Anyone else notice all the fanbois with like.... 12 posts are coming out of the woodworks? Quite interesting if you ask me. I think its funny that some of you think that they aren't getting money out of this deal. You are stupid. I really hate to say that, being positive most of the time, but you are. They ARE making money off this... not directly, but its being given to them by fileplanet due to some pre arranged agreement.

As for the comment about fileplanet always doing it this way, you are wrong. Please get your facts right before posting. More than 85% of the time the only thing you need from fileplanet to join a beta is a free membership. If they were trying to go by age validation, this way would be just as legit as the paid method. So why use the paid method again? OH.. thats RIGHT... money...

Sorry, I don't buy it. testers shouldnt pay to beta test, its actually the other way around. But since people love games, most are happy with just a chance to play it for free... and gain knowledge.

Bad move funcom, bad move.

Yeah the people putting themselves on pedestals, complaining about the complainers.. I always loved that stuff.  "Rawr I'm more mature, sorry if I'm missing the real point, you guys suck for crying."

I can't say that I'm planning on playing AoC, nor have I followed that closely, but I can say that I understand the concern from the fanbase because a lot of what I see is very unconventional in comparison to games I've followed (beta'd) through the development process.  Sure its Funcom's product to bury in whatever way they choose, nobody is arguing that, but if people are unhappy because they feel they are entitled to more.. well then its apparent that someone is making mistakes.  People can call it crying if you want, but it won't make it go away.

I pre-ordered AOC few weeks ago (getting the Rhino) But yeah I got told i would have to download the client for the pre-orders earler start thing lol by the time i've downloaded it using fileplanets crappy free servers it will have been over lol Fileplanet when it comes to hosting things rarely host a european download they seem to favor their us servers so we us euro's suffer terrible downloads.

Please don't play.

If you feel that you have been snubbed by Funcom's choice to use fileplanet to dispense keys to the open beta, by all means just don't play. Cancel your pre-orders. Say 'Hell no, I won't play your game.' You can show them just how wrong they were to snub you by not giving them your money.

If you all do that then I am sure I will have a much better time playing the game.

The devs will have a much better time not having to listen to the miriad of complaints that you otherwise would have burried them in because you got beat by such and such a class and want them to nerf it, or you feel that your class needs 'sum luv'.

Please, just don't play.

There are plenty of other new games coming out soon for you to play, you don't have to play this one. Maybe Mythic will have an open beta that they'll let everyone in, though I wouldn't hold my breath. Maybe Chronicles of the Spellborn will too. Who knows? Who cares? When you make a game, you decide who can beta test it, until then it's not your choice. I don't care what arguments you have, or how you shout DOOM from the ramparts because you think the game will fail just because it alienated you few jackholes.

Save your money. Don't play this game.

I'm sure we'll all be happier without you.

holy crap, many replies.....

anyways oh well, i'll wait till this game has been released and i've heard good enough opinions from people playing it. I somehow don't expect much from this release, too rushed at some point, too many delays just doesn't match well in my book.

Oh well in a month or so i'll know whether or not i should buy this game.

I hope the fileplanet beta goes well.

Originally posted by Qmire

anyways oh well, i'll wait till this game has been released and i've heard good enough opinions from people playing it.

It's amazing how many people forget that they were never promised or guarenteed beta access and that all they really have to do is wait a few weeks to hear reviews on the game. I personally don't buy a console game, regardless of how much of a fangirl I am of it, until I've read reviews of it. So why should MMOs be any different? You don't hear people freaking out because they didn't get a chance to play GTA4 before they shell out $50+ for it...

It is my personal opinion that Fileplanet is a giant, smelly truck load of bullsh*t...they charge for any "special beta" that's coming out, and try to pinch pennies out of everything.

At one point, Fileplanet had a beta for subscribers only, the beta was for like, 4 days or something, and yet, if you did a little searching you could find a 14 day beta for the same game for anyone, so not only do they rip you off with an absolutely crappy premium service that doesn't offer much except the CHANCE of some special beta, but they also rip you off by offering sub par betas.

And have you ever tried dealing with their tech support? I can get more fricken help calling India...

Originally posted by ArcheusCross

. I think its funny that some of you think that they aren't getting money out of this deal. You are stupid. I really hate to say that, being positive most of the time, but you are. They ARE making money off this... not directly, but its being given to them by fileplanet due to some pre arranged agreement.

Ok, now if you could so kind as to tell me the winner of next wednesdays 17:05 at Ascot I would be greatful

If not.. shut up.

Why exactly would Fileplanet pay Funcom money and not the other way round? Funcom went to Fileplanet requesting a service, service being the distribution of massive load of data for the open beta test. If Funcom went to anybody else, they would be expected to give money to the data distributor, not the other way round. If Fileplanet feels that they are mitigating some costs by the advertisement and possible temporary increase to subscription numbers, then they would probably cut down on whatever they requested Funcom to pay them.

If anything, a good deal from Funcom's side would mean paying nothing for the distribution and handling of the massive amount of data. In any other case, they would have to pay somebody (either outsiders or their own employs & equipment) to achieve the same result.

People actually believing that Fileplanet is paying Funcom sounds a bit far fetched.

I don't pay to play a beta.  I don't care who gets the money.  I only pay for a finished product.

But waiting another month isn't going to kill anyone so complaining about not getting to play the game early isn't justified. 

What is justified is the worry that other developers (not Funcom) could look at this and figure that there are people out there still willing to pay to play a beta.  They might think that rather than letting Fileplanet get the money, they can get it instead.  The outcry from this will make those future developers think twice about it.

I agree that Funcom should have called this something like the 'Fileplanet Member Only Special Trial' or something.  With the limited content, it really sounds more like a marketing thing than part of their actual development cycle and that's fine, they just needed to be more clear about it. 

Did anyone notice the FC rep worrying about 'customer service' if they used a torrent?   In a beta you don't have customers, you have TESTERS.    Customers have a right to complain about bugs, but if testers are not ready for bugs, lag and all the rest then they shouldn't be signing up for a beta-test, even at this late date.    

That's just another sign that this is really a marketing gimmick.   There's nothing wrong with that and most people expect it from companies but Funcom should have been clear this was really a free trial for Fileplanet Members. 

Am I the only one that thought that was nothing but pure SPIN throughout that interview?

The fact remains that you must pay someone to do someone else's work for them, that makes no sense at all to me as a beta tester. AoC has lost my business because of this, and I would go to say I'm certainly not the only one that feels this way. In fact I would go as far to say their player base has been cut in half because of this move...only one little word would have made a big difference.

-Ethnine--Phorsoth-

Originally posted by phorsoth

Am I the only one that thought that was nothing but pure SPIN throughout that interview?

The fact remains that you must pay someone to do someone else's work for them, that makes no sense at all to me as a beta tester. AoC has lost my business because of this, and I would go to say I'm certainly not the only one that feels this way. In fact I would go as far to say their player base has been cut in half because of this move...only one little word would have made a big difference.

 

-Ethnine--Phorsoth-

LOL yeah right !  You made me laugh good there, half player base wont play because it's a pain to get int the beta.....

To answer the original question, would have been simplier to just send key via email to those who register themself for the beta.  I don't remember how long ago i registred for the beta, never ever got any invite from Funcom, only the newsletters from time to time.  

I thought I'd also add that it's not really an "open beta" when the majority of the keys they give out ARE to FP which sucks balls

Originally posted by Samuraisword

A bunch of lame excuses from Funcom. Paying to beta test is retarded. I call shenanigans.

Funcom is not getting your money. They deferred the capital costs to Fileplanet; in exchange, presumably Fileplanet gets more members. Funcom does not profit from beta testers in this arrangement.

It still may suck that we have to pay money to get a chance at OB but Funcom isn't charging us that fee.

I think they would have been far better off putting a couple double-sided dvds in a sleeve and sell them in stores for $5.  I didn't mind paying $5 to try out LotR and if you buy the game you get your money back...

You can only get up to level 13 what do they expect you to accomplish? All they will do is continue to work on the game and milk the fanbois with the Fileplanet subscription.

OK a few things in that interview/press statement really bother me. And no I'm not a basement dwelling fast food employee, nor do I have unreasonable expectations of wanting a free beta, etc etc. But I do have a good deal of experience in the business world, enough to note a few statements that really really raise red flags for me.

[quote]“running the Age of Conan beta is and will remain an expense, as it should be for us as developers. The focus for us when running a beta is to get invaluable feedback from as many testers as needed, helping us to get ready for launch, not to make money on it”. [/q]

Make money on? Sorry but in one breath he states that they expect the beta test to be an expense. But they mechanism they choose to use is pushing a huge amount of that expense off on the beta testers themselves, not on the producer.

they went with Fileplanet, not because they would make money on the deal, but rather because it would minimize Funcoms costs for managing the Beta test. Fileplanet assumes all of the infrastructure, networking, distribution and marketing costs for the Beta. Instead of billing the producer, they cost is instead passed to the testers via making it exclusive to Fileplanets premium service. In turn Fileplanet sees a surge in paid annual subscriptions (full year payable at subscription) without having to guarantee that the payee will even get one of the 50k Beta keys in play.

Sorry on any level it just seems smarmy, and bad business practice.

This one also bothers me'

[quote] In terms of the decision to go with Fileplanet as the distributor of the beta keys rather than either going through a free access website or distributing it themselves, Tharaldsen told us that while they very much wanted to offer an open beta, it was crucial for Funcom to be able to “focus on the game, the closed beta and the launch, and not on the infrastructure related to the Fileplanet Open beta.” He went on to tell us that download speed was a consideration in the decision. After all, the client itself is a hefty 13Gb in size.[/quote]

Ummm? Sorry but as others have pointed out. If you can't handle 50k users downloading the complete client at this stage of the game, you are NOT ready for prime time. Funcom already has a huge problem in this area. While AO eventually evolved into a deep stable and compelling game. It was nearly killed at release because of massive infrastructure issues. The Beta is to test the network capabilities, infrastructure, and to season the networking staff, as it is to test the internal game elements. Failure to properly test the infrastructure means a repeat of AO. the earlier stress test did not inspire confidence in the companies readiness to handle the load. Outsourcing the beta Client distribution and management does not improve this.

[quote] Speaking of content, I asked Tharaldsen to address the growing concern that only allowing Fileplanet beta players to progress to level 13 indicates a lack of faith or more serious problems in the game beyond that point and that the company is trying to hide it until launch.

“We have nothing to hide,” he answered, “in fact, I have heard from so many testers that the game gets even better as you move beyond Tortage.”

While Tharaldsen tells us that the reason for the level 13 cap has nothing to do with the quality of the game beyond that point, the decision was indeed carefully planned beforehand. He told us though that it was a question of story rather than a question of quality that prompted the cap.

“We have made an MMO with a very different production approach than most of our competitors, including putting more money and time into story than you have seen before. Stories are about emotions and experiences, and we want as many as possible to have a great emotional journey when we launch.”

“We have therefore found a point in the game which will allow you to get a deep taste of the game, allow you to: play solo, group and multiplayer, test all of our classes, all the interface, emotes and other aspects of the game. It doesn’t take you days to get to this point, true. It was never intended to, but it will give you a fantastic overview of what to expect (perhaps even with a couple of surprises, we shall see;). At the same time, we get to stress test what we need to stress test, giving us both automated and personal feedback, and enough time to fix any stress issues popping up. The testing of content for higher levels is happening on different servers, also with tens of thousands of people involved, and this will go on until launch.”
[/quote]

now this one may be legit... you never know. But it can just as easily be a load of unadultered bullcrap.

Sorry but those who fail to remember history are doomed to repeat it. For those that remember the abomination that was Asherons Call 2, you might remember that the initial level 1-20 Human lands were in fact a well developed and fleshed out area, and did seem to indicate a fun game. It wasn't until you hit the later areas that the stench of doom began to sink in, and the total unreadiness of the product became apparent. Almost all MMORPG's launch with reasonably well fleshed out starter areas and lower levels. but these arent stand alone games that you expect to be playing for a month or two. the typical player will be spending the vast majority of their time beyond that level 13, and if they can get their easily in Beta, they will be beyond it inside of a month in retail release. So 99% of the content that the players will actually be playing at launch will be completely untested under load. (Hmmm sounds more and more like AC2)

I am not saying that AoC will be a bad game. It may be fantastic. All I say is that recent interview, based on some of their actions regarding the Open Beta have raised some red flags in my mind (and hopefully others as well). Personally I will wait and let others do the Beta testing, probably through a few weeks of release, before I even consider laying out money on this one.

Luckily I will be travelling for business during the month of June and will let others finish the beta test for me as well.  I have to admit, though, I wish I could pay $6 to each of the 'stop whining' geniuses on MMORPG.com to get them to just shut up.  It was never about the money, it was about the way they treated their potential customers.  Why is that such a nebulous concept to grasp?

Originally posted by Ariel

 

Originally posted by Samuraisword

A bunch of lame excuses from Funcom. Paying to beta test is retarded. I call shenanigans.

It is true that you are indirectly paying to beta test, but you aren't paying Funcom. You are paying Fileplanet for membership, which you could use for other downloads.
In other words:

 

Funcom is not getting your money. They deferred the capital costs to Fileplanet; in exchange, presumably Fileplanet gets more members. Funcom does not profit from beta testers in this arrangement.

 

It still may suck that we have to pay money to get a chance at OB but Funcom isn't charging us that fee.

It doesn't matter who I'm paying.  I am paying someone to beta test a game. 

Originally posted by todeswulf

I feel for the guy, his team is busting there humps and the lard ass idiots that live in their Mom's basement and could not get a job beyond Pizza Hut actually are given the credibility to question them.  

That's why I would never dream of game design as a career.  Enterprise software designers work less hours make more money, and when they are called into question, it is from a professional...not some mouth breathing fry cook with no life.

Said it many times. Love games hate most gamers.

 

And idiotic "fanboism" is the primary reason MMO companies conduct themselves the way they do. That article a testament to the opinion (by the company) that a fanbase is full of amoeba brained morons (and do their best to prove it) who will believe just about anything. Certainly, they’ll jump to the rescue when any doubt is shown by anyone with a thought process. Because their “game gods” and “second coming” of a game can’t do wrong. Such pathetic denial when anything is remotely questioned. Even to come out with the most retarded arguments ever to grace the Internet.

Only ones so distorted in reality, and head so far in an orifice can possibly behave as such. And they are among the top major detractions of any game they so religiously embrace. Just as bad (if not worse) than any “whiner”. The best thing for this industry would be for this remnant to be done away with.