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[Lightningfalcon]

Free game is free

Bad companies are bad.

But by getting it for free and not buying DLC you aren't giving them any profit

[Toaster]

They're getting you to install Origins and hoping you'll be tempted by a deal on that since you already have it installed.

[BigD145]

Free game is free

Bad companies are bad.

But by getting it for free and not buying DLC you aren't giving them any profit

You're using their service. Every subscriber to their service is something they can crow about. At the very least it affects the shareholders.

[JoshuaFH]

Don't even know if I should grab Prison Architect on Steam at 66% off, i.e. about 10 bucks.

Because holy shit how can the base price for an early access game be 30 dollars. That's offensive enough to make me spit at my computer screen in disgust.

[Glloyd]

Don't even know if I should grab Prison Architect on Steam at 66% off, i.e. about 10 bucks.

Because holy shit how can the base price for an early access game be 30 dollars. That's offensive enough to make me spit at my computer screen in disgust.

Do it, it's worth it. While it is early access, it doesn't feel like it. It's a pretty fun game if you're into that genre.

[nenjin]

PA (Prison Architect) is one of the few Early Access titles that I think has completely met its end of the bargain, and continues to improve beyond my expectations with every update.

[Toaster]

Don't even know if I should grab Prison Architect on Steam at 66% off, i.e. about 10 bucks.

Because holy shit how can the base price for an early access game be 30 dollars. That's offensive enough to make me spit at my computer screen in disgust.

I take it you never saw Planetary Annihilation's early price tag of $100.

[Delta Foxtrot]

I get why many Early Access titles are cheap, but why should they all be cheap as a rule?

[n9103]

Give us money for this partially programmed game. We promise* to finish it.
*In a non-binding manner

No insurance or assurances (other than their word) that they will do anything further to the game.
That's little different than buying a finished game that has critically game breaking bugs, and the devs saying, 'We know it's buggy, but that's ok, because you can buy it now and we might patch it eventually.'

Oh, and Planetary Annihilation can go screw an auger. Higher prices on less finished product.

[PanH]

Give us money for this partially programmed game. We promise* to finish it.
*In a non-binding manner

No insurance or assurances (other than their word) that they will do anything further to the game.
That's little different than buying a finished game that has critically game breaking bugs, and the devs saying, 'We know it's buggy, but that's ok, because you can buy it now and we might patch it eventually.'

1) You're not forced to buy it
2) PA is more finished than a lot of 'finished games', including released one.
Early access has nothing to do with it. There's terrible and good games with and without it.

[i2amroy]

Oh, and Planetary Annihilation can go screw an auger. Higher prices on less finished product.

PA at least had a reasoning behind that though. Basically what they just did was extend their Kickstarter, where buying after each decrease in price dropped you down another kickstarter tier (and lost you the accompanying bonuses). It's just that people are so used to Early Access = Cheaper Game that it threw most people for a loop.

[Delta Foxtrot]

Give us money for this partially programmed game. We promise* to finish it.
*In a non-binding manner

No insurance or assurances (other than their word) that they will do anything further to the game.
That's little different than buying a finished game that has critically game breaking bugs, and the devs saying, 'We know it's buggy, but that's ok, because you can buy it now and we might patch it eventually.'

That's true, but whether the price is 10$ or 50$, you're throwing money at an unfinished game. Your post seems to condemn Early Access practice as a whole, rather than just those that are expensive. What I'm wondering is why some people think it's ok to pay 10$ for an unfinished game but not 50$.

[WealthyRadish]

It's an expectation that the $10 price is a discount from what it'll eventually be sold for, and in exchange for the player taking on the risk of paying for something before it's finished, the developers get short term funds to continue development. Then there's the practical reality of many buyers being unwilling to pay for something that isn't good value in its current state, even with an expectation of future improvement. So if the game is priced cheaper in early access and worth that price as is (even if it never got patched again) then of course the early access risk/discount system isn't relevant, but in most cases where players can get even steeper discounts post-release, it's natural that it's become a hard sell (especially with the number of flops and drawn out "alpha"s around).

[Gentlefish]

Oi, Wastelands 2 was $60 for a greenlight game. Of course, by buying it, you got sweet digital shinies and two other complete games.

[TwilightWalker]

Oh, and Planetary Annihilation can go screw an auger. Higher prices on less finished product.

PA at least had a reasoning behind that though. Basically what they just did was extend their Kickstarter, where buying after each decrease in price dropped you down another kickstarter tier (and lost you the accompanying bonuses). It's just that people are so used to Early Access = Cheaper Game that it threw most people for a loop.

This, so many times this. I've lost count how many times I've pointed this fact out to angry anti-EA/Greenlighters as they tout it as one of the major things wrong with the Early Access system, when all they're yelling about is their ignorance and inability to read.