The price is kinda insulting

[Justin Case]

I'm not paying near Stalker 2 prices to playtest a product that may or may not be released as a finished product (that is the point of early access, that seem to fly above the heads of many people). At a premium price, I expect a premium product. I've bought into many similar titles before, like Cold Waters and War on the Sea, so I kind of have a bearing what I'll get for my money.

Sadly, some Early Access games are abandoned before they reach completion. While I don't expect it for this title, there is no guarantee. Some devs stick to their roadmap, others may run out of resources, lose interest, or decide to focus on other projects. There’s no guarantee you’ll ever see the game reach its full potential, which could make your investment feel like a waste if the project fizzles out. Early Access is a gamble, and at a high price, you’re taking on more risk for a potentially disappointing payoff.

I'm also not willing to contribute shifting the overton window, where we send a message to developers and publishers that we’re okay with paying more for less. This could lead to more companies releasing unfinished products at premium prices, which might ultimately hurt the quality and transparency of games being developed. By supporting this practice, you are doing yourself and your fellow gamers a disservice.

I get that some games in Early Access show a lot of promise, and supporting indie devs can feel good. But, before you drop a hefty price on an unfinished game, weigh these factors. I know I have.

[balu0]

The price is fine for a strategy/simulation game like this.

[Bourky]

The game looks very good with lots of potential, in it's current form it's not worth the price I paid today £37.79

[moonshadow]

I honestly thought and hoped this one would lie around $30 tops, so I'm a bit disappointed. Not sure if I would go as far as saying 'insulted".
I do feel this price for the CURRENT state, is a bit...greedy.
Sure, people will whine that this and that is too expensive, while other people thinking they're actually clever and contributing to the world, comments saying "well dont buy it then, bye". That sort of comment belongs with kids.
If someone think the price is too aggressive for what it is, a super early access game, that is their right to think so. Why someone would run to the forums to post such a comment, I dunno. Maybe looking if they're the only ones finding the price dumb.

I'm not saying this or that person is right, nor if this or that price is right.
But for ME, I think this price tag is a tad too high. Game doesn't even have a campaign yet, and wont for a long time. This game is currently just you selecting a 'quick mission' basically, play thru it. Done. wooh, €40+ for that? With a campaign at least there would be some meat, to make the pricetag feel justified. I just simply dont think it's worth €45-ish
Now I do trust these devs/guys, I'm actually rather confident this isn't one of those games that wont ever evolve, be finished, but rather abandoned. I have very high hopes and trust in this 'project'.
But for now, it's just not worth that much money. Depending on what games one person likes, I would even recommend Farming Simulator 25 instead, that's a game released today as well, and it's an actual finished game.

I have had Sea Power on my wishlist since June 2021, so do not think I'm someone that just tripped in here to throw wise words (kidding) around. I'm as hyped for this game as many others. And for the past month, of watching others play it on YT etc, I felt pretty dang confident that this is a game they'll charge around $30 for, it's definitely not a €60 game that's for sure. Instead we ended up in the middle. in MY opinion €10-i15 too expensive for what it is *NOW*.
A year or two from now, then it might very well be worth the price. Might get a dlc or whatever in the future for free, who knows. What do we know though? This is a long from complete game, that IS over priced.
Dont even bother justifying it by saying "uh, there are other incomplete games that costs more or the same, waaahh waah waah." Just stop defending sh-t prices like this. What you're doing is actually making the gaming world worst. You think people complaining about the price, or whatever it might be from game to game, is toxic and bad?
Sure there's annoying people that complain about everything. But when we have the blind and naive kids that defend a company/studio for NO reason, all they do is sending the signs that "hey papa Big Studio, please increase your prices for your games that are buggy and incomplete, i'm a good boy and will gladly pay you $100 for a 5 hour game, yes please".

People gotta stop whining so much. Just as people gotta stop defending products and companies that couldn't care less about *them*. You literally stand to gain NOTHING by defending a company. Who's interest literally is, to get YOUR money.
Stockholm Syndrome much?


Yes, I partly agree with the OP. This game is at the *moment* too expensive. Waited almost 3½ years for this. But I'm not buying this game today. I was effing HYPED to buy and play this today. But no, Not gonna give them this much money, not now ,now today. Lower the price, if not, then we'll wait another year til the game is actually worth the price tag.
And again, stop with the silly defending, saying things like other games are worse, blah blah. That doesn't help anyone, it literally helps no one.
When I checked the forum and found this thread, I was literally and honestly checking the forum to see if people were raging about the price tag. Because I was honestly shocked when I saw the price. And now I'm curious if it's just me that's disappointed or not.
No one is p-ssing on your new favorite game (lol), no need to be hostile towards people that have the right to comment on the price. No one is saying its a bad sh-tty game. We just think the price is a tad too high for where the game is *today*. I promise you, if this silly 10% discount on launch had been 25-30% then I might've grabbed it.
I dont blame the dudes behind the game, as I said I trust these guys. But it's the effing Microprose involved. That was a publisher I used to lake, like decades ago. Pretty sure its them pushing for this price. Not the guys that actually worked on it.
Oh, and no, I do not think the game should be free or whatever other stupid counter argument some kid will come up with. But once this game has campaign(s) and is more stable, has more sh-t to do, THEN I'll gladly give them the current asking price. But not now, ffs, demand more for you money people. You are the reason the gaming industry is trying to walk all over gamers. Not everyone has that kink, to be stepped on ;)

Let people be upset about the price. Let people be happy about the price. Let people have their bleeping opinion, it's their money. They're not stopping YOU from buying and playing the game, right? So let people say and think what they want as long as they're not being rude.
I'm personally not upset, just really effing disappointed in this price.

Dang..I'm honestly disappointed.

[Justin Case]

Originally posted by desrtfox071:

Originally posted by Justin Case:

I'm not here to make you feel bad or guilty about anything. I shared my thoughts because I'm frustrated by the trend of unfinished games being sold at a premium and often not surmounting to anything for years if at all and then jumping to the next project continuing the cycle.

So don't buy it.

Who are you to suggest that those who have purchased the game are somehow "wrong" to have done so?

Whether it's "wrong" or not is why we're discussing it. It's a discussion forum, that's the whole point, isn't it? And I've made my points clear.

[Mr.Gold]

When I was at uni I used to do translations to make a few extra pounds. A guy came up with. A technical manual he wanted translated from Portuguese to English. A 600 page technical manual. I made the math and told him it would take me about half a year at least and it would cost him £20k. Mind you, that is very cheap.

He was insulted and said for that price he would "do it himself".

He had no idea of the value of my work or how hard and how much work it is to do a translation properly. These threads make me think about that guy a lot.

[desrtfox071]

Originally posted by Justin Case:

Originally posted by desrtfox071:

So don't buy it.

Who are you to suggest that those who have purchased the game are somehow "wrong" to have done so?

Whether it's "wrong" or not is why we're discussing it. It's a discussion forum, that's the whole point, isn't it? And I've made my points clear.

What's to discuss?

The seller makes the product and determines the price.
The buyer evaluates the value based on their individual circumstances/needs/desires.
A purchase is made or not.

If the value isn't there, relative to the price, either go without or wishlist it and wait for a sale.

[Bourky]

Originally posted by MekStark:

For the unaware, Cold Waters was imperfect but finished product, with quite large South China Sea expansion added later -for free. It was shortly after that the studio "reorganised" itself and 2/3rd of just 3 core devs working on Cold Waters went on to form Triassic and work on Sea Power.

You are right that CW was most certainly imperfect but a very good game all the same and worth the money I paid at the time £35.99 I think I paid for it. This game has a lot of potential and if the Devs deliver to completion I'm confident that it will be awesome, I'm no stranger to EA games, but I can honestly say £37.79 which is what I paid today is to high a price for an EA in it's current form, if it was further along then sure no problem.

[Justin Case]

Originally posted by Radioshow:

So if you pay less at EA, with less features, at release you are going to pay the extra money for the added functionality??
I didn't think so.

You first replied in this thread saying, quote: "dude you need to smoke a joint and go relax. No one cares what you think."

It is now abundantly clear that you care very much how I think. So much in fact that you start to imagine what I think. I'm living rent free in your head.

[Justin Case]

Originally posted by desrtfox071:

Originally posted by Justin Case:

Whether it's "wrong" or not is why we're discussing it. It's a discussion forum, that's the whole point, isn't it? And I've made my points clear.

What's to discuss?

The seller makes the product and determines the price.
The buyer evaluates the value based on their individual circumstances/needs/desires.
A purchase is made or not.

If the value isn't there, relative to the price, either go without or wishlist it and wait for a sale.

Ultimately, everyone decides for themselves whether a game is worth the price or not. But there’s more to discuss here than just “buy or don’t buy.” This discussion is about how pricing practices, especially for Early Access games, impact the gaming industry and players overall.

When a game is in a very unfinished state yet sold at a high price, it raises questions about what we’re willing to accept as paying customers. That is what we're discussing. Or at least, what I am trying to discuss.

[Letarsier]

Originally posted by SomeIrateBrit:

Originally posted by <Blank />:

For the unaware: "Imperfect but finished" is corpo speak for "we decided not to fix the glaring and obvious problems with another title and make something else, charge full price for it in early access and (perhaps) eventually say the same thing about it when we make something else."

The game is made by 10 devs who have spent six years of their lives making a game that they are passionate about. If £38 is really too much for you to buy the game on good faith, then just wait for the full release. There is nothing wrong with that. But to pretend that this is just some corporate cash grab is ridiculous.

This is precisely the issue : 6 years of development, and it is released in EA. Are players/customers required to improve the game through testing, or just fund it ?

Even if it looks more advanced than KSP2, I still keep this fiasco in mind.

[Bourky]

Originally posted by Justin Case:

Originally posted by desrtfox071:

What's to discuss?

The seller makes the product and determines the price.
The buyer evaluates the value based on their individual circumstances/needs/desires.
A purchase is made or not.

If the value isn't there, relative to the price, either go without or wishlist it and wait for a sale.

Ultimately, everyone decides for themselves whether a game is worth the price or not. But there’s more to discuss here than just “buy or don’t buy.” This discussion is about how pricing practices, especially for Early Access games, impact the gaming industry and players overall.

When a game is in a very unfinished state yet sold at a high price, it raises questions about what we’re willing to accept as paying customers. That is what we're discussing. Or at least, what I am trying to discuss.

Exactly this, as consumers we all have our own subjective right to decide if a product or service is worth the money we paid for it. With a game you never really know until after you buy it, for me at the moment it's not worth the money so I have requested a refund, but, in time when this product is further along it may well be worth my money at a later date, just not today.

[Justin Case]

Originally posted by Bourky:

Originally posted by Justin Case:

Ultimately, everyone decides for themselves whether a game is worth the price or not. But there’s more to discuss here than just “buy or don’t buy.” This discussion is about how pricing practices, especially for Early Access games, impact the gaming industry and players overall.

When a game is in a very unfinished state yet sold at a high price, it raises questions about what we’re willing to accept as paying customers. That is what we're discussing. Or at least, what I am trying to discuss.

Exactly this, as consumers we all have our own subjective right to decide if a product or service is worth the money we paid for it. With a game you never really know until after you buy it, for me at the moment it's not worth the money so I have requested a refund, but, in time when this product is further along it may well be worth my money at a later date, just not today.

A fair and reasonable take.

[Crosswind]

Maybe if the game were anywhere near complete, it would be a fair price. But it definitely isn't in this state.

[CatLover]

Originally posted by Justin Case:

I'm not paying near Stalker 2 prices to playtest a product that may or may not be released as a finished product (that is the point of early access, that seem to fly above the heads of many people). At a premium price, I expect a premium product. I've bought into many similar titles before, like Cold Waters and War on the Sea, so I kind of have a bearing what I'll get for my money.

Sadly, some Early Access games are abandoned before they reach completion. While I don't expect it for this title, there is no guarantee. Some devs stick to their roadmap, others may run out of resources, lose interest, or decide to focus on other projects. There’s no guarantee you’ll ever see the game reach its full potential, which could make your investment feel like a waste if the project fizzles out. Early Access is a gamble, and at a high price, you’re taking on more risk for a potentially disappointing payoff.

I'm also not willing to contribute shifting the overton window, where we send a message to developers and publishers that we’re okay with paying more for less. This could lead to more companies releasing unfinished products at premium prices, which might ultimately hurt the quality and transparency of games being developed. By supporting this practice, you are doing yourself and your fellow gamers a disservice.

I get that some games in Early Access show a lot of promise, and supporting indie devs can feel good. But, before you drop a hefty price on an unfinished game, weigh these factors. I know I have.

Not really. Most AAA games are starting to push $70 USD.
30 Years ago most games cost 49.99

This price is pretty good considering inflation.

[WhjiteWolf]

If you are under duress, please call your local police and give them the description of the person forcing you to buy this game.