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[forsaken1111]

It is a sign of the times when people actually vigorously defend the practice of selling incomplete software.

[White Kitteh]

It doesn't matter if it's called "alpha" or "beta" or whatever. The end point is, I have a lot of fun with it, and consider it worth the $15 I spent.

[forsaken1111]

It doesn't matter if it's called "alpha" or "beta" or whatever. The end point is, I have a lot of fun with it, and consider it worth the $15 I spent.

That's fine, and I wasn't saying that people shouldn't buy it if they want to.

I just said I find the practice a bit ridiculous.

[Cheese]

How so? I'm entirely willing to listen to your opinions, but please back your statements with something lest you be taken for a troll.

Because it is an alpha version. It is an incomplete game.

I shall bring you an automobile and charge you full price, but this vehicle shall be missing its outer paneling, have no air conditioning, and the windshield wipers work only when it is not raining.

This vehicle will still run, and you can drive it around, so you should pay full price.

It's half price, not full price. 10 euros, 13 dollars or 8 pounds. You're pre-purchasing it and not having to wait 2 months till the release and supporting it's development. It's worth your money.

[ECrownofFire]

How so? I'm entirely willing to listen to your opinions, but please back your statements with something lest you be taken for a troll.

Because it is an alpha version. It is an incomplete game.

I shall bring you an automobile and charge you full price, but this vehicle shall be missing its outer paneling, have no air conditioning, and the windshield wipers work only when it is not raining.

This vehicle will still run, and you can drive it around, so you should pay full price.

It's more like "I'm going to sell you an automobile for half price. It works, but it isn't complete (missing some nonessential stuff). However, over the next year or two, I will add parts to it until it is a complete automobile". And it's not even full price (I would gladly spend $30 on Minecraft anyway).

It is a bit silly, but you're paying half price to get the same thing later. It's still a ton of fun now, I've put more hours into it than I have with a lot of other games I've payed full price for. The point is that you're not paying for incomplete software, you're paying for what is essentially a full game now, with some extra features that will be added later. If Notch said that Minecraft was a full game that was being patched over time, then this probably come up. Classic was the REAL "alpha" version of Minecraft. It is essentially nothing more than a basis for the real game. Survival test was late alpha/early beta, and indev/infdev were late beta. For all intents and purposes, Minecraft is a complete game. Compare it to an MMORPG, but getting all the "expansions" for free.

[Micro102]

Yes but what if the parts he adds are weird shaped as ugly? What if you don't like the game when it is completed? What if he just decided to not complete the car and shut down (servers) roads you use so you can only enjoy the car by yourself?

[Cheese]

Extremely low chance that he'll shut the servers down, he's making millions and has said he doesn't intend to run off with the money and stop development. And there's not really much he could do that could "ruin" the game to be honest, unless he started changing/removing core features and making them crappy.

[forsaken1111]

I am not arguing that anyone should NOT purchase the game, I'm just saying I find the idea of paying for an alpha a bit ridiculous. You aren't going to change my opinion by twisting my metaphor or reminding me that he might one day finish the game.

[andrea]

would your opinion be better if instead of paying for an alpha we called it a pre order?

[forsaken1111]

Not really.

Anyway I'd really like it if we moved on, I'm sorry I even brought it up. Enjoy your minecrafts.

[Saint]

The full game is 20 euros though.
It's like giving someone a taste test of your new flavor of icecream and giving them a full package of the flavor, for half price.

[Cheese]

Have Secret Friday updates begun again yet?

[metime00]

No, sadly. At the moment it's just bugfixes and then fixing bugs made by those bugfixes and then breaking the entire game then fixing that and etc.

But he's got an office now!!1

[Duke 2.0]

No, sadly. At the moment it's just bugfixes and then fixing bugs made by those bugfixes and then breaking the entire game then fixing that and etc.

But he's got an office now!!1

This strikes me as a jab at Notch. At which point I must point at Dwarf Fortress development. EVERYTHING makes new bugs, including fixing old bugs. The development cycle at this stage is rife with them, and there really is no way to avoid them other than complete development blackout. No alpha game to try out, no playable test versions, just a development blog and a few screenshots. Amazing how much less shit Notch would have to go through if he treated the players worse.

[dragnar]

would your opinion be better if instead of paying for an alpha we called it a pre order?

Which, technically, is what it IS. You aren't buying the alpha, the site clearly says that pre-ordering the game comes with the added bonus that you get to mess with the stuff Notch is currently working on.

And as for the possibility of not liking the end product... well, that's a possibility with ANY pre-order.