Original link to Only-War.com: http://www.only-war.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=63 Mark Jacobs - WAR Beta Q/A

Posted by MorgthNThrog - on Wednesday, April 16 @ 01:29:21 MDT

Posted on the WARHerald Folks,     It’s been, ahem, a rather interesting couple of months here in Mythic-land hasn’t it?  Fortunately, I’m not here to announce anything nearly as interesting as our recent news. I’m here to talk about good things, some changes and as always to give the community the facts straight from the horse’s (wait for it, wait for it) head.         First, we are finishing up the initial stage of our first major RvR testing and it has gone really well. Our server is almost full nightly and the beta testers are having a great time. The kudos are flying fast and furious and while nothing is perfect, it is safe to say that this stage is exceeding our expectations.      Second, over the last few months there have been a few questions and concerns about our beta program in regards to system requirements, eligibility requirements, admittance dates, general policies and procedures for our Beta Test in North America. While we have tried to be really clear I want to take this opportunity to be even clearer. So, here’s a lengthy Q&A that will hopefully answer many of the questions I’ve seen posted on various fan sites: Question #1 - Does everyone who signs up to beta test WAR actually get to beta test it?   Answer #1 - No. Though we would love to allow everyone who signs up to participate in the beta, there is limited access to our closed beta test and access is not guaranteed. Our WAR Beta signup (https://betacenter.eamythic.com/login.php) explains this in great detail: “There are a limited number of Closed Beta spots available and not everyone that applies will be admitted. Closed Beta testers will be selected based on a variety of factors, including computer system specs, game experience, newsletter subscription, and community involvement. The Closed Beta is limited to players 18 years of age or older, and requires the acceptance of the Beta Test Agreement located at the bottom of this form.”  A similar statement is also on the cards we have been giving out at shows for the last two years.  Question #2 – What about coming to an event, doesn’t that get me into closed beta? Answer #2 –  Not always. Coming to an event gives you a chance to get selected for a beta slot except for certain special events where we are giving away slots in the beta. We have always been careful to ensure that those who receive the cards understand that entrance into the closed beta is not guaranteed. This is stated on all cards that we have handed out since we began giving them out. At a minimum, getting a card at most events gives you a better chance to get into the beta and a higher priority than simply signing up on our beta page. Question #3 - What if I’ve won a slot, will I get in? Answer # 3 – If you have won a slot and meet all eligibility requirements you will get into the closed beta. Out of all the people who have won a slot in the beta through a contest and who meet all of our admittance and eligibility requirements, only 35 have not yet been admitted to the beta. Either because they are new winners or players that have recently updated their dxdiag and the files have not yet been fully processed through our system. This is a small percentage of those who have already been admitted to the beta. Please keep in mind that we are not going to admit people into the closed beta who cannot meet our eligibility requirements at the present time. Question # 4 – I keep hearing that Mythic isn’t letting a lot of new people into the beta! Answer # 4 –Over the next few months we are going to be letting in a lot more people. The plan has always been to allow a greater number of people once all the core systems are in the game in one form or another. Large scale and prolonged beta testing of an MMO without all the core systems would be pointless and frustrating for the testers. Remember, we are getting to the point where we want a lot of people to be able to play the game continuously and experience everything that WAR has to offer, even if it is still a little rough around the edges. Question # 5 – But what about the Guild Beta, when is that going to start? Answer # 5 -  One of the things I’ve been saying for the last few months is that we do not want to invite the guilds into WAR en masse until they can really experience and participate in every aspect of the game. These guys and gals represent some of the most experienced MMORPG players in the North America and Europe, and we want them to see the game when it is in really good shape so they can get as positive an experience as possible with a beta product. They represent one of our core audiences and showing them the game too early would be a mistake. I’m quite sorry that the guild beta has been delayed but as I’ve said regarding our recent delays, we will ship this game when it’s great and not before. And since we have pushed back our release schedule, dates for phases of the beta are pushed back as well. In the end I know that the guilds want the same thing that I do: for WAR is a great game. So I ask the WAR fans in general to be patient just a while longer, the same goes true for the guilds. Once we can lock down a date for the guild beta, we will begin contacting the guilds so they can prepare to unleash death and destruction on their opposing realm. Question # 6 – I hear that a lot of beta testers aren’t really even beta testing the game! Answer # 6 – Actually the number of people who won a beta slot and who haven’t even played the game is rather small. However, as of today we have purged the database of those who haven’t even bothered to play the game and you’ll be happy to know that we will be replacing those people with new beta testers when we go to the next major phase of beta. We are currently in a major RvR phase and not only do we have all the active testers we need but adding a lot of new players to the game during a higher end RvR testing phase would be counterproductive. Bringing in new players and then putting them in a higher end RvR session would force them to both learn the intricacies and nuances of WAR at the same time that they would be forced to go into RvR battles against players who have been playing the game for months.  That is not the purpose of this phase of testing and I’m sure that most players would agree with me that being thrown into the middle of a high level pitched battle without knowing anything about the game, spells, combat, etc. is not a recipe for success. Question # 7 – Since you just whacked a bunch of inactive beta testers, are more people going to be invited into the beta than you planned? Answer # 7 – Yes. When we move to the next phase of beta testing a few things will happen. First, we are going to invite all the people who have won a slot into the beta through contests or through a Warhammer event. Again, winners have to meet all of our eligibility and admittance requirements. If you do that, you’ll be invited into the next stage. Second, in the next stage of beta testing we will be inviting a lot more people (hopefully several thousand  more) to join the beta and now that we have some extra slots, well add more than we originally planned. And after, well who knows… I think that just about covers everything regarding contest winners, events, beta admittance, etc.  As always, I thank you for your patronage, support and interest. And as required by lawyers around the world my usual disclaimer that this is just our plan and is not a guarantee, promise or blood oath and is subject to change for a whole host of reasons including, but not limited to, gremlins, trolls, faeries, imps and even things out of the ordinary. =) Mark

This will hopefully answer some of those questions that may be bothering some of you in regards to beta.

Cheers!

Nvm, I'm tired

Thanks for the link!

Although, i could have answered those questions myself - i bet anyone could have answered them correctly!

Waste of time imo.

Everyone knows how betas work by now, if you get in you'll know about it and there is nothing you can do to influence that.

yup.. waste of time if you know just a bit about how it works ... but my guess would be, that they made that post for "newbies" or ppl who started their mmo career in WOW.... ( isnt that the same :P  )  not everyone can be a hardcore mmo player who knows everything ;)

   What i cant believe is there are BETA accounts which were activated and never played....

How big of a douche do you gotta be to sign up for a beta, get a spot, and then decide to not play the game is beyond me.

wow so I am just one of 35 people who still has not goten into beta after being told i won a spot, good to know.

More then a week later, I wonder if the other 34 got in? I still have not.

If you do not have a high end computer you will not get into beta until later, they're currently taking high end systems to ensure testing is focused on gameplay issues and not issues related to machine balance. (that and sliders & controls for graphics control are not in the client).  They stated this recently since Comic Con.

True, but it does not make it feal anny beter to have been told I won a spot in beta threw the news leter just to be still riding the bench 4 mounths going onto 5 later.  It is a shure fire way to have me lose intrest but it is there pony and there show so they can do what they want with it all.

Originally posted by darkboaz

True, but it does not make it feal anny beter to have been told I won a spot in beta threw the news leter just to be still riding the bench 4 mounths going onto 5 later.  It is a shure fire way to have me lose intrest but it is there pony and there show so they can do what they want with it all.

Maybe you need to read Stradden's latest Blog on this sort of attitude.   Look when they start lowering the requirements you'll be one of the first people in.  YOu should be happy with that..being impatient means your whole reason for going in is merely a trial which is NOT what Beta is at all.  Especially Mythic's beta. 

If you keep that attitude I hope you never get in.  I'd rathe rknow those spaces are going to eager but patient people who want to test the game and be active.  Not some whiners who need some cheese.

  Cheese yourself if it will make you feel better. I’m sorry if pointing out what is going on with my status makes you unhappy.

  My issue is I would like to test a game they told me I would be testing. A position they told me I earned by my being an active part of the pre game ramp up that they began working on a year ago. I have a history of beta testing. I have no interest in going into a beta where I am let in to ohh and ahh and look around do some simply stress testing and build some more hype.  To me the greatest joy is in working with the team to get things right and finding holes and broken things before the rest of the world ever knows it was ever broken. They should not have told me I had won a spot if they were not going to follow threw on it in anything that resembled timely.  I would have been vary content to be hoping that I might get picked but to have been picked and told to stay seated not so much.

Originally posted by darkboaz

 

  Cheese yourself if it will make you feel better. I’m sorry if pointing out what is going on with my status makes you unhappy.

  My issue is I would like to test a game they told me I would be testing. A position they told me I earned by my being an active part of the pre game ramp up that they began working on a year ago. I have a history of beta testing. I have no interest in going into a beta where I am let in to ohh and ahh and look around do some simply stress testing and build some more hype.  To me the greatest joy is in working with the team to get things right and finding holes and broken things before the rest of the world ever knows it was ever broken. They should not have told me I had won a spot if they were not going to follow threw on it in anything that resembled timely.  I would have been vary content to be hoping that I might get picked but to have been picked and told to stay seated not so much.

I get where you are coming from, I really do. I would even venture that most people have atleast a small amount of empathy for those who are in your situation (being that EAMythic said nothing until after the fact for many would be testers).

However, the EAMythic team isn't going to change their stance and nor should they, they have a perfectly good reason as to why they aren't letting mid to low end systems in (and even if they didn't have it is their game and their money they are spending not ours). The only thing they might have done differently on this matter was to notify people that if their computers weren't up to par then they would not be able to test before handing them keys. They did not but what is done is done and nothing is going to change what happened (it was more than likely an unintentional oversight), I'm sure they realize that it was a mistake as they have made a public statement clarifying the issue and that is a good bit more than some would have done.

 After all that you must ask yourself what you expect to happen? For everyone interested to suddenly boycott the game? Disavow the developers? Send hate mail?  What exactly? After you answer that question for yourself then you must ask exactly how realistic your answer is.

The simple fact is that no one outside of the company can do anything about it (that is both legal and rational) other than to just not buy it (I for one plan on keeping both my own and my wifes preorder CE's ordered), If it does bother you so much then you also have the option to vote with your wallet, just like everyone else.

Originally posted by Sinnahis

 

Originally posted by darkboaz

 

  Cheese yourself if it will make you feel better. I’m sorry if pointing out what is going on with my status makes you unhappy.

  My issue is I would like to test a game they told me I would be testing. A position they told me I earned by my being an active part of the pre game ramp up that they began working on a year ago. I have a history of beta testing. I have no interest in going into a beta where I am let in to ohh and ahh and look around do some simply stress testing and build some more hype.  To me the greatest joy is in working with the team to get things right and finding holes and broken things before the rest of the world ever knows it was ever broken. They should not have told me I had won a spot if they were not going to follow threw on it in anything that resembled timely.  I would have been vary content to be hoping that I might get picked but to have been picked and told to stay seated not so much.

 

I get where you are coming from, I really do. I would even venture that most people have atleast a small amount of empathy for those who are in your situation (being that EAMythic said nothing until after the fact for many would be testers).

 

However, the EAMythic team isn't going to change their stance and nor should they, they have a perfectly good reason as to why they aren't letting mid to low end systems in (and even if they didn't have it is their game and their money they are spending not ours). The only thing they might have done differently on this matter was to notify people that if their computers weren't up to par then they would not be able to test before handing them keys. They did not but what is done is done and nothing is going to change what happened (it was more than likely an unintentional oversight), I'm sure they realize that it was a mistake as they have made a public statement clarifying the issue and that is a good bit more than some would have done.

 After all that you must ask yourself what you expect to happen? For everyone interested to suddenly boycott the game? Disavow the developers? Send hate mail?  What exactly? After you answer that question for yourself then you must ask exactly how realistic your answer is.

The simple fact is that no one outside of the company can do anything about it (that is both legal and rational) other than to just not buy it (I for one plan on keeping both my own and my wifes preorder CE's ordered), If it does bother you so much then you also have the option to vote with your wallet, just like everyone else.

I completely agree with your response Sinnahis. I also agree that I understand the frustration that darkboaz is feeling too.  Hopefully they will implement the sliders and reduce the system requirements to allow everyone in soon, especially since they seem to be ramping up for guild beta soon according to what I read on another forum here.

  I have to agree with both of you. I had originally posted my amazement that I was but 1 of 35 to not be admitted.   9 days later I have heard noting and wondered if any of the other 34 have. I don’t know maybe some of them are here on the boards. I must have read too much into the post as I got a little exited thinking wow they see they missed some of us and are looking at it I will be in shortly. I am not under 18 and agreed to the beta test agreement.  That’s when someone jumped at me about system requirements that where talked about long after I had already been told I had supposedly won a spot.

  Guess it was me reading too much at face value and not enough into it but it sounded to me in the post from Mark Jacobs that Closed Beta is limited to players 18 years of age or older, and requires the acceptance of the Beta Test Agreement Who would be selected to be part of beta would be based on a variety of factors, including computer system specs, game experience, newsletter subscription, and community involvement. When the question about what if you had won a spot Which I know I’m out on a limb here means you have already been selected the response was  If you have won a slot and meet all eligibility requirements you will get into the closed beta. Ok, I guess I should read that differently and  insert selection criteria as a requirement even though clearly the only requirement that is discussed in the post is 18 years of age or older, and acceptance of the Beta Test Agreement.

  I have already said it is there pony and show to do with as they see fit they hold the cards and give you your hand. What I was looking for was a place to effectively wave and say yoo-hoo you missed me. Since there are no official boards I have to go to 3^rd party sites to have a voice. I prefer it here as you do not have to suffer a litany of people who want to bash you for trying to speak. 

Call me a special precious snow flake if you want but if there is really only 35 people to not get in but have “won” a spot I guess it was too much to think someone might have been able to drop them a simple line saying hey sorry but we cannot let you in now because you are either under 18 or have failed to agree to the agreement and or your dxdiag indicates your system does not meet our current threshold.  I would bet in getting that number they had a list by email of who the 35 where.  

Well no offense to any of you but  i would gladly change positions. atleast you guys have a chance to test it , and even have a first look , all other 650k subscribers wether they wanna try it out or test it have little to no chance ...lol i would  gladly take your place  im pretty patient  and anyways its not like your missing out eventually the game will come out and we can all enjoy it.