People just won't understand and accept the game when they see "99 bucks" on screen.
No, if anything that Planetary Annihilation tells us, any enough explanation won't change people's mind.
Only thing this can come out is that people are going to believe the game costs 99 bucks regardless and it will surely destroy goodwill.
I mean, I still hear people saying PA as '99 bucks game' and this is very last thing we need from Galciv3.
Just close the game from Steam. Only allow people to buy this game via Galciv3.com, which only those who understand the whole concept of this pricing stuffs.
Or, you guys should allow people to pre-purchase the game at regular price, but do not allow them to play Alpha/Beta. Showing only '99 bucks' is just terrible idea.
I'd say that once the game gets to beta, it would be ok to go for 'full blown Early Access'. But I do agree this 'hidden' Early Access is likely the best way to go, given that propensity for sheer idiocy on the Steam forums until that point.
But so far in my toe dipping gameplay wise, the game is actually pretty playable.
I kind of agree, but given the propensity for the Steam forums to be a bitch-fest can't we just ignore them for the most part? Beyond that the few people that'll buy it on Steam then actively get involved (probably over here) can only add to the number of people feeding back, surely?
You just can't ignore them, quite a lot of people read (but not write) on forum and that's pretty much how they decide whether to buy the games or not.
Kinda agree.
Though I'm betting if you put a stamp (noticeable) across the title screen/picture that people first see in the store that says something along the lines of "ALPHA, YOU IDIOTS" you'll both garner much goodwill and pre-emptively cut would-be complainers at the knees.
By the way, love the "this is an alpha" intro into the game.
I fully agree with OP, I said so myself once or twice on this forum that putting Alpha and Betas on STEAM is very dangerous. Hopefully the 99$ tag will turn aways all the tards but I still find it risky.
Tough call. I hear and agree with almost every point being raised. I definitely know a few who have completely blacklisted Planetary Annihilation because of the price tag, and from what I've seen on their Steam forum, they acknowledge that they (the Dev's) would have done it differently a second time. Ultimately have to tend to agree with OP on this one.
Fair point; agreed, then.
problem Is I do not think the devs have much choice. I am not sure what steam policy is but I guess that once a game uses SteamWorks for DRM and distribution it is obligated to be available for Sale through Steam. That it be an ALPHA matters not.
1,000% agree here. This needs to be a hidden early access.
I've already seen/heard so much negativity.
I know. I wish there was such a thing. The goal isn't to have zillions of early access users. Just hard core GalCiv users who understand that we're trying to appreciate their contributions by giving them everything we make for GalCiv III forever.
I completely Agree!
Just headed to the Steam Community Hub, and there are already people bitching about the price.
People just don't understand what they are paying for.
"$99 for an unfinished game?"
This should not be available to buy on steam… maybe once the Beta is out… but not now. It's already giving the game a bad name.I don't care how much you put the word "ALPHA" on it, a lot of people are idiots and they will not pay attention to it.
The important thing to remember is that it's not a very big thing. That is, even Planetary Annihilation, which had a $99 price and didn't give extra goodies, had a backlash at first. The people who complain loudly about these kinds of things are a very very tiny minority and they do it on multiple games.
Ooooohhhhhkay, I'm with you, Frog.
However, I know that Stardrive was able to give me access to the game long before it became Early Access without it being in the store. I don't know how he (Zero) did it, but it definitely happened.
With GalCiv3, I'm not paying for any of these alpha testing "privileges". I am paying to preorder the game and its expansions, knowing that I will help testing the alpha without having to pay for it. That's a huge difference.
The problem, however, is one of GUI . It is NOT immediatly obvious that those $99 are for the game and its expansions, and neither is the justification behind it. People usually don't dig deeper, because that would take a whole lot of time; first impressions matter and steam really isn't helping you here.
There is a certain danger in extraordinary exposure exponentially expanding. I just tried to make it a 4X. He he. But the lesson is that when it is hard to find, you need true dedication. When it is easy to find, you need artificial filtration from such a dangerous invasion. And that was just to make it rhyme of course.
This was predictible, idiots going batshit in the community hub. The good news is that for 100$ they will not buy it hence they will be denied leaving a "This game is garbage" in the Steam user review section.
Stardock made a good decision by not including the regular ( cheap ) founder edition on Steam. HAd it been the case we would probably already be having the first " Don't buy this piece of garbage" reviews coming in by now.
I think the "this is awesome" comments are usually just as stupid at this stage. Usually, they're based on GalCiv2's reputation. And yes, GalCiv2 deserves that reputation, but the reviews for GalCiv3 should be made when the game can, on its own merits, justify positive feedback. That won't happen until beta (no offense to Stardock, there's the skeleton of an awesome game, but it's still a very early version).
Yes, but still, hidden would have been better until beta. cant wait until i get to try it later, after sleap and booring rutine thru day (called work)..
Frogboy I thought you were going to do what the Klei guys did with Invisible Inc!!! They have an Early Access going but you can only get it if you buy it from their website. The alpha activates on Steam and they have a Steam Hub. But it doesn't have a store. God the Steam people will have a field day with the $99 price point....
I wonder if Steam will let you deactivate the store and let you just buy it from your website for now?
With PA i thought they said the reason for the $99 price tag was because that was how much the kickstarter backers had to pay for access to beta. Which is kind of what is happening here. No big deal. We knew what we were getting into. The non-believers will break like waves upon the shoreline.
A generous pledge that allowed the backer the full game when (if) completed and access to the beta before hand. If PA came out on steam early access at $50, how would those Kickstarter backers feel after paying $99 for the same access? Now imagine the GalCiv3 Steam early access founders program for $50. They would get everything you paid $99 for. That would suck.
With Stardock, I knew what I was paying for, I knew what I was getting, and I know whats required of me as a founder.
God damn it, I just spent 30 minutes in the STeam Community Hub and I think my brain just melted. Jeezus the trolls are out in full force again. I also feel dirty. HOw do you get Troll Bile out of a tuxedo?
On the plus side the trolls have the attention span of a gnat. They'll move on once some other game they despise comes out.
I body can't bear the level of stupid in the community hub.
Holy crap.
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