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[Dabi]

I think there is something inherently wrong with paying for a alpha game.

...Please tell me you're joking.
If someone finds the game worth buying, it's worth buying.

Though minecraft does not appeal to me, I wouldn't spend $ on a game I consider under-featured. And for the money he's earned it's very basic.

Maybe I'm just not getting something.

[Umi]

I think there is something inherently wrong with paying for a alpha game.

You are paying for the whole game, he just hasn't finished making it yet.  He still has tons of ideas for other features.

[Dabi]

I think there is something inherently wrong with paying for a alpha game.

You are paying for the whole game, he just hasn't finished making it yet.  He still has tons of ideas for other features.

So you are paying for a guy to make a game that you have not yet played and cannot play - only a "alpha" version till it's "done" correct?

[mendonca]

I think there is something inherently wrong with paying for a alpha game.

When you put it like that, yeah that sounds sensible, but (www.minecraft.net) 10,881 are happy to 'pay' for minecraft ... (as of the date/time of this post)

Thats quite interesting. Notch has gotten people to shell out 108,810 euros so far. I wonder how much of that he sees.

Personally (in cases like this) I see it more like funding the development, rather than paying for the game, but each to his own, I always say.

[Duke 2.0]

 Mind the, what, 60% taxes? Both from the government and Paypal.

 But yeah, it is like Dwarf Fortress, only these donations allow you to play content the non-payers don't have access to.

[NRN_R_Sumo1]

I think there is something inherently wrong with paying for a alpha game.

You are paying for the whole game, he just hasn't finished making it yet.  He still has tons of ideas for other features.

So you are paying for a guy to make a game that you have not yet played and cannot play - only a "alpha" version till it's "done" correct?

Think of it like an investment, supporting someone who makes a game you enjoy keeps them in business, thus it is updated and you get more material.

Even big companies release unfinished games nowadays, look at Team Fortress 2, it's still got things in development and was released a few years ago.
Other games have DLC's like Borderlands and Oblivion.

I dont really see why someone would buy an alpha either, but Alpha is only a title, and DF gets plenty of support being a very playable alpha. 

[Ghavrel]

Ramps in DF are these sort of hyperdimensional monstrosities capable of allowing you to walk upwards in whatever direction seems plausible at the time, so...

Sig'd.

[Dabi]

I think there is something inherently wrong with paying for a alpha game.

You are paying for the whole game, he just hasn't finished making it yet.  He still has tons of ideas for other features.

So you are paying for a guy to make a game that you have not yet played and cannot play - only a "alpha" version till it's "done" correct?

Think of it like an investment, supporting someone who makes a game you enjoy keeps them in business, thus it is updated and you get more material.

Even big companies release unfinished games nowadays, look at Team Fortress 2, it's still got things in development and was released a few years ago.
Other games have DLC's like Borderlands and Oblivion.

I dont really see why someone would buy an alpha either, but Alpha is only a title, and DF gets plenty of support being a very playable alpha. 

DF is more feature riched than a game where you look & place blocks.
DLC in borderlands is bad, the game sucked to my opinion and I own it. Same with Oblivion, I have it on my shelf & the expansion and I never got into it..

Minecraft is just..so basic. But eh if people like it then they'll buy it...most of them are nagging their parents I bet for the $.

[Lmaoboat]

I agree, what kind of idiot would possibly want to play a game that's in alpha?

[G-Flex]

People aren't criticizing playing a game that's in the alpha stage.

People are criticizing paying for a game that doesn't exist yet. Paying for a game while it's in alpha, based on promises of things to come, is what's being criticized here, and I can see why.


You might want to draw a parallel here and say "Yeah, but people also donate to Toady for DF, and that's an alpha too!" but that's not the same. They're not making a pre-emptive payment for a game that's yet to exist but will cost money, they're making a voluntary donation in order to support the consistent development of a game that will always be free. Also, some people donate to Toady because they like the product as it is, which is still different from paying for a game because of what it will be.

[Dabi]

People aren't criticizing playing a game that's in the alpha stage.

People are criticizing paying for a game that doesn't exist yet. Paying for a game while it's in alpha, based on promises of things to come, is what's being criticized here, and I can see why.


You might want to draw a parallel here and say "Yeah, but people also donate to Toady for DF, and that's an alpha too!" but that's not the same. They're not making a pre-emptive payment for a game that's yet to exist but will cost money, they're making a voluntary donation in order to support the consistent development of a game that will always be free. Also, some people donate to Toady because they like the product as it is, which is still different from paying for a game because of what it will be.

Exactly my remark with the ""
What I said:
So you are paying for a guy to make a game that you have not yet played and cannot play - only a "alpha" version till it's "done" correct?

Minecraft is a basic game with promises that it will come out only when its in "beta"...all the while hes making money off a basic game to be honest.

[Duke 2.0]

 And?

 I would say more, but hat is the point of this? That we are idiots for trusting that something will come?

[G-Flex]

(The "yes" in the first paragraph is directed towards Dabi, not Duke 2.0. Good thing I caught this before posting, eh?)

Yes. I can understand accepting donations to support further development, provided you don't just pack the money in a suitcase and run, because it's voluntary and there's less of a promise to the consumer involved.

Charging someone so that they can have a product that doesn't exist yet has always seemed a little fishy to me; the consumer should, at least in theory, know what he's getting before he buys it. There are a thousand and one awful things can happen during the development of a game that can sidetrack it, delay it, or cause it to be something other than what was initially planned (to some degree). I'm not saying that it's likely in this case, but it's certainly a possibility, because the people are paying for something without any promise of what that something will actually be, a promise that should basically be intrinsic to all purchases a person makes (unless there's some element of gambling involved).

I would say more, but hat is the point of this? That we are idiots for trusting that something will come?

Well... what's the point? Is there actually a point to paying for something before it exists, rather than waiting?

[Dabi]

Probably to support the development G-Flex. I do to believe its fishy if he says the next update will be beta? Why?
Is it convenient? Beta is a big step...one which people are paying for.

[UristMcGunsmith]

I would say more, but hat is the point of this? That we are idiots for trusting that something will come?

Well... what's the point? Is there actually a point to paying for something before it exists, rather than waiting?

You're on the dwarf fortress forums. Just in case you forgot.

But seriously, it's 15 dollars and I'm not a poor bastard so I bought it. And I get sneak peaks at new features and new content all for free, and a customizable avatar.

But that's not the point. Point is the dude has no job, his only income is alpha purchasing, and all he does is program for minecraft. He's not exactly going to stop development any time soon.

And 60% tax? Jesus titty fucking christ where does he live, Soviet Russia circa 1970? The tax on my paycheck is only 8%