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If you liked the original X-Com from Microprose, chances are you'll like Xenonauts. It's a more faithful remake than Firaxis' version (in the words of the original's own developer), though they're both fun in their own ways.
Dakka has a thread on it here.

Anyways, I think the trick is to only invest into a game you really want to see and where you are willing to take the risk. Just take your time to analyse the concept and its presentation, if possible check out the history of the names attached to the project. Neither crowdfunding nor pre-ordering must always be equal to jumping into the deep end - as long as you're willing to actually think before spending your cash, as there are signs to look out for.

 SHUPPET wrote:
How is Xenonauts then?

Its a far better X-COM remake than Firaxis managed.

 Palindrome wrote:

 SHUPPET wrote:
How is Xenonauts then?

Its a far better X-COM remake than Firaxis managed.

For some.

I for one, love the skill system in the Firaxis game.

 Palindrome wrote:
Unless you want to support the developer.

I'll support the developer by buying their finished game. Why should I assume the risk for them?

 H.B.M.C. wrote:

 Palindrome wrote:
Unless you want to support the developer.

I'll support the developer by buying their finished game. Why should I assume the risk for them?

Thats your call to make of course.

Don't call other people crazy if they want to give a little ahead of time(and be rewarded for it)

I'm happy to give a little extra to help get this game off the ground, and pave the way for more.

Nah. Would you pay to see an unfinished film so that the money will go to finishing it? What about a television series? A book? A car? A meal at a restaurant?

I don't know why we give games a free pass with this gak, but we've reached a stage now where we have paid betas for crying out loud - people pay to do the testing for the company. Early Access is a complete joke, and you shouldn't pay for unfinished products and assume someone else's risk.

Thats just it. Games are where this is acceptable, and even the norm now.

Which is a definitive factor into the watering down of quality releases. Some would say for the better, allowing smaller studios to dedicate a larger percentage of their resources towards making a quality game. Some would argue it's a way to sell a watered down product of the game and provide far less motivation for a finished quality product. Just look at DayZ.

I think it gets abused far more often than it is actually used to properly improve a game. Having a beta with testers is fine - charging for it, while a shrewd business practice, is responsible for all the negatives and positives that come with developers recieving a large amount of their profit before finishing their game.

 SHUPPET wrote:
Which is a definitive factor into the watering down of quality releases. Some would say for the better, allowing smaller studios to dedicate a larger percentage of their resources towards making a quality game. Some would argue it's a way to sell a watered down product of the game and provide far less motivation for a finished quality product. Just look at DayZ.

I think it gets abused far more often than it is actually used to properly improve a game. Having a beta with testers is fine - charging for it, while a shrewd business practice, is responsible for all the negatives and positives that come with developers receiving a large amount of their profit before finishing their game.

Fair enough. But White Moon Dreams have been bending over backwards (I can personally attest to this, the last Steam Patch fixed an issue specific to me after working with one of the Developers ) to get this game where it needs to be. They are a smaller company. Privateer Press may be a larger company lending the game it's IP and setting the rules, but WMD is a smaller company who needs to the support.

Besides, the cost is where it is to not upset the Kickstarter Backers. It's not like they won't let you buy the game later if you don't buy the beta now. Some folks just don't want to wait.

(the game is a lot of fun, btw. Only played the single player map thus far).

I'd much rather they just iron out bugs with patches, it's 2014 not hard, with a small closed beta for free to find anything massive.

STOP telling me the price is because of the kickstarter thing. For starters they shouldn't have expected so much money for what they were offering even at time of kickstarter if they wanted to avoid being called overpriced - or just not do an open beta at all. But in my post I never said anything about the price of the game here, just the practice in general of selling an unfinished game for beta testing (not the kickstarter).


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Glad to hear the game is good btw - mind sharing some details? I've never played war machine but enjoy turn based strategy pc games a lot

 Wulfmar wrote:
What ever happened to games being a finished, completed product on release?

You might as well ask "whatever happened to maverick teenage composers writing 8 hour long symphonies for harpsichord?" or "whatever happened to art being restricted solely to the walls of our cave-dwellings?". Creative products change to reflect the world around us, including (sadly) taking advantage of new revenue streams. Software publishers have worked out that the golden model for a new game is the limitless source of money that is 'DLC'. Why sell a consumer a £30 product when you can sell them a £30 gateway to never-ending microtransactions?

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/8942-Monetizing-Whales-For-The-Retention-Of-Virality

I don't mind early-access offerings. Doesn't mean I'm interested in getting this one though, not at that price.

65$ that's mad!!!!! Looked like a decent game tho