Generally I agree with your points, but as someone who's been involved with Coral Island from pre-1.0 days (and has friends who've been on the ground since the Alpha days), I'd like to provide some additional clarification regarding Coral Island, Stairway, and the publisher, Humble Games: Starting at the "unfinished game" accusations: Let's begin with the original timeline and updates for the Early Access version of Coral Island that was released. After the game's EA release in 2022, beta updates for Coral Island were on a relatively linear schedule-- you could expect to see one every 3-4 months, and that update would finish out a full season. To the best of my recollection, around August last year we had just gotten the Summer update and were all anticipating the Fall update sometime in October/November. You can see it on the early roadmaps: they had planned out updates for approximately 2 years, with one update a quarter, culminating in a 1.0 release with all features promised in the Kickstarter. And then... they just announced in November 2023 that they were releasing 1.0? Even though their roadmap clearly stated they wanted at least *5-6 more updates to the game* before calling it 1.0. Which leads me to Humble Games. Humble Games, to put it lightly, has been undergoing some... upheaval in recent weeks. I'm not sure if you've seen the news, but a few weeks ago, with no warning, Humble laid off *all* their employees. *Every single one.* Which leaves them with *no one* operating as a liaison to the game devs that they're supposed to be working with. (See: Stairway's statement you read in the video.) As a sidebar: back when Stairway signed on for Humble to publish their game, it was generally understood that they would handle pushing out updates to all ports, and eventually the Switch port when it released. I only play on Steam, so I can't speak to the frequency of updates for consoles, but I know the silence regarding the Switch ports has, indeed, been a topic of frustration. Stairway has been as transparent as they could be, since the general suspicion is that NDAs signed when the original agreement was established are silencing them. All this to say: both I and *many* of my friends in the community had suspicions that the sudden and incomplete 1.0 launch has something to do with Humble Games. Coral Island's abrupt 1.0 release on November 14, 2023 was *suspiciously* close to the end of Humble's fiscal year. General consensus among the community seems to be that Humble forced their hand and made them push an unfinished '1.0' game that didn't live up to what they'd been aiming for, in order to pad earnings for investors at the end of the year. In my personal opinion, the statement you read out about the Switch port now being pretty much out of reach for the moment all but confirms this. That statement makes me feel like Stairway are *fed up* with Humble but legally cannot say anything about what's happened behind the scenes. Hope this helps clarify the sequence of events. Stairway isn't without fault, perhaps, but I believe a lot of the vitriol has been misplaced on their shoulders, when it should land squarely on the shoulders of their publisher and the shady business practices that are more than likely happening behind the scene.
If I recall, another controversy coral island went through was calling the game version "1.0" when chunks of the main story were still missing. I believe it's all there now, but that was quite a weird decision to witness back then.😅
I'm so glad people are starting to talk about this now! I get how early access can be good and helpful for developers but I've been burned so many times by games that just never end up finished, plus the burnout of playing the game with missing fun features but all the grind, makes me frequently feel like I'm "over" the game before it's even finished. I'm also more and more opposed to the early access model as the norm seems to shift toward all these games being sold essentially unfinished and that just being so normal now, even if the games never get fixed and just get endless little updates. I long for the day of just being able to buy and own an actually finished product that the devs can stand behind.
I'd love to see more game dev companies adopt Supergiant's early access model. I think they really showcase how it can be used to better the final product. Push it out early to get feedback from your player base, not just to make a quick buck.
I think in general small indie studios shouldn’t promise console just because it is so hard to get on console. They can flag an intent to pursue a console port, but console has a lot of red tape. Sure they can make it a stretch goal but the reality is, not all consoles are built the same and something made for PC is really hard to port to the Switch. Also the inbetweenie state of PS4 and PS5. Even if people want to do it, a PS4 port its really difficult.
You're absolutely right with this whole topic, i can understant that a small indie team may need money from their EA Publishing, but for the most cases it ends in never ending small update cycles, a bloody bug fest or an abandoned software. The other think native english speakers may not have on their radar is the missing translation. There are a lot of EA cozy games, where there is no propper translation and this can be a really hard thing for many gamers, who may not able to speak english fluently
As someone who isn't a casual gamer, but likes cozy games too, I hate early access. I understand its purpose is to help develop games, but more often than not it's not worth it. There are so many other finished games out there to play, that I have little patience for a promised game as I've had way too many experiences with EA games that ended up feeling underwhelming and not worth the long wait.
I saw Puffpals released an update to their site on August 5th! I will say the game has been in Alpha for soooo long that I actually forgot it existed for the past 3-4 years. Alpha is even before early access so it makes sense that they might have been having a ton of issues (although they shouldn't have kept quiet about it)
So there's also another component here. Kickstarter and other crowdfunding. Kickstarter heavily discourages devs from promising specific platform keys in their stretch goals because there isn't a guarantee that those devs will be able to follow through on those promises. However, Kickstarter will not shut down a campaign if they do decide to promise additional platforms as stretch or add on goals. Each console (Switch, PS5, Xbox) and PC have very different requirements for getting on the platform and as a prime example I'm given to understand trying to develop for PS4 versus PS5 is an absolute nightmare (please see how awful Cyberpunk 2077 launched on PS4 and its eventual full removal from that system). Depending on how long a game is taking to be made they may find themselves between console generations and the requirements for each system might be night and day. Also some platforms have really strict requirements to 1. even be allowed on their system and 2. to be allowed to patch a game once available there (probably what's delaying Stardew Valley 1.6 on consoles). We're all waiting to see what a Switch follow up is going to look like, but what it's going to take to make a game run on it might be an absolute nightmare compared to how hard it is to get many games to run well on the current Switch. So combine a Kickstarter promising puppies and rainbows and then add in Early Access (which also has disclaimers saying it's a risk and gamble and might not ever be completed) it's an absolute minefield for people buying into a game. It's just a lot and it doesn't feel like there's a lot of protection for buyers because quite frankly consumer protection sucks. The safest thing to do is wait and see, but with fomo culture that can be so incredibly hard so the next best thing to do is ask hard questions of devs like how feature complete is your game? What can I currently do and how much gameplay is presently in it? A good about page will detail that in early access. And then a buyer needs to understand that what they're buying might not ever be better than that base line and will have to decide if that's enough for them. And that sucks.
I played a bunch of early access games and, thankfully, have never been disappointed. However, that's also because I only bought games which I already enjoyed in the current state and I didn't mind even if it stayed like this forever. Honestly, it's kind of like dating. You should never date the potential of a great s/o but only someone you already love the way they are.
I played Dreamlight Valley Early Access and thought it was great. There was always something to look forward to because they kept developing it. I'm glad it didn't go free to play. The DLC was very worth the $30 but the premium shop that requires real $ is starting to turn me off of the game. It's way too expensive. But overall I would still recommend this game. I bought Coral Island at launch but it was incomplete. I stopped playing (voluntarily) to wait for a full game. It took six months! Still "update" which was really completing the game was very strong and I recently started playing again. Would also recommend this game
The DLC IS NOT worth 30! The game literally crashes for all players, even high end PCs. The quests are lame in general. Palia is better and actually free.
@@jennifercoolidgeislife6760I like both games but I really like that DDV gives me a chance to get Moonstones for free. DDV has paid for every premium shop item I own. It’s fine if you don’t think the DLC is worth it but we do. I love timebending. I love my machines because I’m lazy and don’t feel like cleaning the boring way or cooking. I love stuff and we have more of it
Honestly, I'm not surprised PuffPals is in limbo. They are a plushie company that decided to jump on the cozy game bandwagon and Kickstart a game based off of their plushie brand. I'm honestly questioning if they had proper talent and budget to develop the game to begin with. If anything, they have been pushing their plushies more, as that is their core business. I don't think it's a scam, game development is very expensive and way harder than it looks and some indies and even companies get way over their head and then quietly abandon their game or game plans once they run out of money or drive to continue hoping no one will notice. I'm not too mad when a Kickstarter game falls through because I actually read and understand that I'm funding an idea and only support financially as much as I'm willing to lose for early access.
Personally I feel like early access discourages me from trying new games. I don't usually replay games so I often feel like if I play them on early access I won't try them again once the full release it's out, especially when a lot of farming games are lacking compared to Stardew Valley even when they eventually get their official release.
Another great video. I discovered you from Stardew Content but I’ve stayed on for the other content. I just bought into the early access title Fields of Mistria. It looks like there’s a roadmap but for the EA price I wasn’t terribly worried about being out a bunch. Plus they had a roadmap and description of what was in the game and what was still coming. Overall, I felt comfortable. You offered great advice though. I didn’t check the developer pedigree. 6 hours in though, I’m enjoying it.
wasn’t disney valley supposed to be free ? once it officially released ? 🤦🏻 like the whole “cozy” and “gold” editions annoyed me but now you wanna add a million microtransactions? as if disney doesn’t have enough money??
I played Dreamlight Valley and Palia in early access. I enjoyed both games. With Dreamlight Valley, I was very put off by the decision to keep it a full price game while also keeping micro transactions and releasing a very expensive DLC. I haven’t played much since all that happened. I also don’t like the aesthetics/design of it now as much as I did in early access. I don’t know what it is about it, but the POV and feel is just off. As for Palia, I loved how responsive the devs were, how frequently updates came out, and the game was super fun. I’m not an MMO person, but it was just enough engagement without being overwhelming. Unfortunately, I kind of got burned out before they fully released the game.
To each their own. I don't have many problems with DDV but play on console. DLC came with a new world, new characters (and the Oswald quest was really fun), new recipes, new craftables, new fish, gems, flowers, etc. $30 is a tank of gas which lasts two weeks and I am still playing the DLC which has an update coming up. Palia is fun too though and free is always better but they just lost a lot of employees because it is free
I recently thought about this topic when that tweet was going around saying to qrt with your 'boomer complaint'. I miss being able to buy a game and just have it be complete - I love Pokemon and like that at the most, I'll maybe have a few paid/free DLCs in the future, but that ultimately, I'll have a complete game. I bought Disney Dreamlight Valley when it was in EA and ended up burning myself out grinding for things and just waiting for more star paths and characters - ended up paying $50 for a game like an idiot that I don't even play anymore. Palia is also something I got access to early, and ended up burning out when I ran out of things to do that were fun to me. Coral Island is one of my heartbreaks - I want to play it so badly, but with all the disappointment I've been feeling with games recently, I'm going to wait it out and play other games that are complete, and wait a little bit longer for Coral Island to be MORE complete. I also understand that EA/crowdfunding is necessary for smaller studios to get the word out and get more funding, so at the end of the day, I'm just really torn on the subject. I love my complete games, but also understand that this way of releasing games is just a necessary evil.
I was a LOYAL DDV player. I at the time had the extra money to buy into the game and was thrilled at the idea of supporting game that would one day be free. The moment they announced that it was NEVER going free-to-play but that they were going to keep going with the micro-transactions and then you had to buy the expansions... I haven't opened the game since. I refuse to play a game that is this willing to turn on their player's priorities.
PuffPals updated their Kickstarter for backers on August 15 (following a Livestream on their alpha discord on August 14) and apologized for the lack of communication and that they're working on internal changes to their team to reduce stress and communication issues (as they'd been relying on a team that was too small). They hope the changes will allow better updates on progress with backers.
PuffPals just made an update, and it does look like progress is being made but VERY SLOWLY. They mentioned some behind the scenes stuff that were happening, which makes me think they were perhaps negotiating contracts. Regardless, I'm hoping they do finish the game eventually and get something out the door soon.
I regret buying Coral Island in early access tbh It's not that it's a bad game, I actually think it's quite charming despite the issues with the premature 1.0 release. But I found after my save data was wiped going into 1.0, I had little desire to return and redo the parts of the game I'd already done. I wish I'd picked it up in a more complete state now I'm realising I won't do multiple playthroughs with farming sims. It's why I'm holding off getting Fields of Mistria right now despite hearing good things about it - if I'm only going to experience the game once, I want to see it in its full form.
I played DreamLight Valley in early access because I wanted the items. I’m glad I did because the stuff you get from the Ultimate Edition is no longer available. Also the Cozy Edition raccoons are the only raccoons I have. I have premium shop items that DDV paid for
I got travelers rest in january as a gift - I didn't knew it was early access and played it a little. I came back to the game last week and SOO Much changed! restarting the game (due to early access and upadtes) was actually really fun! it is definetly a successful early access and more games should follow the lead! Also I think there is at least one more component to cozy games being successful: the "a new game like stardew valley/acnh". more and more games try to copy those two games, some more and some less, but I feel like the ones that try hard usually fail (the burnout topic) because they dont have any actually new to offer. for me it is a down turn if any (official) media states "the game is like stardew/acnh".
I do my research but on the game itself. I don’t care about the history of the developers. I wanted the stuff. I was only planning on paying for Standard Edition but felt like I would regret it after seeing Ultimate Edition and I was right. I care about my enjoyment of things.
Thank you so much for the video, this is a great topic to bring to light. I've purchased a few early access games in the hopes that it truly helps the developer with their endeavors. It has always sparked an internal debate, do to the fact that I usually end up not liking the early access versions of most games. As a result I end up purchasing the early access game and waiting for the full release. In the worst cases I wait even longer if the 1.0 version does not include the full content promised.
Palia keeps freezing on me even with doing their troubleshooting tips. It's very frustrating. Maybe it's because my computer isn't a gaming computer. But I really like how the game is based on my limited play time.
I'll have to look at my Steam account but I'm pretty sure coral island isn't in Early Access anymore especially if it's at version 1.0... Also if it is still in Early Access and it's at version 1.0 then that means that the developer is milking the Early Access system to get more money which shouldn't be allowed but I'm pretty sure other developers have done it anyway, LOL
I bought both switch and steam copies of dream light valley and backed island skies at a pretty high level. Starting to feel like the worlds biggest sucker 🥇 💸
Oh! Somebody else who uses the word "yikes". Yet another reason to love this channel. However, I'm disappointed with your take on Coral Island. With the demise of their publisher, they're in a really bad state for the future. Porting isn't a piece of cake, and some of the consoles do have a port. The game is too good to trash it over a console port, considering a new version of the console is on the horizon. Fortunately, they managed to get the story finished and out to us. I've had good luck with Early Access. Satisfactory, Nightingale, Machinky and a bunch of others. And for longevity, 7 Days to Die has to be the top. I believe they were around a decade in EA, changed systems multiple times, and seemed it would never release. Then, shortly after Nightingale, it finally released 1.0. I've long since moved on from it, but did have 2600+ hours in it. I enjoyed the system but didn't like the setting, zombie killing, etc. But you're right. You need to do the research. Or be willing to let the $15-$30 bucks be the equivalent of a few chips at the blackjack table.
Yet DDV doesn’t want feedback. They ignore all the bad feedback and their game is broken now. I spent over $100 on a game that was supposed to be free. No more early access again!
Also thank you for calling them out ! All these CZcamsrs and fans were defending them so adamantly. Gameloft made millions in early access they are truly just greedy
Generally I agree with your points, but as someone who's been involved with Coral Island from pre-1.0 days (and has friends who've been on the ground since the Alpha days), I'd like to provide some additional clarification regarding Coral Island, Stairway, and the publisher, Humble Games:
Starting at the "unfinished game" accusations: Let's begin with the original timeline and updates for the Early Access version of Coral Island that was released. After the game's EA release in 2022, beta updates for Coral Island were on a relatively linear schedule-- you could expect to see one every 3-4 months, and that update would finish out a full season. To the best of my recollection, around August last year we had just gotten the Summer update and were all anticipating the Fall update sometime in October/November. You can see it on the early roadmaps: they had planned out updates for approximately 2 years, with one update a quarter, culminating in a 1.0 release with all features promised in the Kickstarter.
And then... they just announced in November 2023 that they were releasing 1.0? Even though their roadmap clearly stated they wanted at least *5-6 more updates to the game* before calling it 1.0.
Which leads me to Humble Games.
Humble Games, to put it lightly, has been undergoing some... upheaval in recent weeks. I'm not sure if you've seen the news, but a few weeks ago, with no warning, Humble laid off *all* their employees. *Every single one.* Which leaves them with *no one* operating as a liaison to the game devs that they're supposed to be working with. (See: Stairway's statement you read in the video.)
As a sidebar: back when Stairway signed on for Humble to publish their game, it was generally understood that they would handle pushing out updates to all ports, and eventually the Switch port when it released. I only play on Steam, so I can't speak to the frequency of updates for consoles, but I know the silence regarding the Switch ports has, indeed, been a topic of frustration. Stairway has been as transparent as they could be, since the general suspicion is that NDAs signed when the original agreement was established are silencing them.
All this to say: both I and *many* of my friends in the community had suspicions that the sudden and incomplete 1.0 launch has something to do with Humble Games. Coral Island's abrupt 1.0 release on November 14, 2023 was *suspiciously* close to the end of Humble's fiscal year. General consensus among the community seems to be that Humble forced their hand and made them push an unfinished '1.0' game that didn't live up to what they'd been aiming for, in order to pad earnings for investors at the end of the year. In my personal opinion, the statement you read out about the Switch port now being pretty much out of reach for the moment all but confirms this. That statement makes me feel like Stairway are *fed up* with Humble but legally cannot say anything about what's happened behind the scenes.
Hope this helps clarify the sequence of events. Stairway isn't without fault, perhaps, but I believe a lot of the vitriol has been misplaced on their shoulders, when it should land squarely on the shoulders of their publisher and the shady business practices that are more than likely happening behind the scene.
Yes! This! This is a HUGE point when talking about Coral Island! 🏝️
If I recall, another controversy coral island went through was calling the game version "1.0" when chunks of the main story were still missing. I believe it's all there now, but that was quite a weird decision to witness back then.😅
I think that was a push from their failing publisher.
True however I'm playing through it right now and I'm really really enjoying it.
I'm so glad people are starting to talk about this now! I get how early access can be good and helpful for developers but I've been burned so many times by games that just never end up finished, plus the burnout of playing the game with missing fun features but all the grind, makes me frequently feel like I'm "over" the game before it's even finished. I'm also more and more opposed to the early access model as the norm seems to shift toward all these games being sold essentially unfinished and that just being so normal now, even if the games never get fixed and just get endless little updates. I long for the day of just being able to buy and own an actually finished product that the devs can stand behind.
Same
I'd love to see more game dev companies adopt Supergiant's early access model. I think they really showcase how it can be used to better the final product. Push it out early to get feedback from your player base, not just to make a quick buck.
I think Puffpals' case may be the result of a company that normally makes stuffed animals discovering how difficult game development really is.
I think in general small indie studios shouldn’t promise console just because it is so hard to get on console. They can flag an intent to pursue a console port, but console has a lot of red tape. Sure they can make it a stretch goal but the reality is, not all consoles are built the same and something made for PC is really hard to port to the Switch. Also the inbetweenie state of PS4 and PS5. Even if people want to do it, a PS4 port its really difficult.
You're absolutely right with this whole topic, i can understant that a small indie team may need money from their EA Publishing, but for the most cases it ends in never ending small update cycles, a bloody bug fest or an abandoned software. The other think native english speakers may not have on their radar is the missing translation. There are a lot of EA cozy games, where there is no propper translation and this can be a really hard thing for many gamers, who may not able to speak english fluently
As someone who isn't a casual gamer, but likes cozy games too, I hate early access. I understand its purpose is to help develop games, but more often than not it's not worth it. There are so many other finished games out there to play, that I have little patience for a promised game as I've had way too many experiences with EA games that ended up feeling underwhelming and not worth the long wait.
I saw Puffpals released an update to their site on August 5th! I will say the game has been in Alpha for soooo long that I actually forgot it existed for the past 3-4 years. Alpha is even before early access so it makes sense that they might have been having a ton of issues (although they shouldn't have kept quiet about it)
So there's also another component here. Kickstarter and other crowdfunding. Kickstarter heavily discourages devs from promising specific platform keys in their stretch goals because there isn't a guarantee that those devs will be able to follow through on those promises. However, Kickstarter will not shut down a campaign if they do decide to promise additional platforms as stretch or add on goals. Each console (Switch, PS5, Xbox) and PC have very different requirements for getting on the platform and as a prime example I'm given to understand trying to develop for PS4 versus PS5 is an absolute nightmare (please see how awful Cyberpunk 2077 launched on PS4 and its eventual full removal from that system). Depending on how long a game is taking to be made they may find themselves between console generations and the requirements for each system might be night and day.
Also some platforms have really strict requirements to 1. even be allowed on their system and 2. to be allowed to patch a game once available there (probably what's delaying Stardew Valley 1.6 on consoles). We're all waiting to see what a Switch follow up is going to look like, but what it's going to take to make a game run on it might be an absolute nightmare compared to how hard it is to get many games to run well on the current Switch.
So combine a Kickstarter promising puppies and rainbows and then add in Early Access (which also has disclaimers saying it's a risk and gamble and might not ever be completed) it's an absolute minefield for people buying into a game. It's just a lot and it doesn't feel like there's a lot of protection for buyers because quite frankly consumer protection sucks. The safest thing to do is wait and see, but with fomo culture that can be so incredibly hard so the next best thing to do is ask hard questions of devs like how feature complete is your game? What can I currently do and how much gameplay is presently in it? A good about page will detail that in early access. And then a buyer needs to understand that what they're buying might not ever be better than that base line and will have to decide if that's enough for them. And that sucks.
I don't touch early access games, I have hundreds of games to choose from, why should I play a game that's not finished?
I dont buy early access. I will continue to wait until it's finished
I played a bunch of early access games and, thankfully, have never been disappointed. However, that's also because I only bought games which I already enjoyed in the current state and I didn't mind even if it stayed like this forever.
Honestly, it's kind of like dating. You should never date the potential of a great s/o but only someone you already love the way they are.
I played Dreamlight Valley Early Access and thought it was great. There was always something to look forward to because they kept developing it. I'm glad it didn't go free to play. The DLC was very worth the $30 but the premium shop that requires real $ is starting to turn me off of the game. It's way too expensive. But overall I would still recommend this game. I bought Coral Island at launch but it was incomplete. I stopped playing (voluntarily) to wait for a full game. It took six months! Still "update" which was really completing the game was very strong and I recently started playing again. Would also recommend this game
The DLC IS NOT worth 30! The game literally crashes for all players, even high end PCs. The quests are lame in general. Palia is better and actually free.
@@jennifercoolidgeislife6760I like both games but I really like that DDV gives me a chance to get Moonstones for free. DDV has paid for every premium shop item I own. It’s fine if you don’t think the DLC is worth it but we do. I love timebending. I love my machines because I’m lazy and don’t feel like cleaning the boring way or cooking. I love stuff and we have more of it
Honestly, I'm not surprised PuffPals is in limbo. They are a plushie company that decided to jump on the cozy game bandwagon and Kickstart a game based off of their plushie brand. I'm honestly questioning if they had proper talent and budget to develop the game to begin with. If anything, they have been pushing their plushies more, as that is their core business. I don't think it's a scam, game development is very expensive and way harder than it looks and some indies and even companies get way over their head and then quietly abandon their game or game plans once they run out of money or drive to continue hoping no one will notice. I'm not too mad when a Kickstarter game falls through because I actually read and understand that I'm funding an idea and only support financially as much as I'm willing to lose for early access.
Personally I feel like early access discourages me from trying new games. I don't usually replay games so I often feel like if I play them on early access I won't try them again once the full release it's out, especially when a lot of farming games are lacking compared to Stardew Valley even when they eventually get their official release.
Another great video. I discovered you from Stardew Content but I’ve stayed on for the other content.
I just bought into the early access title Fields of Mistria. It looks like there’s a roadmap but for the EA price I wasn’t terribly worried about being out a bunch. Plus they had a roadmap and description of what was in the game and what was still coming. Overall, I felt comfortable. You offered great advice though. I didn’t check the developer pedigree. 6 hours in though, I’m enjoying it.
wasn’t disney valley supposed to be free ? once it officially released ? 🤦🏻 like the whole “cozy” and “gold” editions annoyed me but now you wanna add a million microtransactions? as if disney doesn’t have enough money??
GameLoft. They pay Disney
I played Dreamlight Valley and Palia in early access. I enjoyed both games. With Dreamlight Valley, I was very put off by the decision to keep it a full price game while also keeping micro transactions and releasing a very expensive DLC. I haven’t played much since all that happened. I also don’t like the aesthetics/design of it now as much as I did in early access. I don’t know what it is about it, but the POV and feel is just off. As for Palia, I loved how responsive the devs were, how frequently updates came out, and the game was super fun. I’m not an MMO person, but it was just enough engagement without being overwhelming. Unfortunately, I kind of got burned out before they fully released the game.
Palia is STILL not out of beta/early access and they've not been moving the story forward in any way in months
To each their own. I don't have many problems with DDV but play on console. DLC came with a new world, new characters (and the Oswald quest was really fun), new recipes, new craftables, new fish, gems, flowers, etc. $30 is a tank of gas which lasts two weeks and I am still playing the DLC which has an update coming up. Palia is fun too though and free is always better but they just lost a lot of employees because it is free
I wish I could copy/paste this
I recently thought about this topic when that tweet was going around saying to qrt with your 'boomer complaint'. I miss being able to buy a game and just have it be complete - I love Pokemon and like that at the most, I'll maybe have a few paid/free DLCs in the future, but that ultimately, I'll have a complete game. I bought Disney Dreamlight Valley when it was in EA and ended up burning myself out grinding for things and just waiting for more star paths and characters - ended up paying $50 for a game like an idiot that I don't even play anymore. Palia is also something I got access to early, and ended up burning out when I ran out of things to do that were fun to me. Coral Island is one of my heartbreaks - I want to play it so badly, but with all the disappointment I've been feeling with games recently, I'm going to wait it out and play other games that are complete, and wait a little bit longer for Coral Island to be MORE complete.
I also understand that EA/crowdfunding is necessary for smaller studios to get the word out and get more funding, so at the end of the day, I'm just really torn on the subject. I love my complete games, but also understand that this way of releasing games is just a necessary evil.
I was a LOYAL DDV player. I at the time had the extra money to buy into the game and was thrilled at the idea of supporting game that would one day be free. The moment they announced that it was NEVER going free-to-play but that they were going to keep going with the micro-transactions and then you had to buy the expansions... I haven't opened the game since. I refuse to play a game that is this willing to turn on their player's priorities.
PuffPals updated their Kickstarter for backers on August 15 (following a Livestream on their alpha discord on August 14) and apologized for the lack of communication and that they're working on internal changes to their team to reduce stress and communication issues (as they'd been relying on a team that was too small). They hope the changes will allow better updates on progress with backers.
PuffPals just made an update, and it does look like progress is being made but VERY SLOWLY. They mentioned some behind the scenes stuff that were happening, which makes me think they were perhaps negotiating contracts. Regardless, I'm hoping they do finish the game eventually and get something out the door soon.
I regret buying Coral Island in early access tbh
It's not that it's a bad game, I actually think it's quite charming despite the issues with the premature 1.0 release. But I found after my save data was wiped going into 1.0, I had little desire to return and redo the parts of the game I'd already done. I wish I'd picked it up in a more complete state now I'm realising I won't do multiple playthroughs with farming sims. It's why I'm holding off getting Fields of Mistria right now despite hearing good things about it - if I'm only going to experience the game once, I want to see it in its full form.
I played DreamLight Valley in early access because I wanted the items. I’m glad I did because the stuff you get from the Ultimate Edition is no longer available. Also the Cozy Edition raccoons are the only raccoons I have. I have premium shop items that DDV paid for
On the bright side, Fields of Mistria said saves made in EA will carry over to 1.0 🥰
I got travelers rest in january as a gift - I didn't knew it was early access and played it a little. I came back to the game last week and SOO Much changed! restarting the game (due to early access and upadtes) was actually really fun! it is definetly a successful early access and more games should follow the lead!
Also I think there is at least one more component to cozy games being successful: the "a new game like stardew valley/acnh". more and more games try to copy those two games, some more and some less, but I feel like the ones that try hard usually fail (the burnout topic) because they dont have any actually new to offer. for me it is a down turn if any (official) media states "the game is like stardew/acnh".
I do my research but on the game itself. I don’t care about the history of the developers. I wanted the stuff. I was only planning on paying for Standard Edition but felt like I would regret it after seeing Ultimate Edition and I was right. I care about my enjoyment of things.
Thank you so much for the video, this is a great topic to bring to light. I've purchased a few early access games in the hopes that it truly helps the developer with their endeavors. It has always sparked an internal debate, do to the fact that I usually end up not liking the early access versions of most games. As a result I end up purchasing the early access game and waiting for the full release. In the worst cases I wait even longer if the 1.0 version does not include the full content promised.
Palia keeps freezing on me even with doing their troubleshooting tips. It's very frustrating. Maybe it's because my computer isn't a gaming computer. But I really like how the game is based on my limited play time.
Maybe try a Steamdeck
I'll have to look at my Steam account but I'm pretty sure coral island isn't in Early Access anymore especially if it's at version 1.0...
Also if it is still in Early Access and it's at version 1.0 then that means that the developer is milking the Early Access system to get more money which shouldn't be allowed but I'm pretty sure other developers have done it anyway, LOL
I bought both switch and steam copies of dream light valley and backed island skies at a pretty high level. Starting to feel like the worlds biggest sucker 🥇 💸
While some are hit and miss (some big misses), some like Travellers Rest have done a good and seem to be keeping it up.
I love your content!
I love your videos!
i appreciate it, thank you!
Oh! Somebody else who uses the word "yikes". Yet another reason to love this channel. However, I'm disappointed with your take on Coral Island. With the demise of their publisher, they're in a really bad state for the future. Porting isn't a piece of cake, and some of the consoles do have a port. The game is too good to trash it over a console port, considering a new version of the console is on the horizon. Fortunately, they managed to get the story finished and out to us.
I've had good luck with Early Access. Satisfactory, Nightingale, Machinky and a bunch of others. And for longevity, 7 Days to Die has to be the top. I believe they were around a decade in EA, changed systems multiple times, and seemed it would never release. Then, shortly after Nightingale, it finally released 1.0. I've long since moved on from it, but did have 2600+ hours in it. I enjoyed the system but didn't like the setting, zombie killing, etc. But you're right. You need to do the research. Or be willing to let the $15-$30 bucks be the equivalent of a few chips at the blackjack table.
Yet DDV doesn’t want feedback. They ignore all the bad feedback and their game is broken now. I spent over $100 on a game that was supposed to be free. No more early access again!
Also thank you for calling them out ! All these CZcamsrs and fans were defending them so adamantly. Gameloft made millions in early access they are truly just greedy
Over $100?
@@RedK5yep I got the ultimate edition and paid for the dlc like a chump . Game constantly crashing still
@@jennifercoolidgeislife6760 what platform were are you on?
@@RedK5 pc
love
Uh..... It's DISNEY!!!
YOU KOE THE Money hungry losing met by the boatloads Cuz they make very bad decisions Disney....!
What did you expect?!
Lol
Not very money hungry since they pay for my premium items 😂