BETA BUCKS GOT BETA CUCKED
Hinotori
Member, Leader of Men, Kickstarter, Alpha One
IM AWAKE AND I'VE UPGRADED TO RAGE FOR BETA TESTERS AND IM HERE TO MAKE IT EVERYONE ELSES PROBLEM.
WHERE'S THE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THEM INTREPID?
WHERE'S THE STATEMENT FOR SOME OF THOSE MOST FAITHFUL AND SUPPORTIVE THROUGH YOUR YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT?
DO SOMETHING TO ADD VALUE BACK TO BETA PURCHASE HOLDERS BECAUSE RIGHT NOW BETA HOLDERS ARE OUT IN THE FUCKING COLD BECAUSE OF YOUR SHIT PLANNING.
lets review this for the class.
Supporters who are stuck for whatever financial reason at expeditionaries/wayfarers and explorers/settlers/pioneers are now left with egg on their face after intrepid opens access keys for 120 dollars
Why?
Because on the front end, these new key testers are testing the game during alpha in an open ended infinite manner. How long will alpha testing go for exactly? Does anyone know the end date? No. It can stretch on into infinity.
So new alpha key holders are paying less than some beta key testers some of whom have been waiting YEARS and get to access the game for a possibly infinite amount of time before they do.
The longer that testing in alpha goes for, the lesser the value a beta package actually is.
Now to the part that really spits in the face of these beta holders.
Intrepids updated version of these keys that added embers and game time.
You can clearly see beta holders got screwed in one direction.
The second is now on the ass end of it. These key holders also now closely match the ingame rewards for those lower backers of the beta tier.
So in review:
Beta players are both getting to watch new people come and pay a cheaper price, jump ahead of them in the queue and test for an infinite amount of time and also get to see the value of their ingame rewards from their beta package lessened.
They are being screwed at both ends.
Thank you all for coming to my rant. You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.
WHERE'S THE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THEM INTREPID?
WHERE'S THE STATEMENT FOR SOME OF THOSE MOST FAITHFUL AND SUPPORTIVE THROUGH YOUR YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT?
DO SOMETHING TO ADD VALUE BACK TO BETA PURCHASE HOLDERS BECAUSE RIGHT NOW BETA HOLDERS ARE OUT IN THE FUCKING COLD BECAUSE OF YOUR SHIT PLANNING.
lets review this for the class.
Supporters who are stuck for whatever financial reason at expeditionaries/wayfarers and explorers/settlers/pioneers are now left with egg on their face after intrepid opens access keys for 120 dollars
Why?
Because on the front end, these new key testers are testing the game during alpha in an open ended infinite manner. How long will alpha testing go for exactly? Does anyone know the end date? No. It can stretch on into infinity.
So new alpha key holders are paying less than some beta key testers some of whom have been waiting YEARS and get to access the game for a possibly infinite amount of time before they do.
The longer that testing in alpha goes for, the lesser the value a beta package actually is.
Now to the part that really spits in the face of these beta holders.
Intrepids updated version of these keys that added embers and game time.
You can clearly see beta holders got screwed in one direction.
The second is now on the ass end of it. These key holders also now closely match the ingame rewards for those lower backers of the beta tier.
So in review:
Beta players are both getting to watch new people come and pay a cheaper price, jump ahead of them in the queue and test for an infinite amount of time and also get to see the value of their ingame rewards from their beta package lessened.
They are being screwed at both ends.
Thank you all for coming to my rant. You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.
The world is beautiful whenever you're here. And all the emptiness inside disappears.
8
Comments
Expeditionary was $150 for Beta 1 and 2. But also got $60 in game time and $50 in Embers. So that's $40 for beta access.
Do you think giving them late stage alpha access would work? Say about this time next year or xmas next year? That keeps the benefits that they already got and gets them into late alpha, just in case it does end up taking a couple years.
Its effectlivy $60 for the beta tests only it might be worth letting them upgrade to Alpha access for like $25 i guess or something atleast or just giving them A2 access at this point
There's nothing specifically that will fix this. The can of worms has been opened and no matter what direction intrepid takes someone will get fucked over.
Having said that. Heres 2 solutions i can present.
Free access to late stage alpha is one option. two or three months after phase 3 starts give beta players access. certainly mitigates the L from this open ended testing key and intrepid gets the testers that they've said they need.
These new alpha key buyers will feel a bit stilted but as i said someone has to get screwed. And once the alpha keys have left the shop The future beta key buyers will be mad at OG beta key havers for getting their access. But again, Intrepid have opened this can of fucking worms and hopefully they've learned.
Alternatively the other option is to bump up the beta packages value post launch
New keyholders do not get much in ongoing value
Give beta holders a new title and bump them up to an ingame mount (just for beta holders) to acknowledge that intrepid have fucked them over short term but are making up for it long term.
This fucks over older backers at higher tier who only had one package purchase and never made use of the shop because now betas are getting something you bought (a mount cosmetic) for free.
But again. Like I said, someone has to get fucked over.
Some players maybe upgraded months ago to the $250 packs to get Alpha access.
The only way this can be fixed is by giving money back and let players buy again what they want.
If you think many will buy the $100 offer instead of the $150 or $250 pack then there is a discrepancy between the value and the price.
( or to cancel the sale of these $100-$120 keys which starts tomorrow )
Edit:
or to increase the price of the $100-$120 keys to $250
by adding $150-$130 embers to them !!
like I said in another post, it's supply and demand and people and demanding something there's no supply for
I'm looking forward to this.
If they're taking the add an upgrade for alpha access route then hopefully it's in a tiered system for each phase commensurate to package cost.
Meaning phase 1 access would be 45 dollars.
Phase 2 is 35 dollars.
And phase 3 is 25 dollars.
This again points out that the entitled new key buyers are paying the inflated price and they're probably gonna cry again but fuck em' at this point.
This is also still a scummy thing to make those beta players have to do who have supported this game for so long and totally destroys faith on the whole for intrepid moving forward but it's something I guess.
War (Alpha): People fighting to get the taste first and change the game to their advantage. The winner writes history.
Famine (Beta): Its a mess. Too many people. Too little resources. Only the strong survive.
Death (Stress Test): 12 hour login times. Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag. Frequent Disconnects.
Conquest (Live): AoC sits on its righteous throne as the true ruler of MMORPG.
We need to hold intrepid to account now. Otherwise how can we trust them to do the right thing in the future?
None of the beta bundle benefits exist. They won't exist for fucking years. So it's super easy to trade something that's been paid for but doesn't yet exist for something that's about to exist and can be paid for with the same amount of money.
p.s. if I'm not too lazy today, I'm gonna make the TRUE TINFOIL CONSPIRACY meme
Do iiiiit!
I agree. They should do something for the Beta testers for sure, which they said they are, but we are getting carried away here.
If this is the "burn them at the stake" reaction they can expect then we won't see any more access offers.
"Hey this needs to be adjusted" is warranted, "Hey you are intentionally trying to commit fraud" is not.
https://forums.ashesofcreation.com/discussion/comment/465891/#Comment_465891
Its an alpha/beta for a game. Everything that happens in the next 2 years will be wiped multiple times. I just don't see the point of being upset that you can't play a game that'll be wiped.
The truth is everyone who bought a pack (myself included) lost value; it is what it is. At the end of the day its a video game and while all of us are excited to play, being upset takes too much effort.
I'm glad they adjusted the new alpha 2 keys to include some extra value. While it does effect the value I receive, the $100 or so of value from my pack in cosmetics is whatever. I'd much rather I lose out and the game has players rather than the inverse.
They could do something like give everyone who purchased a pack before August 2024 an additional cosmetic. If they do do this, I'd like them to make it a box of tissues to help OP through this rough time.
This was a good picture.
And a very effective OP.
Bruh I literally suggest that for the beta holders here.
I would love if they do anything for beta players.
Unfortunately, they way you asked for this (all caps, cucked in the title, gifs galore, etc) makes you come across like a child in Walmart screaming for new power ranger toy. This isn't the way to get what you want and in reality only hurts the people negatively effected by this.
It's just pixels.
I don't know if you can read titles but I could easily avoid all this. I'm not a beta holder. I have my life time sub. I could just not care.
I could be just like you and go sit in a corner and watch your fellow backers get fucked in the ass with a smile on your face and feigned disinterest.
Other people don't enjoy watching that happen
And the proper response to this IS ANGER
Because if you don't put a stop to it you will quickly find yourself moving from peaceful observer to the unwilling participant in the centre of the room.
I love the fact that there is someone in this Forum who is apparently even crazier than me.
I am confused.
... ... ...
I think i understand enough to understand why You are angry, Hinotori.
But hasn't Intrepid not changed their "Sales" so that every Key is lasting for the full Length of the Alpha Two and of the Beta as well ?
Kinda, Yes.
Still not understanding it fully but i get it. People are feeling betrayed, including you.
Thanks Mister Popo, UUMMM i mean Hinotori.
No matter what Intrepid does and how they turn things to be - there will always be Someone angry for it.
This is clearly the most difficult time right now. I think the Atmosphere will better itself again when the Alpha has finally started.
Jesus f~in' Christ in Heaven and Hell. Waiting for the Alpha Two feels longer than waiting for the Game to be released in the first Place.
✓ Occasional Roleplayer
✓ Kinda starting to look for a Guild right now. (German)
I'm still in the fucked over group, cause I couldn't care less about the alpha upgrade, but I do wanna update to B1 test access. So I'll need to pay $75 still
How does this somehow keep getting 'worse'?
As I said in my earlier post.
So. They didn't do that. And instead they went with a flat upgrade cost that undercharges the first 2 phases for higher beta backers and then evens out
And just straight up overcharges the lowest tier beta backer. (Kinda cash grabby here intrepid.)
This is likely because they don't want to draw attention to the inflated new key cost again for new backers.
BUT HEY. at least now there's an alternative that mitigates some of the damage these new keys do.
is it something for beta players. Yes.
Is it the worst they could have done? Not by a long shot.
Is it they best they could have done? Not by a long shot.
Are beta people happy? Not really
Are new key buyers outraged? No
At least beta players aren't being completely shafted like before. But as @Azherae alludes to. They are in some ways terrible.
There's also people like @Ludullu_(NiKr) who fall between the cracks. But he's a niche outlier.
Anyway. I've said my piece and I'm glad somethings been done and that its made nobody truly happy and I really wish intrepid never made these new keys.
You do get if you are a backer at the bata level, you can goto the shop right now and spend $50 USD to get alpha 2 level package? This is in a way, a ty to all Kickstarter backers.
Yes, it's great (fine?) that it was changed to that.
When the company response is fast enough that the original post gets 'counterpointed' by the post-change situation, probably means it will blow over.
For those who didn't actually watch the Asmongold video on this (the thing we can expect that most people will have seen), his take is not likely to strongly 'stick' either, so let's hope for the best from here.