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[Retropunch]

I learned this yesterday when I received a coupon.

Kind of a weird way to start, if you ask me. "We just put in all of this work and people can buy our shit now. Let's cut the price by a quarter for a few thousand people."

I think it's because it's still in (very) early access so they're wanting to entice people to buy in who normally (and quite sensibly) wouldn't back early access.

[Persus13]

Its less about that, and more just general advertising to people who've bought previous products from Arcen Games.

Source is this backer update.

[Ulfarr]

I don't want to be overly negative but I don't know how else to say it. To me this seems like they are desperate for cash. Do they really intend to finish the game or is it just one final cash grab to cut their costs before they abandon the game? Only time will tell and the outcome could very well depend on the outcome of this advertisement/early access cycle.

Why I say this:

On one hand they claim (on steam "why early access") they need people to test it so they can "get it right" and  on the other they blatantly ask for player to pay for the "privilege" of testing the game.

edit: In addition, the whole coupon deal, is at the basest level an offer that, they hope, will get more people to fund the game early stage.

[Shooer]

Add to that their previous financial troubles that ended with them firing staff and dropping development on other games so they could make AI War 2.  Only reason they are making AI War 2 (to me) is because AI 1 was their most successful game.

I still grabbed AI war 2 and will see if they "finish" it.

[Persus13]

The game already has base funding. There was a mildly successful Kickstarter two years ago. They've done a lot of work on the game so far, and when they've had problems working on the game they've been very open about what they've been working on and how they're fixing it.

In terms of updates and openness, Arcen Games has been one of the best Indie devs I've seen about this. When they ran into financial difficulties awhile back, they were very open about what happened and what they were going through. Like Shooer said, they eventually decided to deal with that by following up a successful project instead of hoping that that their umpteenth new game idea would sell really well. And if that means AI War II is a cash grab, then Pillars of Eternity is one too.

So if they say they plan to finish the game, I'm going to believe them. Sure, I'm a backer on Kickstarter so I have some stake in the matter, but I wouldn't have backed them two years ago if I hadn't believed they couldn't deliver.

It sounds like the problems you guys have with this game is more with Early Access in general and coupons in general. And I don't see whats so scummy about rewarding previous customers with a discount coupon, and I feel they're handling Early Access a lot better than the average game.

[Ulfarr]

It sounds like the problems you guys have with this game is more with Early Access in general and coupons in general. And I don't see whats so scummy about rewarding previous customers with a discount coupon, and I feel they're handling Early Access a lot better than the average game.

There is nothing wrong with the coupons or rewarding loyal customers or trying to widen your customer base. By itself it wouldn't rise any bells but it's the combination with the early access that could potentially mean they have cash grabing motives behind.

I do have some issues with the concept of Early Access because, unless you are already happy with the current state of the game and you deem it to be playable/enjoyable, you are basicaly paying the company to work for them as alpha/beta tester. Anyway these were my two cents, I haven't followed the game's development over the years and if the devs have not given any reason to doubt them thus far then it's all good.

[Egan_BW]

You are not under any obligation to report bugs or give feedback on an early access game that you've bought. Any more than you would with a finished game.
Videogame quality assurance is a real job, and harder than a lot of people assume. Don't lump it in with playing an early access game, which is basically just a game that you own which is supposed to get farther development. It's like comparing buying an underripe fruit with working in a farm for a living.

[Retropunch]

There is nothing wrong with the coupons or rewarding loyal customers or trying to widen your customer base. By itself it wouldn't rise any bells but it's the combination with the early access that could potentially mean they have cash grabing motives behind.

So many games do that though - I've had tons of games I've backed/previously bought earlier games that email me a coupon for their game when it comes out. It's a standard business practice.

Whilst I'm not a fan of early access,  it's absolutely universal in indie game development now. I can't think of any indie games in the last few years that haven't had a period of early access so I don't think it's fair to single out Arcen. More than that, they have been very open about development, and I think money troubles are sort of the default position for indie games.

[Draco18s]

AIW2's direction has also shifted massively twice since the Kickstarter. It was going to be big.

Then it was going to be smaller.

Then it was going to be different.

Now its AIWC but moddable.

Early Access is the right model here, especially when a lot of he original ideas weren't working out and spite got pared back and back and back. The game is finally on a "mostly fun" state (ie ready for hoards of people who expect something payable, but still eager to give criticism and have things change based on their opinions). The coupon is just an easy way to say "hey, the game's out now." Coupons are even *transferable* sometimes  (good to give to friends who don't have the game yet), though I haven't checked to see if this one is.