Should there be Early Access or a Demo to Civ6?

[historix69]

In the last weeks and months we saw so many selected people playing different kinds of press versions of Civ6 (60 turns, 150 turns), saw so many interviews with the devs, saw all the weekly small movies anouncing civs, leaders and new gameplay features ... and it is still 2 and a half month until release late in October ... I think by now, stimulated by all the available infos, a lot of people would prefer Early Access (as part of PreOrder) or a free demo (60 turns or 100 turns) to be able to play even a limited version of Civ6 and experience the new gameplay and graphics by themselves rather than watching other people play it ...

I also wonder if there is kind of dialogue/Feedback system between the devs and the community where new or changed features like the new interface/city screen can be discussed with the devs? (A demo would be a good base for discussion.) On the other side by now the devs will have not much room to change things and will primarily concentrate on a perfect release ...

 

[Mudrac]

Well that would be a good thing. It can give us a glimpse into the game before release. It is true and cool that these days at least there is more feedback between developers and community (as well as let's players). At least then we can give honest opinion and criticism on the game which is good, giving the developers and incentive to focus on ''ironing out'' certain features. The voice of the people thanks to YouTube and social media is heard stronger compared to the time back at Civ 5, when the game was only shown being played by developers or by some gaming sites which generally only existed more to ''hype-up'' the game instead of giving a valid opinion. I would like to see and Early Access feature for Civ 6, even if it means delaying the game.

 

[cazaderonus]

A demo would be a pretty cool idea in september. Maybe a game with defined settings such as

Quick speed, a specific civ, small map, fixed AI, pangea, 200t limit.

Would allow to spot some bugs/fixes, possibly exploits, or huge balance problem.

I know i d play the crap out of that

 

[Kerfuffle]

I would much prefer that they release it to the public when it's done and not charge for an unfinished product. I also really dislike the idea of AAA publishers/studios using the Early Access system as there's too much room for misguidance, abuse and complacency. IMO early access should only be used if the studio is in dire need of money, and for a AAA studio like Firaxis, I highly doubt they are in such a position.

However, a public demo closer to release would be a great idea

 

[m15a]

Of course, I'd rather be able to play the game early and/or for free rather than not. But beyond testing system specs, I don't think having access would help me make my decision to purchase the game any better than Let's Play videos. The Let's Play videos we have access to now are mostly lacking because the game is incomplete and the players are (mostly) inexperienced. So, I'm hoping we'll have livestream from experienced Civ VI players with the final build shortly before release.

 

[anandus]

A demo could be a good idea to give people an impression.
Civ 5 had a demo, so I expect a demo for Civ 6 too. Maybe in december before the holiday sales? As probably after release a few cinks will have to be resolved first.

Regarding Early Access I think it's a terrible idea.
Letting people play an unfinished, buggy and unbalanced game is a surefire way for bad press and negative reviews (even though they are of the unfinished game).
I also don't see why someone would want that.

Of course beta testing is a good idea, but I expect Firaxis to have both an internal QA department and a bunch of beta testers around the world playing the game for months already.

 

[JimmyBanks]

I guess a Devs looks at this and will way up the pros and cons.

From a players point of view its all possitive, you get early access to the game, you learn what stategies work best and you can see parts of the game that haven't yet gone public, but there in lies the problem for Devs.

They want to control the flow of information as much as possible. Give you enough information to make you keep craving more information but not enough to make you bored. They need to have some surprises left at the time of release. They can give press/youtubers access because they have NDA's - even still there are people who have displayed modern era Tech tree and Civics tree, but as a whole, how would they control people who had the demo?

They can release a version of the game that doesn't have any modern tech or any other secrets they want to keep, and then they run the risk of people playing it and saying they don't like it because it doesn't meet their expectations, then sales go down and no one is happy.

It's a balancing act, TBH I think Firaxis have got it pretty right this time round. Would I love early access? Absolutely! Do I have a Youtube, Twitch or other video site where I show off my gameplay skills? No.... maybe I should set one up before Civ VII comes out.

 

[Dedrytus]

We had demo for CiV but I doubt if we see one for VI. Developers are not stupid. "Cut" complete game for a demo in situation when Steam allows you to give back game after playing (less than two hours) will be waste of resources.

 

[LDiCesare]

The problem is that 2 hours of play or a demo don't allow for enough gameplay to have any idea whether you like the game.
I don't know what the median game time is for civ, but I think below at least 20 hours you don't know whether you like the game or not.

 

[stealth_nsk]

The problem is that 2 hours of play or a demo don't allow for enough gameplay to have any idea whether you like the game.
I don't know what the median game time is for civ, but I think below at least 20 hours you don't know whether you like the game or not.

Also it doesn't work for preorders.

 

[Acken]

Lets plays and twitch have replaced demos nowadays. While you dont play yourself you can see the complete game.

I also somewhat expect that in October we'll play a buggy imbalanced game. So here is your early access 😆

 

[SupremacyKing2]

As a player, I would love an early demo. But I can also see how a demo can be a double edged sword. If the player is already interested in buying the game, the demo could turn them off. Plus, the civ fan base is so loyal that 2K probably feels like there is no point in releasing an early demo. Why release a demo that is designed to attract buyers when your potential buyers already want to buy the game? Civ does not need a demo because it has such high name recognition.

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

The Civ V demo came out at the same time as the game for people who were indecisive about purchasing after release. It was not meant to succor the cravings of superfans.

If there is a demo for VI, it will probably be handled the same way.

 

[stealth_nsk]

The Civ V demo came out at the same time as the game for people who were indecisive about purchasing after release. It was not meant to succor the cravings of superfans.

If there is a demo for VI, it will probably be handled the same way.

XCOM1 has demo before release and it made me preorder it. Never regretted it.

If developers are confident in their game, showing demo short before release would be great.

 

[migalhone]

Early acess, NO FREAKING WAY. Demo? Yes, i would like it. Never understood why game demos stopped being a thing. Let's plays and streams, while helpful, do not give that hands-on experience that i crave.

I doubt Firaxis will provide a demo for Civ6, companies nowadays seem to believe that players don't need demos to buy games.

 

[Ryika]

I actually download demos rather frequently. When I randomly find a game on youtube that looks good I will usually look for a demo and see if it's actually fun playing, or if the person playing the game in the video is just making it look good. No demo (as is the case most of the time) often means a skip, because it's not worth the hustle of potentially requesting a refund.

 

[joncnunn]

Moderator Action: Moved to Ideas & Suggestions

 

[Kassiate]

I would love if they send out a 150 turn demo or even a 60 turn demo to those of us who preordered I mean talk about bonus But I dont think we will get that

 

[The Highwayman]

A demo is a no brainer, unless of course the game is a mess. The version the Youtubers were playing seemed stable enough though.