Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
The Intrepid pack has been significantly devalued
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I'm not even sure where the idea I'm flustered is coming from. I'm not. People seem to have the opinion this is a tiny or a non-issue, and I obviously think it's a bit more than that. However they are using that subjective value judgment to determine what is an appropriate level of concern.
That being said, continuing to debate the issue is not going to offer anything more to the team should they read this, so I will close it out here.
An exclusive is an exclusive is an exclusive. Going forward I would like Intrepid to commit to the highest possible standards of protecting exclusivity, even perceived exclusivity with a reasonable basis for it. It is my firm opinion a major revenue stream for the game as planned depends on it.
You will note, however, they I didn't call anyone out by name and I have no problem with people voicing their opinion. My statement was, and remains, that people have a sense of entitlement that is getting in the way of objective discussion.
With that said, I actually agree with you on a lot of your fundamental points. I just disagree with the way you are making your argument.
What is it that you think I consider myself entitled to anyway? I have not even asked for any changes to the testing implementation, understanding Intrepid's point of view here and agreeing with their decision on the merits, I just want them to know that when your shop has virtually monetized exclusivity as part of the package on literally every purchase, it's a bad idea to call it into doubt if it can possibly be avoided.
I’m not saying those feelings are always justified, often it’s a matter or interpretation and/or perspective. But a paying customer has purchased entitlement, so of course they feel some measure of it. Intrepid is a business after all.
I outright said I agree with Intrepid's decision to do this, and have repeated that sentiment throughout. BUT, the backer packs were sold under the heavily implied condition they would be exclusive to backers at that level.
The issue isn't that more people are getting in. That's all well and good. The issue is we did not hear this until after sales were closed. I personally would have backed regardless, some others probably would have been ok with just arena mode. But they didn't know that was an option and bought the packs thinking it was the only way in. It was not.
The exclusivity thing was brought up in discord a bit ago, mostly around the LTS debacle. I am not the only one who worries what effect going back on that stuff will have if it becomes common. I hope this will be the last time, even if it's being done for the good of the game.
in reality, nothing did change about any package but they added a extra testing Phase where everyone will be able to join and Crash Servers.
the exclusivity of the packages remains 100%
I think that if IS released the battle ground mode as a Stress Test after Alpha Access users tested and moved on this wouldn't be an issue at all. Since they are calling it Alpha 1 phase 1 it does become a bit of an issue with me.
In the end, all the "open access" grants is Battle ground play (from my understanding). So all the other things that we test in Alpha 1 phase 2 are still exclusive... for now.
IS has done this a few times now, a couple times with KS exclusives and now with Alpha access to battle grounds. IS has mastered word play, I just wish they would start using it before and not after the fact.
I hope that IS doesn't cave to community demands (if/when they start) for more open access to Alpha 1 phase 2. Not because I don't want the game to be tested as much as possible, but because after reading the forums for the past 4 months a lot of members purchased packages a little out of their comfort zones for Alpha access.
If Alpha 1 phase 2 access becomes open, then what ever the cost was tied to that access associated with the package you purchased should be refunded. In this example it would be buying a ticket to the amusement park, getting there, and then being told nobody needs to buy tickets.
I am not advocating for a refund and I am usually the first to point out any paid package was an investment more than a purchase, but I would also not appreciate IS taking advantage of that (at some fictional point in the future).
I too am glad they are going to use the battle grounds as a stress test environment, that seems like a really good idea.
Now when Intrepid was selling lifetime subs that said “Kickstarter exclusive” next to them, that’s a different subject that has been gone over many times already. But again, testing access was never stated nor implied and if you assumed it was exclusive that just shows foolishness if I have to be honest.
I’m not just being an Intrepid fanboy here, they’ve made mistakes like this before and should be held accountable when they do so. Aside from the lifetime sub issue they also stated that Alpha 1 was the earliest access to Ashes, and advertised packages including Alpha 1 access as such. Then they have Alpha 0 which took place months before Alpha 1. False advertising, broken promises? Of course, any reasonable person would conclude as much. Is it a big deal though? Not to me, I assume Alpha 0 was extremely limited both in terms of how much time you got to play and how much gameplay was available. So I personally don’t get worked up over it. But it is another example of them offering something that’s false and it is troubling.
Complaining about a brief open and limited Alpha 1 is just inventing controversy though. There’s nothing to complain about.
Also, I'm not worked up really. And I don't think anyone in this thread is asking for some sort of refund or hand out. We all realize that this stress test is whats ultimately best for the game. This all more just the principle of the matter, and something to keep an eye on going forward. The fact that we may feel we need to read the fine print on these sorts of offers is unfortunate when we all want to put 100% trust in these developers.
Quote from the Mail:
Alpha1 Phase 1 - Battlegrounds Mode
so this is one seperate Test which "is released as a bonus to our community ahead of Q4" which wouldnt even be there in reality since originally the alpha test was planned to start during Q4 of 2018.
I really dont get the point of the whole discussion at all, since from the start this argument was simply invalid. period.
NONE of us, neither backers nor non-backers would be able to do any testing, if they (IS) didnt work as fast as they do and actually start the initial Alpha 1 quater earlier.
So please, somebody give me a legit argument to make me understand where and how we lost any exclusivity AT ALL?!
** update: to me personally this just looks like a filler to fill out this loophole of trashtalking, just cause everyones bored. My.com complains got boring, so i guess we need another Topic to hop on. Cant wait to get into alpha, so i dont have enough time to actually take a look into the forums.
I just hope the clock countdown for open Alpha for each mode only starts once the last paid closed Alpha patron has access to the mode. As access A1P1 is based on when the package was bought it might be frustrating to get access to the mode only to find the access is open very shortly after.
I have given my reason several times. It is simply that exclusivity is key to their business model, mainly in the shop, and if this sort of thing happens often it will have people not wanting to invest in those exclusive items.
Some have said no exclusivity was stated. This is true, but the SPIRIT of what we were being told and heard gave all indications there was. More importantly, it isn't about convincing people if exclusivity was actually violated, but ensuring that going forward nobody even has cause to wonder if it was at all.
So again, your reason is invalid. You are just factually incorrect with your statements. There was no violation, either in letter or spirit, and on the contrary if you could infer anything it was that items not marked as exclusive weren’t exclusive. Are you asking that Intrepid put a mark next to things that aren’t exclusive to indicate that fact? Because at this point that seems to be the only thing they can do to satisfy your concerns. And a request like that seems unreasonable.
That’s like demanding that a restaurant that has a menu with certain items marked “gluten free” mark other items as “may contain gluten”. If you don’t have the common sense to figure it out for yourself then I have no sympathy for you.
Even if you succeeded it would be pointless. Because I would have backed anyway. I'm still in Intrepid's corner as it were. But I will tell you, this is the second time. If it happens again there will be people who are far less reasonable than I am in how they react. Hence why I am saying at this time that Intrepid must value exclusivity going forward more than they have.
It must be immutable, or they should get out of the business of doing exclusive stuff entirely. I would actually suggest the later, since it will allow them to re release things at a later point and end up making more money per asset.
But yes, if they are going to get people to buy things with the premise that those items can’t be otherwise acquired, then offer them again in another way, that is slimy. I really hope they don’t operate the Embers shop that way.