who cares what old games did, i was in open(open for all) beta way back in The Realm Online in 96 and EQ even had open beta in 97 or 98, then AC and AO both had open for all beta's, as did diablo II.  Hell i played ragnarok online for free in open beta for about 6 months. Back then I got cd's sent to me for each phase of beta, i still have a closed beta 1 cd for EQ, because it was cheaper to burn cd's and send them out then it was to have them up for d/l.

This isn't back then though, those games were 15GB's either.  There wasn't fileplanet around who probably pays game companies to allow them to host their beta and then only allow it for the first week or so to subscribers of fileplanet.  I went to Target and paid .99 cents and got a $5 coupon for the game for my effort, tough choice, 99 cents to try out WAR or a 20 oz drink.  Was i paying for the open beta or for the ability to get a ring that does dmg at the start of the game a long with being able to play the game earlier then people that don't preorder as well as the open beta weekend and then the open beta, hell it cost them 99 cents to make the cover and the plastic box it all came in.  If you don't want to pay it then don't, instead d/l one of the many free asian imports and play it all you want.

Originally posted by Die_Scream

Originally posted by Protus-AOC

It really surprises me how tolerant you all are with mythic even though all this seems very shady to me. Seems like they are hiding way to much from people unless you pay upfront first.

 

You got some nerve saying that Protus when your game demands three dollars for the 3-day-long download "free" trial.

I think he's doing it purely to "give a dose of our own medicine", by trying to imply that somehow what Mythic is doing with WAR is in any way similar to the train wreck that is FC's handling of AoC.

Meh... let him have his fun... it's probably a better alternative to playing AoC itself at this point.

I think that the days of "no-strings" open betas are over. Two groups of people, I believe, have contributed to this. The first are the scalpers, people who get a beta key (or multiple keys) and hawk them on eBay. Who can blame the game publisher for saying, "If you're going to pay for a beta key, why shouldn't we be the ones making the money?" The second group are the clowns with free time and an email address who have no intention of buying the game and generally make a nuisance of themselves. These people can muck up an otherwise successful launch and are a real detriment to the retention of paying customers.

I see nothing wrong with companies requiring a commitment. If you're seriously interested, you should have already pre-ordered. If you're merely curious, find something else to do until the game's been released. I'm not a big fan of free trials. In the long run, it's the paying playerbase that pays the price for them. Quit thinking that you're owed a free ride.

Originally posted by LordDraekon

I think that the days of "no-strings" open betas are over. Two groups of people, I believe, have contributed to this. The first are the scalpers, people who get a beta key (or multiple keys) and hawk them on eBay. Who can blame the game publisher for saying, "If you're going to pay for a beta key, why shouldn't we be the ones making the money?" The second group are the clowns with free time and an email address who have no intention of buying the game and generally make a nuisance of themselves. These people can muck up an otherwise successful launch and are a real detriment to the retention of paying customers.

I see nothing wrong with companies requiring a commitment. If you're seriously interested, you should have already pre-ordered. If you're merely curious, find something else to do until the game's been released. I'm not a big fan of free trials. In the long run, it's the paying playerbase that pays the price for them. Quit thinking that you're owed a free ride.

Ok, this poster used common sense. MMORPG.com is over. Everyone go home. Nothing to see here.

Originally posted by Protus-AOC

It really surprises me how tolerant you all are with mythic even though all this seems very shady to me. Seems like they are hiding way to much from people unless you pay upfront first.

You are the unfortunate muppet I'm going to use as an example but there are many more in this post.

Do you get a chance to have a "free" play of an xbox, ps3, ds game before you buy it? No is the answer. So why do people think they should with an mmo? You do what all other gamers have to do, buy it. If you dont like it, put it at the back of the cupboard with the rest of the games you buy and stop playing after a couple of weeks.

Some people need reminding of the real world again.

Originally posted by LordDraekon

I think that the days of "no-strings" open betas are over. Two groups of people, I believe, have contributed to this. The first are the scalpers, people who get a beta key (or multiple keys) and hawk them on eBay. Who can blame the game publisher for saying, "If you're going to pay for a beta key, why shouldn't we be the ones making the money?" The second group are the clowns with free time and an email address who have no intention of buying the game and generally make a nuisance of themselves. These people can muck up an otherwise successful launch and are a real detriment to the retention of paying customers.

I see nothing wrong with companies requiring a commitment. If you're seriously interested, you should have already pre-ordered. If you're merely curious, find something else to do until the game's been released. I'm not a big fan of free trials. In the long run, it's the paying playerbase that pays the price for them. Quit thinking that you're owed a free ride.

   That is, in a nutshell, what I meant.

And yes, there's nothing wrong with requiring a commitment.

I understand its a business world and mythic and other companies want to make people commit to buying to get into open beta however what about the large unseen playerbase, including me, largely unaccounted for who does not want to commit to buying a game without actually experiencing/playing it themselves?  Fileplanet and Mythic should not state that an "OPEN" beta is being held if it is not... OPEN.  they should state that a beta is being held for those who pre-order because thats whats required to actually install and play the game... Same as trying clothes on and making sure im satisfied.. i will not and will NEVER commit to buying a game until i log in and can move around and try it and see how i like it... Mythic and fileplanet (bunch of money grubbing little bastards) ARE both shady for this reason that they put the title open beta out there however do not let others get in without ordering

I've been in tons of open betas despite having never pre-ordered a game and not having any subscriptions to sites like fileplanet. It's fine if you don't agree that it's lame, but you don't have to make shit up about this being how it always works.

Wow way to misconstrue what i said.. All i said is that they mislabeled what there beta actually is.. quote me where i once said that all games open beta's were true open betas... I may have stated wishfully thinking that if they were reputable and honest open betas they would be, however never said that they factually all were.. quote me where i said that.. oh you can't.. then stfu

Originally posted by singsofdeath

I don#t want to bash Mythic, but this nonesensical talk of Open beta's having not been "Free" forever is just amusing me.

 

Mythic did the "OPEN" Beta with their old game by the way, just to toss another one in there. DAoC you could get into Open Beta quite freely without having to preorder or anything of the like.

 

This practice has become chic with the growing popularity of the genre. Because now, companies can afford to do it. I'm not saying Mythic is a bad company because of this. I'm just saying it as it is. Please do not try to make it appear as though this has been normal for a long time, because it hasn't.

Mostly the reason companies are starting to adopt it is simple.  They can't afford the stress the throngs of people that swarm from free MMO to free MMO.  Back in the days of DAoC, the only way that you *could* get people to pay attention to your game was to get them interested with an Open Beta.  World of Warcraft changed all of this.  It's Open Beta was the last one to truly be completely open.

they should just rename it to open paid beta or some other stuff, for sure it's not "open beta" per se, and actually quite misleading.

For sure it's not an, 'Open Beta' per se?

What the hell does that even mean?

Open Beta is at it's core just a phase of Beta where information is available to the general public without the protection of a NDA.  Anything beyond that is purely up to the developer and publisher's discression.

Originally posted by Tezcat

Originally posted by Protus-AOC

It really surprises me how tolerant you all are with mythic even though all this seems very shady to me. Seems like they are hiding way to much from people unless you pay upfront first.

 

You are the unfortunate muppet I'm going to use as an example but there are many more in this post.

 

Do you get a chance to have a "free" play of an xbox, ps3, ds game before you buy it? No is the answer. So why do people think they should with an mmo? You do what all other gamers have to do, buy it. If you dont like it, put it at the back of the cupboard with the rest of the games you buy and stop playing after a couple of weeks.

Some people need reminding of the real world again.

That's assinine.  I can walk into any Best Buy/Toys R Us/etc. and try out every console and handheld available.  I can rent an entire system and games from Blockbuster for a few bucks to try it out.  You can't do those things with an MMO, and MMO developers who think that they can get away with selling a $50 game that requires a monthly subscription to use without providing some kind of free trial can go play in traffic, ESPECIALLY after Failcom's debacle with that turd called AoC.

No free trial (or in the case of WAR, super cheap beta access) = no sale.

Originally posted by dmh3500

Wow way to misconstrue what i said.. All i said is that they mislabeled what there beta actually is.. quote me where i once said that all games open beta's were true open betas... I may have stated wishfully thinking that if they were reputable and honest open betas they would be, however never said that they factually all were.. quote me where i said that.. oh you can't.. then stfu

The "open" in Open Beta has nothing to do with free access or even guaranteed access to all comers.  It only means that testers are not bound by an NDA or some other kind of restriction.  As soon as you get this through your head, you'll stop looking silly.

While this is slightly off topic, I'll post my question.

I got a beta key, signed up on the warhammer site, downloaded the client, installed it and now I can't log in.

I can't seem to find the beta help website.

I am wondering if my beta isn't active until the 7th.

Can anyone help me?

Thanks.

Originally posted by Ruthgar

While this is slightly off topic, I'll post my question.

I got a beta key, signed up on the warhammer site, downloaded the client, installed it and now I can't log in.

I can't seem to find the beta help website.

I am wondering if my beta isn't active until the 7th.

Can anyone help me?

 

Thanks.

You won't be able to log in until they activate the open beta accounts.  Right now if you try to log in it will open the patcher window for a moment and then kick you back to the login prompt.  This is normal.

Originally posted by TsukieU

For sure it's not an, 'Open Beta' per se?

 

What the hell does that even mean?

 

Open Beta is at it's core just a phase of Beta where information is available to the general public without the protection of a NDA.  Anything beyond that is purely up to the developer and publisher's discression.

o information is open lewl, I thought open beta means the game is open for anyone to test, play it, not only the information, o wait apparently it is open beta as long as you get selected or  pre-order lewl. I'm hugry gonna grab me  a 99 cent burger since its open burger day at mcdonalds.

Another thing that mixes things up is that eastern MMOs use the term Open Beta but it is really more like their launch and everyone can play but they are free MMOs so it doesn't really matter.

Open and closed are terms about the information being released. Everyone has the right to feel as they want and for people that need to try a game before they by it, they can wait and see their friend login and check it out that way.

Open is still allowing a finite amount of players on their servers. You just can get a definite entry if you preorder but there will be a lot of folks that didn't need to pay for anything.

Originally posted by TsukieU

Originally posted by jesterme

Originally posted by TsukieU

For sure it's not an, 'Open Beta' per se?

 

What the hell does that even mean?

 

Open Beta is at it's core just a phase of Beta where information is available to the general public without the protection of a NDA.  Anything beyond that is purely up to the developer and publisher's discression.

 

o information is open lewl, I thought open beta means the game is open for anyone to test, play it, not only the information, o wait apparently it is open beta as long as you get selected or  pre-order lewl. I'm hugry gonna grab me  a 99 cent burger since its open burger day at mcdonalds.

 

 

I often wonder if people like this guy sound as idiotic in real life as they do online.

please post a valid point not insults to not sound moronic thank you.

I posted several valid points, they seem to have been lost on you I'm afraid.

The reason I was speculating how people like you might sound in real life is simply put.  Because I had to read through your post thee or four times to decipher what exactly you had said.  To be quite honest, it's still a bit hazy.