>Pre-Alpha Build >Game is pretty much done Why in the absolute

Yeah, it's ridiculous. It has gotten to the point of parody. Alpha is when the game isn't even fucking playable. Not anymore, though. We're not even in Alpha. We're PRE-Alpha.

Its called a verticle slice

File: 1491397732265.png (241KB, 347x312px) Image search: [Google]

241KB, 347x312px

>game is in alpha
>is pretty much complete package
>it still won't ever go past beta

>>379750535
>>379750981
wanting a full release to be shit


I actually want more games to be like Blizzards Overwatch open beta, where it's so polished and good it could've been released right then and there.

recently I've noticed a drop in quality of games in alpha or beta because most devs don't have the money or skill to finish fast enough so throw a bone to build hype but it works in reverse because once you've played a hot shite alpha/beta you know what you're in for in the full release.

Game development works like this:

>concept
>alpha
>beta
>pre-alpha
>release

Alpha/Beta etc means nothing anymore.

Saying something like "it's pre-alpha!" used to mean it's barely a game, now it's just "Well nothing bad you say applies because it's not close to done LOL"

>>379751419
The infinite beta
>Our game is done but we want to be able to handwave all of the things we fucked up by saying it's still being worked on

"Pre-alpha" is just a buzzword used as a shield for criticism now.

>>379751515
That's...not how words work.

File: 1497046888612.jpg (134KB, 1280x720px) Image search: [Google]

134KB, 1280x720px

>game released as beta build

>>379750535
because idiots fall for it

>b-but it's just an alpha!

File: 1496431283174.jpg (105KB, 576x560px) Image search: [Google]

105KB, 576x560px

>early access game

>>379751515
>pre-alpha (meaning before-alpha)
>comes after alpha

nice iq

>>379750535
They're going to use the rest of the time to downgrade and remove features.

>>379750535
>Preorder game for exlusive access to the multiplayer pre-alpha 1 month before the game comes out

>>379750535
you can blame minecraft for this

>>379751795
THIS

>game is in pre alpha
>bugs everywhere, glitches, missing features, everything as expected
>fully functional micro transactions

>>379750981
>Game comes out
>It's still unplayable

Pre-alpha means they haven't begun formal testing yet, it doesn't necessarily have much to do with how close to being finished the software is

>>379751994
The current evidence shows otherwise

File: chrisrobertsinterview-1368456115.jpg (42KB, 580x341px) Image search: [Google]

42KB, 580x341px

>>379751515
>Game development works like this:

>concept
>alpha
>beta
>pre-alpha
>release

>>379753627
this

one of the most successful models is making a broken game, generating shit tons of hype, and then dropping a "beta" that just happens to have their micro transactions in place

its a big enough net that will catch idiots that will impulse buy stuff and then quit the game a week later and the gullible retards that will continue playing and buying stuff while the developer assures them that everything will be fixed when the game leaves "beta"

File: bobby.jpg (150KB, 900x600px) Image search: [Google]

150KB, 900x600px

Welcome to the era of vertical slice. Games are now developed for maximum marketing potential.
Developers will work on a small section of the game to absolute polish to show off at E3 or whatever marketing milestone.
The rest of the game is pretty much neglected until after the marketing materials have been made.
Alpha and beta milestones of old are meaningless nowadays because projects will simultaneously have parts that are shipable and parts that haven't left pre-production.

Every publisher does this and it's incredibly destructive to the health of the project, the mental health of developers, and the quality of the product.