Dungeons Of Aledorn - Alpha Released

HiddenX

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The alpha version of the old school RPG Dungeons of Aledorn is out:

Alpha Released - At Last!

Greetings to all friends, gamers, backers and followers. Today, we have some good news, the twice-postponed alpha version of "Dungeons of Aledorn" (DoA) is finally here. We briefly want to tell you what you can expect in the alpha version and why it took so long.



Starting today, a total of 119 backers are eligible to download and try out the game in its current state. If you hit the KickStarter rank of "Black Bear" or better, check you email for further instructions. And now, straight onto the features of the alpha version. Your pre-designed party of 3 heroes (Warrior, Rogue and Wizard) finds itself in the small town of Manto. You can roam around freely, search for hidden treasures or enter into dialogue with some NPCs. You can also accept a few quests and one of them can be even successfully completed.

[...]
More information.
 
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Thank you for the info, henriquejr!
 
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I just wanted to up my pledge for alpha access, but the website store isn't working for me anymore.
 
I have alpha access (not yet, they probably won't start to send emails until tomorrow), will give some first impression asap. Finger crossed...
 
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No way I'm paying $60 for the privilege of alpha testing an indie game.
 
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No way I'm paying $60 for the privilege of alpha testing an indie game.

Well obviously it wasn't there for you then.

I will be interested in hearing backers impressions since I backed this as well...I have to check at which level.
 
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No way I'm paying $60 for the privilege of alpha testing an indie game.

Chances of influencing the game's design at this stage are much better with an indie project, if you're into that kind of thing
 
Well obviously it wasn't there for you then.

Not necessarily. I'm curious to see if this one is any good, and I'd like to hear from others. I just don't accept the practice of charging a premium for the privilege of beta testing games. If others like the idea, fair enough.
 
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Not necessarily. I'm curious to see if this one is any good, and I'd like to hear from others. I just don't accept the practice of charging a premium for the privilege of beta testing games. If others like the idea, fair enough.

It's probably more like them being out of stuff for the higher tiers (especially digital). They probably don't have the means to order 3 novellas from Chris Avellone ;)
 
Yeah, I get why they do it, it just always rubs me the wrong way. It's not a big deal, just one factor that endears me less to a studio. I'm just never going to accept the idea that helping them out by playing through a buggy and unfinished experience to provide QA is something that I should pay for. If anything, I think it should be an option for all backers, and they should be grateful for anyone that's prepared to do it.
 
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It might also be a form of damage control... I can imagine the reactions of people who actually have no interest in or even no notion of what an alpha build is and simply bashing the game online. Even if you demand just a few $ for early access like InXile does you're ensuring that only people who can emotionally handle an unfinished product get it.
 
I find it doubtful that people who have taken the trouble to back the game on KS, and granted alpha access, would struggle to understand the situation. If it were uploaded as a free public alpha demo, I could see more of a problem.

But even if it were true, it would just be one more benefit to the studio - it wouldn't make it any more palatable for the customer.
 
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I find it doubtful that people who have taken the trouble to back the game on KS, and granted alpha access, would struggle to understand the situation. If it were uploaded as a free public alpha demo, I could see more of a problem.

There are enough negative Steam reviews for Early Access games to show that it's not without dangers for developers (and I doubt that all of these are updated as the game improves).
 
I think Early Access is a slightly different proposition, though. Many people on Steam probably do lack the understanding you describe, and just review the product they purchase as is. In all fairness, I'm not a big fan of Early Access either, and I think if studios sell broken and unfinished games in an open marketplace, they shouldn't be surprised if some people react that way.
 
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Personally, I view it like this: I only support products and developers who I think deserve the extra amount. DoA is definitely a game that deserves a $60 pledge if you like oldschool RPG's. Alpha access is just part of the deal. :)
 
That's fair enough. For me, I'm always more likely to give more support if I'm really impressed with the dev's style. If they said that all backers get alpha access, because they don't believe in players paying to be bug-testers, I'd be much more likely to back them further. I prefer to feel like I'm choosing to reward, rather than being shaken down.
 
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There are enough negative Steam reviews for Early Access games to show that it's not without dangers for developers (and I doubt that all of these are updated as the game improves).

Actually, I agree with you. This is why I appreciate Larian very much, not so much InXile and, well, pretty much every other studio. I think that charging for alpha / beta is a bad practice. On the other hand, I don't give (more) money to projects for that reason, just to support them. At the time of the Kickstarter campaign Aledorn had a playable demo and I enjoyed it, this is why I have alpha access now.
 
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Video reminds me of the Realms of Arkania: Blade Of Destiny remake (which I actually liked, after a few patches).

I think this is going to be a good one. crpgnut - You owe me a copy. :) I don't want it yet, just when the official game is released. :)
 
That's fair enough. For me, I'm always more likely to give more support if I'm really impressed with the dev's style. If they said that all backers get alpha access, because they don't believe in players paying to be bug-testers, I'd be much more likely to back them further. I prefer to feel like I'm choosing to reward, rather than being shaken down.

Style? They're doing a very mechanically deep, sprawling RPG with good production values on a shoestring budget. They've been very transparent about the project and the team during the kickstarter and afterwards. They impressed me alright. Ok, enough fanboying.

The question is, how much do you want alpha access? Maybe not a lot, considering you even frown at practices like charging a few bucks for alpha access. So my guess is you're not exactly keen on playing the alpha, though you might gander a look if it was free. That's fine. But it's also not something to get worked up about, and feeling shaken down seems way over the top.
 
The question is, how much do you want alpha access? Maybe not a lot, considering you even frown at practices like charging a few bucks for alpha access. So my guess is you're not exactly keen on playing the alpha, though you might gander a look if it was free. That's fine. But it's also not something to get worked up about, and feeling shaken down seems way over the top.

Well, me frowning on charging for alphas, and how much I might want this particular alpha, are two separate things. In this case, it's a game I'm curious about, but not super convinced by. If other people start saying it's good, I might well have been tempted to lay out $20 early, just to have a quick play and see what I think. But, as I'm not a super keen supporter, I won't be laying down $60 for that access.

I'm sure others have different ways of looking at it, but I am also sure there are plenty of people who see it the way I do. I just think they might actually get more cash if people could get an early look without paying essentially triple the final price.
 
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