Poll on Alpha Price

[zangdar86]

Honestly, And as of today, i want play the alpha as i want help ( if i can ) to the developplement. In every beta test i made ( warcraft 3, starcraft II, dawn of war 1 and anno 2070 ) it was indeed more funny to find bug or unbalances than play the finak game instead.

But, I remember the day when I was something like 13 years on which i discover a little indie game called Uplink. It was with a few other game one of my best memory of gamer ( not defcon and darwinia even if i enjoyed it ).

I was very impress by subversion and follow the few update time to time. The birth of PA was for me the sign that the Introversion that made Uplink was not dead. A gameplay that seem complex, possibilities, a design that only Introversion can made.

To sum up, when i was taken in the beta test quoted below I was really happy to help. But as of Introversion, not only will I be happy, but glad to be part of the adventure even if i m totaly useless. This early alpha is a way to be part of the bugfinding of the First Indie Company I discover. Yeah, I Love you Introversion, but I still will kill darwinian until getting my hand on the alpha .

[Jordy...]

Let's simplify this, you do want to test. Do you want to test because you enjoy it or for some other reason that is benefiting you, or because you want to help IV?

If the former, then what's wrong with paying IV, if the latter, you might be helping them more by just paying them, and if that's not the case, it still wouldn't hurt them either. If they lose value because you deny to pay them you really don't want to help IV all THAT much.

[RabidZombie]

Let's simplify this, you do want to test. Do you want to test because you enjoy it or for some other reason that is benefiting you, or because you want to help IV?

If the former, then what's wrong with paying IV, if the latter, you might be helping them more by just paying them, and if that's not the case, it still wouldn't hurt them either. If they lose value because you deny to pay them you really don't want to help IV all THAT much.

Some people might be more willing to provide feedback than money. That might even be more valuable.

[christopher1006]

I don't really feel like converting euros to dollars at the moment so I'll just say I'd pay about 50-60 dollars. Standard price for a PC game I don't see why small company has to mean lower price.

[shinygerbil]

can't believe this website still has its uses...

[xander]

can't believe this website still has its uses...

Silly un-American twit! The dollar sign comes FIRST! :P

xander

[shinygerbil]

It was late and I was tired! But Google understood me.

...Nobody understands me except Google.

[zangdar86]

It was late and I was tired! But Google understood me.

...Nobody understands me except Google.

Every un-American understand you in fact !

[Jordy...]

Well what is your motive for your desire to help them by giving feedback?

[Cooper42]

My experience of alpha/beta testing (for smaller games / companies; it's something else entirely for somehting liker Planetside 2) varies significantly between those I've paid for and those I've signed up for.

I have yet to pay money for a pre-release version which I have then spent time on actually testing (as opposed to just playing). I've paid for a product and so I shall consume that product.
Evry time I've voluntered to test; I've treated it as that: A volunteering of time to test.

Relatedly: Testing where the numbers of tested is limited tends to elad to a tighter, more engaged group. Something open to anyone, and a large number of people, tends to become too busy for all but the dedicated testers.

Recent case in point: I'm playing the beta of FTL. I've found and reported one bug. There are more out there, but more people are engaged in hunting and reproting than I can be, and are faster at it. So I just play.

[Mas Tnega]

Well what is your motive for your desire to help them by giving feedback?

To help in making a game that doesn't suck on a technical level.
To see personally what goes in and comes out of the game and why.
To have a much stronger incentive to actively try to break the ever-living crap out of it?

[Jordy...]

I wish I was in FTL beta.. how is it?

[Joker Dan]

Not that my opinion matters too much being new here, but free access to the alpha is always great, but I would happily pay for an alpha version to test and give feedback for, anything ~£30 providing we are also paying for a pre-order of the game.

[koshensky]

I don't get the whole issue about separating the game itself from the fact that I need to pay for it. Ok, it might be in Alpha stages, but as a long-time fan of Introversion I would love the opportunity to help shape it and improve it anyway. I wouldn't expect to have to pay exclusively for the privilege of course, but that's not what we'd be doing. We'd be paying for the game, just as we would if it were released normally, but rather than a finished product we get to actually participate in making it better.

When we've all finished bug-fixing and the game gets officially released, it's not like we'll be paying again for the game, we'll just get the final released rolled out to us (or however the payment structure would work, maybe we pay the remaining 75% or whatnot). Point being - we won't be paying extra to alpha test. If anything, we'll pay less.

[zangdar86]

For me, it s just like a kickstarter but where all the money goes to IV ( which is a plus ) so, you ll have the final game and you can help IV ! What else ?