"Early Access" let's talk...

Early access is not complete. They are releasing it as 'testing' and to garner funds. The people helping with that process should get a substantial discount. If not you are just paying for an incomplete product that may or may not ever be complete.

Personally don't mind. As long as it will be stated what's working, whats not, things that being refined etc etc. People will be able to decide if it will be enough to get them on board or not. If it will be stated only that's 'early access', well probably I will look it up on youtube as definitely someone will give a go and decide based on that.

They are releasing it as 'testing' and to garner funds. The people helping with that process should get a substantial discount...

In your opinion. They could also increase the price for early access for people who are so excited they can't wait. Or they could just charge the regular price.

If you don't like early access, don't buy early access. It really is that simple.

By offering a huge discount, they will end up losing money as the DCS crowd will all buy early access.

Discounts are great but I would pay full price for early access because I know what I am getting. Full support, updates, expansion as the product grows to a finalized version,etc. I love this hobby and know how much it takes in regards to research, resources, and hard work to develop these modules and maps. I want to fully support this hobby and the developers and don't mind paying for it.

I'm not supporting early access anymore. Quality goes lower and lower, so i'm not going to support a practice that undermine DCS. I keep an eye on the products and make the purchase when it reach "real beta", but i'm definitively not going to buy anything which marketing is only tacview tracks. :P

Only exception being ED that has all my thrust.

As soon as an ED or LN product has training missions available I will consider to buy an early access version. For all other developers, I'll wait for the release version, before I decide to buy or not.

Beta and Alpha are a synonymous of an unreleased software and as most of the people don't take it easily to pay for an unfinished product the industry has invented the "Early Access". It just a marketing buzzword invented to turn a situation which causes negative feelings into something that sounds positive.

I much prefer to be just fair and say it is a Beta or Alpha so that everyone has a clarity about the situation. People may take a cautious decision for paying to be an Alpha/Beta testers or wait till the final release. Personally I believe that for many reasons the most fair and beneficial for everyone model is running Alpha/Beta with access free of charge (like for instance was done for Battlefield 3 and 4).

Generally I'm observing directions that the software industry is taking with a lot of frustration.

A decade or two ago the situation was clear, easy and healthy. You bought a copy (which was physical CD or DVD) of a program - you owned that copy. It was easy as baying a pair of trousers in a shop.

If today trousers would be like the software, buying a pair in a shop would not mean that you own them. You would only own a right to wear them and only under certain circumstances including limitations like not being able to borrow or sell them. Also you would not be able to physically keep them in your home. You would have to go to the shop where before taking them you would be presented with a bunch of advertisements. The shop keeper would also register all of the statistics as for how often you were the trousers. Apart of that they would collect all possible personal data including your name, address, card numbers, other family members, etc.…. At the same time the shop keeper would have an authority to install a camera in your home to observe which other clothes you have and how often you take them from your wardrobe.

We've come from a model of buy = own a copy. Now we have a model where pay = be allowed to use under limited circumstances + we pay with the money and privacy. The "Early Access" pushes it even more further where you pay for being allowed to use something which is not finished, aka trousers without one leg (second leg will come in next release....).

Actually this is not the worst from the whole situation. The worst is that a lot of people don’t know/remember how the software distribution and ownership model looked like and what platforms as Steam and Origin did with it.

Sorry for being harsh. My comment is not related to ED but to overall state of the industry.

So, that's sorted then.

Camp 1. Happy to take early access, offer testing support and get stuff quick. This is despite the missing bits that will make the module fully functional.

Camp 2. Open to bribes - I want it early, but in order to accept the incomplete nature of the module, and the fact that we're helping test the module, I want financial benefits.

Camp 3. No, I want everything complete. Call it what you like, but I don't want anything but the entire module. OK, so I'll have to wait a lot longer, but hey, I want to prove a point here!

Sums it up pretty well I think?

I somehow think you're right. Especially when it comes to the F/A-18. I'm betting by dinnertime on the day of early release they'll all cave in and reach for their cards.

...and is missing full multiseat capability.

Plus there's no overheat damage modelling of any kind, although they're still working on it so we'll probably see it implemented later. Just wish it happens sooner than their next release, because if it's _still_ missing at that point then it's no sale for me...

Regardless, it doesn't matter whether you call it early release, alpha, beta or whatever. What matters is you finalizing your module to a level, where all pertinent physical phenomena directly affecting your AC that stem from either outside influences or your (in)competence, are modelled.

msalama is absolutely correct, we do need the overheat modelling. In an ideal world, we want the modules to be as comprehensive as they can possibly be, and I have a feeling the developers will do all they can to get to the point of that final sign off.

That isn't the same as the module having everything that the original release said it would have. We all knew multi seat multi play was a thing for the future. That future is nearly here now, so the 3rd parties will soon be able to start implementing it. Perfection doesn't happen overnight though.