ANNOUNCEMENT Upgrade to Alpha Discount

[Alien]

I just looked at the store, went through the motions because I'd read the discount is applied at the review stage. So, for me it should be £50 ...

I have pledge during the kickstarter for Founder level (and just to prove that ...)

So, the discount should be £150 so I only pay £50.
Or did I read all this wrong?
TO MICHAEL / ASHLEY / FRONTIER ...
I'd be willing to pay £50, ie total cost £200 for Alpha access, but not another £100, total cost £250.

If you can fix this, please let me know.

EDIT: While trying the store again, I accidentally added another Alpha to my cart, grand total £300
I removed both items, went back to the page to add Alpha to my cart and it then said it was £216.50 ...

I did this twice, so it is repeatable.

 

[Dr Wookie]

I just looked at the store, went through the motions because I'd read the discount is applied at the review stage. So, for me it should be £50 ...

I have pledge during the kickstarter for Founder level (and just to prove that ...)

So, the discount should be £150 so I only pay £50.
Or did I read all this wrong?
TO MICHAEL / ASHLEY / FRONTIER ...
I'd be willing to pay £50, ie total cost £200 for Alpha access, but not another £100, total cost £250.

If you can fix this, please let me know.

Hi Alien, as Michael explained, it only deducts the cost of the access you already have (1st or 2nd beta), rather than the full cost of your pledge (which includes other stuff).

So the people who will benefit are:

--- those who have 1st beta access (they get 100 quid off)

--- those who bought 2nd beta and expansions (they get 85 quid off)

--- those eho bought 2nd beta but no expansion (they get 50 quid off)

Unfortunately, there is no mistake and you don't get 150 off

 

[Alien]

Hi Alien, as Michael explained, it only deducts the cost of the access you already have (1st or 2nd beta), rather than the full cost of your pledge (which includes other stuff).

So the people who will benefit are:

--- those who have 1st beta access (they get 100 quid off)

--- those who bought 2nd beta and expansions (they get 85 quid off)

--- those eho bought 2nd beta but no expansion (they get 50 quid off)

Unfortunately, there is no mistake and you don't get 150 off

Then they've made a mistake with this "upgrade to Alpha" as it seems people who have given less (I won't say paid or pledged) get a better discount.

If they're going to offer a FAIR discount they need to get it right, because as it stands at the moment, I'm not taking them up on this offer (it's a joke).

 

[CaptGrumpyPants]

Let me make something clear, here. I'm not whining because I don't have anything for my investment yet. I'm simply confused as to how anyone thinks spending another 100 pounds after spending 150 to-date in order to join an alpha phase of the game can be construed some kind of deal.

What is the purpose of this offering? Certainly it's not to try to get many more in to the alpha for testing. It appears to be an opportunity for those who have whined about the alpha costing so much perceiving this as some kind of deal. I don't think it's anywhere near even a 'money-grab' attempt.

Sure, it got my attention when I got the email after I've seen so much youtube footage, etc. But when I saw it was no deal it just left me scratching my head.

Let's put it this way... I backed at the Premium Boxed Version and upgraded to First Round Private Beta. The backer's store closed.

In December, wanting Alpha access, I paid a full 200 pounds MORE to get it.

The 'discount', my good man, is that you are paying 100 pounds instead of 200 pounds like I did. And I am not going to complain about it; I'm just not. You are getting a deal-- if you don't feel it is worth it then just don't buy it but you'll get no sympathy from me.

I'm perfectly grateful for what I got. Prices on everything change over time so it's all water under the bridge, spilt milk and so on and so forth... Some people would feel entitled to more if you gave them a car and 5 years worth of gas but didn't throw in 5 years of oil changes, too; I don't wanna be that guy

 

[Alien]

Same here, seems like the £150 backers are being stiffed a bit and having to pay significantly more than those who paid £100. We pledged more up front and are now expected to pay £50 more than those who pledged less initially for exactly the same thing.

If there were a £50 upgrade, i'd be in like a shot, as it stands, I'm not bothering with this and will just wait for the first round of beta.

Sure I could have pledged at the time for alpha and thats probably my own fault for not upgrading then, but I didn't honestly know what I'd be doing this January/February when Kickstarter was happening so this seems a bit like a lost opportunity to me.

This ^^^ +1
The store needs to recognise I paid £150.

 

[Asp Explorer]

I gifted second Beta to my GF - and I see no way of upping this to Alpha in the store.

What's really miserable is it's not even possible to up a gift on the backers login, I have no way of sending it to her even if I could up it, and even if I could up it - it seems like it would still be tied to my email address.

I'm sorry FD - but it does indeed look like your idea of a gift is entirelly different from mine. I.E I pay for it, send it to the recipients email address, and from there it's out of my hands - as it's a gift. Steam does seem to do this rather well in comparison, even if there can be a delay of several hours for receipt.

I just hope that when second beta comes out, her email address receives the appropriate details and the login verifier will accept her credentials. If not, well, it's just a mess

Sorry FD - I really had to moan about this one.

 

[Equarri]

Over 100 pounds to be alpha tester? Are you kidding me or are you insane? And I thought that only Mr Roberts is greedy...

 

[Squicker]

This ^^^ +1
The store needs to recognise I paid £150.

I personally do not believe anyone should pay to be a tester, it is after all a rather mundane job. I don't pay extra so I can clean my own room when on holiday.

But IMO this seems particularly badly thought out and will bring negative sentiment; it smacks of a cash grab.

 

[Asp Explorer]

Over 100 pounds to be alpha tester? Are you kidding me or are you insane? And I thought that only Mr Roberts is greedy...

LOL - a lot of us have put more than double or quadruple that

Some people have backed thousands.

It's just too good an opportunity to miss - this is a game that needs to be made for modern hardware.

There are niggles of course, but I do consider it money well spent.

 

[Ian Phillips]

But IMO this seems particularly badly thought out and will bring negative sentiment; it smacks of a cash grab.

There has been a lot of complaint on the forums about Alpha costing too much, especially since december when the old pledge levels were removed and the incredible alpha came out.

Loads of people suddenly wanted to get in on playing the Alpha, forgetting maybe? (more likely ignoring) and not taking into account that Alpha testing is early access to an unfinished product, with the aim of finding things that need to be improved.

Now, Frontier have done something to enable existing backers to upgrade from their existing level to Alpha, which is exactly what people were asking for. And it's still not good enough?

It seems to me that they cannot win -
- Do nothing and get critisised for missing out on making loads of money to fund the game;
- listen to and act on backer complaints and then get accused of money grabbing.

Whats not to love in these attiitudes?

 

[Alien]

Now, Frontier have done something to enable existing backers to upgrade from their existing level to Alpha, which is exactly what people were asking for. And it's still not good enough?

I'm not asking for preferential treatment. I'm not asking for the Alpha access to be cheaper than it was during the Kickstarter. But if Frontier are going allow people to "upgrade" to Alpha access, all I'm asking for is that the amount I have already paid/pledged be taken into consideration.

The store only recognising that I have Premium Beta and then asking me for £100 to upgrade to Alpha access, is in my situation (and anyone else at the £150 Founders level) unfair. And while that remains the situation, I will wait for the Beta access to come to me, after all, I know someone who streams the Alpha *cough*Kerrash*cough*

 

[fireFly1000]

This feature is obviously for those people who only bought after the KS store closed and got only betas access without kickstarter goodies.

So, KS backers have their perks, and this could be viewed as latecomer perk only.

Having said that, I completely understand your anguish, but you made your choice once and you had ample time to rethink.

Also for those crying that alpha should have free access, nobody is forcing you to pay anything more if you don't want.

I, for example, payed for alpha because I realized it would drag a bit longer than initially stated and because I wanted to get actively involved.

 

[Penthux]

Upgrade to Alpha

I think I might just be able to hold out for Beta without putting any more money into this project. Has Beta been delayed? I haven't been reading the forums much since the Gamma phase announcement so I'm somewhat uninformed.

Thanks for the offer anyway.

 

[Warlord711]

I dont get it:

I am currently ordered Premium Beta, the upgrade to alpha costed 100 Pound all the time.

Now i tried to check your discount and it says.... 100 Pounds !


So whats the deal ?

 

[[VR] Mad Mike]

I dont get it:

I am currently ordered Premium Beta, the upgrade to alpha costed 100 Pound all the time.

Now i tried to check your discount and it says.... 100 Pounds !


So whats the deal ?

No it didnt. AFAIK up until yesterday you could not upgrade to alpha, yesterday morning if you wanted alpha you would have had to pay £200 on top of your beta order. Now whether this is a "deal" or not is debatable but it IS exactly what some people were asking for in some threads.

 

[Camino Archer]

Bit to pricey for me guys..Thanks for the offer...Will wait till there is something I want to do in the game, like mine, trade Land on planets ect.

 

[Warlord711]

Sure you could upgrade to alpha earlier, i was thinking about it for some time and discussed with a friend via ICQ, i just checked my log and we talked about +100 Pound for upgrade.

And now, its a "deal", 100 Pounds for upgrade...

I talked about that on 25th of november last year:

http://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?p=196099#post196099

100 Pounds then, 100 Pounds now with a "stylish" marketing email ?

Sorry i am a fool, but not such a big one.

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

I dont get it:

I am currently ordered Premium Beta, the upgrade to alpha costed 100 Pound all the time.

Now i tried to check your discount and it says.... 100 Pounds !


So whats the deal ?

That possibility went away with backer's app upgrades. Due of popular demand FD have re-opened this possibility for time limited offer.

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

Sure you could upgrade to alpha earlier, i was thinking about it for some time and discussed with a friend via ICQ, i just checked my log and we talked about +100 Pound for upgrade.

And now, its a "deal", 100 Pounds for upgrade...

I talked about that on 25th of november last year:

http://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?p=196099#post196099

100 Pounds then, 100 Pounds now with a "stylish" marketing email ?

Sorry i am a fool, but not such a big one.

That possibility was turned off before alpha kicked off. When people saw alpha footage many complained that they would like to upgrade from premium beta to alpha level, but they can't. So FD offer them this possibility. So yeah, maybe this offer is not for you - or me, as I can't afford it. Still, it's not any kind of shenanigans, fair deal imho.

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

I don't buy your arguments at all, they don't address the points I made.

Only point you made is - alphas should be cheaper. Now, it's a valid opinion, and I don't plan to argue against it. However, FD saw it differently. After it's their game and their KS project. pledge sum you feel comfortable with, or don't pledge at all - it's your choice.

What you really forget that those alpha backers get chance to influence real game so early with feedback and suggestions. Now, I know you will argue - cheaper alpha would get you same result. Maybe, but devs would be flooded with feedback.

Also your arguments about cash grab are moot because you are not really forced to buy into alpha, game is just unconnected modules, there's no progress saving, things improve each day. There's little if any initiative to actually buy into alpha - which is exactly point FD is making. It is only for those who have decided they want to try it out early, follow progress, see how game improves, and most importantly provide feedback on core game play elements. Judging from reports in Alpha forum, so far they have succeeded.