What is it like to have early access to this game?

[BalenciPika]

I recently just finished the game, best survival game i have ever played. I wonder if playing their early access would ruin the game for some people. I saw early game play of this game that looks worse than the full release, some voice over is missing too.

I cant wait to play sub2, but i dont want it to be like the early access they had for this game, should I play early access or should I wait. I know there is very long period of time that is early access.

[wkitty42]

if you do not like playing partially complete, still being developed, likely quite buggy games, then stay far away from early access ones... bugs, partial content, and incompatibilities are par for the course...

[BalenciPika]

Originally posted by wkitty42:

if you do not like playing partially complete, still being developed, likely quite buggy games, then stay far away from early access ones... bugs, partial content, and incompatibilities are par for the course...

noted.

[westrud]

I played early access and if I could go back and play the game complete for the first time I would. I wasn't super early access when they had things like the terraforming tool in the game, so I don't know what that was like, but when I first played the game the lava castle was new and the end of the game wasn't yet implemented.

I wouldn't say playing early access ruined the game or that it was a bad experience, the game was still fun, but going back after the game was complete I feel like I already knew too much what to expect and it would have been nice to experience it all at once.

[BalenciPika]

Originally posted by westrud:

I played early access and if I could go back and play the game complete for the first time I would. I wasn't super early access when they had things like the terraforming tool in the game, so I don't know what that was like, but when I first played the game the lava castle was new and the end of the game wasn't yet implemented.

I wouldn't say playing early access ruined the game or that it was a bad experience, the game was still fun, but going back after the game was complete I feel like I already knew too much what to expect and it would have been nice to experience it all at once.

well said, i agree

[seven]

I didn't play early access and am glad. You only get one first playthrough of a game, and like Westrud says it's nice to experience it all at once. If it was released like chapters, where what you've already done isn't changed, that would be different I guess.

Edit: I did buy early access but then ignored the game and any spoilers until well after release.

[BalenciPika]

Originally posted by seven:

I didn't play early access and am glad. You only get one first playthrough of a game, and like Westrud says it's nice to experience it all at once. If it was released like chapters, where what you've already done isn't changed, that would be different I guess.

Edit: I did buy early access but then ignored the game and any spoilers until well after release.

its nice to not touch the story in early access, just build stuff and explore is pretty good

[Notoshy]

The general Idea of E A is, to pay a smaller price, so you can try an unfinished Game, helping to find Bugs and give honest Feedback, so the Game can improve in cooperation with the Developer.
Obviously, as you play a "work in progress" piece of Software, you will encounter Bugs, missing Content and long waiting Periods until major Content Updates will implemented.
Personally, when i buyed Subnautica, Enforcer Island didnt even had the Building on it.

It depends on the Game/Developer, if the E A phase will be a few Months or Years.
...but you will be able to watch a Game grow firsthand and maybe even positively influence it.

[admiral1018]

You can still play the early access version of this game if you're curious what the experience was like then.

[bongerman85]

it was something special, I will say that. Every update adding new things, not sure what you would be seeing next, and what bugs would appear when and where. Eventually the day for 1.0 came... i requested off work that day so that I could be home to watch the livestream, and see when they pushed the fake button and the guy on the laptop hit enter to push the final version to steam. It was a magical experience. It really was.

That night we watched a massive bugfest of technical problems on the livestream of the launch party. And worked it through with the guys live on location to finally get everything working. Watching across multiple platforms, oh it really was something. I watched the whole party and got drunk along with them from home.

Early Access for this game was an amazing ride. Players got to give game changing feedback and work alongside the developers towards the game that we all know and love today. The only downside with this game, was that after you played through it, that magic feeling of the first play. The first time seeing things and exploring was gone. I still loved every moment of it.

Subnautica stands in a category of its own, being one of THE BEST sandbox games I have ever played. Today it still has a VERY special place in my heart, years later i still play it.

[BalenciPika]

Originally posted by bongerman85:

it was something special, I will say that. Every update adding new things, not sure what you would be seeing next, and what bugs would appear when and where. Eventually the day for 1.0 came... i requested off work that day so that I could be home to watch the livestream, and see when they pushed the fake button and the guy on the laptop hit enter to push the final version to steam. It was a magical experience. It really was.

That night we watched a massive bugfest of technical problems on the livestream of the launch party. And worked it through with the guys live on location to finally get everything working. Watching across multiple platforms, oh it really was something. I watched the whole party and got drunk along with them from home.

Early Access for this game was an amazing ride. Players got to give game changing feedback and work alongside the developers towards the game that we all know and love today. The only downside with this game, was that after you played through it, that magic feeling of the first play. The first time seeing things and exploring was gone. I still loved every moment of it.

Subnautica stands in a category of its own, being one of THE BEST sandbox games I have ever played. Today it still has a VERY special place in my heart, years later i still play it.

that is a very nice experience to share, getting involved in a project you love and support.

[Phaota]

Being part of the early access from nearly the beginning of development and up to the final product was quite fun, more so when I become an official playtester for the devs. Helping out in reporting bugs to be fixed was quite enjoyable, especially when they got corrected. Over the years of creation, I was continuously sharing YT videos on what was newly added or changed, so you can easily see how it looked in the old days to the finished game. Nice to see my name in the credits as someone that helped out with it.

[BalenciPika]

Originally posted by Phaota:

Being part of the early access from nearly the beginning of development and up to the final product was quite fun, more so when I become an official playtester for the devs. Helping out in reporting bugs to be fixed was quite enjoyable, especially when they got corrected. Over the years of creation, I was continuously sharing YT videos on what was newly added or changed, so you can easily see how it looked in the old days to the finished game. Nice to see my name in the credits as someone that helped out with it.

that is wholesome, it is interesting to see ppl have different opinions on the same topic.