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N-Echo 11 月 16 日 上午 5:21
Early Access Consumer Protections
In my opinion, Valve Corporation must assume greater responsibility for developers who abandon their Early Access titles. The current system allows Steam to profit from the sale of games that buyers reasonably assume are under active development, but which, in many cases, have been stagnant for years.

Early Access is intended as a co-development model, not a permanent demo or a platform for developers to sell a game and then immediately cease work. This practice is inherently anti-consumer and exploits player trust.

I propose the implementation of a clear, enforceable policy to replace the current system's weak, non-binding text. This policy centers on two mandatory requirements for all Early Access titles: Communication and Development Activity.

Mandatory Communication Requirement
All Early Access developers must provide a substantive communication update such as a public post, development blog, or detailed plan at least once every 3 months.

Consequence for Failure: If a developer fails to meet this three-month communication deadline, the game must either be locked from sale on the Steam store or clearly marked with a prominent, unmissable "Development Inactive" warning directly preceding the purchase button.

Rationale: This is a minimal bar for commitment. If a developer cannot manage quarterly communication for a game they are actively selling, they are taking advantage of their customers.

Mandatory Development Activity Requirement
All Early Access developers must push a measurable update to their game at least once every 6 months.

Consequence for Failure: Should a developer fail to update their game within a 6 month window, the game must be immediately locked from sale until a new update is released.

Rationale: Active development is the core promise of Early Access. This requirement ensures that buyers are funding a project that is verifiably moving forward, quickly clearing out abandoned or exploited titles.

This policy is designed to be simple to track, easy to enforce, and highly effective at protecting consumers by ensuring that the Early Access tag signifies a product that is in active development.
最后由 N-Echo 编辑于; 11 月 16 日 上午 5:34
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正在显示第 1 - 15 条，共 41 条留言
Vaulty 11 月 16 日 上午 5:54 
Note: Games in Early Access are not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development
#1
N-Echo 11 月 16 日 上午 5:57 
引用自 Vaulty：
Note: Games in Early Access are not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development
A post in a little box under the purchase isn't sufficient. 90% of players don't read that.

Do you have a reason why additional consumer protections is a bad thing?
#2
eram 11 月 16 日 上午 6:02 
make it a much bigger box
#3
Ettanin 11 月 16 日 上午 6:02 
引用自 N-Echo：
引用自 Vaulty：
Note: Games in Early Access are not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development
A post in a little box under the purchase isn't sufficient. 90% of players don't read that.

Do you have a reason why additional consumer protections is a bad thing?
Their fault if they don't read it.

Many indies need the money in advance to make their ideas reality and Early Access was conceived to provide for that requirement.

Removing the ability to get funds in advance through Early Access would make Early Access pointless because the studios relying on Early Access won't be able to provide warm homes and food on the table for the developers making the Early Access title and no studio can force any dev to work for free or a cold, useless promise in the future.
最后由 Ettanin 编辑于; 11 月 16 日 上午 6:03
#4
Vaulty 11 月 16 日 上午 6:03 
引用自 N-Echo：
引用自 Vaulty：
Note: Games in Early Access are not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development
A post in a little box under the purchase isn't sufficient. 90% of players don't read that.

Do you have a reason why additional consumer protections is a bad thing?

That's your fault for not reading that. Do you think anyone cares that you skip "terms and conditions" when you install software? No, it's still binding document
#5
N-Echo 11 月 16 日 上午 6:08 
引用自 Ettanin：
引用自 N-Echo：
A post in a little box under the purchase isn't sufficient. 90% of players don't read that.

Do you have a reason why additional consumer protections is a bad thing?
Their fault if they don't read it.

The ability to refund an Early access title AT ANY TIME would require Valve to hold the revenue funds of such titles hostage until the full release potentially YEARS down the line. Many indies need the money in advance to make their ideas reality and Early Access was conceived to provide for that requirement.

So you're saying that Valve shouldn't promote actual consumer protections because of a scenario you've made up? There wouldn't be a reason to hold revenue. You'd either prevent sales, or you'd show a warning. Neither requires holding funds.

Indie games would have 6 months to make an update. Nearly all active development indie games already do this. There wouldn't be any concern from an active developer. Even indie.

引用自 Ettanin：
Removing the ability to get funds in advance through Early Access would make Early Access pointless because the studios relying on Early Access won't be able to provide warm homes and food on the table for the developers making the Early Access title and no studio can force any dev to work for free or a cold, useless promise in the future.

What are you talking about? There is no money being held. There isn't a hostage situation. There are no devs working for free. This is 6 months to make an update for a product they already sold. I have no idea where your developer rambling came from.
最后由 N-Echo 编辑于; 11 月 16 日 上午 6:09
#6
eram 11 月 16 日 上午 6:09 
double the size of the box for each refund a user has ever made and make everyone tick twice.

if the size of the box is broken due to account activity they cant purchase any early access titles until the cooldown reduces the size of the box to fit on their screen.
#7
Ettanin 11 月 16 日 上午 6:12 
引用自 N-Echo：
引用自 Ettanin：
Their fault if they don't read it.

The ability to refund an Early access title AT ANY TIME would require Valve to hold the revenue funds of such titles hostage until the full release potentially YEARS down the line. Many indies need the money in advance to make their ideas reality and Early Access was conceived to provide for that requirement.

So you're saying that Valve shouldn't promote actual consumer protections because of a scenario you've made up? There wouldn't be a reason to hold revenue. You'd either prevent sales, or you'd show a warning. Neither requires holding funds.

Indie games would have 6 months to make an update. Nearly all active development indie games already do this. There wouldn't be any concern from an active developer. Even indie.

引用自 Ettanin：
Removing the ability to get funds in advance through Early Access would make Early Access pointless because the studios relying on Early Access won't be able to provide warm homes and food on the table for the developers making the Early Access title and no studio can force any dev to work for free or a cold, useless promise in the future.

What are you talking about? There is no money being held. There isn't a hostage situation. There are no devs working for free. This is 6 months to make an update for a product they already sold. I have no idea where your developer rambling came from.
So you rather want less indie games or "indie" games lacking creativity because of shareholder/investor pressure?
Do you want to work for free because you or your employer is strapped for money due to various circumstances because you are forced by Valve in order to continue selling your game?

Delays or early end of development can have multiple reasons, not necessarily scamming.

Not to mention that this will backfire because then devs will simply prematurely end development and leave early access as a way of malicious compliance to be able to continue selling their game.

You can turn off Early Access titles in your account settings.
最后由 Ettanin 编辑于; 11 月 16 日 上午 6:17
#8
N-Echo 11 月 16 日 上午 6:17 
引用自 Ettanin：
So you rather want less indie games or "indie" games lacking creativity because of shareholder/investor pressure?
Do you want to work for free because you or your employer is strapped for money due to various circumstances because you are forced by Valve in order to continue selling your game?

Delays or early end of development can have multiple reasons, not necessarily scamming.

You can turn off Early Access titles in your account settings.
No, the scenario you created is just nonsense. It isn't real. You're going through a lot of mental gymnastics for this.
#9
Ettanin 11 月 16 日 上午 6:18 
引用自 N-Echo：
引用自 Ettanin：
So you rather want less indie games or "indie" games lacking creativity because of shareholder/investor pressure?
Do you want to work for free because you or your employer is strapped for money due to various circumstances because you are forced by Valve in order to continue selling your game?

Delays or early end of development can have multiple reasons, not necessarily scamming.

You can turn off Early Access titles in your account settings.
No, the scenario you created is just nonsense. It isn't real. You're going through a lot of mental gymnastics for this.
Not to mention that this will backfire because then devs will simply prematurely end development and leave early access as a way of malicious compliance to be able to continue selling their game.

You have absolutely NO idea how game development, or the development of ANY application, works.
最后由 Ettanin 编辑于; 11 月 16 日 上午 6:20
#10
Ettanin 11 月 16 日 上午 6:21 
引用自 N-Echo：
引用自 Ettanin：
Not to mention that this will backfire because then devs will simply prematurely end development and leave early access as a way of malicious compliance to be able to continue selling their game.

Leave Early access then? Sorry, but none of your points have even made sense.
You have absolutely NO idea how game development, or the development of ANY application, works.
#11
N-Echo 11 月 16 日 上午 6:22 
引用自 Ettanin：
引用自 N-Echo：
No, the scenario you created is just nonsense. It isn't real. You're going through a lot of mental gymnastics for this.
Not to mention that this will backfire because then devs will simply prematurely end development and leave early access as a way of malicious compliance to be able to continue selling their game.

You have absolutely NO idea how game development, or the development of ANY application, works.
Leave Early access then? Sorry, but none of your points have even made sense.

引用自 Ettanin：
You have absolutely NO idea how game development, or the development of ANY application, works.
I actively designed automations for one of the largest multinationals. Sure, I'm just a cog in the machine but unlike you, I actually know about development.
#12
Ettanin 11 月 16 日 上午 6:23 
引用自 N-Echo：
引用自 Ettanin：
Not to mention that this will backfire because then devs will simply prematurely end development and leave early access as a way of malicious compliance to be able to continue selling their game.

You have absolutely NO idea how game development, or the development of ANY application, works.
Leave Early access then? Sorry, but none of your points have even made sense.

引用自 Ettanin：
You have absolutely NO idea how game development, or the development of ANY application, works.
I actively designed automations for one of the largest multinationals. Sure, I'm just a cog in the machine but unlike you, I actually know about development.
Then you should know why your idea for Early Access is doomed to fail and actually bad for smaller development companies and individuals.
#13
N-Echo 11 月 16 日 上午 6:24 
引用自 Ettanin：
引用自 N-Echo：
Leave Early access then? Sorry, but none of your points have even made sense.


I actively designed automations for one of the largest multinationals. Sure, I'm just a cog in the machine but unlike you, I actually know about development.
Then you should know why your idea for Early Access is doomed to fail and actually bad for smaller development companies and individuals.
No. You're just saying things and acting like they're related, but really it is like this nonsense idea salad. Sounds like my schizoaffective word salad, only less coherent.
#14
HeyYou 11 月 16 日 上午 6:24 
Caveat Emptor...... An unfinished game is exactly that. Unfinished. There are zero guarantees that it will EVER be finished. If you spend money on such a game, that is you gambling that the game will actually BE finished. How do you propose to hold valve accountable? If you spend money KNOW the game is 'in development', and then the studio drops the game, or disappears entirely, what do you expect valve to do about it? Give you back your money? That's just ain't gonna happen, as Valve no longer even has it, and they aren't in the habit of supporting defunct developers.

Nope. This is where 'personal responsibility' comes into play. If you knowingly buy a game in 'early access', it is on YOU to understand just what you are signing up for. And that may all well be flushing some money down the toilet.
#15
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