Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat

The Steam Early Access FAQ has added a warning to customers that the nature of the program means that their purchases involve some risk. Word is: "You should be aware that some teams will be unable to 'finish' their game. So you should only buy an Early Access game if you are excited about playing it in its current state." Thanks Kotaku.
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12.
 
Re: Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat
Jun 5, 2014, 15:55
12.
Re: Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat Jun 5, 2014, 15:55
Jun 5, 2014, 15:55
 
Read. And if you want to buy, buy. If you don't feel right, don't buy.
Avatar 17232
11.
 
Re: Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat
Jun 5, 2014, 15:49
Quboid
 
11.
Re: Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat Jun 5, 2014, 15:49
Jun 5, 2014, 15:49
 Quboid
 
NKD wrote on Jun 5, 2014, 03:46:
If the developer and Steam make it clear that there is no promise the title will ever reach a certain state of features and content, and you still pay your money for the game in its current state, then that's that. If the game doesn't turn out how you want, you don't get to cry six months later and say it's not complete enough and demand your money back. You DO get to go fuck yourself however.

Early Access is buying a game in its current state with the hope that it'll be more. The hope, not the guarantee. If you can't handle this arrangement, don't buy Early Access titles and you don't have to worry about it. It's pretty fucking simple.

Certainly more simple than trying to come up with some convoluted and ridiculous system for defining what is or isn't a "finished" game.


I've been very critical of Early Access but I agree with this and I'm glad Valve are doing something to acknowledge how EA has evolved (IIRC it was originally about late balance/polish beta testing for a game that was already funded to release).

That said, if this is about hope rather than a guarantee then it's fair to criticise a game in EA for not living up to expectations. It's not finished, it'll improve, etc? Yes, hopefully. They won't "hopefully" receive my money, they'll actually receive it and I'll hold it to a certain standard. Also, developers should differentiate features on the store page that they hope to add from features that are actually in the game.
Avatar 10439
10.
 
Re: Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat
Jun 5, 2014, 09:18
10.
Re: Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat Jun 5, 2014, 09:18
Jun 5, 2014, 09:18
 
Cutter wrote on Jun 4, 2014, 23:49:
Because simply adding a disclaimer doesn't release you from responsibility. And the customer didn't pay you for the first few chapters they paid you for the entire product - which you failed to deliver and therefore owe them their money back. And the company that owns the mall should have done some due diligence to see if the tenet was reliable in the first place.

Obviously the simple solution is just don't do early access, but there is also the very real and legal concept of "good faith". In that consumers are entitled to a "reasonable expectation" that in paying someone for a product or service, it's going to be delivered on time and on budget.

Re-read my example.

"Customer agrees to pay me for the first few chapters".

That's all they are entitled too since that's all they can actually purchase since nothing else actually exists yet. If I keep writing and create more and release it to consumers, they're still NOT owed personal satisfaction from the product. Just whatever new content has been created.

I think the issue is there are too many young / naive gamers who are putting too much stock in the concept of 'good faith' and this misguided belief that indie development without the boogeyman of publisher suits will automatically result in awesome games like the ones we all dream about. Did that really work out in the music industry over the last few decades with the rise of its indie / home production scene?

I will never side with the irate consumer who didn't bother reading the fine print before spending their cash. NKD said it best, Early Access is a matter of investing in hope, not a guarantee.
9.
 
Re: Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat
Jun 5, 2014, 04:52
NKD
9.
Re: Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat Jun 5, 2014, 04:52
Jun 5, 2014, 04:52
NKD
 
Luke wrote on Jun 5, 2014, 04:00:

Does that include Star Citizen

I don't know. I don't really follow Star Citizen that closely, I don't know what disclaimers they've given, if any. Certainly you're taking your risks buying into a title that ambitious, but if they haven't been clear that the title might end up being something less than indicated, then that's on them, at least partially, not on the people who bought in with the idea that they were going to deliver.
Do you have a single fact to back that up?
Avatar 43041
8.
 
Re: Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat
Jun 5, 2014, 04:00
8.
Re: Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat Jun 5, 2014, 04:00
Jun 5, 2014, 04:00
 
NKD wrote on Jun 5, 2014, 03:46:
If the developer and Steam make it clear that there is no promise the title will ever reach a certain state of features and content, and you still pay your money for the game in its current state, then that's that. If the game doesn't turn out how you want, you don't get to cry six months later and say it's not complete enough and demand your money back. You DO get to go fuck yourself however.

Early Access is buying a game in its current state with the hope that it'll be more. The hope, not the guarantee. If you can't handle this arrangement, don't buy Early Access titles and you don't have to worry about it. It's pretty fucking simple.

Certainly more simple than trying to come up with some convoluted and ridiculous system for defining what is or isn't a "finished" game.



If the developer and Steam make it clear that there is no promise the title will ever reach a certain state of features and content, and you still pay your money for the game in its current state, then that's that

Does that include Star Citizen
7.
 
Re: Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat
Jun 5, 2014, 03:46
NKD
7.
Re: Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat Jun 5, 2014, 03:46
Jun 5, 2014, 03:46
NKD
 
If the developer and Steam make it clear that there is no promise the title will ever reach a certain state of features and content, and you still pay your money for the game in its current state, then that's that. If the game doesn't turn out how you want, you don't get to cry six months later and say it's not complete enough and demand your money back. You DO get to go fuck yourself however.

Early Access is buying a game in its current state with the hope that it'll be more. The hope, not the guarantee. If you can't handle this arrangement, don't buy Early Access titles and you don't have to worry about it. It's pretty fucking simple.

Certainly more simple than trying to come up with some convoluted and ridiculous system for defining what is or isn't a "finished" game.

Do you have a single fact to back that up?
Avatar 43041
6.
 
Re: Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat
Jun 4, 2014, 23:49
6.
Re: Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat Jun 4, 2014, 23:49
Jun 4, 2014, 23:49
 
panbient wrote on Jun 4, 2014, 23:00:
Cutter wrote on Jun 4, 2014, 21:13:
So Valve makes money regardless if they finish or not. That's not right. They should have to bear some responsibility for this.

Why?

If someone runs a mall and I want to open a store and I start telling people I'm going to offer a wicked awesome new book... eventually. But right now I can totally hook them up with the first few chapters and yes, part of that money goes back to the Mall (for rent etc.)

Customer agrees to pay me for the first few chapters.

Customer then gets upset that the first few chapters isn't an actual full book. Or, I 'finish' the book but the story doesn't play out the way the customer anticipated and is again upset.

Why is the mall on the hook?

The service is called 'Early Access' for crying out loud. How much more idiot proofing does Steam need to do? It's like a warning about 'hot contents' on a coffee.

Because simply adding a disclaimer doesn't release you from responsibility. And the customer didn't pay you for the first few chapters they paid you for the entire product - which you failed to deliver and therefore owe them their money back. And the company that owns the mall should have done some due diligence to see if the tenet was reliable in the first place.

Obviously the simple solution is just don't do early access, but there is also the very real and legal concept of "good faith". In that consumers are entitled to a "reasonable expectation" that in paying someone for a product or service, it's going to be delivered on time and on budget.
"The horse I bet on was so slow, the jockey kept a diary of the trip." - Henny Youngman
5.
 
Re: Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat
Jun 4, 2014, 23:12
5.
Re: Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat Jun 4, 2014, 23:12
Jun 4, 2014, 23:12
 
[VG]Reagle wrote on Jun 4, 2014, 22:54:
So let me see with people paying Huge amounts of money to try unfinnished games ... It seems that there are quite a few games that are scams....multimillion dollar scams. These games take in millions and then the developers take the money and run. Valve gets their cut so they quietly add this disclaimer so they can point at it while they take their millions of dollars in cash to the bank and laugh about how the latest Indie games crashed and burned and the developers are spending all the money on hookers and blow......while the gamers as per usual lean over and take it up the rear.

you mean the gamers that didn't do their due diligence and spent money on something the moment that they saw it? Fuck 'em. Valve has no responsibility to keep suckers from losing their cash. Idiots deserve to lose their money.
4.
 
Re: Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat
Jun 4, 2014, 23:00
4.
Re: Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat Jun 4, 2014, 23:00
Jun 4, 2014, 23:00
 
Cutter wrote on Jun 4, 2014, 21:13:
So Valve makes money regardless if they finish or not. That's not right. They should have to bear some responsibility for this.

Why?

If someone runs a mall and I want to open a store and I start telling people I'm going to offer a wicked awesome new book... eventually. But right now I can totally hook them up with the first few chapters and yes, part of that money goes back to the Mall (for rent etc.)

Customer agrees to pay me for the first few chapters.

Customer then gets upset that the first few chapters isn't an actual full book. Or, I 'finish' the book but the story doesn't play out the way the customer anticipated and is again upset.

Why is the mall on the hook?

The service is called 'Early Access' for crying out loud. How much more idiot proofing does Steam need to do? It's like a warning about 'hot contents' on a coffee.
3.
 
Re: Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat
Jun 4, 2014, 22:54
3.
Re: Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat Jun 4, 2014, 22:54
Jun 4, 2014, 22:54
 
So let me see with people paying Huge amounts of money to try unfinnished games ... It seems that there are quite a few games that are scams....multimillion dollar scams. These games take in millions and then the developers take the money and run. Valve gets their cut so they quietly add this disclaimer so they can point at it while they take their millions of dollars in cash to the bank and laugh about how the latest Indie games crashed and burned and the developers are spending all the money on hookers and blow......while the gamers as per usual lean over and take it up the rear.
DON'T LIKE MY COMMENTS?!? THEN STOP RELEASING GARBAGE.
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2.
 
Re: Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat
Jun 4, 2014, 21:23
2.
Re: Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat Jun 4, 2014, 21:23
Jun 4, 2014, 21:23
 
Cutter wrote on Jun 4, 2014, 21:13:
So Valve makes money regardless if they finish or not. That's not right. They should have to bear some responsibility for this.

Would certainly be nice... There should be a quality assurance requirement, or something. But then again, Steam allows just sooo many games on their platform now that I doubt they'd expend the resources.
Avatar 55108
1.
 
Re: Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat
Jun 4, 2014, 21:13
1.
Re: Steam FAQ Adds Early Access Caveat Jun 4, 2014, 21:13
Jun 4, 2014, 21:13
 
So Valve makes money regardless if they finish or not. That's not right. They should have to bear some responsibility for this.
"The horse I bet on was so slow, the jockey kept a diary of the trip." - Henny Youngman
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