Clarification on tiers?

[Zodd]

Gday all,

I have come very late to this party but I am VERY impressed. So much so that my wallet is at the ready.

Can I confirm from someone in the know if the Digital Alpha Tier has access to the Dev videos? It doesnt look like it does but seems strange that the Dev videos would skip a tier?

It appears (from the current tiers) you have to choose between Alpha and Dev videos... is that accurate?

I am in... I just want to make sure I get in at the right level!
DIGITAL ALPHA TIER

 

[jasconine]

--Current Reward Tier: Digital Alpha

--Rewards: Alpha and beta access, 2 digital release copies, digital soundtrack, insider forum access.

I have alpha access and no dev videos ALTHOUGH you can choose to switch to videos and forgo alpha access methinks. I paid 40GBP, so if that is what you want, then you can make it so. There should be an option once you pay and then login to you account to allocate your $$. Check twice before you commit the $$ because there is no way back methinks.

Welcome and have fun when the prologue comes out =D

 

[Rob]

Hi @Zodd,

£20 - beta access only.
£30 - dev videos, no beta access.
£40 - alpha & beta access, no dev videos.
£60 - alpha & beta access, and dev videos.

Bottom line - digital alpha tier does not include dev videos.

Hope that helps clarify.

 

[jasconine]

Hi @Zodd,

£20 - beta access only.
£30 - dev videos, no beta access.
£40 - alpha & beta access, no dev videos.
£60 - alpha & beta access, and dev videos.

Bottom line - digital alpha tier does not include dev videos.

Hope that helps clarify.

Ah yes, the 30GBP gets the videos...

"The £40 tier doesn't include the dev videos I'm afraid, the £30 tier does but without alpha or beta access and the £60 tier includes everything." - BM

The 30GBP was a late addition to the rewards methinks. Thanks for the clarification, @Rob.

 

[lvk]

Also, if you use the upgrade page from the Account link below afterwards, you can't upgrade from a dev video tier to a non-dev video tier. If it helps in your decision, the dev videos are all really exciting, but the alpha prelude release is coming soon (approx. 1 month).

 

[Rob]

Yeah, it depends what you're after.

If you would like to experience SG hands-on as soon as possible, and potentially have an active part in its development, then the £40 alpha tier is much more attractive than the £30 tier.

However, some people aren't bothered about playing the game before it's released - they only want the final finished product, and don't have the time or inclination to be involved in the alpha/beta process. For those people, the £30 video tier is perfect.

Of course, the £60 tier gets the best of both worlds, giving access to the dev videos throughout the process.

Whichever tier you go for, remember that your contributions are helping to fund the game - you can give yourself a pat on the back, and I'm sure the devs are very grateful (as otherwise they would have been penniless).

 

[Zodd]

Great - thanks for the prompt reply all!

The AI sounds interesting, if ambitious. Kind of sounds similar to what Everquest Next is attempting but without the restrictions imposed by the MMO genre. I like the fact the 'story' unfolds regardless of player input - reminds me of the 'campaign' part of Mount and Blade.
Also the reception from this post is very promising (as is the dev post about the delay - Not a single complaint!) - A game with a good community is a great first step!


Does anyone have feedback on the video tier? Looks very interesting but seems a big jump just for the dev videos (which I will concede I am quite interested in). I guess it is more of an investment into the developers/game than the 'value for money' tier.

I am honestly tempted to go for the top tier just to support this game, even if I am not able to provide active feedback for the alpha etc, it is the combat that really attracts me. (And you have to admire the passion and commitment of the blokes creating the game!)

 

[Fawz]

I find the Dev videos to be very enjoyable and well worth the added investment. Currently there are 4 videos available: 3 dev logs with extensive explanation and 1 combat showcase

The videos are high quality (1080p) and are a couple of minutes long. It's a great way to visually see some of the improvements the devs have made and get a glimpse at some of the tools being used to make the game.

If you had to chose one over the other however, I would recommend alpha/beta access over the Dev videos. As neat as videos are with the talks from the devs, having a chance to get hands on with aspects of the game is more engaging and would probably answer more questions and concerns you might have about the game.

 

[lvk]

Dev video 1 is 06:08, video 2 is 02:36, video 3 is 08:55, and the pre-alpha gameplay video is 12:09, totalling approximately half an hour of development videos. If bandwidth is an issue, all videos together are a 2,5GB download.

You're right in that it's more of an investment than a value for money tier objectively speaking, but I thought all of the videos were exciting. There's nothing on the AI yet as it's incomplete, but the ability to see the game up close in HD is worth a lot to me.

Rewatching the videos reveals new, small details every time, be it some world detail you might've missed or cool combat interaction, how fancy the shadows are, or how believable the water caustics, that the dynamic character hair adds life to the scene, how combat and movement on hills looks how you'd expect it to, the list goes on.

One easily missable detail is the lamp on the wall in the second development video. The lamp's design doesn't look typically human, so it might tie in with the vast, interconnected underworld for the game. I believe developers weren't planning to spoil much of the story as that'd affect the gameplay negatively, but I hope it's true, because that'd be neat.

While the prelude alpha is on its way, I'm all for supporting people to pour more love into BM if they can miss it.

What I did myself (because 60GBP was a lot for me to miss in one shot) was upgrade my pledge twice over time, there's an option for it on your rewards redemption page.

 

[Zodd]

Ok - well life has intervened and decided for me so I have just gone the lower pledge (not alpha or videos). At least it is helping out make the game! (And sprucing the games praises as much as I can to anyone that will listen!)

Thanks for the input all - appreciate it!
Great community