I recently grabbed a copy of StarForge on Steam and it made me think, is it really fair to ask people to pay for early access to an upcoming title? If you haven’t heard of StarForge it’s a very light mix between Minecraft and a regular FPS game; with multiplayer and various modes thrown into the mix.
Currently the game is in a very early alpha build and when I say very early, it’s got the core mechanics and that’s about it. The main mode for most players is a survival mode where players are pitted against endless waves of the same kind of alien with the only difference being a change in size. Players can construct anything they wish using resources that fall from the sky between waves, and it’s not uncommon for players to construct a stronghold to defend.
Other items are available such as defensive turrets and guns also drop between waves, but other than that the game offers very little. Personally I paid for the game because I can see the potential and should the game reach that potential, I know I’ll love it. However, I read a lot of forum posts and rants from players that expected something a little more.
It’s becoming more and more popular for developers to charge players to gain early access into an upcoming title and although some offer a discount or another form of incentive, it still appears to surprise a lot of players.
How do you feel about paying for early access to a game? Are you the kind of player that would happily support via a purchase and wait until more is implemented before playing? Have you ever had a bad experience in an alpha? Post a comment below.