Beta keys

[Noxalon]

I dont know if anyone else is noticing this or if i am missing some of them but it seems like the people who are winning these beta Keys are the people who either have access to the internet 24/7. i think the Beta should just be given away randomly o people who have been part of the Forums community for a certain amount of time. i think that would be more fair. maybe not as fun for those that are able to come to the forums every couple of minutes to check for them and do them, but more fair for everyone in a whole.

[LordDave]

You mean like the comic contest?
The rap music contest?
The twitter contests?
The other random contests?

Not to mention the actual signup that will take place eventually.

[Kinjiru]

I'm sure that the majority of beta keys will be given to people that Cryptic thinks would be good (or at least halfway decent) testers. I think the keys given away as prizes or incentives will be far, far in the minority.

And truly, could you think of a better incentive prize to offer at this stage? It gets people excited and talking, which is of the paramount importance in building and energizing an online community.

[CrazyVulcan]

I dont know if anyone else is noticing this or if i am missing some of them but it seems like the people who are winning these beta Keys are the people who either have access to the internet 24/7. i think the Beta should just be given away randomly o people who have been part of the Forums community for a certain amount of time. i think that would be more fair. maybe not as fun for those that are able to come to the forums every couple of minutes to check for them and do them, but more fair for everyone in a whole.

but who better to be in beta than those of us who are on our computer 24/7

i mean think of it, who would you rather have in a volentear? some random person form a hat, or someone you vegaly familiar with and know will be decatadcat to the project at hand

just my thought

[Falin]

don't feed th trolls, they just get bigger :D

[Tribbler]

Ouch,

Yeah I miss out on sales all the time. By the time I hear about it, it's been days past.

What can you do?

[justynhuculak]

I dont know if anyone else is noticing this or if i am missing some of them but it seems like the people who are winning these beta Keys are the people who either have access to the internet 24/7. i think the Beta should just be given away randomly o people who have been part of the Forums community for a certain amount of time. i think that would be more fair. maybe not as fun for those that are able to come to the forums every couple of minutes to check for them and do them, but more fair for everyone in a whole.

Handing out Beta keys shouldn't be about being fair. Beta testing isn't about getting a sneak preview of the game, its about stress testing it. A good batch of beta testers will do everything in their power to break the game and squirrel out as many bugs as they can find so that the devs can fix them before the game goes to open beta and ultimately goes gold.

Beta keys being handed out on the basis they are is, in my opinion, perfectly fine. For the most part, the keys that have been handed out on the forums have been handed to people I know for a fact are very involved in the community, and frequently give criticism or comment on "well, I know Cryptic has said they're doing X, but I think it'd be real neat if they did Y instead or as well, and here's a way I think they could do it."

Once again, closed beta is not about previewing the game or getting to play it before everyone else. People shouldn't view it as such, either. A good beta tester will play the hell out of the game, doing things that under normal circumstances would breach the game's EULA. Just because that agreement says you can't do something doesn't mean everyone will follow it, so the game company has to do its best to prepare for those circumstances, which is where the role of the beta tester is critical.

Giving keys away randomly rather than in contests or handouts based on involvement in the community (I'll point to Awen's contest today in which two keys were handed out; Captain Butter's post had a plethora of relevant material that showed he has been fairly involved in keeping informed about and contributing to the game community) would, in the long run, hurt the game rather than help it.

To use an analogy, would you rather have a nuclear physicist inspect the plans for a new nuclear plant, or some shmuck you randomly pulled off the street?

[Marytha]

I would say since beta times are usually limited, yeah i'd want the people who can make it to the time I'm running the beta. If they're here 24/7 that's a good indicator.

Marytha

[Blackheart]

I'm on 24/7,but I have not seen a beta key....Just give them time to get the beta started and they'll start giving them out....

[Nasedo]

Ouch,

Yeah I miss out on sales all the time. By the time I hear about it, it's been days past.

What can you do?

yeah same here... me and tribbler been here for a long time, and the time we hear about it, its over.. only ones can be on this site 24/7 are the kids who sit here all day long and dont go to school..

i remember back in the days...people who were in beta was qualified to beta test the game, myself was in a few of them

qualified people should be in beta but thats just me....

(dont hurt me awen)

Nasedo

[Solomon_Kane]

I understand why people want a sneak peak of the game, but beta testing isn't that much fun. It's work, the more faults you find, the better chance of the game being good for the masses.

Until then, just wait. Be patient, and be nice.

[Drexxus3d]

Most companies have different criteria for selecting beta participants.

They want a LOT of people who play the game a lot, because more time played = more bugs found, typically.

However they also want a mix of different types of players who might not play the game as it was specifically intended in certain respects or who might do more unconventional things and thus find bugs and issues that the more hardcore players might miss as they focus solely on optimization and advancement. Players who are prone to just log out in the middle of something instead of finishing it first also discovering interesting bugs such as how certain quest flags interact while logging in and out and what it can cause to happen as well as having multiple quest flags overlapping at the same time or starting a quest and doing part of it then leaving the area with special effects enabled that were meant to be disabled when you completed the next part of the quest chain, etc. Unusual and unintended behaviour bugs are usually found by less hardcore people that don't play that much or play their own way regardless of how inefficient it is.

Besides contests and stuff are just a few beta keys anyway to reward people for sticking around anyway, they don't really reflect their actual beta selection process which will consist of hundreds of testers, possibly thousands.

Sometimes you get in a beta, sometimes you don't, just don't make the mistake of thinking you're entitled to it or even for that matter entitled to a selection system that would benefit you more than the current one in place. They choose however they want and that doesn't always fit with what everyone else wants.

I always try my hardest to get in betas for games, and have been in several although not all of them sadly, and i'll try to get in this one too, but if I don't, life goes on. I just love to learn game mechanics :P

[Zepath]

I liked the way Mythic handled their beta ....

One night: Here's your character, there's no monsters in this zone, you have no weapons or gear. Go find holes in the terrain.

The next night: We want you all to stand here and just keep running back and fourth through these portals as fast as you can for like 2 hours.

The next night: Everyone beat on this door with your sword, when it breaks, it will respawn, start over.

And on and on like that .... every time you logged in to do your beta work, there was an assignment, if it didn't include combat, there were no monsters. Your characters were made for you. One night you might be level 4, the next night level 40, the next night level 5. Nothing you did mattered, there was no advancement, crafting, item drops or quests to do (until much later testing).

You'd be amazed how quickly the beta testing ranks thinned out when they found out they actually had to work instead of getting five free months of game play.

And you know what, Mythic had one of the least buggy launches of any MMO I've played. There were some problems but nothing even remotely close to what we see in other launches.

[Zepath]

I dont know if anyone else is noticing this or if i am missing some of them but it seems like the people who are winning these beta Keys are the people who either have access to the internet 24/7. i think the Beta should just be given away randomly o people who have been part of the Forums community for a certain amount of time. i think that would be more fair. maybe not as fun for those that are able to come to the forums every couple of minutes to check for them and do them, but more fair for everyone in a whole.

Here's the rub ... MOST of us won't get into beta. We'll have to wait for open beta, if they even have one.

[Loekii]

Here's the rub ... MOST of us won't get into beta. We'll have to wait for open beta, if they even have one.

I am not so sure about this to a degree. There is not a lot of unique activity on these forums, so I would think a good chunk of the active posters may indeed get an invite before open beta.

And I agree, I think Mythic took a good approach on their beta testing and their beta forums, which benefited them in a good launch.

[Nasedo]

I liked the way Mythic handled their beta ....

One night: Here's your character, there's no monsters in this zone, you have no weapons or gear. Go find holes in the terrain.

The next night: We want you all to stand here and just keep running back and fourth through these portals as fast as you can for like 2 hours.

The next night: Everyone beat on this door with your sword, when it breaks, it will respawn, start over.

And on and on like that .... every time you logged in to do your beta work, there was an assignment, if it didn't include combat, there were no monsters. Your characters were made for you. One night you might be level 4, the next night level 40, the next night level 5. Nothing you did mattered, there was no advancement, crafting, item drops or quests to do (until much later testing).

You'd be amazed how quickly the beta testing ranks thinned out when they found out they actually had to work instead of getting five free months of game play.

And you know what, Mythic had one of the least buggy launches of any MMO I've played. There were some problems but nothing even remotely close to what we see in other launches.



reminds me of Star Wars Galaxies close beta.. i remember downloading the game (took 4 to 5 hours) while watching episode 1 and geting pumped up for it..
when i first got in to it, the only thing they had us do was run around the terrain with just boxers on (everyone around me was laughing hard and making jokes about runing around almost naked (also had the new emote system in) )
that night is something i wont ever forget :)

[Loekii]

reminds me of Star Wars Galaxies close beta.. i remember downloading the game (took 4 to 5 hours) while watching episode 1 and geting pumped up for it..
when i first got in to it, the only thing they had me do was run around the terrain with just boxers on (everyone was laughing at it (had the new emote system in) )
that night is something i wont ever forget :)

I still have my Beta 1 discs. nenernerner1 :p

I think Mythic's approach was much better. Tighter ship, less 'play', etc -- unfortunately that meant a lot fewer people that would actually log in.

[Drexxus3d]

Someone should create a beta key minigame in flash.

You pilot the U.S.S. Tantalus and have to set a course towards a giant beta key in space. But it matchs your velocity every time and maintains a distance of 1 light year ahead of you at all times.

Then you keep accelerating, but it does to, until finally you hit warp 9.975 and it does too, but it can sustain it longer than you and your warp core breaches and you die horribly. Then the beta key changes course to torment a new ship and the cycle repeats. :)

[LordDave]

I liked the way Mythic handled their beta ....

One night: Here's your character, there's no monsters in this zone, you have no weapons or gear. Go find holes in the terrain.

The next night: We want you all to stand here and just keep running back and fourth through these portals as fast as you can for like 2 hours.

The next night: Everyone beat on this door with your sword, when it breaks, it will respawn, start over.

And on and on like that .... every time you logged in to do your beta work, there was an assignment, if it didn't include combat, there were no monsters. Your characters were made for you. One night you might be level 4, the next night level 40, the next night level 5. Nothing you did mattered, there was no advancement, crafting, item drops or quests to do (until much later testing).

You'd be amazed how quickly the beta testing ranks thinned out when they found out they actually had to work instead of getting five free months of game play.

And you know what, Mythic had one of the least buggy launches of any MMO I've played. There were some problems but nothing even remotely close to what we see in other launches.

ooohhh... I like. :D

[USS_Parallax]

I dont know if anyone else is noticing this or if i am missing some of them but it seems like the people who are winning these beta Keys are the people who either have access to the internet 24/7.


*cough cough*

[Nasedo]

I still have my Beta 1 discs. nenernerner1 :p

I think Mythic's approach was much better. Tighter ship, less 'play', etc -- unfortunately that meant a lot fewer people that would actually log in.

i still have my beta disc to,,and the one i got in stores...

i was on 56k while downloading the SWG patch.. those's were slow times :)

i was on Corbantis how bout you?

[Duckdee]

ooohhh... I like. :D

Me too. While playing Tomb Raider Underworld, I found that I was quite good at getting stuck on terrain.

[wrussandrews]

It does seem that way, but remember the sign up has not started. Since they tend to conduct the contests during business hours, people that can get to the forum have an advantage in that regard. My forum time during the day is sporadic, so I too have difficulty.

As another poster said, Cryptic will look for people that will make good testers.

[USS_Parallax]

It does seem that way

http://www.startrekonline.com/node/262

[Loekii]

ooohhh... I like. :D

Their forums were also very focused. Basically you could not make new threads, and they would post a thread about specific feedback -- which you only provided specific feedback to the question in the thread.

[Kinjiru]

Their forums were also very focused. Basically you could not make new threads, and they would post a thread about specific feedback -- which you only provided specific feedback to the question in the thread.


The America's Army beta was like that too at first. Very structured, but really easy to find and report on bugs.

[Commander_Nate]

*cough cough*

*Perfroms Heimlic to expel beta key from Parallax's throat.
*Once expelled, kicks Parallax in the groin.
*Grabs beta key and sprints away giggling wildly.

*Parallax attempts to follow.
SYSTEM MSG: YOU CANNOT DO THAT WHILE ROSHAMBEAU'D.

/Pwn.

[Loekii]

i still have my beta disc to,,and the one i got in stores...

i was on 56k while downloading the SWG patch.. those's were slow times :)

i was on Corbantis how bout you?

I really didn't get into it after launch. I think I was one the roleplaying server - as Neko - for a bit.

[Nasedo]

I really didn't get into it after launch. I think I was one the roleplaying server - as Neko - for a bit.

i dont recall there ever being a role playing server... you must be thinking of wow

[Loekii]

i dont recall there ever being a role playing server... you must be thinking of wow

Not official, but there was an 'unofficial' one, where Lilwookie, Caella, Roatso, MsGnomer, and bunch of other beta testers congregated. I think it was Chilastra.

The cool thing I remember them doing was erecting the monument for the tester that was killed in a car crash.

[USS_Parallax]

*Perfroms Heimlic to expel beta key from Parallax's throat.
*Once expelled, kicks Parallax in the groin.
*Grabs beta key and sprints away giggling wildly.

*Parallax attempts to follow.
SYSTEM MSG: YOU CANNOT DO THAT WHILE ROSHAMBEAU'D.

/Pwn.

They haven't given the Winners the keys yet. They won't until Beta is near or here.

[deeboboy]

question will the beta keys be limited to the usa only as they are mostly in the same time zone or will us space dwellers get a chance i dont know about you but i get board on the space station alot,,,,,,,,,,,

[Commander_Nate]

They haven't given the Winners the keys yet. They won't until Beta is near or here.

Well, that's unfortunate.

Now we are stuck mid-roshambeau, frozen in time until the beta begins and I can finish that action sequence.

[Commander_Daedelus]

what i know of cryptics betas is they are in the form of playtests, which means you only play for a limited time and not nonstop like othe mmo betas

[Loekii]

They haven't given the Winners the keys yet. They won't until Beta is near or here.

I heard they keys are only for Open beta.........watches Parallax faint.
(kidding)

[Nasedo]

Not official, but there was an 'unofficial' one, where Lilwookie, Caella, Roatso, MsGnomer, and bunch of other beta testers congregated. I think it was Chilastra.

The cool thing I remember them doing was erecting the monument for the tester that was killed in a car crash.

i was Heart Broken when they took out FRS (fighting clubs) and promise to release a new updated unbroken one, but never happen...

[DarkOrion69]

My Beta Key Resume (just for fun, not fishing)

1. I am on my computer pretty much 24/7.

2. I have no RL job and don't mind an unpaid virtual one.

3. I have been known to multi-task while farming/crafting for hours on other MMO's.

4. I seem to find bugs in MMO's the way most people find oxygen in the air.

So given this...why have I applied for a dozen closed betas on many MMO's...yet never got in any of them? :)

[KO_Gilligan]

It couldn't hurt to belong to a fleet of mature and friendly members, I could imagine them inviting whole fleets :eek:

[Commander_Daedelus]

It couldn't hurt to belong to a fleet of mature and friendly members, I could imagine them inviting whole fleets :eek:


would you like to join ANZAC :)

[KO_Gilligan]

would you like to join ANZAC :)

Sure... You could use a few captains with Pings less than 300. :p

You know I'm from San Diego and I've always wanted to live in Sydney - the weather is just as good, and I love Australia. I can even play a didgeridoo ( a little - my breathing needs work )

[Alfie-Fandango]

and know will be decatadcat to the project at hand

:D Epic-ness

[DanTheBanjoman]

I would say since beta times are usually limited, yeah i'd want the people who can make it to the time I'm running the beta. If they're here 24/7 that's a good indicator.

Marytha

What kind of people have so much spare time? I'd say students during the holidays, half of them being kids who just want to play and wouldn't be great testers.

A good tester should have some understanding of the workings of software, be able to find and report bugs. Understand that it helps to be able to reproduce bugs, give detailed information. Most likely not some kid on his holiday, but rather someone working in this field. I think most good beta testers don't have that much time as they have jobs.

[Stormnet]

I don't think beta's are like the old days anymore. Now beta's are more of a polished game then in the early days of MMO's. I can remember alpha/beta testing games when there was nothing in the game. Now though beta's seems to be very close to a release candidate before they let people in. I think the Friends and Family Beta is more like the real deal.

I liked that kind of testing, you felt as though you could really contribute to the game in positive ways that might have an affect on the game itself.

Yeah alright so I'm old Phhhtttt...

[Dunii]

The contest keys are just promotional, they are only a small part of what will be issued. Contests are a great way to guarantee your entry to the beta, however I'm sure there will be some random and pre-screened testers just like with every other beta ever in existence.

[Zepath]

i dont recall there ever being a role playing server... you must be thinking of wow

Yeah, there were "unofficial" status' for the servers. I remember the RP server.

Surely you remember there was also a sever that was predominantly Spanish speaking? Not official, but everyone knew it was Spanish oriented after a while. I think they even put a side note for the server a few weeks after launch.

I accidently started on that server, and it confused the hell out of me.

It was funny as hell. At first I thought their chat was broken .... but then I started seeing words go by in chat that I knew. And then when you get to where people are and they start saying Hola, Bueno, Gracias, Adios ... ok, so I've activated my account on a Euro server network?

It was pretty funny to me. Yeah, I know it doesn't take much to entertain me.

[Zepath]

The contest keys are just promotional, they are only a small part of what will be issued. Contests are a great way to guarantee your entry to the beta, however I'm sure there will be some random and pre-screened testers just like with every other beta ever in existence.

Exactly ... its like when the clown shows up to the kid's birthday party ... he starts handing out candy to all the kids and they get all excited, forgetting they are all going to get all the cake, ice cream, and punch they can eat later.

The Moderators and Staff handing out 50 or 100 beta keys just to have fun right now and keep things interesting .... when there will likely be 5K or 10K handed out later when they actually start the beta ... doesn't bother me in the least.

NOTE: NO! Before anyone says it ... its an example. I'm not calling the staff clowns!!!! :cool: