copy" for people who bought it now. If you buy it now, you will have it until the world divides by zero and implodes on itself.

Edited July 7, 2014 by SFRGaming

[miki_grom 69]

 I don't have sympathy for people that ignore that giant DO NOT BUY sign on the game's steam page.

 

And for the record: You buying it in early access means you will have the game when it goes full release. There is no "Discount Copy" for people who bought it now. If you buy it now, you will have it until the world divides by zero and implodes on itself.

Cannot describe how much i agree with this one.....

[pilgrim* 3514]

Lovely.

 

And there is no contract with STEAM? Seems highly unlikely to me that steam would allow a team to sell a game without signing some kind of contract.

 

The contract is that Steam gets a cut for distributing the game

.. and also whatever else it tells you on the steam pages

 

ps - why do you want to know ?

Edited July 7, 2014 by pilgrim

[blaeZ 95]

I have gotten well over $30 of entertainment from my investment. I consider that a win. Bugs/glitches are annoying, but I still have plenty of fun regardless of them.

 

That being said, I hope the DayZ Standalone sales model doesn't become a trend.

Edited July 7, 2014 by blaeZ

[Karmaterror 982]

Frosti nailed it..

 

Only thing I would add is that if you look into Bohimia's past you will see that they do finish games, and support them years after release. As much as I want Dean there "yelling at the CEO" for things to be done right, I have this funny feeling when he does leave we will see things moving a lot faster. Maybe im wrong, its just a gut feeling. However I have complete faith that Bohimia will not only finish it, but be giving us extras and DLC's years after release :) 

[TomatoSupra 207]

Ok, so for those of you who did not read the first paragraph i put up. You might want to slow down and read before you post.

 

Let me recap.

 

Let me make myself clear first. I am not bashing, or complaining or bitching

 

Moving forward, i did not mention the game is not worth 30 dolars in its current state, or say i did not like it, OR say that i was unhappy with my purchase.

 

Just asking the question of is there any "REAL" accountability that the Developers are being held to? or is it just the fact that they will continue to make money off of it until people get sick of it and stop buying it.

[TomatoSupra 207]

The contract is that Steam gets a cut for distributing the game

.. and also whatever else it tells you on the steam pages

 

ps - why do you want to know ?

 

Just curious. I've seen a TON of developers using the "Alpha" method to get funding for their projects.

 

What happens when an "Alpha" game sells a ton, and one team just takes the money and says peace?

[frosti 2165]

Just curious. I've seen a TON of developers using the "Alpha" method to get funding for their projects.

 

What happens when an "Alpha" game sells a ton, and one team just takes the money and says peace?

 

Well you see, it's not 90's anymore.

 

In 2014ish "early access alpha" or "just a beta they will patch it" it is pretty much how game will look like as a final product, maybe with some minor bonuses.

 

You buy games in "early alpha" or "beta" only if you are a sucker or just really like the game/series/idea of game etc etc.

[Guest]

Just curious. I've seen a TON of developers using the "Alpha" method to get funding for their projects.

What happens when an "Alpha" game sells a ton, and one team just takes the money and says peace?

 

 

Your "paragraph" doesn't change your overbearing undertone u brought in that discussion, allege BiS rip of their users. That btw is bitching.

Edited July 7, 2014 by Guest

[TomatoSupra 207]

Your "paragraph" doesn't change your overbearing undertone u brought in that discussion, allege BiS rip of their users. That btw is bitching.

 

Show me, then where i said i was ripped off. I am glad i spent 30 bucks on this game. I've gotten over 200 hours of play time, and that's more than i can say for a lot of other games. I just simply asked a question.

[TomatoSupra 207]

You buy games in "early alpha" or "beta" only if you are a sucker or just really like the game/series/idea of game etc etc.

 

Hmm... I thought the point of being an alpha tester was to help with the development of the game?

[miki_grom 69]

Hmm... I thought the point of being an alpha tester was to help with the development of the game?

You don't buy an early access game just to support development,you buy it mostly becouse you had some experience with franchise or dev studio...Just as Frosti said "or just really like the game/series/idea of game etc etc."

Edited July 7, 2014 by Miki Grom

[dallas 5195]

-When you buy alpha, you're taking a risk, the earlier access you get, the more risk you're taking.

-Me, I played DayZ mod in 2012-2013 and liked it. I also played BI games since 2001 and like it too.

-I've got a lot of confidence in Bohemia Interactive and I also like Rockets openness and vision. 

 

I didn't buy WarZ, because they came off as disingenuous or outright criminal, I thought they made promises, their War Inc. engine couldn't  deliver, their screenshots were fake, their gameplay videos staged and they were caught in one lie after another. Still a lot of people bought WarZ, just like a lot of people buy Tripple A titles, that use faked gameplay videos and then "downgrade" the graphics at release.

 

Just like WarZ, H1Z1 seems to punish people getting early access. WarZ was two-three times more expensive for people, who bought in early and H1Z1 a "socalled" free game, apparently costs $20 for early access, but hey people have been blowing their money for overpriced games forever, the industry in general treats it's customers as idiots and time after time, the customers prove the industry right.

[Karmaterror 982]

 or is it just the fact that they will continue to make money off of it until people get sick of it and stop buying it.

 

Isn't that the life cycle of any product, in any market, anywhere. They are in the game to make money lol :)

 

You could say that by releasing now they actually lost sales due to all the bugs(that created negative word of mouth). Iv got friends that love the mod but haven't touched SA yet, dispite my efforts to talk them into it. Theres still a big untapped market that just wants a finished game, not an alpha. That alone would be motivation for them to finish, but like I said, I cant see BiS tarnishing there rep by dumping/branding it complete before its finished :)

[TomatoSupra 207]

Isn't that the life cycle of any product, in any market, anywhere. They are in the game to make money lol  :)

 

You could say that by releasing now they actually lost sales due to all the bugs(that created negative word of mouth). Iv got friends that love the mod but haven't touched SA yet, dispite my efforts to talk them into it. Theres still a big untapped market that just wants a finished game, not an alpha. That alone would be motivation for them to finish, but like I said, I cant see BiS tarnishing there rep by dumping/branding it complete before its finished :)

I guess that is true.

[TomatoSupra 207]

You don't buy an early access game just to support development,you buy it mostly becouse you had some experience with franchise or dev studio...Just as Frosti said "or just really like the game/series/idea of game etc etc."

From the steam DayZ page

 

What the developers have to say:

“DayZ Early Access is your chance to experience DayZ as it evolves throughout its development process. Be aware that our Early Access offer is a representation of our core pillars, and the framework we have created around them. It is a work in progress and therefore contains a variety of bugs. We strongly advise you not to buy and play the game at this stage unless you clearly understand what Early Access means and are interested in participating in the ongoing development cycle.”

[pilgrim* 3514]

Just curious. I've seen a TON of developers using the "Alpha" method to get funding for their projects.

 

What happens when an "Alpha" game sells a ton, and one team just takes the money and says peace?

 

To decide if you want to buy a game offered in alpha - you have to decide what is your idea of a 'release-in-alpha' game. What is it for ?

- is it to make money up front, to give the fans what they ask for, to advertise the game, to get feedback on development, to involve the player base, to build fidelity ?

- probably all those things ?  - also, as you say, alpha release is pretty common now.. if nobody buys in you can decently put your effort into something else without trading on anyone's toes and without wasting several years, if the alpha is a big success you know you are going the right way and you have big obligations to fulfil

 

any problems or successes that might arise are pretty much the same as for crowd-funded projects, I'd say

 

In this case:  BI, as a reputable, internationally known, top-of-the-line company would loose a lot of face, a lot of support, and a lot of clients, if for any reason they did not stay with their promise .. which is to provide a complete game.

Their track record is good: They have a reputation for treating their players seriously and staying with their products and improving them long after "final release" 

- ask around

 

so really - why do you buy an alpha ? (really). I don't think many gamers are investing financially - they dont say "if I pay 20 now I'll get 50 worth of game in 2 years time".gamer's generally dont think that way. So why are we doing this ? whats the other reason ?

[miki_grom 69]

From the steam DayZ page

 

What the developers have to say:

“DayZ Early Access is your chance to experience DayZ as it evolves throughout its development process. Be aware that our Early Access offer is a representation of our core pillars, and the framework we have created around them. It is a work in progress and therefore contains a variety of bugs. We strongly advise you not to buy and play the game at this stage unless you clearly understand what Early Access means and are interested in participating in the ongoing development cycle.”

You misunderstood me,i agree that you would buy a early access game,but only if you have some experience with it/dev studio etc.(Like most of us did with DayZ)

It's not very likely that you are just going to buy a game that is early access to support development without any previous experience,so.......

Edited July 7, 2014 by Miki Grom

[TomatoSupra 207]

so really - why do you buy an alpha ? (really). I don't think many gamers are investing financially - they dont say "if I pay 20 now I'll get 50 worth of game in 2 years time".gamer's generally dont think that way. So why are we doing this ? whats the other reason ?

 

I think it is the glitchyness of alpha games, honestly. I think people complain a lot when they are on the receiving end, but really crave some of the exploits that come out of early games like this.

And honestly, the unstable-ness of the game adds to the fun for me. It makes it that much more terrifying when you have a ton of gear.

[TomatoSupra 207]

You misunderstood me,i agree that you would buy a early access game,but only if you have some experience with it/dev studio etc.(Like most of us did with DayZ)

It's not very likely that you are just going to buy a game that is early access to support development without any previous experience,so.......

 

This game has sold something like 1.3 million copies.

 

You are telling me that 1.3 million people have had a part in the development of an alpha game before, Or played DayZ mod? Yeah... about that...

Edited July 7, 2014 by TomatoSupra

[pilgrim* 3514]

I think it is the glitchyness of alpha games, honestly. I think people complain a lot when they are on the receiving end, but really crave some of the exploits that come out of early games like this.

And honestly, the unstable-ness of the game adds to the fun for me. It makes it that much more terrifying when you have a ton of gear.

 

yes -  it's good to play actions in the game and to see how they work, if they are good or bad, or simple or interesting, whatever, and to think how they could work, and know that next week this won't be the same anymore, it will be a different action, or different result, different play, maybe little alterations, or big changes, or a whole other play, different loot.. all that is very interesting and adds to the game IMO; you see the development and actually play inside it.. is cool.

 

And then all the arguments about it are another ++ , heh - because if anyone listens to you or not, you are testing the game as you go, so you notice the gameplay in a different way to when you play a final 'finished' game that won't change.

Edited July 7, 2014 by pilgrim

[blaeZ 95]

the industry in general treats it's customers as idiots and time after time, the customers prove the industry right.

Amen. The industry is massively biased towards the developer/distributor. It's pretty shocking that no one else seems to notice or care.