Alpha, worth the price?
- Thread starter Dandebo
- Start date
Ian Phillips
Volunteer Moderator
The Alpha testing stage is just that - an opportunity to help with the Alpha stage of testing for the game.
It will be worth the price if you wish to help in the testing effort - otherwise probably not.
If you want to play the game, then you should wait until it is finished to avoid being dissapointed by (necessarily) incomplete and buggy versions.
It will be worth the price if you wish to help in the testing effort - otherwise probably not.
If you want to play the game, then you should wait until it is finished to avoid being dissapointed by (necessarily) incomplete and buggy versions.
Well, if you mean if it's worth the price as a *game*, at it's current state, then...
Not really, imo. It is still rather problematic in the multiplayer section, has a fair share of bugs, for some people their internet setup doesn't even let them play the multiplayer. And, past the novelty, it's still a combat-focused system, with very little (i.e. almost none) non-combat stuff to do just yet; and the balance isn't exactly nailed just yet either.
However. This does give you a good chance to see how the flight model feels, how the game plays on your computer, how the controls suit your habits, and it is an additional chunk of development money for the devs. And you get to flag up issues you find as part of the testing.
So, basically:
- If you want a playable game, then No, not yet. (Maaaaybe by the time alpha 4 comes out, but that's a large maybe)
- If you want to participate in testing a very unfinished thing, then.. Yeah, I'd say it's "worth" it. You won't get 100£ worth of value out of it, but if you can afford it and if you want to get in on the action asap, go for it. (Really, that's the underlying question: Can you afford the 100£ as a disposable sum?)
Not really, imo. It is still rather problematic in the multiplayer section, has a fair share of bugs, for some people their internet setup doesn't even let them play the multiplayer. And, past the novelty, it's still a combat-focused system, with very little (i.e. almost none) non-combat stuff to do just yet; and the balance isn't exactly nailed just yet either.
However. This does give you a good chance to see how the flight model feels, how the game plays on your computer, how the controls suit your habits, and it is an additional chunk of development money for the devs. And you get to flag up issues you find as part of the testing.
So, basically:
- If you want a playable game, then No, not yet. (Maaaaybe by the time alpha 4 comes out, but that's a large maybe)
- If you want to participate in testing a very unfinished thing, then.. Yeah, I'd say it's "worth" it. You won't get 100£ worth of value out of it, but if you can afford it and if you want to get in on the action asap, go for it. (Really, that's the underlying question: Can you afford the 100£ as a disposable sum?)
No game is really "worth" 200 pounds so if your only reason for buying it is to play it I would say no...no matter how good it is. Wait until at least Beta so that you can get a more complete game experience.
Having said that...I got Alpha and hasn't regretted it for a moment, but then I have waited for this game for a looooooong time and have no problem throwing FD money to support the devs as long as they finally make it.
Having said that...I got Alpha and hasn't regretted it for a moment, but then I have waited for this game for a looooooong time and have no problem throwing FD money to support the devs as long as they finally make it.
Hi Dandebo,
It's a very awkward question to answer, because for some people the ability to play Alpha is worth more than any amount of money but for others it's just too expensive.
My advice would be, if you can afford it then upgrade to alpha access. If it's going to be a struggle for you to find the £100 cash then don't.
Whether or not it's worth it only you can decide. If you have any friends already in alpha, have a good chat with them and weigh up the benefits and drawbacks for you personally. The reasons why, or why not, it will be worth it will be different for all people who ask the same question.
And by the time Alpha 4 is out, it won't be that long before Beta 1 begins, so if you're already pledged up to Beta 1 it probably won't be worth paying that much for the alpha. That said, I guess it's possible that Frontier may drop the alpha price the closer to beta it gets.
Thank you all for the your input.
I think I shall treat myself, and purchase alpha tonight. And hopefully(if i can connect) see some of you online, before you shoot me to bits
ta very much
ha, welcome commander!
and enjoy the ride. i am still loving every bug ridden minute of it
Greetings,
I'll just throw my 2 pence into the mix.
I missed out on the KS campaign, so if you plan on upgrading to Alpha my understanding is you won't get any of those 'perks'.
If you have the time and inclination to aid in the development of the game then sure upgrade. But remember it is exactly that, as others have pointed out, it is buggy, its limited to what FDEV have released and in some cases people are unable to actually use it.
You pays your money, you takes the chance (as my Mum used to say)
Kro
I'll just throw my 2 pence into the mix.
I missed out on the KS campaign, so if you plan on upgrading to Alpha my understanding is you won't get any of those 'perks'.
If you have the time and inclination to aid in the development of the game then sure upgrade. But remember it is exactly that, as others have pointed out, it is buggy, its limited to what FDEV have released and in some cases people are unable to actually use it.
You pays your money, you takes the chance (as my Mum used to say
)Kro
Ignore all this nonsense about testing and the alpha not really being "worth" it as a game. Yes, it's unstable. Yes, it's buggy. Yes, you're there primarily to test the software. But hand on heart, I have not had this much fun playing a game for a long while. It's highly enjoyable, and to me, it's been worth every penny. Whether it's worth it to you is entirely subjective though
No it is not worth the price but I do not regret upgrading to Alpha as I was spending so much time watching the alpha video's that I decided to treat myself. As others have stated it is more about testing at the moment but what there is to test is great fun and it can only get better.
My advice is if you can afford it & will not be put off with the bugs/ crashes then go for it but make sure you have enough money left over for a decent HOTAS Joystick like the x52 pro or similar (the more buttons the better) as although the game is more than playable with a xbox360 joypad I find it so much better with a throttle & stick.
My advice is if you can afford it & will not be put off with the bugs/ crashes then go for it but make sure you have enough money left over for a decent HOTAS Joystick like the x52 pro or similar (the more buttons the better) as although the game is more than playable with a xbox360 joypad I find it so much better with a throttle & stick.
Thank you all for the your input.
I think I shall treat myself, and purchase alpha tonight. And hopefully(if i can connect) see some of you online, before you shoot me to bits
ta very much
When you do you will also get access to the Alpha forum within 48 hours I believe. If you don't see the Alpha forum in a day or so give Ashley a PM.
His details are in my latest updates post (link at the bottom of my sig).Let me know how you go.
No its really not. Firstly you have to be a network engineer to actually connect to the thing in the first place. Secondly its not really fun in isolation, combat, purely for the sake of combat is rather dull and the scenarios are chaotic.
In my case I actually pledged £300 to be part of the DDF and to fund a project I wanted to see made, the alpha part was just a bonus, but I find it so frustrating that I sent a few bug reports and then just left it.
[EDIT]
Thank you all for the your input.
I think I shall treat myself, and purchase alpha tonight. And hopefully(if i can connect) see some of you online, before you shoot me to bits
ta very much
Ah, I'm too slow I see. Well, thanks for funding the project better, and I hope you have better luck with the alpha then I am.
Last edited:
That's a bit misleading. Some people are having problems, but it seems like most are connecting fine. I've not had a single issue with connecting to the multiplayer alpha.
Depends on the individual, doesn't it? I've had immense fun in multiplayer combat.
I'm glad you are noodle.
I don't want to take anything away from people having fun. Its just that I'm not, and connecting is a right pain.
I don't begrudge a penny of my money going into the project, because it was always about supporting the project not 'buying alpha access' for me, but the simple fact is, I don't particularly enjoy this stage, maybe beta will suit me better.
I don't want to take anything away from people having fun. Its just that I'm not, and connecting is a right pain.
I don't begrudge a penny of my money going into the project, because it was always about supporting the project not 'buying alpha access' for me, but the simple fact is, I don't particularly enjoy this stage, maybe beta will suit me better.