Negativity about paying £50 for Alpha

[shaneturner12]

In my personal opinion, I feel that £49 is a reasonable price for alpha access considering that it's also to help further development of the game. It's unlikely that Frontier are as large as say EA or similar companies so money from pre-orders whether it's at the £19 level, the £49 level or at a higher level is likely to help.

I actually took part in another testing for an Australian company a couple of years ago - to get alpha access on that cost at least $350AUD which would work out at around £150.

Personally I'm keen to see what comes out from this but I still personally feel that it's a fair price to help with the development and to do early testing.

Shane

 

[xyphic]

This is natural guys, I don't really understand why you are upset. I can understand what Frontier is trying to do (the game is already funded, and they do want to lower/control the signal to noise ratio). But at the same time, they are actively hyping an alpha release for a game AND selling said alpha for a ridiculous price.

I disagree that it's a ridiculous price. For me it's all about value: I value my free time, and I choose what to spend in order to achieve the maximum amount of happiness. For me that means paying something like £100 p/m on television and internet services (I know, right? Ridiculous!), and on top of that I'll buy games or have takeaways, or go places and do things.

I've been waiting for a modern theme park management game for ages, one that evokes the feelings I had when playing Theme Park as a teenager. Everything about Planet Coaster does that for me, and I'm excited to have the chance to be part of it from the start, and to be able to give my suggestions and feedback at a time where there's a chance something can and will be done about it. And it's for the price of half a month's TV, or a couple of takeaways? Bargain.

Remember the time when folks were getting paid to test and bugfix a closed alpha?

Those times haven't changed. Frontier still do internal testing. The feedback they're looking for from this early release isn't about bugs, it's more like an extended focus test. They need to know what works and what doesn't, what we like and what we don't. They could have done that through closed test groups, but the risk with that is that you need to be very sure that your focus group is representative of your customer base as a whole. It also means that you get resentment from those parts of the community who think that they should be involved, but maybe they're not the most vocal or the highest profile. Doing it this way means that everyone can be involved if they want to and there'll be a spread of opinion and background (though with a slight enthusiast bias due to the increased cost).

I'm with you on the slightly nefarious turn in the games industry, but I don't believe this is part of it. Traditional early access is a great thing for smaller developers, as it gives them a continual revenue stream while they're developing the game, at the expense of having to deal with a heavy amount of early triage. What's bad is when the big publishers start doing it to cut costs. That's not what Frontier are doing here: they're an independent publisher making a type of game that traditional publishers wouldn't commit the development funds for. They're engaging and involving the community in that development process, because generating hype and then delivering on it are their keys to success.

 

[Nanï1]

You make a choice by buying it or not. I saw the value in this game so I decided to spend money on it since it gives me a lot of plessure to play! I don't understand the negativity.. You support Frontier by doing this, which makes the game more amazing, I really can't see any downsides to this. Not to mention, you're part of an amazing sharing community that loves the same game as you, why not be a part of that?

 

[Dante80]

I disagree that it's a ridiculous price. For me it's all about value: I value my free time, and I choose what to spend in order to achieve the maximum amount of happiness. For me that means paying something like £100 p/m on television and internet services (I know, right? Ridiculous!), and on top of that I'll buy games or have takeaways, or go places and do things.

I've been waiting for a modern theme park management game for ages, one that evokes the feelings I had when playing Theme Park as a teenager. Everything about Planet Coaster does that for me, and I'm excited to have the chance to be part of it from the start, and to be able to give my suggestions and feedback at a time where there's a chance something can and will be done about it. And it's for the price of half a month's TV, or a couple of takeaways? Bargain.

But of course. A company would not charge something for a certain product or service if everyone thought their personal value/cost ratio would be too low. If that happened, well...noone would buy said product or service.

That does not mean the price is not ridiculous though, for a lot of people. And these are not the people Frontier are targeting with their marketing short videos etc.

Those times haven't changed. Frontier still do internal testing. The feedback they're looking for from this early release isn't about bugs, it's more like an extended focus test. They need to know what works and what doesn't, what we like and what we don't. They could have done that through closed test groups, but the risk with that is that you need to be very sure that your focus group is representative of your customer base as a whole. It also means that you get resentment from those parts of the community who think that they should be involved, but maybe they're not the most vocal or the highest profile. Doing it this way means that everyone can be involved if they want to and there'll be a spread of opinion and background (though with a slight enthusiast bias due to the increased cost).

I do know how alphas work man, I have been a part of many (including an alpha for game by Frontier). I am trying to explain the shift in the games industry from focus based testing to early access monetization.

I'm with you on the slightly nefarious turn in the games industry, but I don't believe this is part of it. Traditional early access is a great thing for smaller developers, as it gives them a continual revenue stream while they're developing the game, at the expense of having to deal with a heavy amount of early triage. What's bad is when the big publishers start doing it to cut costs. That's not what Frontier are doing here: they're an independent publisher making a type of game that traditional publishers wouldn't commit the development funds for. They're engaging and involving the community in that development process, because generating hype and then delivering on it are their keys to success.

Agreed. Many people though are either judging Frontier specifically due to what happened with their other big project (DDF + alpha/premium beta phases), or viewing this as part of the larger games industry problem. I mean, a cynical actor could very well say that the fact Frontier is not a big publisher does not mean they can do what big publishers do..and get away with it. I am simply explaining the reasons for why there is a back-lash from some gamers in articles and videos about the whole thing.

Now, you may choose to see said back-lash or thought process is irrational. It is firmly based on examples though, and for every bad example there is another one that is good.

Take for example the way Parkitect (a much smaller and more strapped for funds crowdfunded project) is using its development phase for monetization.

 

[Saskro]

I never really understood the complaints about the early bird price. Sure, I would´ve been happy if it was cheaper, but for me the quality that was shown always justified supporting this game. For me it comes down to 3 points:

1) First, people complaining shouldn´t forget that Early Bird is an optional special offer. If you want to play this game as early as possible and be part of the development process, you have to pay extra. I still felt that Frontier is handling this in a fair way, because the preorder price for the normal release is surprisingly low. So, if you only want to get this game when it launches you get a really good deal - if you want a special treatment, you have to pay extra. People complaining that you pay for alpha-testing the game, have to remember that you aren´t forced to give any feedback or test anything. You can do that if you care. But basically you just buy the right to play earlier.

2) Although this wasn´t announced as a crowdfoundig project, I always felt that paying for Early Bird was a way to show your special support for the work of the developers. I came to the conclusion that I want to give extra money to the team, because what I´ve ssen so far has really convinced me. Again: If you aren´t convinced at this point, don´t buy Early Bird.

3) The last point that led to my decision to buy Early Bird was the price of other major game titles. Early Bird for me was 68 €. If I look around on Amazon, I can find Far Cry Primal for 55 € or the preorder of Uncharted 4 for 69 €. So, I figured the early access to Planet Coaster is similar to the price of other games with the difference that I´m far more excited for Planet Coaster. So, I feel like it´s not a completely unreasonable price - it just feels expensive if you compare it to the low preorder price for the normal release (27 €). If I would pay this much for other games, why not pay it now to get one of my favourite type of games earlier?

 

[Sokanas]

Whiners gunna whine etc..

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Nemmie]

Hello all,

I want to vent, I guess, about the overwhelming and rather sudden negativity that floods each new Planet Coaster update. With each new video Frontier has published, lots of people have decided to complain about the price of the Early Bird edition - this is also true on Twitter.

I want to grab you negative peeps by your shoulders and shake you, for goodness sake the game costs £20 if you pre-order it right now for when it is actually released. That option is open to you. Your logic comes down to: "Why would I pay THAT much to beta test your game for you, you lazy greedy so and so."

No. This isn't a game published by EA, Nintendo or Ubisoft etc. Frontier does not have a history of publishing their own games. Elite Dangerous and Planet Coaster are recent exceptions and the start of a trend, I hope, so that one day they can take on their own projects without the funding provided by big publishers or in this case, our money. The reality is, right now they do need a bit of extra money to get this marvellous project up to a level of quality we're hoping this game achieves. So you can think of it in the way you're thinking about it - that its a greedy move on their part. Or...you can think of it like the rest of us are, that we are happy to shed out extra funds right now to help this game get to the stage it needs to be. Supporting the developers...like some of us may have in the past on Kickstarter with other games/devs.

One day, Frontier may grow into the next big developer/publisher and if and when that happens, I won't expect to see the purchasing options we have with Planet Coaster today. Quit your whining, you're spoiling the hype - buy the £20 version and wait. The rest of us meanwhile will be enjoying ourselves and will be thankful that this genre has been revived.

[tongue]

I apologise as I haven't read the full thread as I'm too excited to play.

What I think is that £49.99 is very reasonable considering the quality and scope of the game. A lot of console games are a good £10 more and won't give a fraction of the replayability of PC.

So DeadYoshi, I think you should inform these people that they're getting this game confused with RCTW.
And I've got to say, the last part of your post with the "Quit your whining .........spoiling the hype.........thankful......." sounds just like what one of the hateful blinkered fanboys on the other forum would say. I say keep that over there. We're better than that.

 

[Wobbly]

Why is this thread even here? It's already been discussed at length in another thread. This thread stinks of hostility at those with an opinion. Most of the comments here are servery ill-educated and going on pure speculation too.

Quit crying about people crying, it makes you seem worse. [down]

 

[Yaffle]

Hello all

It's probably for the best if you have a cup of tea before posting. This looks like an emotive topic, which is fine, but please make sure that any replies are about the subject and not one of the other posters.

Thanks

 

[ruffi0]

Let me break this down for all of you.

PC = $29.99 pre-order gets you full game on release
RCTW = $59.99 pre-order gets you full game on release

So for the Privilege of building early, helping the development with bug findings etc, you are essentially only paying $15.00 more then you would have paid for the entirety of RCTW and your getting a WAY better game in the end.



Remember that the price of the main game will go up in the following months to come. So really you are probably getting one of the best deals out there.

 

[kilvenny]

I paid 100 Sterling for ED beta and lifetime expansions and the entertainment value of seeing each new release and the forum fun far exceeds that. I am here for the fun ride this is going to be.

 

[Jave1]

Ultimately a product is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. I only found this game 3 days ago and was stunned at the $70 price tag for a pre-Alpha, heck, I only paid $50 for GTA5, however I have such a love for the RCT franchise it was worth it to me to see what Frontier had to offer. Is it overpriced? Maybe, but the final product is very reasonably priced so no one is forcing us to overpay for the Alpha, those of us who did really really really want to play this game!! [yesnod]

 

[NickL2005]

Personally, the charging over double for alpha has left a bad taste in my mouth. Like someone else said, it holds the same weight as the day one dlcs. However, I'm impatient and the game looks great. One of my very first games to ever own was theme park for playstation and I couldn't resist trying this one early. That being said, I'm happy to be a part of the development and giving feedback.

 

[jbear]

I don't understand the childish 'backlash' that apparently happened yesterday from nobodies on youtube that amounted to nothing.

if you want to play the game now it costs this much, ok, cool.

If you don't want to pay that much you can pay less when it is finished , cool.

If you want to give the uk studio that made Roller Coaster tycoon all the freakin help you can to make the next game in 2016 then you pour money on their heads and LOVE it ! ok

Where else is your game gonna come from?

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I will be buying a laptop for around 1000 online credits to play this. I bought a laptop to play Minecraft as I only had a console. I bought a new laptop to play The Sims 4. The cost of entry is massive for any game you know you have to play. This is another game where you have to play it unfortunately. Those complaining about 75 dollars have no idea about my plight in pc gaming.