I'm done with early access

[W8taminute]

As a result of some pretty disappointing recent purchases of early access games and due to extremely limited disposable income I've come to the decision to stay away from early access games. 

All it takes is a couple of bad experiences to instantly erase the few positives from previous purchases.  I believe that many deceitful houses use early access as a money rip off mechanism under the guise of "you knew what you were getting into" disclaimers.  Its one thing to take a risk when the resources allow for limited loss, its another when there is not a lot of money to spend on something you're desperately hoping will be fun and entertaining. 

Motivated by limited funds and an admittedly jaded outlook I have chosen to abstain from early access. 
What say you on the matter?
Can you provide solid counter arguments?

Look forward to your feedback.

Edit: Let me also add that sometimes we want to show love and support for the little guy but now that won't happen from me because I'm done. 

[Grim.Reaper]

No counter arguments although I plan on continuing to do early access as I like the process and at least so far don't feel I have really been burned.  I know what the risk is going in so I keep my expectations realistic along the way.  Even if something did fail I assume the good would far outweigh my bad experiences to deter me.

[ArizonaTank]

I am pretty tired of early access as well. Still, for the right game, and price, I will still buy an early access game now and then.

But there are so few games that are released the old fashioned way these days...at least on Steam.

Also, there are some great games that have been in development forever...and I am glad I bought into them early; Seven Days to Die being a favorite. 

Slitherine and WDS still release fully developed games and they are worth supporting for that.

[mbar]

I tend to look at the update history. If I see regular attention to improving the game then I'm more willing to jump in. Hard for me to get excited about a game if there are only a few months of updates from release.

[JasonPratt]

Empyrion: Galactic Survival was in EA for what seems like forever, but it has a huge fanbase and modbase, and keeps regularly updating -- much like 7DtD come to think of it.

I do avoid early access titles now mostly, though I like giving some cash as a patron so to speak. I just don't have as much of it anymore.

[SirAndrewD]

I only get EA titles from trusted developers.

Hasn't done me wrong so far.

[Destraex]

I am pretty tired of early access as well but am still willing for a fair few titles.

Warno
Homeworld3 - which is not looking so classic atm
Sins of a solar empire 2

I'd probably do it for scourge of war remastered and ultimate general american revolution if they had early access on steam. Broken Arrow I am still not sure about.

Things with a huge scope like star citizen I probably would not do again. But am glad I did star citizen. I'm it's been a helluva ride so far.

[solops]

I have gotten badly burned several times. I am much more cautious and bite on far, far fewer early access titles now.

[Gusington]

I would like to be done with early access but early access is not done with me. In reality I take it on a case by case basis. By now I can sniff out a better early access title from a stinker. Most of the time 

[mikeck]

I rely on the reputation/history of the developer. I purchase DCS modules and maps in early access all the time. It's hard not to since they are in early access for years. But I know when I purchase one, I'm going to get an aircraft that is complete enough to use and enjoy but is not feature complete. BUT...I also know that Razbam, ED, Heatblur, and all the third party developers producing these modules will continue to add the features promised and address any bugs or issues as they arise. I trust ED to ensure it b/c after purchasing 7-8 different aircraft in early access, I've never had an issue with a developer who left it unfinished.

On other occasions, i consider how complete the game is in early access, how often the dev provides updates and the cost. I had no problem purchasing Gunner Heat PC in early access last week because the game is "filled out" enough that I can simulate armored combat and the devs have shown- over the last year or so- that they are dedicated to this game by being transparent and realistic about what features will be added and they regularly update with bug fixes and added major features. They are also very good about adding little "quality of life" features as the go. For example, continuing to improve the graphics and tweak the performance of various weapons and platforms instead of just introducing one as promised and moving on to the next one

So, my "counter argument" would be that an early access games can be very enjoyable and worth the cost if you do a little homework and exercise a bit of patience while the dev establishes a record of support.

[Tanaka]

Learned my lessons many times with EA. I always avoid now. Also having lots of games to play in my backlog helps with the willpower!

[Father Ted]

I think I'm with mikeck on this - it's a horses for courses scenario.  I bought all the IL2 BoX modules in early access without even really realising that I was doing it.  On the other hand I've been singed (burnt would be a bit strong) by several EA titles which just withered on the vine.  I don't feel particularly bitter about those because I got the vibe that the project was started in earnest rather than being a cynical cash-grab.

[Senex]

I usually don't play a game until it's been officially released and had at least two patches.  This is a product of experience.  If I even moved a finger towards buying an EA game, my wallet would jump out of my pocket and onto my keyboard, looking me straight in the eye and saying "R-E-A-L-L-Y ?"

[Dammit Carl!]

While I don't go this route with computer games, I'm with you/feel the same way when it comes to RPGs.  There are at this point maybe one or two folks that I would confidently put money towards and expect a complete product at some point in my near life.  Otherwise...nope.