reset Early Access playtime for refund purposes every 12 months

[andersonm]

Many games are released very early in Early Access and stay in there for years.

Baldur's Gate 3 was first in early access in 2020 and released in 2023.

Steam has just made it so that Early Access playtime counts for refund purposes.

However, people may well legitimately want to see (very briefly) how a game changes and improves over time, and whether there are any changes on release.

So my proposal is to reset the playtime for refund purposes every 12 months, as long as the game is still in early access.

Maybe for simplicity of programming, if you haven't launched the game at all in 12 months, it resets. Then you only need a check like "If in early access and last playtime > 12 months ago, then reset refund playtime counter"

[Malfunctioning Robot]

The refund policy literally says "this is not a way demo games"

They aren't going to facilitate that

[d3str0y3r]

Not only would this get abused.

Devs would stop using Valve's early access and just release their game when they feel it's some what ready and slowly update it over time. You know just like how AAA devs release a broken game and update it over time.

This is on EVERY early access game:
Note: This Early Access game is not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development

[Spawn of Totoro]

Publicado originalmente por andersonm:

Many games are released very early in Early Access and stay in there for years.

Baldur's Gate 3 was first in early access in 2020 and released in 2023.

Steam has just made it so that Early Access playtime counts for refund purposes.

However, people may well legitimately want to see (very briefly) how a game changes and improves over time, and whether there are any changes on release.

So my proposal is to reset the playtime for refund purposes every 12 months, as long as the game is still in early access.

Maybe for simplicity of programming, if you haven't launched the game at all in 12 months, it resets. Then you only need a check like "If in early access and last playtime > 12 months ago, then reset refund playtime counter"

Wrong kind of early access. Early Access Games have always followed the same rule for refunds that a regular game has.

What Valve did was made games that are in pre-order, who give access early to the game before the release date, that loop hole it created has been removed.

[Gwarsbane]

Publicado originalmente por andersonm:

Many games are released very early in Early Access and stay in there for years.

Baldur's Gate 3 was first in early access in 2020 and released in 2023.

Steam has just made it so that Early Access playtime counts for refund purposes.

However, people may well legitimately want to see (very briefly) how a game changes and improves over time, and whether there are any changes on release.

So my proposal is to reset the playtime for refund purposes every 12 months, as long as the game is still in early access.

Maybe for simplicity of programming, if you haven't launched the game at all in 12 months, it resets. Then you only need a check like "If in early access and last playtime > 12 months ago, then reset refund playtime counter"

No. You were warned BEFORE you bought the game that it might never finish or change in a way you don't like.

The developers already have the money, Valve doesn't have it any more, it would come fully out of Valves pocket. If they tried to take it from the developer the developer just leave Steam and goes to some other store and sells. Other developers see what Valve does and don't bother coming to Steam to sell their stuff.... so then what?

Or the day before the 12 month limit is hit, the developer says "game is done, enjoy" and doesn't bother to work on it anymore and its stuck the way it is and you don't get your money back.


Again you were warned BEFORE you bought it. If you didn't heed the warning, thats not the developers issues or Valves issues.

If you don't like Early Access games, don't buy them. Its easy to tell which ones are Early Access, they have a big blue warning label on every single Early Access game page.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Publicado originalmente por Spawn of Totoro:

Publicado originalmente por andersonm:

Many games are released very early in Early Access and stay in there for years.

Baldur's Gate 3 was first in early access in 2020 and released in 2023.

Steam has just made it so that Early Access playtime counts for refund purposes.

However, people may well legitimately want to see (very briefly) how a game changes and improves over time, and whether there are any changes on release.

So my proposal is to reset the playtime for refund purposes every 12 months, as long as the game is still in early access.

Maybe for simplicity of programming, if you haven't launched the game at all in 12 months, it resets. Then you only need a check like "If in early access and last playtime > 12 months ago, then reset refund playtime counter"

Wrong kink of early access. Early Access Games have always followed the same rule for refunds that a regular game has.

What Valve did was made games that are in pre-order, who give access early to the game before the release date, that loop hole it created has been removed.

This^.

The change is only for game pre-orders that offer Early Access, "play up to a few days or up to a week" before its launch type of titles.

[HikariLight]

Steam labels them Early Access for the games that are still in development and Advanced Access for games that are letting those who pre purchased the game to get in early.
EA is clearly labeled with a BIG BLUE box warning you and the time played always counted towards the refund limit.
AA is the one that is getting the new policy of no refund if you play for more than 2 hours during the advance access time, the 14 days owned part won't start until the official release date. Originally the time played did not count until after the official release date, but that got abused.

The refund policy may say a refund can be for any reason, BUT it is not a method to demo a game.

Do your research BEFORE you buy.

[Start_Running]

Publicado originalmente por andersonm:

Steam has just made it so that Early Access playtime counts for refund purposes.

Read again m8. Early access playtime ALWAYS counted towards the refund counter.

[William Shakesman]

Publicado originalmente por Gwarsbane:

Publicado originalmente por andersonm:

Many games are released very early in Early Access and stay in there for years.

Baldur's Gate 3 was first in early access in 2020 and released in 2023.

Steam has just made it so that Early Access playtime counts for refund purposes.

However, people may well legitimately want to see (very briefly) how a game changes and improves over time, and whether there are any changes on release.

So my proposal is to reset the playtime for refund purposes every 12 months, as long as the game is still in early access.

Maybe for simplicity of programming, if you haven't launched the game at all in 12 months, it resets. Then you only need a check like "If in early access and last playtime > 12 months ago, then reset refund playtime counter"

No. You were warned BEFORE you bought the game that it might never finish or change in a way you don't like.

The developers already have the money, Valve doesn't have it any more, it would come fully out of Valves pocket. If they tried to take it from the developer the developer just leave Steam and goes to some other store and sells. Other developers see what Valve does and don't bother coming to Steam to sell their stuff.... so then what?

Or the day before the 12 month limit is hit, the developer says "game is done, enjoy" and doesn't bother to work on it anymore and its stuck the way it is and you don't get your money back.


Again you were warned BEFORE you bought it. If you didn't heed the warning, thats not the developers issues or Valves issues.

If you don't like Early Access games, don't buy them. Its easy to tell which ones are Early Access, they have a big blue warning label on every single Early Access game page.

You make this argument here and then say users can't have an item delete no matter how many warnings there are two threads down. Utterly amazing stuff. Zero self-awareness, just nothing but hating the user

[Gilgen]

there is a simple solution;

Dont buy early access

[Tito Shivan]

Just buy the game when it's done. (IF it ever is, not all games get completed, thought luck)

[Ben Lubar]

Honestly, I think they should do this but definitely keep the 14 day limit.

That way, as long as it hasn't been 14 days, you can refund your early access games after 365 days.

[Ben Lubar]

Publicado originalmente por andersonm:

Steam has just made it so that Early Access playtime counts for refund purposes.

No, playtime in early access games has always counted towards the refund limit.

The thing the recent change to the refund policy affects is advance access to preordered games. That is, you preorder a game that will become playable in a few weeks but pay extra to play it early.

[Haruspex]

This wouldn't work.

Developers usually rely at least in part on early access fund to fund development. If a year later a ton of early access buyers suddenly decide to refund when the window renews, where is that money going to come from? The developer already received that money and spent it on rent and pizza delivery. Is Valve going to go shake-down some broke garage developer?

[Supafly]

Sure reset play time but you still won't get a refund as BOTH less than 2 hours and 2 weeks owned criteria need to be met for refund purposes. even if they reset it to 0 hours played you'd be hundreds of hours past that 2 week owned window. If you can't grasp those facts do NOT by early access titles

[[N]ebsun]

Publicado originalmente por andersonm:

Many games are released very early in Early Access and stay in there for years.

Steam has just made it so that Early Access playtime counts for refund purposes.

However, people may well legitimately want to see (very briefly) how a game changes and improves over time, and whether there are any changes on release.

So my proposal is to reset the playtime for refund purposes every 12 months, as long as the game is still in early access.

No - since you are not buying the finished product - you are buying Early Access, and that is what is delivered to you.

A refund makes absolutely no sense, since you literally got what you paid for and agreed to at time of purchase.
Even if the game fails the very next month and stays forever in a broken state, you are not entitles to a refund.
Even if you never play it again, you are not entitled to a refund.

If you

legitimately want to see (very briefly) how a game changes and improves over time

then you need to pay for Early Access, and one you go past the refund window, it is not refundable.

You pay for Early Access, you get Early Access, you go past the refund window... done.