Humankind Store Page: Pre-Order or Wait?

[CivLuvah]

This question has been in my head since I got access to the OpenDev scenarios, heck even during the time I sensed that this game has massive potential. Having played the scenarios I felt confident that this game will shake up and change the 4X strategy genre, and that confidence was bolstered even more by the fact that the devs are responding to feeedback.

Now that we have a pre-purchase up on Steam and a release date, I think this is a good time to ask this question. Should I pre-order now, knowing the direction this game's development is going? Should I wait until launch, since by this time I am sure that all the pieces fit well? Should I wait until reviews, to be really sure that the end result is almost perfect and/or to watch out for bugs?

This isn't a question just for me. I know there are people out there who are as insecure as I am. So this question is not just for me to get the opinion of people - this is also for you. What choice will you choose or what would you most likely do? That's why it's in the form of a poll so I could get the feel of what people are going to do at this point onwards.

Thanks!

 

[salty mud]

How can anyone except you answer this question for yourself? Only you know what to do with your money. Some strangers' opinions on the Internet shouldn't change that.

That said, I never preorder, because it benefits no one except the developers and their boardroom staff. A piddling discount or some extra shiny graphics aren't worth the potential game breaking bugs, hardware issues and so on that are common in games these days. I wait for a lot of reviews to come in so I can gauge the reception.

 

[tedhebert]

Usually, it would be a huge NO for me... Wait !

but... Having played in the OpenDev, my confidence in this game being polished enough at release is almost 100%... In no way does that mean I'm 100% certain that I'm going to love this game as much as Civ and that I'll get as much value out of it, but I'm at least fairly certain that the game
released will not be an unplayable catastrophe.

All that bein said, as usual, I don't feel that the goodies offered for pre-order or digital deluxe are all that famous. but the 15% discount probably makes the pre-order and digital deluxe close to regular game release price, so it's probably worth it anyways.

in the end, this is a personal decision. For my part, it's totally certain that I'm going to buy this game, so might as well go for it at pre-order ;-) But I usually never do this.

 

[CivLuvah]

How can anyone except you answer this question for yourself? Only you know what to do with your money. Some strangers' opinions on the Internet shouldn't change that.

Of course I know I should be the only one who could decide for myself. But I'm trying to open this question to others so it'll be their question as well, and the point of the poll is to see what other people's decisions are, not unwaveringly depend on them. Step into my shoes, that sort of thing.

Maybe I shouldn't phrase the poll like that in the first place.

 

[Uberfrog]

I would advise against pre-ordering anything. I do (stupidly) break this rule for Civ, but with those games I'm bound to be buying on launch, so pre-ordering with a discount doesn't hurt too much and the hundreds of hours spent playing the games are worth it.

I'm excited for Humankind to bring some fresh ideas to the genre, but I'll wait to see the finished product and some reviews before I splash out. I enjoyed the OpenDev, but it was a heavily curated experience of a very early build. Lots can change, and the overall flow and pace of the game remains to be seen.

15% off a game you end up disappointedly putting aside is not a good deal.

 

[DST1348]

I made it my policy to wait until version 1.1 of a game before I buy. Time is the most critical resource for me, and I don't want to waste time because of bugs. If the game is polished on release I don't loose anything, and if it's not I didn't waste time and money.

 

[8housesofelixir]

I am thinking about this problem in terms of prices though. It seems to me that the discounted price of Pre-Order Bonus + Deluxe Edition (-17%) can be cheaper than the price of the undiscounted Standard Version upon release. And it would take months (if not a year plus) for the Standard Version to have a discount.

 

[FinalDoomsday]

From a customer perspective pre-ordering is a bad deal, publishers know this which is why they like to throw in pre order bonuses to try and coax you in. It doesnt even really make much sense with digital copies theres no risk of them running out. I'f you're set on getting the pre order discount and bonuses you might aswell wait until its just about to come out when we have as much pre release information as possible so you can make the most informed choice without waiting for post release reviews.

But then again some behaviour confuses me, did any of you guys see it when Cyberpunk was top of the steam charts way back in June 2019? There was no advantage to pre ordering, not even a discount, why you'd throw money at something well over a year from finishing development baffles me, power of hype I guess!

 

[Stringer1313]

I think waiting is the right move for the reasons people mention. But because I am weak and cannot help myself, I pre-ordered.

 

[CPWimmer]

I am 99% certain I will not buy this game on day 1, and 100% I won't pre-purchase.

I will wait for reviews from people on this forum. I will watch some YouTube let's plays; and even then, I expect that I will wait for the first 2-3 months of patches. I will probably still buy it at full price, although it would be interesting if it has a slight discount in the 2021 Steam Summer Sale (assuming the April release date even holds).

This game "interests" me but doesn't "excite" me. And as Amplitude's first full entry into the 4x Historical Genre, I expect the game will undergo some tweaks in the first few months after it gets released and you (us) fanatics get a hold of it!

 

[HiRezAudio]

I have already pre-ordered, but not bothered with the Beta Scenario version currently available.
Should be fun

 

[CivLuvah]

I have already pre-ordered, but not bothered with the Beta Scenario version currently available.
Should be fun

Currently available? It was only for a limited time. They ended the OpenDev weeks ago.

 

[7daysofwar]

To be honest, I will wait at pre-ordering, this simple that because I have no idea how the game will unfold as soon as you go further then the classical era. I know that you know which cultures are there, just wondering what type of gameplay there will be there in the later eras to keep the game intresting......

 

[Shadowhal]

Similar to lots of others. I think I only ever pre-ordered a game once and there was a different reason for that. If it shapes up really well I should still get the pre-order bonus shortly before release. The difference here is that I had a chance to play the Stadia OpenDev and so got a feel for it. Kind of like a demo. Otherwise, I'm sure something will happen within a few weeks. And if I really have to get it just after launch at full price, meh.