Yes, we all know that beta tests are meant to be just that, but ask most gamers and they will admit that its a great chance to test out that hot up and coming new MMOG for free. Developers use beta tests to obviously test their code and by unleashing that code to the public, via open or closed tests, it allows them to uncover bugs and test mechanics before their game is exposed to the critical eyes of the public.
I have a habit of applying for any MMOG beta I see. I have been in countless beta tests over the years and right or wrong I form an opinion of the title before its fully baked. In most cases beta tests provide the client to the public in a closed or open format and I would have to assume that the game is…..80%, 90% code and feature complete? So, are gamers wrong to use this opportunity as a sort of an early review of the title.
Sites like Fileplanet.com offer exclusive members an opportunity to beta test games as a special advantage to their paying customer base. Some developers offer free entry into their beta if you pre-order the game, game store websites also do the same. So my question is when did beta tests become nothing more then a marketing vehicle and has this hurt developers? Ask Richard Garriott and he will tell you that they made a mistake in opening up Tabula Rasa the way they did prior to the games live launch. Not only that but he stated that their public beta went on for too long and some gamers were just burnt out. I can admit that I was one of those beta testers, I admit that I felt like I played the game before the shrink wrapped boxes showed up on shelves. I only just recently went back to Tabula Rasa for another look and the game has certainly matured beyond what I had experienced in the beta.
I've applied for some well known beta tests lately and I got into one, and I had such a hard time getting the game to run so I really haven't had a chance to play it….I mean beta test it, and I'm almost thankful. But that was the point of the beta test; to stress test their login application under heavy load. But i didn't want to test their login process, I wanted to play the game!
So I guess my question is; has participation in a beta tarnished your impression of the game? Have developers gone off the rails and hurt their game by opening the flood gates and letting everyone into their beta test that has a golden ticket? MYTHIC has been bragging about how many applications they've received for War Online, is that really reason to celebrate? Will ALL of those applicants become paying customers when the game launches?
You never get a second chance to make a first impression, and a beta, technical or stress, is that first impression.
I know for myself even after beta testing EQ2 I still payed to played it untill I became un happy with some major changes to the game. changes that probly did make it a bater game but changes that should have been made in beta. When it was done meany mounths later and so changed game play i had no intrest in staying.
There is a popular game now in bete that has hyped its self and made beta avlable to some but has made the chioce to exclude people that they have told "won" entry into that beta. That makes an even worse first impression.
Wed Mar 26 2008 4:05PM ReportI think beta testing is no longer testing as much as it is truely a marketing tool.
What the heck point does a contest, or a beta key inserted in a magazine suggest? Marketing gimmicks!
Back in the day you had to actually fill out a beta application, and hope you got selected, and you knew the companies were reading said apllications because you were usually testing with the same group of people you have tested with before...why? Because that is the group that had the skills, and the experience at testing, to actually test the game.
The last beta I was in was made up of everything from 8 year olds to 90 year olds, some pretty much stated in the game that they have no experience. In fact when you log into a beta and the first thing you see is chat spam saying, "Where is the insert area located?" , Where can I find insert quest trail icon here?" , "How do I insert any action here?" , "What does insert any spell name or action name here do?"
These are not testers, these are people looking to demo the game. When these comapnies go back to actually testing thier products in the hopes of turning out a good product rather then the crap they tend to release these days, then re-write a couple months later, then change altogether in a year..then look me up!
Wed Mar 26 2008 6:25PM ReportMMORPG.com writes:
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