H1Z1 on Early Access: Sony Does Right, Offers Refunds

SOE's F2P zombie survival game released on steam early access yesterday. Though for early access you have to pay ($20)

Outside of server issues, it seems that many of the players are upset that the game is P2W, going against the developer's previous comments. It already sits at a "mixed" rating on steam

IGN:

“We have made the decision to allow paid-for airdrops into the game with things like guns and other things being randomly selected as part of the airdrop,” writes SOE’s Greg Henninger in the H1Z1 Early Access Introduction.

“We’re making them highly contested and building a whole set of rules around this, but you should be aware that our goal is to make this a way to keep things interesting on the servers but still be contested. If these offend your sensibilities just know that they are going to be there. We have gone out of our way to make sure the airdrops are contested in-game and that you can’t simply expect to easily walk about to the airdrop and grab it. Even if you paid for it.”

What has users riled up comes from comments made by Smedley eight months prior to this.

“We will be selling wearables,” wrote Smedley on how the MMO will be supported. “We felt like this will be a good, fair revenue generator. However - we recognize how important finding wearables in the world is so you'll be able to find and craft a lot of stuff. […]

“We will NOT be selling guns, ammo, food, water... i.e. That's kind of the whole game and it would suck in our opinion if we did that.”

As well as a video from 3 days before release where they say guns and ammo cannot be purchased, only found in the world

People are reporting that streamers are calling in air drops that just land at their feet

Do you think they can turn it around before release? And before bringing it to PS4, or will it even make it there?

SOE is now offering refunds, no questions asked through Monday

"Refunds - if you are upset about the airdrop P2W issue and want a refund email bwilcox@soe.sony.com and we will take care of you"

Why don't they do a shop system where people can pay for intel, for example where weapons caches are, which can still be looted by anyone. Then it would not be as pay to win, more like pay to unlock locations on your map where things have a chance of spawning for everyone.

Little things like that to save time rather than pay to win.

P2W is gaming AIDS. Screw this game.

@ten_pints: that's actually a kind of cool idea

Plus you could make the game where anyone can make their own weapons caches to store their own stuff, but you have to hide it. Or you could be a total arsehole and put a IED in a weapons cache and sit and wait for someone to find it and loot their corpse.

SoE is not Sony directly. It's a separate company owned by Sony.

Furthemore it's day 1 and everything is bugged. Personally I think it would be hilarious to watch people call in airdrops with their hard earned money only to watch somebody else pick them up and then shoot them with the guns they paid for. The idea has potential, people are just freaking out.

another early scam indie wank,no thanks

As far as I can see you're right about everything apart from it being an Indie game. This is being made by Sony's real first party company.

Thanks Sony for creating more games for Windows(!) than Microsoft

20 for a free to play game is fucking insane. Who pays for that ?

*looks at steam top sellers

-_-'

SOE makes a lot of games that are F2P, but so heavily encourage paying that playing for free is pointless.

Glad I held off on this one. SOE is terrible.

@Wasdie: what does it matter if Sony online entertainment is a division of Sony corp?

I think people are upset because they went against their word

@lostrib: you put lol sony. That's why he corrected you. As for the topic. It's a little stupid to bitch about an incomplete game when it clearly states early access

Pretty much this

Reading the steam comments for the game is just /facepalm at the stupidity. The game actually plays a lot better than the DayZ mod at release (maybe not as well as the standalone but close). If people thought this game was gonna be free, I don't know what to tell them besides "how daft are you?" cause where do you think the money is gonna come from paying for the servers and payroll for the devs who are making the game.

The "P2W" is complete random with the crates, you can get a box of bandages and water bottles or one with a rifle and crafting mats. I play on a pve server so this doesn't bug me, even if I played on a pvp server it still wouldn't bug me cause you can still kill those people who have a crate drop by them and steal their crates (which would be a funny moment).

@millerlight89: it's a division of the company. People praise Sony when it's one of their Dev studios doing something great so what's the issue?

An early access game in the survival genre. Zombies, nonetheless.

How not surprising.

It's the top trending thing on reddit at the moment. SOE really done fucked up.

Updated to show SOE is offering refunds to those who want them

Don't like p2w options, or going back on previous promises. But I also had zero interest in the game, and the company is giving no questions asked refunds, so no big deal.

@jimmy_russell: its not even close to that bad

So hang on a moment, not only are they including P2W features but you're not even assured your money's worth?. How could they ever think this would go down well?.

bait and switch tactic..lame SOE..very lame

Sony... server issues... That is shocking. LOL

Another garbage game from the talent at Sony

only 7 fucks were given this day

wow lostrib actually wrote out a thread. I'm surprised

You don't pay attention obviously

I kind of saw this coming TBH. Glad I didnt buy it.

I still say it shouldn't be labeled as "Free to Play" until the game is finished and actually "Free to Play".

They completely changed the air drop mechanics and spawn rate with the server downtime.

But the game was bad in the first place.

Paying for a F2P game... that makes it not free to play...

And this is why Early Access is terrible.

pay to free to play

EA can work ok with a competent developer behind the game.

@daious: Right. It doesn't drop right on you,

drops slowly so others can come and try to steal it

brings heat from zombies you have to fight for it no doubt.

Also with all that you still will only have a 10% chance for either a shotgun or a pistol with limited ammo. Big whoop. The salt these days from people "Over an alpha" is ludicrous.

And you're supposed to pay for that?, a slim chance to get **** all. That's just ridiculous.

No, you're not "supposed" to pay for it. It's for idiots who pay for microtransactions. And if you're dumb enough to pay for crap like that you deserve to have it stolen by other players.

Gotta say, did not expect for them to offer a refund at all. Well done Sony. For once you serve the costumer.