Version 1.0 Should Mean More - Where Are The Polished Games?

It's Monday morning, you’ve overslept. You're in a hurry to get to work or school, so you pop into the store to for a quick snack. You can see your favorite sandwitch in the display case – with a slice of ham, a slice of cheese, tomato, salad and pickles in sweet curry-mayo. You pay for this mouth-watering delight, but the shopkeeper serves you a slice of bread with some cheese on it. Surprised, you ask for the rest of the sandwich, and find that they will be available in a week. Sounds like nonsense? Welcome to Steam, where such miracles have become a norm for some time now!

To be clear, it's not just about Steam, it's about the games that are available on that platform as well as any other. The video game industry has recently gone wild, and I'm not just talking about the invention of Early Access. Not everyone realizes that now, version 1.0 cannot be trusted, even though it has been abused lately!

Complete game? Not in our place!

Buying a game on the day of its release might mean that we will receive everything the developer promised. Sure, smaller and larger problems will always happen, it's unavoidable. After all, we've all gotten used to it, to the point where we actually expect games to be unfinished. So, since we allow it, it's no surprise that studios patch their titles for months, bringing them up to code long after release. Sound familiar? Cyberpunk 2077 is a prime example, but I wouldn't really want to bully a game that has been consistently improved for three years since its premiere. They finally added the metro, so what's to complain about?

The acclaimed Baldur's Gate 3 has also spoiled us with something similar. It wasn't a perfect game on release day, which some people noticed already in the second act, where the decline in quality began, and various imperfections appeared. Nevertheless, it was possible to complete this title from start to finish, and is groundbreaking in so many ways that, well, it's unlike what Blizzard has been doing. This truly is a fine game, so we FORGIVE it engaging in the same devilish practices that the AAA industry is notorious for.

Although the actions of industry colossi can also be referred to as looking after players and taking care of the community, that's just a matter of perspective. In the end, when the game is patched, everyone will be happy. And when that happens? It's clearly a minor matter, but it's better to remember it – I'm looking at Starfield. Still, this is probably not how games should look when they release in version 1.0, right?

On the other hand, such major updates, fixing games, and adding promised features or quality-of-life solutions that could have been there all along is a great marketing opportunity. Someone may once again write about a given title, players have a reason to rejoice (or grumble), and sales go up. Sometimes, I wonder whether this is a deliberately planned strategy, allowing the "premiere" to take place multiple times. The emotional rollercoaster that comes with it ultimately never does any harm, because it doesn't matter what they say, as long as they talk.

Game-service? Rather game-unfinished!

We also have game services like PayDay 3 and Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. This first one is constantly digging itself out of Early Access... Oh, I apologize, it's a full-fledged title with poor content – but at some point, it will surely be completed. The second one looks better, but it also suffers from a similar problem. An incomplete game, pretending to be version 1.0. Recent updates have introduced a fantastic talent system and added some content, so you can now enjoy sensible gameplay. A few months after the launch, but who would worry about that? It is, after all, a game-service, and slip-ups happen to these!

What's worse, similar problems have begun to occur among indie games as well. I can praise Roots of Pacha with my conscience clear because it really offers many attractions in its basic version. The game even bypassed Early Access and was actually well developed. However, it's unfortunate that a significant portion of additional content was split into two update packages. I'm glad they're free and not offered as paid expansions, but a certain distaste remains. Hiding cool features behind updates just seems uncool to me. And why is that?

I don't know about you, dear readers, but I usually don't replay the same single-player title (with a few exceptions, of course). So many notable games are constantly released that it’s not even a matter of limited time – just of fun. So, when buying Roots of Pacha, I would like to play through it from beginning to end, enjoying the full content. However, purchasing this title and knowing that a few new features are yet to appear, I think, "Oh, it's just another Early Access in disguise."

I am sure that if I hadn't known about the planned roadmap, my approach would have been completely different. I wouldn't have any expectations, and updates would be like little surprises! It would be unjust to complain about Terraria and Stardew Valley receiving updates long after their initial releases. Nevertheless, both of these seemed complete from the very beginning, and all the things introduced after version 1.0 were just extras, which I appreciate. However, with Roots of Pacha, I feel compelled to wait and not play any further until the game is complete.

Finished game or Early Access 2.0?

The titles mentioned are nothing compared to a game like Coral Island. In fact, Coral Island is a great title that is in Early Access and pretends to be version 1.0. Interestingly, it managed to stay in the mentioned Early Access for a year. The real premiere happened in November, along with the announcement of new features for 2024. Among them, we'll find things closely related to the main story campaign and significant elements of gameplay. Sound lame?

The feeling is even worse when we play Coral Island 1.0. Bugs aside, many of the game’s items and areas have a "work in progress" note, and the story cannot be concluded as its conclusion will only be available next year. I received an unfinished game – for which I paid full price – with the promise that it will be improved in the future. In the case of Early Access, I consciously accept this baggage, but here, we supposedly have the full version of the game. You can't do! Scandal! Scam!

The reviews on Steam are the most troubling aspect of this whole predicament. Players praise Coral Island, and I can see why, as it's shaping up to be a great game. Unfortunately, it isn't there yet in its current state and doesn't merit being labeled as "1.0" version, as it’s far from being finished. Fortunately, some people noticed the same thing, so you may encounter such warning signs when reading game reviews. Nonetheless, the overall image of this title seems extremely positive.

You wanna play? Better wait for a patch...

This entire situation is problematic because we allow open displays of disrespect towards us, the customers. What's worse, this no longer only applies to AAA games, but also to indie titles. I'm not claiming it's the case everywhere, but that's precisely why Early Access was created. The launch of the game used to be associated with a finished product, but now it feels more like Early Access 2.0. On the contrary, playing on the release day is only fun for the biggest enthusiasts, because without the day-one patch, there's no point even launching the game. It's best to wait at least half a year!

I understand that my complaining won't make any difference. We have caused this situation by accepting it and voting with our money. I don't know where the polished 1.0 versions of games have gone, but I wish they would come back. Although I'm slowly getting used to the idea that without a Complete/Definitive/GOTY Edition, there's no point playing new games, even AA and indies. Fortunately, they won't escape anywhere, and I'm not in a rush either – this way they should be cheaper to get!

You have to take my word for it, dear reader, that I write all this with regret because I wish for both myself and you that the games we were getting were simply good. Especially on release, which supposedly only happens once, just like 21st birthday. Not all of us follow this rule, and as a result, we, the players, suffer the consequences. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like this will change because we accept different antics, sometimes even praising them, so standards are decreasing and prices go up. Maybe there’s no problem because we actually just like it the way it is? That's all from me, I'm off to wait for the next patch!