Poll: Early Access or Pre-Sale in December

[Aniond]

I think pushing it out to 2020 isnt the best option. The problem is the small sample size of available players. That isnt going to change anytime soon. They need more hands flushing the bugs and stuff like that.

[damned]

Other than the whole Unity project having taken far longer than anyone every expected/hoped... the only serious pressing issue for getting FGU out sooner rather than later is Mac support on current Mac OS. This is not a small thing. But it is the only super pressing issue. I really think that FGU needs to work well before it hits steam or the number of negative reviews will permanently drag the ratings down. The advantage to a Steam sale is more for those buyers who missed the boat on the Kickstarter and get a second chance to get in at a discounted level - but there will be more sales down the road. I really believe that FGU needs to be production ready before you release it for direct sale.

[LordEntrails]

I think pushing it out to 2020 isnt the best option. The problem is the small sample size of available players. That isnt going to change anytime soon. They need more hands flushing the bugs and stuff like that.

I don't think so. It appears to me that the rate of issues being reported is higher than they are able to solve them. Adding more users just means more reports, many of which are overlapping and duplicates, but still take additional time from Doug and John to sort through, track and respond to. Then, once those start to taper down, then they have to finish moving to FGU the ~1250 or so DLC products that have not yet been moved to the FGU updater and therefore haven't had beta testing.

[Azaran]

I'm between option 2 and option 3. Option 3 is preferable as I'd like the maximum amount of polish before it goes live however option 2 would allow me to bring in the rest of my players on testing. Currently only 2 it of the six backed on Kickstarter as the others aren't players and enjoy our ultimate licenses

[Zwergenmauer]

I agree with others in the forum that this is a tough call, but I also agree with those who go with Option 3 (first version).

Reasoning:

Firstly, Pre-sales without any firm delivery date just lead to frustrations. I have known several Kickstarter and similar crowdfund "promises" made for delivery of a product by companies other than SmiteWorks that ultimately lasted months to years before anything came of them; some with early release ended up losing value and customers (not gaining either back in either the long or short term). The customers and users of FGC/FGU want something they can dig into now -- some are FGC users who are converting and some are VTT users both looking for a value-added platform. If this isn't delivered well at the outset, those customers/consumers lose faith in the new (potentially better) product.

Secondly, with an early release potentially allowing folks on Steam to rip FGU apart (as they have numerous start-up games, including new RPGs) is in-essence asking for more beta-testers to join its already massive ranks. It is also inviting the aforementioned FGC and alternate VTT users to weigh in on a product that isn't yet fully functional. It's a stress-adder, not stress-reducer. As if there isn't enough already. As we know, bugs there will always be. Better to get the product as clean and user-enjoyable as possible, though, before sending it out. It will lead to more good experiences = good gaming times = positive comments = endorsement of a go-to game platform.

[Flyteach]

I think pushing it out to 2020 isnt the best option. The problem is the small sample size of available players. That isnt going to change anytime soon. They need more hands flushing the bugs and stuff like that.

8500 - Mac and Linux only (maybe 20 percent or 2000?) So, 6500? That's not a small sample size.

[madman]

Option: (3) Though I have seen some big improvements in Beta, I do not think it is ready for release.

[Death from Below]

Option 1 and 2 open you up to people being unhappy and upset because now they are vested monetarily or just unable to cope with errors. Option 3 seems best from a business perspective. Your paying customers will be there with or without holiday spending. The number who won't is negligible. Forego the end of year revenue and stick to your standards on quality.

[Dtoad]

Another consideration would be to not release it to the public without a firm evaluation of minimum system requirements. Right now FGU runs kinda choppy with my measly eight gb of RAM. I know this is a beta and that y'all are working on it, so no big deal. I knew what I was getting into. Were I to buy it with the assumption that it would run only to then find out my system couldn't handle it, well, I'd probably be upset and not have nice things to say about it.

[Merry_Mayhem]

Personally I would love Option 2 so I can start to get familiar with FGU since I missed the kickstarter. Honestly, it being early access on Steam would be opt in for people who want to try it now and the ones who want to wait for full release would still be able to just wait.

I do wish there was a way I could still get the "Pledge $30 or more Rookie Upgrade - Ultimate" from the kickstarter now, if this option was open, people who missed the kickstarter could join to help test stuff and if it could be done without exposing FGU to negative reviews on steam? Is there any way they could add these pledges as items on their store?