Originally posted by Slapshot1188

Originally posted by colutr

 

They have open beta because they need to stresstest the server.  If you look on their website they state their purpose for going into open beta: www.mortalonline.com/news/open-beta-new-trailer

"Open Beta
We are very glad to announce that starting today, February 1st, Mortal Online moves to the next phase of development and opens it's doors to the public. It's been a rough few months in closed beta (as we expected) but we're happy how far we have come.
Now it is time to iron out the last bugs and fine tune the systems, both ingame and server-side.
To join the open beta, simply follow the instructions here.
Keep in mind that this is not a promotional beta as gamers have gotten used to in the last couple of years. We are taking this step to test our systems on a larger scale. Don't expect this to be a final game version or a preview."

 

The link to the news article is on the front page of the website for everyone to see. If you are expecting anything other than what they told you then you are fooling yourself.

 

Perhaps you missed the press release where they call the open stress test a "free trial" and one of the best ways they have to "market" the game.
 

http://www.aktietorget.se/pressdocs/StarVault/53715/STVA%20B%2020100129%2012.pdf

Sounds like they said two opposite things... wonder why there is confusion...

 

 No where does it say that the purpose for OB is to be a "free trial". Read it, you won't find it. What it does say is that it is a free open beta, which it is because it's free and in open beta.

It doesn't say it is "one of the best ways they have to market the game". It says "The Free Open Beta is one of the most important marketing activities for the game".  Even if they diddn't want OB to be a promotional tool, they can't change the perceptions of gamers. So while they diddn't put the game in OB for promotional purposes they still have to acknowledge the promotional value of OB, all they did is relay this to information to their investors.

The press release goes on to talk about the goals tha SV has for mortal online.

The website, which is directed to anyone who wants to joint he Ob, tells you what you should expect as a tester when joining the game.

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Originally posted by colutr
 
They have open beta because they need to stresstest the server.  If you look on their website they state their purpose for going into open beta: www.mortalonline.com/news/open-beta-new-trailer
"Open Beta
We are very glad to announce that starting today, February 1st, Mortal Online moves to the next phase of development and opens it's doors to the public. It's been a rough few months in closed beta (as we expected) but we're happy how far we have come.
Now it is time to iron out the last bugs and fine tune the systems, both ingame and server-side.
To join the open beta, simply follow the instructions here.
Keep in mind that this is not a promotional beta as gamers have gotten used to in the last couple of years. We are taking this step to test our systems on a larger scale. Don't expect this to be a final game version or a preview."
 
The link to the news article is on the front page of the website for everyone to see. If you are expecting anything other than what they told you then you are fooling yourself.
 

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Yes, this I can understand, it is a dev point of view.

Do they think that when they put a single line warning: 'Don't expect this to be a final game version or a preview.' it will prevent the harm of exposing the game in not very satisfying state?

I can't understand why making such move unless it was last resort situation and you couldn't work on the game without doing a massive stress test which I doubt.

I am no marketing expert but telling people what NOT to expect is not a way to make money.

EDIT:

This:

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Originally posted by colutr

It says "The Free Open Beta is one of the most important marketing activities for the game". Even if they diddn't want OB to be a promotional tool, they can't change the perceptions of gamers. So while they diddn't put the game in OB for promotional purposes they still have to acknowledge the promotional value of OB, all they did is relay this to information to their investors.

---

It seems like they completely neglected or very underestimated how 'The Free Open Beta is one of the most important marketing activities for the game'.

Originally posted by alucard3000

http://www.massively.com/2010/01/22/the-failure-of-the-beta-defense/

I'm not saying the game doesn't have issues, it does and I post my concerns in the Mortal Online forums, IRC and submit bugs.

The problem is that some of the issues people are over here complaining about are either not issues or it's because people can't manage their own expectations.

Most of the problems people experience in game are caused by lag, they put the game into OB to test the limits of the server. If it's not lagging then that means they either don't have enough people in the game to properly stresstest (like in CB) or they have fixed the lag issues. They clearly haven't fixed the lag, and it's not in CB anymore so the only explanation is that there are more people than the server can handle. Now instead of raging we simply need to wait for them to optimize the code and update the hardware.

Clearly the main issue is patience.

Originally posted by colutr

 No where does it say that the purpose for OB is to be a "free trial". Read it, you won't find it. What it does say is that it is a free open beta, which it is because it's free and in open beta. 

 

Read the second sentence:

The release of Mortal Online starts on Monday the 1st of February 2010. It begins by
launching a Free Open Beta that invites gamers all over the world to try out Mortal
Online for free.

Or near the bottom:

We will be very active in this phase to make sure that as many
as possible gets the opportunity to try out Mortal Online.

I think 99.9% of the people that read that would take it at face value.. that they wanted you to try out mortal Online for free... thus a Free Trial.

I don't think we really need to debate the meaning of words that are self-evident.  That leads down a long drawn out path of stained dresses and talking about what the definition of IS is...

It's is also pretty meaningless in the general context of the Open Beta.  Regardless of whether they really meant it or not when they said this was a Free Trial.. the vast majority of people have used it as such.  The results of which can be found on the 1st page of this poll showing how they felt about the Open Beta.  It's up to the company to manage the expectation of the Customers to insure they have a positive experience.  This is a key to success. When you tell people who have had a negative experience that it's their fault for having the wrong expectations (after the fact) you have just lost those customers forever.

 Edit to add:

At this time 50% of all participants have rated the Open Beta a 1, 2 or 3..

At this time 75% of all participants have rated the Open Beta between 1 and 5...

At this time the average grade is a 39%....

You can argue that it is the customer's fault for having the wrong expectations.... but the numbers are what they are... the vast majority of participants believe that the Open Beta has been very... very bad.   If we were to filter out those people that somehow voted this as a 10... the numbers would be even worse.

Originally posted by colutr

Originally posted by alucard3000

http://www.massively.com/2010/01/22/the-failure-of-the-beta-defense/

I'm not saying the game doesn't have issues, it does and I post my concerns in the Mortal Online forums, IRC and submit bugs.

Did you by any chance vote in this poll we are discussing?  If so do you care to share your vote and thoughts with us as that is really the point of this thread.

Originally posted by Gdemami

 

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Originally posted by colutr
 
They have open beta because they need to stresstest the server.  If you look on their website they state their purpose for going into open beta: www.mortalonline.com/news/open-beta-new-trailer
"Open Beta
We are very glad to announce that starting today, February 1st, Mortal Online moves to the next phase of development and opens it's doors to the public. It's been a rough few months in closed beta (as we expected) but we're happy how far we have come.
Now it is time to iron out the last bugs and fine tune the systems, both ingame and server-side.
To join the open beta, simply follow the instructions here.
Keep in mind that this is not a promotional beta as gamers have gotten used to in the last couple of years. We are taking this step to test our systems on a larger scale. Don't expect this to be a final game version or a preview."
 
The link to the news article is on the front page of the website for everyone to see. If you are expecting anything other than what they told you then you are fooling yourself.
 

---

 

Yes, this I can understand, it is a dev point of view.

Do they think that when they put a single line warning: 'Don't expect this to be a final game version or a preview.' it will prevent the harm of exposing the game in not very satisfying state?

I can't understand why making such move unless it was last resort situation and you couldn't work on the game without doing a massive stress test which I doubt.

 

I am no marketing expert but telling people what NOT to expect is not a way to make money.

Maybe it's not the best way to make money, I mean the best way to make money is tospend millions on advertizing, spend time on a polished demo rack in the initial sales and the release WAR, AOC, and Champions Online first day wtf patches...

I think SV has done alot to under-hype the game so people don't expect too much, but people ignore them. Look at all of the games that recently released and how many ads they had for the game during the OB. They give out those warnings of what to expect so when you get into the game youa ren't suprised. So when people are suprised that the game has bugs and is laggy, it is because those people diddn't read or refused to believe that they aren't trying to sell the game to you based off the beta.

They wan't to sell us the game based on what the game is supposed to be and what it is like when it is finished, not what it's like between patches while still in testing.

Originally posted by colutr

Originally posted by Gdemami

 

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Originally posted by colutr
 
They have open beta because they need to stresstest the server.  If you look on their website they state their purpose for going into open beta: www.mortalonline.com/news/open-beta-new-trailer
"Open Beta
We are very glad to announce that starting today, February 1st, Mortal Online moves to the next phase of development and opens it's doors to the public. It's been a rough few months in closed beta (as we expected) but we're happy how far we have come.
Now it is time to iron out the last bugs and fine tune the systems, both ingame and server-side.
To join the open beta, simply follow the instructions here.
Keep in mind that this is not a promotional beta as gamers have gotten used to in the last couple of years. We are taking this step to test our systems on a larger scale. Don't expect this to be a final game version or a preview."
 
The link to the news article is on the front page of the website for everyone to see. If you are expecting anything other than what they told you then you are fooling yourself.
 

---

 

Yes, this I can understand, it is a dev point of view.

Do they think that when they put a single line warning: 'Don't expect this to be a final game version or a preview.' it will prevent the harm of exposing the game in not very satisfying state?

I can't understand why making such move unless it was last resort situation and you couldn't work on the game without doing a massive stress test which I doubt.

 

I am no marketing expert but telling people what NOT to expect is not a way to make money.

 

They wan't to sell us the game based on what the game is supposed to be and what it is like when it is finished, not what it's like between patches while still in testing.

"The Free Open Beta is one of the most important marketing activities for the game; we are expecting a substantial number of new gamers wanting to try the game as this starts to spread in the gaming community. Our goal is to find both the players who have been waiting for this type of game as well as catch a few of the 'casual' gamers that are looking for a different experience. We will be very active in this phase to make sure that as many as possible gets the opportunity to try out Mortal Online.We are finally in the process of launching and I am together will the whole Development Team at Star Vault proudly inviting all gamers around the world to a new type of gaming
experience in the Mortal Online world”, says Henrik Nyström, CEO, Star Vault AB"

 Source  www.starvault.se/20100129%20MO%20Release.pdf

The END...

So far it's really fucking bad.

Game keeps crashing and freezing. It's really really horrible.

Graphics are terrible, Ultima Online in comparison feels like Crysis. Why couldn't they use Warhammer online engine, im sure it wouldn't cost more than theirs.

Oh and it will take me at least 6 months for my brain to wipe the image of characters' dicks and rotten cooches.

JUST DRAW THE DAMN UNDERWEAR, what's wrong with swedish people?

Originally posted by colutr

Originally posted by alucard3000

http://www.massively.com/2010/01/22/the-failure-of-the-beta-defense/

 

The problem is that some of the issues people are over here complaining about are either not issues or it's because people can't manage their own expectations.

 

Clearly the main issue is patience.

I"m selling a house thats 1/3 finished for full price, are you interested?  Oh... Don't worry about the neighborhood, it'll get better before you move in.

Originally posted by HanoverZ

Originally posted by colutr

Originally posted by alucard3000

http://www.massively.com/2010/01/22/the-failure-of-the-beta-defense/

 

The problem is that some of the issues people are over here complaining about are either not issues or it's because people can't manage their own expectations.

 

Clearly the main issue is patience.

 

 

I"m selling a house thats 1/3 finished for full price, are you interested?  Oh... Don't worry about the neighborhood, it'll get better before you move in.

This example doesnt work here. Everyone can download and try it for themselves and there is no nda hiding the condition of the game. MO is more than full price actually compared to others. It includes the price of a del taco dinner. The car and house analogies dont work on MMOs and its been gone over a million times why. MO is bare bones and still has bugs, every one knows this.

Originally posted by alucard3000

http://www.massively.com/2010/01/22/the-failure-of-the-beta-defense/

This is better =)

www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cfm/loadFeature/3949

lol I love this article 

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Originally posted by colutr
 
I think SV has done alot to under-hype the game so people don't expect too much, but people ignore them. Look at all of the games that recently released and how many ads they had for the game during the OB. They give out those warnings of what to expect so when you get into the game youa ren't suprised. So when people are suprised that the game has bugs and is laggy, it is because those people diddn't read or refused to believe that they aren't trying to sell the game to you based off the beta.
They wan't to sell us the game based on what the game is supposed to be and what it is like when it is finished, not what it's like between patches while still in testing.

---

Then it is players fault for not responding your 'marketing efforts'?

Oh well, I guess it is always better to blame someone else for your mistakes...

Originally posted by HanoverZ

Originally posted by colutr

Originally posted by alucard3000

http://www.massively.com/2010/01/22/the-failure-of-the-beta-defense/

 

The problem is that some of the issues people are over here complaining about are either not issues or it's because people can't manage their own expectations.

 

Clearly the main issue is patience.

 

 

I"m selling a house thats 1/3 finished for full price, are you interested?  Oh... Don't worry about the neighborhood, it'll get better before you move in.

 QFT

377 votes so far, great poll

Originally posted by rlmccoy1987

377 votes so far, great poll

Funny how most and note I said most that rated it a 1 left no feedback and the ones who rated it a 10 didnt bother to post either. Just observation.

Originally posted by parrotpholk

Originally posted by rlmccoy1987

377 votes so far, great poll

 

Funny how most and note I said most that rated it a 1 left no feedback and the ones who rated it a 10 didnt bother to post either. Just observation.

I honestly understand the 1's but giving it a 10 is crazy... 

Originally posted by rlmccoy1987

Originally posted by parrotpholk

Originally posted by rlmccoy1987

377 votes so far, great poll

 

Funny how most and note I said most that rated it a 1 left no feedback and the ones who rated it a 10 didnt bother to post either. Just observation.

 

I honestly understand the 1's but giving it a 10 is crazy... 

A 1 to me means that a game almost doesnt exist or is unplayable. I think those that gave it a 1 and did cite a reason was because to them it was unplayable. 

Originally posted by parrotpholk

A 1 to me means that a game almost doesnt exist or is unplayable. I think those that gave it a 1 and did cite a reason was because to them it was unplayable. 

Exactly.. so that person's perception is that it was a total failure.  It might not be the same perception as someone else. but it seems reasonable from that point of view.  Someone who cannot get the game to work would logically rate their experience as a 1.    I'm really dying to hear someone explain the rationale behind a 10 rating.  A 10 would be the perfect Open Beta.  All systems working.. no lag.. no patch issues... and liking the game design and playstyle.  I don't think even the folks from SV would say they have had anything near the perfect Open Beta...

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Originally posted by Slapshot1188
 
I'm really dying to hear someone explain the rationale behind a 10 rating.

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Rating is in principle subjective, thus no rationale can be expected.

Originally posted by Gdemami

 

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Originally posted by Slapshot1188
 
I'm really dying to hear someone explain the rationale behind a 10 rating.

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Rating is in principle subjective, thus no rationale can be expected.

Of course it can be.  Everyone else who posted was able to do so.. Movie Review critics do it all the time.   I rate this movie 4 starts and here's why.....