Is there any situation where Early Access is acceptable? I

>>385269549
if it's:
>free
>done for the sake of testing the game and getting community feedback
>consistently updated and not just 'LOOK OUR GAME IS UNFINISHED PLEASE BUY IT'
>done like KF2 where it was barebones at first but got a lot more content as time goes on

Early Access isn't an inherently bad thing, it's just repeatedly abused by hack developers.

>>385269787
Can EA even be free? As far as I know Steam considers it like a game purchase, so if a dev gives it up for free then they will have lost a customer as Steam will add the released game to the library.

>>385269549
If there's already enough content to justify its price point and the money is sorely needed to add quality features to the game. It should also be discounted a decent amount (40-60%).

They also need to actually have constant releases and not just videos of the stuff they want to release. Fucking Astroneer gets all of this wrong, I hate that my friend talked me into buying it.

>>385269549
Look to Darkest Dungeon to see a perfect example of Early Access done right.

>>385269549
It confuses the role of investor/publisher with consumer. And even if it's a game you like that goes on to be a fun good game once completed (big *IF*,) I've found actually playing the incomplete early access versions ruins your experience of the game. The EA version is almost always shit-tier compared to the final version, and your mind associates the shit EA experience with the brand/title and ruins the excitement and enjoyment you have for the final title.

At best EA is an excitment-goblin, and most of the time it's a con on the consumer.

>>385270270
Done right?
The game became an even worse mindless grind than when it was in early access
Don't talk shit anon

>>385271072
They even made radiant mode for people like you.

>>385271428
Radiant mode is garbage because the core of the game is fucked
You don't seem to understand what the real issue is anon, it's not the grinding, grinding is just annoying
It's the boring gameplay in dull dungeons
The objectives are never interesting

>>385272241
So your counterpoint to my clam that they did early access right is that you don't like the game?

>>385269549
Yes. Game is complete but it needs bug fixing so you let steam sucker do the beta testing.

>>385272907
Since we're talking about indie games, what if the core of the game is finished but it needs more levels, enemies etc?