This is a blog post so I'm assuming it's okay to just copy the whole article, it's only 2 lines anyways: Let me know if I should delete this! The most recent game I've used "advanced access" for...
This is a blog post so I'm assuming it's okay to just copy the whole article, it's only 2 lines anyways:
Today we have updated a portion of our Refund Policy regarding pre-purchased titles. This change covers titles that are in pre-purchase and offer “Advanced Access”. Playtime acquired during the Advanced Access period will now count towards the Steam refund period.
Let me know if I should delete this!
The most recent game I've used "advanced access" for was Starfield, so I'm not too sure how often this policy will apply. Doesn't seem like a bad change though, just worth noting.
I think the spirit of the rule about not copying the entirety of an article is to prevent Tildes users from pretty much hosting copies of journalistic articles on pages here where the article gets...
I think the spirit of the rule about not copying the entirety of an article is to prevent Tildes users from pretty much hosting copies of journalistic articles on pages here where the article gets no revenue or removing it from behind its paywall. This page on Steam is neither behind a paywall nor ad-supported so I think copying its text in full seems harmless in this case.
That... Sounds reasonable no? "Advanced" access is just paying early (or more) just to start a couple of days before others do, but it's still playing the fully released game. The early access...
That... Sounds reasonable no?
"Advanced" access is just paying early (or more) just to start a couple of days before others do, but it's still playing the fully released game.
The early access beholden to the same limits is a bummer though understandable. I'd say that increasing the hours played to four would be reasonable but I can't really make arguments as to why. I suppose it gives more flexibility with testing a game that's unfinished and perhaps prone to crashes..
imo the existing 2 hour limit is good enough for this sort of thing. Longer than that tends to be more of a "buyer's remorse" thing, and the 2 hour limit is already long enough to penalize indie...
I suppose it gives more flexibility with testing a game that's unfinished and perhaps prone to crashes..
imo the existing 2 hour limit is good enough for this sort of thing. Longer than that tends to be more of a "buyer's remorse" thing, and the 2 hour limit is already long enough to penalize indie devs who make short games, since users will finish those games within 2 hours, enjoy them, but refund them anyway just because they can.
According to some people it happened with Starfield? But yeah I don't think it was a widespread issue, from what I could tell. Just figured it's a nice to know.
According to some people it happened with Starfield? But yeah I don't think it was a widespread issue, from what I could tell. Just figured it's a nice to know.
Was it widely known that playtime in Early Access didn't count towards the refund period? The "new" policy had always been my interpretation of Steam's Refund Policy, so I'd always be super wary...
Was it widely known that playtime in Early Access didn't count towards the refund period?
The "new" policy had always been my interpretation of Steam's Refund Policy, so I'd always be super wary of going beyond that until I was sure I wanted to keep the game.
Not Early Access, but Advanced Access, though I'm with you that I had to re-read it to be sure. This is for games that ask people to shell out extra money for access before the normal release, not...
Not Early Access, but Advanced Access, though I'm with you that I had to re-read it to be sure. This is for games that ask people to shell out extra money for access before the normal release, not for people who're paying for a game still under development.
Valve updated their refund policy to explicitly call out both "Early Access" and "Advanced Access": Taken from: https://www.theverge.com/24138776/steam-refund-policy-change
Valve updated their refund policy to explicitly call out both "Early Access" and "Advanced Access":
Here’s what Valve’s updated refund policy says about that as of today:
REFUNDS ON TITLES PURCHASED PRIOR TO RELEASE DATE
When you purchase a title on Steam prior to the release date, the two-hour playtime limit for refunds will apply (except for beta testing), but the 14-day period for refunds will not start until the release date. For example, if you purchase a game that is in Early Access or Advanced Access, any playtime will count against the two-hour refund limit. If you pre-purchase a title which is not playable prior to the release date, you can request a refund at any time prior to release of that title, and the standard 14-day/two-hour refund period will apply starting on the game’s release date.
Compare to earlier this month:
REFUNDS ON PRE-PURCHASED TITLES
When you pre-purchase a title on Steam (and have paid for the title in advance), you can request a refund at any time prior to release of that title. The standard 14-day/two-hour refund period also applies, starting on the game’s release date.
This is a blog post so I'm assuming it's okay to just copy the whole article, it's only 2 lines anyways:
Let me know if I should delete this!
The most recent game I've used "advanced access" for was Starfield, so I'm not too sure how often this policy will apply. Doesn't seem like a bad change though, just worth noting.
I think the spirit of the rule about not copying the entirety of an article is to prevent Tildes users from pretty much hosting copies of journalistic articles on pages here where the article gets no revenue or removing it from behind its paywall. This page on Steam is neither behind a paywall nor ad-supported so I think copying its text in full seems harmless in this case.
Yeah, it feels like that should be the case, but I wanted to be sure!
That... Sounds reasonable no?
"Advanced" access is just paying early (or more) just to start a couple of days before others do, but it's still playing the fully released game.
The early access beholden to the same limits is a bummer though understandable. I'd say that increasing the hours played to four would be reasonable but I can't really make arguments as to why. I suppose it gives more flexibility with testing a game that's unfinished and perhaps prone to crashes..
Yeah, seems a bit weird if preordering meant playing a game for free for multiple days only to refund it on release.
imo the existing 2 hour limit is good enough for this sort of thing. Longer than that tends to be more of a "buyer's remorse" thing, and the 2 hour limit is already long enough to penalize indie devs who make short games, since users will finish those games within 2 hours, enjoy them, but refund them anyway just because they can.
According to some people it happened with Starfield? But yeah I don't think it was a widespread issue, from what I could tell. Just figured it's a nice to know.
Was it widely known that playtime in Early Access didn't count towards the refund period?
The "new" policy had always been my interpretation of Steam's Refund Policy, so I'd always be super wary of going beyond that until I was sure I wanted to keep the game.
Not Early Access, but Advanced Access, though I'm with you that I had to re-read it to be sure. This is for games that ask people to shell out extra money for access before the normal release, not for people who're paying for a game still under development.
Valve updated their refund policy to explicitly call out both "Early Access" and "Advanced Access":
Taken from: https://www.theverge.com/24138776/steam-refund-policy-change