When I saw they were charging for Alpha and Beta I almost puked. This testing is essential to a successful launch. They should be paying players to test their game! At least they're going to open up Alpha for everyone. That softens the blow a bit. Hopefully it will give them everything they need for a smooth launch.
Just a note, the testing phases are a bonus on top of a bunch of stuff you get when you buy a package. I would never have paid the kind of dollars I paid to just be able to test the game early. And the thing about alpha testing is that it's not that fun; the game is very incomplete and it only bears a small resemblance to the final product. I've even been in early beta tests that were like that; I was Phase 2 of SWG beta and for a long time the testing was literally logging into an empty map and walking around. (And I do mean empty; no creatures or rocks or trees or anything!)
If they sold packages to people based solely on the ability to get in early, then good for Intrepid; they made a bit more money. But I think it was foolish on the buyer's part to do so.
When I saw they were charging for Alpha and Beta I almost puked. This testing is essential to a successful launch. They should be paying players to test their game! At least they're going to open up Alpha for everyone. That softens the blow a bit. Hopefully it will give them everything they need for a smooth launch.
I fail to see the problem here. Intrepid Studios needs players that are willing to spend a great deal of time testing for stress, bugs, exploits, etc. Many players are willing to spend money in order to explore the game early and be a part of this testing. It is a fair and mutually beneficial exchange. Why would that make you want to vomit?
I've even been in early beta tests that were like that; I was Phase 2 of SWG beta and for a long time the testing was literally logging into an empty map and walking around. (And I do mean empty; no creatures or rocks or trees or anything!)
I was in Phase 1 and on.. in SWG... I hear yea.. Just logging in and walking around an empty planet.. I also remember the postal service delivering my CDs to a neighbors house and trying to track down the 'delivered' package that wasn't at my door.. haha
Also I would like to say that I'm not trying to discredit or shame or impact a game in any way It's just the questions that are concerning me as I know very little about this game.
Then why not simply ask about it instead of being all confrontational? Anyway @DarudeDude Keywords: Skin, appearance. I'm not even going to bother posting a picture of the storefront of the Ashes site, because of the amount of times it says it's all cosmetic in nature, not an actual mount/pet, but even as far back as in the kickstarter it was specifically clarified.
I've even been in early beta tests that were like that; I was Phase 2 of SWG beta and for a long time the testing was literally logging into an empty map and walking around. (And I do mean empty; no creatures or rocks or trees or anything!)
I was in Phase 1 and on.. in SWG... I hear yea.. Just logging in and walking around an empty planet.. I also remember the postal service delivering my CDs to a neighbors house and trying to track down the 'delivered' package that wasn't at my door.. haha
I still have my beta CDs, I consider them a treasure.
I still have my beta CDs, I consider them a treasure.
Same here! I considered it the last true Beta I was in before companies adopted the 'beta-preview' model. Glad to see Intrepid returning to a more classic model of what a beta is... Even though so far, this Alpha has a metric ton more content then the SWG beta... buildings, trees, working weapons.. to name a few.. haha. So excited that some of the SWG devs are on this team.
When I saw they were charging for Alpha and Beta I almost puked. This testing is essential to a successful launch. They should be paying players to test their game! At least they're going to open up Alpha for everyone. That softens the blow a bit. Hopefully it will give them everything they need for a smooth launch.
You are forgetting one main point. The Alpha and Beta was offered during the Kick Starter campaign and again in the Summer campaign. There were different levels or donations to choose from and each had it's own incentives. They were a chance to HELP FUND a new and promising game. The offer of testing was a incentive only. No one had their arms twisted to fund Intrepid Studios. See it as you will but most people thought well before investing in the games future and did so because they believed in it.
@DarudeDude At this in the MMO Genre , and the Gaming Industry as a whole ... its up to the Integrity of the Player of what they do with it
naturally, everyone wants to win .. but at the same time thats not how the MMORPG genrea began - it was putting the Community 1st, the #1 Priority before anything else. This can be said for BOTH PvE & PvP ( assuming its a PvP SandBox + how connected the Devs are for that PvP SandBox Game )
Everyone is different, so a solid can't really be accurately placed
I, for example, have never bought any of the Pre-Order Packs, because they are all useless to to me. I only bought the KickStarter Bundle and thats it. Even so, i have no intentions of using any of the Goodies i have - because i need to have a good feel of the MMORPG - because not everyone is going to start-off with goodies, new players will literally BE new players without anything. As such, its the best way to test-out the game without using any of those goodies
( this will include walking everywhere until i get my first mount .. or if i do
Back to the point, the My.Com Publisher will always be a Red Flag - no matter what sentiment is said about it. The additional information about the Partnership with My.Com only made things neutral ( for me ) ... a Red Flag will always be a Red Flag regardless
All-in-all, the Game can be designed to where money is meaningless on the victor - it should never influence on who the victor will be Otherwise, it would need to be changed ASAP
When I saw they were charging for Alpha and Beta I almost puked. This testing is essential to a successful launch. They should be paying players to test their game! At least they're going to open up Alpha for everyone. That softens the blow a bit. Hopefully it will give them everything they need for a smooth launch.
Welcome to the MMO scene in modern day times. If you did a little research, you would see that today's MMO's are all the same. It is the same with Chronicles of Elyria, and Pantheon Online. All MMO's go through alpha, and beta stages before development, and to participate in those phases one must pay a fee depending on desired perks. Don't look at the prices and be astounded - the other games are just as expensive. It is almost the same with the stockmarket and gambling. People spend millions on stock, and there are people who visit the "dragon" table and bid 10,000 dollars in one Blackjack hand. See if that makes you puke. To put it simply, if you see something you don't like, don't participate in it. But don't register a negative opinion about it to those who DID participate because your opinion has no validity.
@Darksaber If i recall, originally, Companies seek, ask and advertise who would be kind enough to test-out their (MMO) game for FREE .. so there's definitely good things about the 1 month free Testing for A1P1 .. .but its kind of a " Slap-in-the-face " for those who did spend money on it ...
In the long-run, the more testers, the more FeedBack, the more fixes , etc ... all the better
@Darksaber If i recall, originally, Companies seek, ask and advertise who would be kind enough to test-out their (MMO) game for FREE .. so there's definitely good things about the 1 month free Testing for A1P1 .. .but its kind of a " Slap-in-the-face " for those who did spend money on it ...
In the long-run, the more testers, the more FeedBack, the more fixes , etc ... all the better
Well you have a point, I'm relatively new to the MMO scene so I'm kinda biased, and I based my opinion by looking at all the other MMO's currently on the market - they are all the same - alpha1, alpha2, B1, and B2, with alpha 1 purchases around 500$ (Chronicles of Elyria A1 is 800$). I had no idea they used to playtest games for free. Looks like the industry changed a bit while I was away. Thank you for the feedback though, it is much appreciated. I learned something new.
In the past you had games that were not 1000s of people online at the same moment, developers had different issues to deal with. Testing was usually given to a smallish group of people known to them. The problem was as games got bigger, and quality and polish became demanded and expected, they faced a weird dynamic. More and more people wanted in before the game was released to gain advantage over others. The natural evolution was to monetize it. As one of those people that has paid for testing as part of my package, I have no problem with them opening up the BR to all the unwashed masses of the poors. What you won't see is them opening up the actual mmorpg experience to them. We just had a weekend test where a large group of people had access to the BR, and what happened? By the end of the testing weekend you had people begging others to log on and queue because many of those that had paid access played a few matches, said "meh" and left it for others to do. So if they truly want stress and overload data, opening up the BR "experience" is more than fine with me.
One point that's been missed here, I think, RE the paid Alpha and Beta testing, is that "free" Alpha and Beta testers are often utterly worthless. The bulk of those that sign up to test some game for free are looking to learn about how the game plays and find bugs they can take advantage of when it releases.
If that's not the opposite of what the Devs are looking for, I'm not sure what is. They want people interested in making the game better, who will report bugs so they can be fixed, not held as trump cards.
In the past you had games that were not 1000s of people online at the same moment, developers had different issues to deal with. Testing was usually given to a smallish group of people known to them. The problem was as games got bigger, and quality and polish became demanded and expected, they faced a weird dynamic. More and more people wanted in before the game was released to gain advantage over others. The natural evolution was to monetize it. As one of those people that has paid for testing as part of my package, I have no problem with them opening up the BR to all the unwashed masses of the poors. What you won't see is them opening up the actual mmorpg experience to them. We just had a weekend test where a large group of people had access to the BR, and what happened? By the end of the testing weekend you had people begging others to log on and queue because many of those that had paid access played a few matches, said "meh" and left it for others to do. So if they truly want stress and overload data, opening up the BR "experience" is more than fine with me.
Amen to that. I felt like participating was “doing my part”. It wasn’t something particularly enjoyable. But I want the game to succeed so if my logging in gives them useful data I’ll do it if/when I can.
Comments
Anyway @DarudeDude Keywords: Skin, appearance.
I'm not even going to bother posting a picture of the storefront of the Ashes site, because of the amount of times it says it's all cosmetic in nature, not an actual mount/pet, but even as far back as in the kickstarter it was specifically clarified.
- naturally, everyone wants to win .. but at the same time thats not how the MMORPG genrea began - it was putting the Community 1st, the #1 Priority before anything else. This can be said for BOTH PvE & PvP ( assuming its a PvP SandBox + how connected the Devs are for that PvP SandBox Game )
Everyone is different, so a solid can't really be accurately placedBack to the point, the My.Com Publisher will always be a Red Flag - no matter what sentiment is said about it. The additional information about the Partnership with My.Com only made things neutral ( for me ) ... a Red Flag will always be a Red Flag regardless
All-in-all, the Game can be designed to where money is meaningless on the victor - it should never influence on who the victor will be Otherwise, it would need to be changed ASAP
If i recall, originally, Companies seek, ask and advertise who would be kind enough to test-out their (MMO) game for FREE .. so there's definitely good things about the 1 month free Testing for A1P1 .. .but its kind of a " Slap-in-the-face " for those who did spend money on it ...
In the long-run, the more testers, the more FeedBack, the more fixes , etc ... all the better
If that's not the opposite of what the Devs are looking for, I'm not sure what is. They want people interested in making the game better, who will report bugs so they can be fixed, not held as trump cards.
you: ??
........................Begins reading "100 Ways to Kill a Man".