The term is misleading.  The schedule should not be termed as open beta because you need to pre-order to get a key.

I've read that Sept 17 will be the start of open beta. So this means it's a public open beta and not a private one?

Well, if you pre-order online you dont get charged till it ships so you can just pre-order and if you dont like it cancel and no foul, so it kinda is open....you just have to enter your CC

Also it's the 7th of open beta starts, 18th is launch

dude costs a buck at target

did someone change what the term open beta has meant from "beta without NDA" to something else recently?

seeing alot of these posts on alot of forums.

When Sanya was with Mythic back in 2006, she said they will not have what people have come to assume an Open Beta is. And I quote:

Final Beta: No NDA. Because there is no NDA, people often refer to this as "open beta." But I wanted to be really clear with you guys - we are not planning the kind of open beta where everyone with internet access can download the game and hop in. That's nutty. Right now, we are tentatively considering having everyone who pre-orders the game invited to this phase of beta. This phase will also invite winners from our big media promotions.

This was taken directly from the WAR Herald from July 2006: warherald.com/warherald/NewsArticle.war

Open Beta, as even Sanya clearly states in this news post, is not about the game being open for anyone to play but instead is about the NDA being lifted for the game. Mythic has decided to lift the NDA on most of the game before the Beta phase starts. Also, notice in her post that the Open Beta was in fact decided and very clearly specified in that they planned on having Pre-orders invited as well as promotion winners getting in. Mythic, as far as I know, has never said they will let in people that just sign up either.

When is the last time any MMO had an 'open' beta where an unlimited number of players were thrown at a small pool of servers?

I too think the industry just needs to start calling these things pre-launch previews or something, if only to cut off the whines before they start. Player ignorance turns into whines, which turns into negative PR and flaming the game before it even begins.

Too many people asking for free access to a game.  They start by asking for free trial key.  They now begin to demand free access to games where the paying subscribers are still waiting for the box to arrive at home.

Come on, guys, how greedy can you be.

Originally posted by Adythiel

When Sanya was with Mythic back in 2006, she said they will not have what people have come to assume an Open Beta is. And I quote:

Final Beta: No NDA. Because there is no NDA, people often refer to this as "open beta." But I wanted to be really clear with you guys - we are not planning the kind of open beta where everyone with internet access can download the game and hop in. That's nutty. Right now, we are tentatively considering having everyone who pre-orders the game invited to this phase of beta. This phase will also invite winners from our big media promotions.

 

This was taken directly from the WAR Herald from July 2006: warherald.com/warherald/NewsArticle.war

Open Beta, as even Sanya clearly states in this news post, is not about the game being open for anyone to play but instead is about the NDA being lifted for the game. Mythic has decided to lift the NDA on most of the game before the Beta phase starts. Also, notice in her post that the Open Beta was in fact decided and very clearly specified in that they planned on having Pre-orders invited as well as promotion winners getting in. Mythic, as far as I know, has never said they will let in people that just sign up either.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_release_life_cycle

"Developers release either a closed beta or an open beta; closed beta versions are released to a select group of individuals for a user test, while open betas are to a larger community group, usually the general public."

There is no universal definition of an open beta but, as stated above, they are usually released to the general public. What Mythic is doing is releasing to a select group (pre-orders) thus, it is a closed beta by common definition.

Somehow, you won't get it and, instead, you will favor the definition provided by the spin you quoted.

I think the difference is people that see the eastern MMOs open beta that start letting everyone in even though they are usually free. Where as the western market uses it to stress test the servers they have so still keep a finite amount of invites.

Originally posted by Orthedos

Too many people asking for free access to a game.  They start by asking for free trial key.  They now begin to demand free access to games where the paying subscribers are still waiting for the box to arrive at home.

Come on, guys, how greedy can you be.

He's not being greedy and hes not making any demands for free access to a game. He is simply pointing out the fact that this "open beta" is misleading because, it is after all, a closed beta.

Originally posted by WoWarhammer

Originally posted by Orthedos

Too many people asking for free access to a game.  They start by asking for free trial key.  They now begin to demand free access to games where the paying subscribers are still waiting for the box to arrive at home.

Come on, guys, how greedy can you be.

 He's not being greedy and hes not making any demands for free access to a game. He is simply pointing out the fact that this "open beta" is misleading because, it is after all, a closed beta.

No, Mythic said clearly that they define open beta as a beta without NDA but the amount of people would be limited.  It would had been missleading, if they didn't say it clearly.  It's not Mythic's fault that you or the OP don't read what they said.

It's perfectly reasonable that the OP question this.  All I can say it's Mythic defined clearly what they understood as Open Beta.

Quoting a Wiki Article as an authoritative source is often frowned upon, going so far as to having a very large number of academic institutions having outright banned use of Wiki articles in research papers. As you say, Open Beta hasn't had a hard, fast definition assigned to it. Going back to 1999 when I started playing MMOs, Open Beta has been referred to the Beta Phase in which the NDA has been lifted and information is now open to share. It wasn't until very recently that Open Beta's meaning has attempted to be changed to mean open to anyone with an internet connection.

Regardless, this doesn't change a single fact about the news item posted by Sanya back in July of 2006, spin as you call it. It was very clearly stated exactly how Mythic would proceed with their Final Beta Phase and the definition of the term Open Beta simply means the lifting of the NDA. That news item is over two years old. No one has any excuse for complaining that the Open Beta isn't playable by anyone with an Internet connection. That point is clearly written out in Sanya's post. That decision was made by Mythic one year and two months after development started on the game, set as tentatively. No where has Mythic ever made any declaration or post stating those plans had changed. Mythic also defined what Open Beta meant to them in that news post.

Mythic's defiintion of Open Beta is the only one that matters for WAR as they are the developing company. Until such a time that Open Beta has a hard and fast definition, the company that is hosting the Open Beta defines it, not the players.

Originally posted by WoWarhammer

Originally posted by Adythiel

When Sanya was with Mythic back in 2006, she said they will not have what people have come to assume an Open Beta is. And I quote:

Final Beta: No NDA. Because there is no NDA, people often refer to this as "open beta." But I wanted to be really clear with you guys - we are not planning the kind of open beta where everyone with internet access can download the game and hop in. That's nutty. Right now, we are tentatively considering having everyone who pre-orders the game invited to this phase of beta. This phase will also invite winners from our big media promotions.

 

This was taken directly from the WAR Herald from July 2006: warherald.com/warherald/NewsArticle.war

Open Beta, as even Sanya clearly states in this news post, is not about the game being open for anyone to play but instead is about the NDA being lifted for the game. Mythic has decided to lift the NDA on most of the game before the Beta phase starts. Also, notice in her post that the Open Beta was in fact decided and very clearly specified in that they planned on having Pre-orders invited as well as promotion winners getting in. Mythic, as far as I know, has never said they will let in people that just sign up either.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_release_life_cycle

"Developers release either a closed beta or an open beta; closed beta versions are released to a select group of individuals for a user test, while open betas are to a larger community group, usually the general public."

 

There is no universal definition of an open beta but, as stated above, they are usually released to the general public. What Mythic is doing is releasing to a select group (pre-orders) thus, it is a closed beta by common definition.

Somehow, you won't get it and, instead, you will favor the definition provided by the spin you quoted.

Read a little more carefully. "Closed beta versions are released to a select group of individuals for a user test, while open betas are to a larger community group, usually the general public."

It is a larger community group than the closed beta, and it is not required for it to be open to the general public. Therefore the term "open beta" is more than appropriate.

Originally posted by Keeper2000

No, Mythic said clearly that they define open beta as a beta without NDA but the amount of people would be limited.  It would had been missleading, if they didn't say it clearly. 

I think I would have left that part out.  Altho what the OP is stating is not how Mythic defined it.

The little letter I got in my email today clearly states that even when NDA is lifted its not really lifted.  I'm not sure if they would frown on the email being pasted in here.. but I've never seen on like this before.

Tester may discuss a, b and c but not 1-9 of sub paragraph b... and no I'm not making this up tho it was not exactly these words but close enough for the moment.

I'm sure others must have gotten this email...

Its an email that talks about the NDA lifting but that you are still under a beta tester agreement (bta).  That the BTA still basicly holds you under an NDA and then goes on to list a bunch of crap you still can't talk about.

The only reason I mention this.. is this open beta is NOT without NDA... actually.. its just a more relaxed NDA.

I really can honestly say I've never seen anything like this...  I've seen NDA's that were never lifted.. but not a letter like the one I got today.

Originally posted by vernd

When is the last time any MMO had an 'open' beta where an unlimited number of players were thrown at a small pool of servers?

I too think the industry just needs to start calling these things pre-launch previews or something, if only to cut off the whines before they start. Player ignorance turns into whines, which turns into negative PR and flaming the game before it even begins.

The guys at Aion have done exactly that they have said there will be NO open beta  they have however said there will be pre-launch previews  for the masses but have made no mention of how entry will be granted to these previews.

I realy cant think of the last truly open beta for a western MMO AOC - Fileplanet Vanguard - FIleplanet SWG - I won a comp so didnt have to go looking.

Originally posted by Antarious

Originally posted by Keeper2000

No, Mythic said clearly that they define open beta as a beta without NDA but the amount of people would be limited.  It would had been missleading, if they didn't say it clearly. 

 

I think I would have left that part out.  Altho what the OP is stating is not how Mythic defined it.

The little letter I got in my email today clearly states that even when NDA is lifted its not really lifted.  I'm not sure if they would frown on the email being pasted in here.. but I've never seen on like this before.

Tester may discuss a, b and c but not 1-9 of sub paragraph b... and no I'm not making this up tho it was not exactly these words but close enough for the moment.

I'm sure others must have gotten this email...

Its an email that talks about the NDA lifting but that you are still under a beta tester agreement (bta).  That the BTA still basicly holds you under an NDA and then goes on to list a bunch of crap you still can't talk about.

The only reason I mention this.. is this open beta is NOT without NDA... actually.. its just a more relaxed NDA.

 

I really can honestly say I've never seen anything like this...  I've seen NDA's that were never lifted.. but not a letter like the one I got today.

 

hehe I agree... btw the letter is confidential still ;)  And we can't publish it.  But you must agree, I hope, jsut for the sake of not confussing people that we can talk mostly of anything about the game... except stuff that I think it's totally understandable we dont.

But I do agree we are under an agreement with Mythic... I wouldnt expect not to be.

We will still see some more threads about this topic. It happens in every game. Some form wow players and some from aoc players. probably.

Originally posted by WoWarhammer

Originally posted by Adythiel

When Sanya was with Mythic back in 2006, she said they will not have what people have come to assume an Open Beta is. And I quote:

Final Beta: No NDA. Because there is no NDA, people often refer to this as "open beta." But I wanted to be really clear with you guys - we are not planning the kind of open beta where everyone with internet access can download the game and hop in. That's nutty. Right now, we are tentatively considering having everyone who pre-orders the game invited to this phase of beta. This phase will also invite winners from our big media promotions.

 

This was taken directly from the WAR Herald from July 2006: warherald.com/warherald/NewsArticle.war

Open Beta, as even Sanya clearly states in this news post, is not about the game being open for anyone to play but instead is about the NDA being lifted for the game. Mythic has decided to lift the NDA on most of the game before the Beta phase starts. Also, notice in her post that the Open Beta was in fact decided and very clearly specified in that they planned on having Pre-orders invited as well as promotion winners getting in. Mythic, as far as I know, has never said they will let in people that just sign up either.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_release_life_cycle

"Developers release either a closed beta or an open beta; closed beta versions are released to a select group of individuals for a user test, while open betas are to a larger community group, usually the general public."

 

There is no universal definition of an open beta but, as stated above, they are usually released to the general public. What Mythic is doing is releasing to a select group (pre-orders) thus, it is a closed beta by common definition.

Somehow, you won't get it and, instead, you will favor the definition provided by the spin you quoted.

Like how you spun it by italicizing "general public" instead of "usually?" 

"Preorderers and beta testers" sounds like a "larger community group" to me; it's definitely larger than just the beta testers, the "select group of individuals for a user test." 

Originally posted by thamighty213

The guys at Aion have done exactly that they have said there will be NO open beta  they have however said there will be pre-launch previews  for the masses but have made no mention of how entry will be granted to these previews.

I realy cant think of the last truly open beta for a western MMO AOC - Fileplanet Vanguard - FIleplanet SWG - I won a comp so didnt have to go looking.

Actually they have. RIght on their web page. One way to get into a preview is to attend PAX and sign up there.

Originally posted by Antarious

Originally posted by Keeper2000

No, Mythic said clearly that they define open beta as a beta without NDA but the amount of people would be limited.  It would had been missleading, if they didn't say it clearly. 

 

I think I would have left that part out.  Altho what the OP is stating is not how Mythic defined it.

The little letter I got in my email today clearly states that even when NDA is lifted its not really lifted.  I'm not sure if they would frown on the email being pasted in here.. but I've never seen on like this before.

Tester may discuss a, b and c but not 1-9 of sub paragraph b... and no I'm not making this up tho it was not exactly these words but close enough for the moment.

I'm sure others must have gotten this email...

Its an email that talks about the NDA lifting but that you are still under a beta tester agreement (bta).  That the BTA still basicly holds you under an NDA and then goes on to list a bunch of crap you still can't talk about.

The only reason I mention this.. is this open beta is NOT without NDA... actually.. its just a more relaxed NDA.

 

I really can honestly say I've never seen anything like this...  I've seen NDA's that were never lifted.. but not a letter like the one I got today.

 

This is only to a certain group of testers who will still be in a closed beta environment all the way up to launch more then likely. All the others are not bound by this. You should know what testers I'm talking about, and it has always been clear from the start we were on a stricter NDA.