To be fair, I have the subscription too. But that's more of an option for extra support, and for those who want a head-start on the releases. That initial $10 purchase does indeed get you, in the case of GT, the game and soon three extra content releases, which I think is a pretty good deal. Subjective of course, and if someone buys the game and just isn't into it for whatever reason I'm usually happy to refund as long as that's not abused. But most people seem pretty happy with that, and I'm definitely big on old school "ownership" of games, rather than a lot of the nonsense that gets pulled these days.
Viewing post in Thoughts on the second pack, and roadmap for pack 3! comments
Definitely a good deal. Having a Subscription option for early access and extra features I think is totally reasonable. I personally am a patient individual, and for someone like me, if I see something is available on Subscribestar early for the game and I don't feel like waiting, it's cool to have that option, and otherwise gives Supporters an option to donate with the incentive of early access. I know some Creators can't always release stuff monthly for their Subscribers, and that was perhaps a poor analogy I used, however in this case I just appreciate that there technically isn't a paywall to acquire any additional content for it after buying the game. 2 weeks really isn't that long, and if it were to be longer, I wouldn't have a problem Subscribing or just waiting.
Also, I feel like Chapter One being free (Thank the Kind Stars) gives the player a good chance to gauge whether the purchase for Chapter Two will be worth it, and if it wasn't, at least they can get a refund under honest circumstances, which is really outstanding that you would offer. But again, we should be doing our part here too, Chapter One being free should be the time the player wonders, do I enjoy the series so far and want to invest 10$ for Chapter Two? I feel like you are pretty communicative with your supporters in regards to updates and schedules, which can help a person gauge whether or not the project is active, what they thought it was, worth investing in, and what to expect. I do have a bias because I like the series, but I like to think there was unbiased logic in there that I hope makes sense to people in opposite situations as me, or for people who are curious about trying the Series 😁
Exactly. The first game is very intentionally the gateway drug, something to give people a sense of what they can expect and build goodwill. I'm old as the sands of time, so I remember a time when "Shareware" was a thing. Not just demos, but a whole meaty first chunk of the game was yours to play, and it really helped build a culture and enthusiasm around those games. And I'd say that's even more important for a game like this, because there's so much dross to sift through, so much chaff to find the wheat. A LOT of games, here and elsewhere are "proof of concepts" or "early access" (in this case meaning not an ongoing project, but the barest skeleton of a game that will see several refactors before being abandoned). People are understandably hesitant to drop $10 bucks on a whim just to see. So the first game proves that, yes, I can actually finish games, and demonstrates what that looks like. And if they enjoy it, THEN they can slap down the $10 to keep going.