"Beta Branch"

[Aster954]

The redundant nonsense of having a beta branch of an EARLY ACCESS title is absolutely absurd.

"Keep in mind that the beta branch gets updated very regularly, so some features might be buggy or break entirely! Don't expect new updates to work flawlessly!"

Beta branch of a game in beta (or maybe alpha?). This has got to be a ♥♥♥♥ing joke. Late April Fools? Where's the beta branch for the beta branch?

[Shiro___]

While a bit rude, yes, you do have a point. I believe Raven prefers an unstable version to the people dedicated to finding bugs more actively than those playing the main branch

[kevinkin]

If the beta branch had a map editor I would be all in.

[hatch.da.egg]

I'm pretty sure the point of the beta branch is so that if you don't want bugs, you don't get them in the actual updates because there are so many people testing the beta branch and finding them.

[Aster954]

Originally posted by hatch.da.egg:

I'm pretty sure the point of the beta branch is so that if you don't want bugs, you don't get them in the actual updates because there are so many people testing the beta branch and finding them.

If you don't want bugs... WHY DID YOU PURCHASE AN EARLY ACCESS TITLE?! Hello? Anyone in that skull?

[hatch.da.egg]

Originally posted by Computer ✅:

Originally posted by hatch.da.egg:

I'm pretty sure the point of the beta branch is so that if you don't want bugs, you don't get them in the actual updates because there are so many people testing the beta branch and finding them.

If you don't want bugs... WHY DID YOU PURCHASE AN EARLY ACCESS TITLE?! Hello? Anyone in that skull?

I'm still not really sure what the issue is. Just don't opt into the beta branch.

[Aster954]

Originally posted by hatch.da.egg:

Originally posted by Computer ✅:

If you don't want bugs... WHY DID YOU PURCHASE AN EARLY ACCESS TITLE?! Hello? Anyone in that skull?

I'm still not really sure what the issue is. Just don't opt into the beta branch.

I'm starting to question whether or not anyone is actually aware of what Early Access means. These are games *in development*, in other words: buggy, unfinished, unpolished, these are games the the beta and alpha stages. To have a beta branch of an early access title which IS a beta title is redundant nonsense. You purchase an Early Access title for the purpose of supporting early development of a title you like and to be apart of those early, unfinsihed, buggy versions of the game.

[CharlieMBTA]

WHO CARES? If you want to go into the beta branch, go ahead. It doesn't cost you anything more. Yes, I get that early access games are in general prone to be buggy. Thats the whole point. However some people want to get their hands on the game and have a mostly intact experience. If you wish for this early access game to feel more polished without bugs, then opt out of it. If like most people you don't care, then go for it. But this way, he gives you a choice. We should be appreciative that the dev actually caters to both kinds of people. So my question is... why the hell do you care and what issue is it to you?

[Aster954]

Originally posted by CharlieMBTA:

WHO CARES? If you want to go into the beta branch, go ahead. It doesn't cost you anything more. Yes, I get that early access games are in general prone to be buggy. Thats the whole point. However some people want to get their hands on the game and have a mostly intact experience. If you wish for this early access game to feel more polished without bugs, then opt out of it. If like most people you don't care, then go for it. But this way, he gives you a choice. We should be appreciative that the dev actually caters to both kinds of people. So my question is... why the hell do you care and what issue is it to you?

If you want a mostly intact experience you shouldn't be playing an unfinished game that's supposed to be buggy and in development.

The problem is the absue of the Early Access system.

[kevinkin]

Exactly. Having a beta branch and early access branch is simply ridiculous. Either the product is professionally finished and ready for sale or it is not. Steam is promoting very poor
software development practices. I will never do an early access again. What is the point? There is more excitement within the beta branch meanwhile I dropped 15 bucks for far less and have a impotent product that is going nowhere.

[Vecktrex]

I don't see what the problem is.

The beta branch was made with the Discord server in mind. Those that would like to participate in giving feedback directly to SteelRaven as he pushes small updates, fixes, and tweaks can participate. Those that don't want to simply don't have to.

Some users don't want to have to constantly update their game for small things like this. A large part of the playerbase doesn't exactly have top notch internet.

There is the question of stable/unstable and bugs/glitches. This is also the case. Some users don't want to deal with something unpolished or crappy. They would rather wait for the update on the main branch once all of the content is stable, polished, and ready.

There are a lot of parties at play and a lot of people have there own personal preferences. This is a non issue. If you want the content you may opt into the branch, if you don't then... don't. There is no abuse or silly crap like that going on.

Originally the beta branch was going to be invite only, be glad that it's public in the first place. I think you are the only person I've seen that's taken issue with this.

[Aster954]

You do not seem to be understanding what Early Access on Steam is intended to be used for.

Originally posted by Vectrex720:

. Some users don't want to have to constantly update their game for small things like this.

Some users don't want to deal with something unpolished or crappy

You're absolutely correct, and these users should not be purchasing Early Access titles, they'd probably be better off waiting until the game is NOT IN DEVELOPMENT anymore if it ever gets "finsihed".

When you buy an unfinished title that's still in early stages of development you should be expecting and should get no les than an indevelopment game with bugs, unfinished parts, and unpolished assets.

[Omnikey102]

Originally posted by Computer ✅:

You do not seem to be understanding what Early Access on Steam is intended to be used for.

I don't think YOU understand. So would you rather a developer push broken, untested updates to a main branch of a game every week? People would think that game is a broken piece of crap, giving it the early access stigma, feeding into the problem. I know I wouldn't want this game if it was buggy and crappy. Just because a game is early access doesn't mean the developer has to push untested and broken patches to the main branch to make you happy. What is the problem with using a beta branch to test updates before they get released? How is this abuse of the early access system?

[Aster954]

Originally posted by Omnikey102:

Originally posted by Computer ✅:

You do not seem to be understanding what Early Access on Steam is intended to be used for.

I don't think YOU understand. So would you rather a developer push broken, untested updates to a main branch of a game every week? People would think that game is a broken piece of crap, giving it the early access stigma, feeding into the problem. I know I wouldn't want this game if it was buggy and crappy. Just because a game is early access doesn't mean the developer has to push untested and broken patches to the main branch to make you happy. What is the problem with using a beta branch to test updates before they get released? How is this abuse of the early access system?

The Early Access program has been a breeding program for these pseudo-games. they aren't finsihed, but also aren't buggy, but also are missing features, but also are polished. It's a way to take your money without a product, only a promise, and 90% of these titles are not in real game development, they are miniscule additional features pushed out after rigorous testing and polishing to a consumerbase that doesn't understand that they are supposed to be playing a game in development. It's ruined a lot of games by forcing developers to playcate to their fans with polished feature additions for fear of getting bad reviews simply because the game is unfinished, THE WHOLE POINT OF EARLY ACCESS.

[Viotech3]

I still don't see the problem. If you want ultra-frequent small updates, opt in to the Beta Branch. If not, then don't.

Early Access is a platform for games that are incomplete to make their way to being complete. The pace they do so isn't restricted, etc. Most games have a beta or test branch for *making sure that updates to the main branch aren't completely nonfunctional*.

If you want to moan and groan about Early Access, do so elsewhere. The system Ravenfield uses is perfectly fine for providing optimal playable content, specifically incomplete content, with limited issues for the playerbase who does not want issues.

[Aster954]

Originally posted by Faceless:

I still don't see the problem. If you want ultra-frequent small updates, opt in to the Beta Branch. If not, then don't.

Early Access is a platform for games that are incomplete to make their way to being complete. The pace they do so isn't restricted, etc. Most games have a beta or test branch for *making sure that updates to the main branch aren't completely nonfunctional*.

If you want to moan and groan about Early Access, do so elsewhere. The system Ravenfield uses is perfectly fine for providing optimal playable content, specifically incomplete content, with limited issues for the playerbase who does not want issues.

Frequent updates, bugs, lack of polish; these are all things which should be expected from a game in Early Access. the people who do not want these things shouldn't be purchasing incomplete games in development. A beta branch of a game which is in beta is redundant nonsense, which is a product of the heavily abused Early Access system.