What do you expect from Alpha & Beta ? What are you Anticipating ?

ArchivedUser

I recall reading from other Discussions, that some Individuals have participated in Alphas & Betas from other MMORPGs. I would like to know your POV on this matter 

Both Seasoned & Novices - What are your expectations ? Do you plan on doing whatever ? Or readily await the Devs " Testing Scenarios " ? 

I for one, have not participated in something like that before, but I'd assume it'll either be:

                                    " Do whatever you want "
                                                OR
                 " Devs Assigning Roles/Tasks to certain Testers  "  

( to test a few things the Devs had devised over time in production phases )

ArchivedUser

Probably not my best Poll >.<

ArchivedUser

I suggest you edit your question as your poll does not relate.

It looks like you want to know the experience level of the potential alpha / beta participants in relation to how many other tests they have been involved in.

ArchivedUser

Each dev team is different I find, so the way they run alphas is also different but I would like a free alpha where you do as you wish

ArchivedUser

AkaBear said:

I suggest you edit your question as your poll does not relate.

It looks like you want to know the experience level of the potential alpha / beta participants in relation to how many other tests they have been involved in.

Whomever replies, will be a POV of the aforementioned Vote Selected.

ArchivedUser

I expect a playable game with many bugs. As with any game in alpha/beta stage, there will be plenty of them. In my opinion, the best way to find those bugs is to play the game as it should be played (Questing, exploring .etc). If the devs want us to test certain things then I will do so, too!

ArchivedUser

To quote the Developers from Chronicles of Eleria; they said that they kept the number of testers to x amount, as anything above meant that the feedback they got was just noise. Too much to process.

To quote a couple of testers from ESO; they said that after playing so much of beta that they had lost interest in actually playing the final game. As, although they enjoyed it, they had played it to death! 

Now for that reason alone, I would like to see not too many people testing!

ArchivedUser

I hope to see a system with explication that allows the testers to help presort the feedback into categories, eg stuck, AI pathing, quest glitch, ect...
Now what I would do is play the game as I normally would but with a heavy emphasis on finding bugs and glitches that need to be fixed and trying to help come of with ways to fix them.

I would also like to make sure there not ways to cheese passed things like shooting a boss down to near 0 hp from the start of a dungeon/area with a bow like I have seen in other games

ArchivedUser

I would assume a lot of content won't be available.  Anything that might ruin the discovery during the live game such as unique items, may remain a mystery until launch. 

ArchivedUser

Not quite sure I understand the poll... but my answer is based on my experience in alpha and beta testing in a variety of different games. Each dev team is slightly different in the way testing is structured.

In the case of Ashes, alpha and beta testing (particularly alpha) is going to be a monumental challenge, far more so than any other game I've ever been involved with. These are some of the variables that make the testing matrix so challenging:

• Ever changing node system
• Dynamic events and quests
• 8 races
• 64 class/subclass combinations
• non-class locked gear
• Stats and augments
• Dynamic PvP content
• Corruption mechanic

These things combined create a multi-dimensional cross product of staggering complexity. In terms of playtesting and balancing, other MMOs struggle with a fraction of the number of variables.

The advantage Intrepid have is they are building Ashes from scratch; so they're in a position to avoid the underlying flaws that plague other designs. If Ashes is fundamentally based on solid mathematical systems, with good algorithms and scripting then the testing phases might be faster than expected for such a complex game.

ArchivedUser

If you added up all the KS packages that had Alpha access you come up with a number around 3-4k. While they can increase that number if they choose, don't really see it being to their advantage. They will have probably around half of those that got early alpha access actually playing the game and testing stuff, the other half will log on sporadically, find it isn't what they expected, log off, and bitch on forums. Out of those 1500 or so, halve it again to those that will actually submit bug reports and provide feedback. Out of those you will have around 100 hardcore testers that log on for hours at a time, and try to break stuff just because they can, to make stuff better down the line. That is the sweet spot they are shooting for I imagine, rather that a great mass of the unwashed screaming into the wind about how their cape doesn't flap the way they like.

ArchivedUser

I think there will be enough players to try most parts of the game. I don't think people will be assigned to test parts of the game. The alpha is just a test sample of the whole population that will be playing, so what is found broken will be fixed by playing the game through it's natural stages.

ArchivedUser

I haven't ever seen devs assign tasks to specific participants.
Rather, they tell all the participants what what the focus of the specific test is.
How many people can fit on the server without it breaking - or chat functionality...etc.

ArchivedUser

Dygz said:

I haven't ever seen devs assign tasks to specific participants.
Rather, they tell all the participants what what the focus of the specific test is.
How many people can fit on the server without it breaking - or chat functionality...etc.

Yes. Beta testing is either based on fairly loose or no guidance. Alpha testing can be be more structured with timetables for specific test cases and resets (eg raids, events etc). Pre-alpha testing is necessarily much more scripted.

ArchivedUser

It remains to be seen.  Having been in both Alpha and Beta over the years, I have found each had it's own criteria.  As far as I'm concerned those running a Beta that let anyone and everyone in weren't really looking for real testers.  

 Too many people came to look upon Alpha & Beta testing as free time to play and learn the game and out do others only to get bored.  This was the fault of the game studios themselves.
 I don't see Intrepid doing that.  I am sure they have said many of the testing periods would be just that, time slots such as a weekend, along with many character wipes.
It's not that  difficult for them to test just the pieces they want.  

ArchivedUser

Dygz said:

" I haven't ever seen devs assign tasks to specific participants.
Rather, they tell all the participants what what the focus of the specific test is.
How many people can fit on the server without it breaking - or chat functionality...etc. "

This was my 1st thought tbh. Nice to know i wasn't too " Far-off " >.<

ArchivedUser

I didn't answer the poll, sorry. I was confused as to the link between the introduction, and the questions on the poll. Even after I read it, explained, it still confused me. Maybe I should head to bed?

Anyway. Expectations. While I expect IS to completely knock our socks off, I don't expect anything specific. I'm happy to go in there, wide-eyed and childlike, and then see what I see, and go from there. 

ArchivedUser

@Isende Well put, I have seriously high expectations and I'm sure Intrepid won't disappoint.

ArchivedUser

I have been a part of a wide variety of Alpha/Beta testing over the years. I am expecting me to be running around like a madman, hacking and slashing and casting spells and sending my minions to do my wicked bidding.

ArchivedUser

Elder said:

I would assume a lot of content won't be available.  Anything that might ruin the discovery during the live game such as unique items, may remain a mystery until launch. 

I think much of that will be handled with NDAs.

ArchivedUser

CylverRayne said:

It remains to be seen.  Having been in both Alpha and Beta over the years, I have found each had it's own criteria.  As far as I'm concerned those running a Beta that let anyone and everyone in weren't really looking for real testers.  

 Too many people came to look upon Alpha & Beta testing as free time to play and learn the game and out do others only to get bored.  This was the fault of the game studios themselves.
 I don't see Intrepid doing that.  I am sure they have said many of the testing periods would be just that, time slots such as a weekend, along with many character wipes.
It's not that  difficult for them to test just the pieces they want.  

Yeah, but there has been an evolution on both sides of that fence.
The model of game development has changed from Waterfall to Agile, so really there is an alpha, beta, testing phase each week or month (depending on the Sprint). The old Waterfall concepts no longer truly apply.

These days, Alpha and Beta refer to gates for early access.
We shouldn't be paying studios to test their prototypes.
We're paying to be able to play the game early.

ArchivedUser

Dygz said:

These days, Alpha and Beta refer to gates for early access.
We shouldn't be paying studios to test their prototypes.
We're paying to be able to play the game early.

Then I have the feeling that you are going to be severely disappointed if you pledged high enough to get into alpha/beta. They stated a couple times now on the Q&A videos that the alpha and beta would undergo wipes, so beyond learning some info about how certain systems function (which of course will be tweaked, changed, or thrown out completely by live launch), you are not going to get to keep any progress. This differs greatly from the current shitshow that is Steam early access, where games are released in "alpha", devs find out that there isn't the demand they thought for their product, and then give up on it. The alpha/beta server will become their test server in the future. The live servers will all start fresh, with those of us lucky enough (or stupid in some opinions), to have pledged at that level to have 2 days early access, those two days not affecting node development, but allowing those people to get a headstart on the leveling/hoarding process. Since the only way for you to get structures is for the node to develop, no nodes being turned "on" for those two days won't even make a change in the world before the rest of those who want to try and log on first minute/first day to even notice a difference. Except of course me standing there just outside the safe zone to welcome them to my zone by removing their heads and looting their starter loincloths.

ArchivedUser

I hope it will be a blast like it was in the Archeage beta. LAndboat races. End game boss spam in the main cities. Was a blast. (Picket whippersnapper, cus, I like the word. Whippersnapper.)

ArchivedUser

@UnknownSystemError
Early access includes wipes.

ArchivedUser

It will probably crash a lot and have bugs and missing content but be great fun to play.

ArchivedUser

Dygz said:

@UnknownSystemError
Early access includes wipes.

Yep, but don't remember anything being said about "Access to Live launch head-start - 2 days early!" having a wipe on live. The alpha and beta server yes, but don't remember any of the Q&A videos saying that live would have one, also would be a bit strange for them to turn on live servers(of which there are some that are headstart, some that are not), let us in...then close them down for what would have to be several hours/a day to wipe and reset, thus cutting into the 2 day headstart. Now there were a lot of videos, and while I did watch them all, I am old, so maybe it slipped my memory. 

ArchivedUser

Headstart is a headstart. Yes.

ArchivedUser

UnknownSystemError said:

Dygz said:

" These days, Alpha and Beta refer to gates for early access.
We shouldn't be paying studios to test their prototypes.
We're paying to be able to play the game early. "

"... The alpha/beta server will become their test server in the future. The live servers will all start fresh, with those of us lucky enough (or stupid in some opinions), to have pledged at that level to have 2 days early access, those two days not affecting node development, but allowing those people to get a headstart on the leveling/hoarding process. Since the only way for you to get structures is for the node to develop, no nodes being turned "on" for those two days won't even make a change in the world before the rest of those who want to try and log on first minute/first day to even notice a difference. Except of course me standing there just outside the safe zone to welcome them to my zone by removing their heads and looting their starter loincloths."

I'm kinda glad you brought this up. Although I'll have a HeadStart, and although I'll have some KickStarter Goodies, I personally will not Boast about it. In fact, I want to feel like a New Player. So I won't use those New Mounts, or Outfits, or anything from the KickStarter. I want to experience what its like trying to Get the First Mount. I don't want to Skip anything either. Because It'll be more enjoyable and fair in some way.

(But I'll use them eventually Xp )

ArchivedUser

Eragale said:

I'm kinda glad you brought this up. Although I'll have a HeadStart, and although I'll have some KickStarter Goodies, I personally will not Boast about it. In fact, I want to feel like a New Player. So I won't use those New Mounts, or Outfits, or anything from the KickStarter. I want to experience what its like trying to Get the First Mount. I don't want to Skip anything either. Because It'll be more enjoyable and fair in some way.

(But I'll use them eventually Xp )

Those kickstarter outfits and mounts are skins.  You will have to earn your first mount in game before you can apply it to change it's look.

ArchivedUser

CylverRayne said:

Eragale said:

" I'm kinda glad you brought this up. Although I'll have a HeadStart, and although I'll have some KickStarter Goodies, I personally will not Boast about it. In fact, I want to feel like a New Player. So I won't use those New Mounts, or Outfits, or anything from the KickStarter. I want to experience what its like trying to Get the First Mount. I don't want to Skip anything either. Because It'll be more enjoyable and fair in some way.

(But I'll use them eventually Xp ) "

" Those kickstarter outfits and mounts are skins.  You will have to earn your first mount in game before you can apply it to change it's look. "

This Gal here is an actual Mount - not a Skin

ArchivedUser

My experience has been each game is looking for general experience and then specific experience.  Most of the time it will be playing in a open game, but then they will set a time or invite to do a particular spot to see if they get the results they are seeking.  Some games have good /feedback /bug systems (hoping this will be the case with Ashes) and others next to no way to give this info.  Some games will interact and give you updates to findings and again others you hear crickets cheerping.

DO EXPECT BUGS, CRASHING, AND OTHER DISCONCERTING ACTIVITIES TO HAPPEN.